Best device for recording music

[shineman]

I am looking for a portable recording device. I need it to record voice lessons for later playback at home and in the car. The iPod with the Griffith iTalk would be ideal. However I am concerned that the quality is limited. Has anybody used this setup?

I would also be open to any other portable MP3 recorder. I would like a fairly simple hookup to the car.

I would appreciate any suggestions.

 

[BigFil]

IMO Minidisc is still the way to go for heavy recording usage.

 

[PsychoZX]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigFil IMO Minidisc is still the way to go for heavy recording usage.

Any recommendations for getting into minidisc recording?

 

[Zappa74]

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigFil IMO Minidisc is still the way to go for heavy recording usage.

I agree... minidisc and dat are still leagues above what any dap can do as far as recording goes.

However, the thread starter is only looking for voice recording. A player like the iriver h320 would probably suit his needs just fine.

edit: just noticed that the thread title refers to recording music. Which is it...voice or music?

 

[shineman]

I am looking to record voice lessons. It is singing with piano. It is only for personal use to practice my singing. It doesn't have to be the highest quality but I would like a reasonable quality.

I really would like to know if anyone has any experience recording with the iPod and how good or bad is it.

Thanks

 

[nismo96]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shineman I am looking to record voice lessons. It is singing with piano. It is only for personal use to practice my singing. It doesn't have to be the highest quality but I would like a reasonable quality. I really would like to know if anyone has any experience recording with the iPod and how good or bad is it. Thanks

If you want to archive your recordings, a MD recorder is a very good way to go.

You can get a lot of info at The Minidisc Community Forum.

 

[myself, aka me]

One of them new HiMD recorders ought to suit you. Get one with a microphone or at least a line in.

You can upload these recordings and convert them to mp3 or wave files to burn to CD or just leave them on the MD.

 

[nismo96]

Just stay away from the MZ-NH600D and the upcoming MZ-RH710. All other Hi-MD models will work fine for you.

 

[Good Luck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shineman I am looking to record voice lessons. It is singing with piano. It is only for personal use to practice my singing. It doesn't have to be the highest quality but I would like a reasonable quality. I really would like to know if anyone has any experience recording with the iPod and how good or bad is it.

The iPod with the iTalk is limited to 8kHz recording through the iPod's OS, not the iTalk. This is Apple's nod to the big music companies. As such it's not good quality, though works extremely well for notes, and may be perfectly acceptable for what you need. Worth trying I'd have thought.

However, if you have an older iPod (ie, pre-4G) and want to have a bit of fun, the iPod is capable of running other OSes too, and thereby sidestep the 8kHz limit. Go here for details of how to dual-boot Linux alongside the iPod OS:

http://www.ipodlinux.org/

Once in Linux there you can choose 8, 32, 44.1 ,88.2 or 96kHz quality recording and record via the iTalk, an ordinary microphone or even your headphones. A 4G version is in the pipeline too.

Who said MD is dead? It's certainly well into its death-throws.

 

[myself, aka me]

HiMD is not dead. An iPod is not ideal for every situation, certainly not this one. Why hack yourself a recording device out of a playback device when you can get a fully functional recording device for cheaper?

It functions as a DAT recorder does, only disc based. You don't even have to worry about compression, they do PCM these days. 1GB of media is US$6.99. The only problem is write speed, limited to 500KB/s. This only matters if you intend to upload. If you upload, as stated before, the machine is free of any DRM at all. Convert it to mp3, throw it on CD, whatever.

You are no longer restricted to ATRAC. It plays MP3s natively, not transcoded.

Yay for HiMD

I'd buy an ipod for playback yes, for sure.

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zappa74 I agree... minidisc and dat are still leagues above what any dap can do as far as recording goes. However, the thread starter is only looking for voice recording. A player like the iriver h320 would probably suit his needs just fine. edit: just noticed that the thread title refers to recording music. Which is it...voice or music?

I don't think so. The Nomad Jukebox 3 (albeit discontinued) is the best device to use for recording. Can record up to 16/48, has a line in, optical in and two line outs to feed other devices that can be used as backup recorders. For reasonable quality get a battery box that will run thru the line in and maybe some cheap mics from www.soundprofessionals.com

Oh, and transferring your recordings to your pc is a snap.

 

[bangraman]

I do a lot of voice recording, and although I find the quality limited, the Creative Muvo TX (and it's near-equivalents) works very well for me as an ad hoc USB key, MP3 player and voice recorder. As a pocket-sized recorder which you can plug into any USB socket (and drag the recording off to a PC), it is hard to beat for convenience. These days I keep it in my bag, mostly empty, so that I can record whenever the need hits.


The iTalk is the easiest to use recording solution for a mainstream MP3 player on the market, and it's acceptable (on the lines of the Muvo TX) quality for voice but hardly high fidelity. When I had the 3G iPod (I still have the iTalk, perhaps awaiting a future re-iPod) I found it a very versatile and productive solution (sync voice and if necessary burn to CD within a few mouse clicks) ... as long as the battery held up. With the 4G, I expect that to be less of an issue, and the Photo I suppose makes that pretty much a non-issue for a couple of hours of recording.


The other MP3 players are an option, especially the full-size iRiver and iAudio players. These feature decent recording capability combined with a usable Line Out, which you can listen to in the car. I found the iAudio M3 marginally more usable in the voice recording mode, and it does a good job.


I have a Hi-MD, and although it is IMO a very good device to use when you want things to be in better quality, honestly I never use it for voice recording wher immediacy is more important to me. Having to remember to take blank disks, choosing a stereo mic which is compact, remembering to take the Mic, etc is a pain, and that's before we get to Hi-MD's limitations as a mass storage player.

 

[maurus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman I do a lot of voice recording, and although I find the quality limited, the Creative Muvo TX (and it's near-equivalents) works very well for me as an ad hoc USB key, MP3 player and voice recorder. As a pocket-sized recorder which you can plug into any USB socket (and drag the recording off to a PC), it is hard to beat for convenience. These days I keep it in my bag, mostly empty, so that I can record whenever the need hits. The iTalk is the easiest to use recording solution for a mainstream MP3 player on the market, and it's acceptable (on the lines of the Muvo TX) quality for voice but hardly high fidelity. When I had the 3G iPod (I still have the iTalk, perhaps awaiting a future re-iPod) I found it a very versatile and productive solution (sync voice and if necessary burn to CD within a few mouse clicks) ... as long as the battery held up. With the 4G, I expect that to be less of an issue, and the Photo I suppose makes that pretty much a non-issue for a couple of hours of recording. The other MP3 players are an option, especially the full-size iRiver and iAudio players. These feature decent recording capability combined with a usable Line Out, which you can listen to in the car. I found the iAudio M3 marginally more usable in the voice recording mode, and it does a good job. I have a Hi-MD, and although it is IMO a very good device to use when you want things to be in better quality, honestly I never use it for voice recording wher immediacy is more important to me. Having to remember to take blank disks, choosing a stereo mic which is compact, remembering to take the Mic, etc is a pain, and that's before we get to Hi-MD's limitations as a mass storage player.

I'm also considering the Iriver IFP-7xx series. I read it is best for sound quality...

 

[BigFil]

I still think for what your wanting to do with your piano lessons MD is going to trounce any HD players capability or usability at this point. You'll just need to get a decent stereo mic (check out minidisco.com) and a portable MD player. Recording with minidisc is as easy as recording with an old tape deck, set levels, press record. You will also be able to set track marks as your going or after the fact. As far as connecting to a car you will have pretty much all the same options as any other portable player via FM transmitter, tape adapter, aux in.

 

[bangraman]

I didn't read the later post.


I can probably attach a small recording sample of the iTalk, recording a stereo playing some singing. You'll have to allow me a few hours for that since I'm not in a position of picking up my iTalk and borrowing an iPod.