Recorder

Since its launch in 2007, the Zoom H2 Handy recorder with its ability to record high quality digital audio has become popular for everything from recording personal memos and band demos to sticking in the faces of politicians. Zoom has now given its portable “studio on a stick” an update in the form of the H2n Handy Recorder that ups the number of microphones to five and, according to Zoom, is the first handheld recorder to offer Mid-Side recording. Read More

It's been a good while since Olympus added to its LS-series of portable audio recorders, but it looks like it was worth the wait. In a company first, the forthcoming release of the LS-20M will see the marriage of full 1080p high definition video capture with 24-bit/96kHz Linear PCM stereo audio. Unlike many pocket-camcorders and similar products like the Zoom Q3, the design sees the autofocus lens positioned between two microphones on the top of the unit at a right angle to the 2-inch color screen on the front. Read More

Zoom Corporation has announced the availability of its new R8 music production solution. In addition to an 8-track recording device with built-in stereo microphones, the unit also acts as an audio interface for your computer, a mouse-free control surface for digital audio workstation (DAW) software and an eight voice pad sampler. Read More

Handheld portable recorders with XY microphone configurations are great for tight stereo imaging but if you want to capture a wider ambient sound then an AB configuration would probably be better. With the forthcoming release of its DR-07 MkII recorder, both methods are brought to the one device. A host of new and useful features have been added to the update of Tascam's best-selling portable recorder, including overdub and reverb. Read More

Watch any of those Caught on Tape!-type shows, and you’ll know just how valuable an in-car “black box” camera can be. Not only does it provide a visual record of who was at fault in an accident, but you can also use it to record any other questionable activity that takes place in front of your car. While most of the “sensational” footage comes from cameras in police cars, civilian versions such as the CarCam Voyager and the envisionCAM are available for us regular folk. You can go ahead and pay US$100 to $575 for one of those ... or you can shell out 99 cents for the iCar Black Box iPhone app. Read More

A new portable digital recording unit has just been added to the BOSS guitar and bass family. Capable of recording up to four tracks simultaneously and playing back eight at a time, the BR800 also has high-end, onboard vocal and instrument effects and its own rhythm generator. Although there's still a splattering of dials and sliders, most of the user controls are now operated by a gentle tap on the device's surface. Read More

In April this year, the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) announced the final specifications for the new multi-layer recordable Blu-ray Disc format which can more than double the storage capacity of existing 50GB dual layer discs. The new BDXL format supports rewritable discs of up to 100GB and 128GB for write-once recordable discs. Looks like Sharp gets to claim bragging rights as the first company to release both media and hardware that supports the new standard – two new BDXL compatible AQUOS Blu-ray Disc recorders, as well as 100GB write-once BDXL format media to the Japanese market this month. Read More

No one believing your tales of gnarly moves pulled on some off-piste run? Can’t convince your friends you nailed a Spock 540 One Handed when no one was looking? Now you can prove it (or get a harsh dose of reality) with the ShadowBox – a "personal 3D sports recorder" that attaches to your extreme sporting implement of choice and uses GPS and G-Force data to record a "ride path" of all your extreme sporting moves. Ride data can be viewed immediately on the device or uploaded to a PC or Mac to analyze all your extreme sporting moves in 3D detail. Read More

Samson Technologies is about to release its smallest portable recorder to date. The Zoom H1 Handy Recorder is capable of recording up to 24-bit/96kHz WAV or 320Kbps MP3 using its built-in or external stereo microphones, and has an easy-to-use hardware-based user interface, where all of the controls are placed within easy reach. It weighs just a couple of ounces, runs on one AA battery and records to microSD. Read More