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April 4, 2008 7:45 AM PDT

Best pro-audio mobile recorders

by Donald Bell
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Photo of Edirol R-09 worn around the neck.

If you need to bootleg that upcoming Tom Jones concert, we've rounded up the best tools for the job.

(Credit: CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze)


When it comes to recording concerts, lectures, or interviews, sometimes you just need to break out the big guns. Over the past few weeks, I've been testing out some of the best sub-$1,000 pro-audio portable recorders on the market, including the Edirol R-09, Korg MR-1, and Sony PCM-D50.

If you're in the market for a serious mobile audio recorder, then take a look at our product roundup.

March 26, 2008 6:30 AM PDT

Sony PCM-D50 review, photos

by Donald Bell
  • Post a comment
Photo of Sony PCM-D50 mobile audio recorder.

The Sony PCM-D50's top-notch industrial design is worth a closer look. Click the photo for our Crave photo gallery.

(Credit: CNET Networks)


The Sony PCM-D50 is my new gold standard for portable audio recording with a price less than $500 (well, technically it retails for $600). If you're wondering what it does, and why on earth you would want it, then check out our full review and image gallery.

There's also an action-packed First Look video for the the Sony PCM-D50, featuring Elvis and farting kittens...really.

If you want to hear the PCM-D50 in action, then listen to the latest episode (#90) of the MP3 Insider podcast (recording samples are about halfway through).

March 14, 2008 7:01 AM PDT

Sony PCM-D50 makes great pet

by Donald Bell
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Photo of Sony PCM D-50 mobile audio recorder.

If you find the Aibo, Pleo, or Rolly, too rambunctious, try slapping a tripod and a windscreen on the Sony PCM-D50.

(Credit: CNET Networks/Donald Bell)


The Sony PCM-D50 portable audio recorder just hit my desk (look for a full review next week) and I can't get over how cool this thing looks. To my surprise, Sony included the optional microphone windscreen with the loaner I received, which makes the whole thing look like taser shoved into a Tribble.

Photo of Sony PCM D-50 mobile audio recorder.

The Sony PCM-D50, minus the windscreen and tripod.

(Credit: Sony)

To fully realize Sony's little audio creature, I screwed it onto my camera tripod and created what is easily the weirdest thing ever to grace my desk (no offense, Little Professor).

On a serious note, I get asked about high-end portable audio recorders a lot. Consumer MP3 players/voice recorders just can't hack it when it comes to recording podcasts, bootlegging concerts, or capturing the wonder of nature's symphony (i.e. field recording). So far, the Sony PCM-D50 is looking like the best designed, best constructed portable audio recorder I've laid hands on--better than the M-Audio Microtrack, Edirol R-9, Zoom H2, or Korg MR-1. I've yet to hear this fuzzy wonder or give it some real world testing, but with 12 hours of rated battery life, WAV recording up to 24-bit/96kHz, optical line-in and line-out jacks, articulated built-in microphones, and on-screen editing functions,the Sony PCM-D50 is looking pretty fine.

Off the bat, however, I can tell I'm not going to like the measly 4GB of internal memory and proprietary Sony Memory Stick expansion. Who knows? Maybe now that Sony has seen the light with their MP3 players, they'll get on-board with SDHC flash memory cards too. Yeah...I won't hold my breath.

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