Sony Professional Portable 24-bit Linear Audio Recorder Reviews

• A winner -- professional quality recording at a breakthrough price!

  
  By A2TLUB637G1P6Y on 2008-01-24
  This is a fantastic little recorder that is, I think, probably the least expensive audio recorder available capable of making professional quality recordings. I use it three ways -- either on it's own (using its' built-in microphones), with an external Sony ECM-MS957 stereo microphone, or with an external RODE NT4 stereo microphone. Also, just for reference, I edit all my recordings on a system that has very high resolution -- a Grace M902 D/A converter driving AKG K701 headphones.
  
  I record larger groups, predominately gospel choirs, and buying this recorder made a huge improvement in the quality of my recordings. I previously used a Sony MZ-M200 Hi-MD recorder in linear PCM mode. Using the PCM-D50 with the same microphone and at the same recording quality settings, here's what I have observed:
  
  1. A very large improvement in the frequency response of my recordings. There is much better extension on both the low and the high end. This is probably attributable to the quality of the microphone preamps in the PCM-D50, but it is NOT subtle...
  
  2. A significant improvement in the sense of air or openness in a recording. This ties into the extended HF response, I think, but there's something else going on as well that adds to the overall quality of a recording.
  
  3. Better stereo imaging; again, likely due to the far better mic preamps and better channel isolation throughout the circuitry.
  
  4. A significantly lower noise floor. I don't care if they're both digital, in something as small as the MZ-M200 there's simply not enough room to have high-quality parts with adequate isolation. The difference was, frankly, a surprise.
  
  5. A huge improvement in potential recording time without reducing quality. I have 8GB of memory (4GB internal, 4GB on MemoryStick), compared to 1GB (per disc) on the MZ-M200. I believe there is a 2GB limit for file size, but -- as I understand it -- the PCM-D50 will seamlessly transition to a new file when you hit the 2GB wall. I have yet to record anything that large, and therefore haven't tried this in practice.
  
  6. A massive improvement in battery life. I haven't done a scientific comparison, but using lithium cells in the PCM-D50 probably offers battery life that is easily 10 times greater than what the rechargeable battery on the MZ-M200 offers.
  
  7. Far quicker downloads to my Mac, on the order of 6-8 times faster. They both use a mini USB connector but the PCM-D50 works far better with a computer, especially a Macintosh. When you plug it in it appears on your desktop as though it were a standard USB drive. With a MemoryStick inserted you actually get two separate drive icons, one for the internal memory and another for the MS.
  
  8. A far more sophisticated limiter. The PCM-D50 always makes two data streams, one at the level you've set and another that's -20dB down in level. If you overdrive the thing it quickly switches to the lower level data stream, thus preserving the quality of your recording. You can adjust how quickly it switches back to your preset levels -- either 150 milliseconds, 1 second, or 1 minute. I was skeptical of this feature, but in practice it works very well in my recording venues.
  
  Are there things I don't like? Not a lot. I'm mad that Sony didn't offer the case (CKL-PCMD50) that is sold for this recorder in Japan, but you can find them on eBay. I'm frustrated that the accessories offered for this unit -- a small tripod (VCT-PCM1), a furry windscreen (AD-PCM1), and a wired remote control (RM-PCM1) -- are not available until February (at the earliest).
  
  The only other thing that is slightly bothersome is the fact that, when using the tripod, you are limited to recording others. That is, if you want to be part of the recording -- this happens when I join in with some of the vocal groups I record, or if you are trying to record yourself playing an instrument -- you will not be able to see the VU meters. In these cases I always resort to an external microphone, which allows me to have proper mic placement while keeping the meters in sight.
  
  I would recommend this to anyone looking to spend under $1,000 on a pro-grade recorder. Above that price point I'd suggest going all the way and spending $1,700 to $1,800 on the Sound Devices 702...
  
  

• Cleanest preamp-easy to operate-movable mics

  
  By A2G1D76JFJ0J10 on 2008-01-15
  Yes, the built in mics are sensitive in this unit but if you use common sense when recording it is not a problem. I have used this unit with the built-in mics (that's why they put a camera tripod thread on the bottom), with my $300 AT822 stereo mic (this is an incredible combo for field recording) and directly from a mixing board. If you are going to record MP3 files or tunes for your iPod get something else. If you want professional quality,24 bit, 96kHz .wav files or 6 hours and 25 minutes of CD quality recording with the 4gb of internal memory it comes with, then take a close look at the D50. Metal housing, great display, runs on four AA batteries. Lots of other cool, useful features. If you appreciate CLEAN preamps, this is the best currently available for the money. Oade Brothers will do mods to Marantz, Tascam, Fostex and Edirol recorders but it costs $$$.
  
  

• I like it but...

  
  By A1H1TIKQXCZPS3 on 2008-01-04
  It works quite well - as long as you are nowhere near the unit. If you touch it while recording, be ready for some serious booming sounds. There is no isolation from the mics to the unit. No one seems to sell a case for it in the USA (how stupid is that). Also, if you are using a Mac and wish to import mp3 files into it, it adds an extra junk file (to each track) that manually needs to be removed prior to the unit playing the tracks properly. Ho hum.
  
  

• Functional and Sturdy MD/Portable DAT Replacement - Finally!

  
  By A2KHZBP8DTHB02 on 2008-05-19
  Quality-wise, this is the MiniDisc replacement people have been looking for. Sony kept out extras such as quad mic setups, overdubbing, MP3 recording, and cheap XLR inputs to focus on getting the basics right: clean mic input, useful limiting, durability (metal casing--what most MiniDisc units had, but few flash recorders currently have), and clean playback (accurate monitoring). A perk is that it has great battery life (very frequent recording and playback throughout the day = change the batteries once every 2-3 days.)
  
  Skip the rest and get this if you want to spend less than $1200 to replace your old MiniDisc or portable sub-$600 DAT setup. If you want something better, save for the Sound Devices 702/722 (oddly numbered like the old Sharp MD 702/722 units).
  
  I've now recorded rehearsals and individual practice sessions (orchestra/trombone) and can say this unit does an adequate job of recording. It's not great like a multi-mic, pro recording chain setup can be, but it fails to introduce noise into recordings when one uses external mics or the internal mics; other flash recorders (Edirol, Zoom, Tascam) seem to do a less than adequate job by including noisy mic preamps.
  
  After waiting through years of noisy mic pre's in the first generations of flash recorders, I couldn't ask for more. But the Sony has three additional features that are great: there are manual controls for many basic functions; the unnoticeable limiter makes it difficult to peak; variable speed playback is toggled with a manual control. Musicians will love that a manual control toggles the variable speed playback. It is simple to listen back at half-speed (or slower)--and, like some other flash recorders (and unlike the $20-$50 tape recorders), it retains pitch. The limiter records two tracks, 20dB apart and seamlessly splices the tracks together when your levels are too high; on playback, it is hard to tell when it is activated. This makes it simple to record sessions that involve speech and live music, though I suspect editing will need to still be done to level it out. (As an example, such a setup would work for recording an interview where a violinist speaks and plays, but editing would be needed to level out the same type of interview with a brass player because brass vs. voice is often a 30dB+ difference--more than the 20dB the Sony limiter handles.)
  
  The Bad
  The mics are sensitive to air movement. This works well by itself when left inside in one place (like a normal condenser mic is setup indoors), with a windscreen, or with an external mic that is either less sensitive to air movement or has a wind screen. (Walking around while recording generates wind noise that allows other sounds to pass through while high wind outside will cover up all other sounds.)
  The Sony is bulky and heavy for a portable device. This is noticeable compared to the late, tiny MiniDisc units (such as the RH1). Hopefully as the technology improves, this caliber of flash recoder, like the early portable MiniDisc recorders (remember those?), will become smaller with time.
  Not So Bad: The unit requires Memory Stick Duo (Pro or Pro-HG) flash memory, but it is not much more expensive than regular SD cards (about $10-15 more) and the unit comes with 4GB of internal memory (under 2 hrs @ 24/96 or under 6 hours @ 16/44).
  
  Reality
  You can't have ultra-portable at this quality level yet. If you want a quality recorder now, spend the extra $100-200 and get the Sony to avoid buyer's remorse. If you're looking for a fun, small recorder, look at the Zoom H2 or Tascam DR-1. If you have the perfect setup and can wait for a smaller version of this, wait a while and see if the Sony gets smaller in a later model (or if another company puts the same quality into a smaller package).
  
  

• Perfect for rehearsals.

  
  By A31JYDW5DZ3VBY on 2008-02-09
  I've used the PCM-D50 to record several rehearsals. I've used both the built-in microphones and my Sony ECM-MS957 stereo microphone. Recording using a boom microphone stand with my stereo microphone or a small 12" tripod with the built-in microphones, the results were exceptional in every case. I've been recording at 44.1Khz and 24-bit for the most part. Given the nature of my recordings, a higher sampling rate isn't really necessary. The 24-bit recording allows me to create good sounding mp3's (to send to the other band members) even when the recording level is too low.
  
  I haven't needed the limiter, but was glad I had it on when my initial recording level was too high. The PCM-D50's limiter handled the problem without clipping and I was able to recover a recording.
  
  

• Sony MSMT1G 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo (Mark2) Media

• Sony MS-EX4G 4GB Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
• Sony RMPCM1 Wired Remote Control for PCMD50
• SANYO eneloop 4 Pack AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries
• Transcend TS8GSDHC6 8GB SDHC card (SD 2.0 SPD Class 6)
• Sennheiser HD-280 Professional Headphones