Using this to capture podcasts, along with a big SD card. It's going well so far.

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Product Description

WAVE/MP3 Recorder

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6686 in Musical Instruments
• Color: Black
• Brand: Edirol
• Model: R-09
• Dimensions: 2.00 pounds

Features

• Ultra portable
• Records to SD card
• Mic and line audio inputs
• Time and date stamp
• Long battery life

Amazon.com
Introducing the latest addition to Edirol’s red-hot portable recorder lineup: the R-09. Building on the success of the R-1, the R-09 takes many of the most desired features — 24-bit uncompressed recording and a built-in stereo mic — and shrinks it all down into a more streamlined, stylish, and affordable package.

Feature List

• Crystal-Clear Capture
  It’s ultra small and looks like a gadget, but make no mistake — the R-09 is a serious, top-quality professional recorder. Capture source material at a crystal-clean 24-bit resolution with your choice of 44.1 or 48kHz sample rates. You can record and play back in MP3 format as well (up to 320kbps). Once recorded, your files can be monitored through the R-09’s headphone jack and/or exported to a computer via USB.
• I.A.R.C. (Isolated Adaptive Recording Circuit)
  I.A.R.C. is the newly developed dedicated analog circuit optimized for recording on R-09. Electrolytic capacitors provide stable, reliable power to the analog circuits, eliminating DC interference. The R-09 offers an input gain volume control to manually adjust recording levels.
• Microphone Included
  To record audio into the R-09, there’s no extra gear to buy or no cables to connect. A quality stereo microphone is built right into the unit, complete with a dedicated input control, mono/stereo selector, low-cut filter, and gain boost. Just point and record! If you wish to use an external microphone, the R-09 offers a 1/8" mic input.
• Sweetening
  The R-09 is more affordable than its predecessor, the R-1. One reason the R-1 carries a heavier price tag is because of its well-stocked lineup of internal effects. The R-09 isn’t devoid of effects, however. It contains the world’s most-requested/desired effect: reverb. Whether you’re listening to WAV or MP3 files, you can route the R-09’s playback through its internal reverb processor, immersing it in lush, user-controllable ambience.
• More Than Music
  The R-09 is perfect for capturing live music events, recitals, and rehearsals. It’s also handy as a songwriter’s sketchpad, ensuring that no moment of inspiration is lost. But the R-09 has many valuable uses outside of the music world as well. Students can use it to record lectures. Broadcasters and journalists can throw away their antiquated cassette recorders and use the R-09 for in-the-field interviews. Wherever, whenever there’s a need to capture audio, the R-09 can do it hassle-free thanks to its built-in microphone and long battery operation.
• USB 2.0 Connection to Computer for Rapid File Transfer
  The R-09 can connect to the outside world via USB 2.0 for importing/exporting audio files via computer very quickly. For example, a 600 MB recording at 44.1 kHz/16-bit takes only 5 minutes to transfer, only 1/12 of the time it would take to transfer the same recording from a MiniDisc or tape (cassette/DAT) recorder.

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Customer Reviews

Much better than the competition
I previously wrote an Amazon review of the main competition for the Edirol R-09 digital recorder, namely the m-Audio "Microtrack". In that review, I noted some serious reservations that I had with the Microtrack. Since that time, further experience with m-Audio and the Microtrack soured me on that company and that product, but Amazon does not allow a person to modify their reviews. I don't want to go in to the details here, but I will say that I decided the Microtrack was barely worth bothering with, and I ordered the Edirol R-09.

The R-09 is obviously targeted as a 'Microtrack killer', and in most ways Edirol has come through on all counts. In my limited experience with this very recently released product, I have yet to find any firmware bugs or disappointing functionality or performance (whereas my m-Audio's most recent firmware revision for the Microtrack, as of this writing, is still buggier than a bait shop, and shows no sign of really getting fixed properly).

The R-09 is for all practical purposes the same shirt-pocket size as the Microtrack. Where the MT used a very simple operator's interface, the R-09 instead uses something more like a conventional CD player/MP3 player/tape player interface that requires no user's manual to instantly feel comfortable with. You have the basic 4-way navigation pad that is either up/down/left/right or play-pause/stop/'rewind'/'fast forward', plus a central button that is either 'Enter' or 'Record'.

The R-09 has a tiny little LCD display, smaller than the MT, but it is superior in every way. It has all the information you caould ask for, very good level (VU) meters that actually work and respond well, elapses time, time remaining on memory card, track name, record/playback status, peak memory, special effect mode, etc. It is a monochrome LCD of high resolution and high contrast, with a bright (and adjustable) backlight. Although you need to hold the display close to your face to read it, once there everything is clear and legible.

To make sure that you know when the R-09 is recording, the Record button lights up with a large and bright red LED, and this can be seen from across the room. The LCD's level meters include peak indicatiors, but the R-09 also has a bright green LED above the keypad that lights when you have reached 0 headroom; this is handy when you are recording yourself, maybe in your own band or orchestra, and want to glance over to make sure the recording is OK....red light on, green light off, and all is well.

The R-09 takes two normal AA batteries, which can be alkalines or rechargeables. The R-09 will record or play for hours on a normal pair of batteries, and you can change them out any time. Compare this with the MT, which has a non-replaceable rechargeable battery inside; if it runs out during a session, you are in trouble, since m-Audio recommends against powered the MT from the charger while turned on. The R-09 has a menu selection for type of battery, and uses this information to properly estimate the remaining battery life for its display indicator. If you set this incorrectly, the unit will still work but the battery display will be inaccurate.

The R-09 has a decent set of mics built in, and the preamp has a Low/High selector switch that is accessible directly without going through the menu screen. This would be set to Low for most music recording, and High for capturing meetings and outdoor samples. The R-09 does not have balanced inputs like the MT, but has instead one mic and one line input jack, each using the common 1/8" diameter phone style connector. Via the menu, you can decide whether the mic jack supplies so-called 'plug-in-power' for the external mic. Many small stereo mics intended for camcorders and computers require the 'plug-in-power' to operate.

The R-09 does not have S/PDIF input or output (the MT has only input), but the intended market for this unit would most likely never use such a signal anyway. There is a single output jack, also and 1/8" stereo phone type, and it can be used for three purposes: headphones, line output, or digital output. I am not familiar with the protocol used for the digital output, but the manual suggests that some powered speakers, etc; use this type of plug and signal.

The R-09, like the MT, has a USB plug and a memory card slot. Unlike the MT, the R-09 hides these behind a sliding door on the bottom of the unit. The USB is capable of higher speeds than the USB on the MT, although you will still find it easier to remove the memory card and plug it into your computer's flash card reader for downloading.

The R-09 uses the 'SD' type flash memory card, as compared with the MT's use of the Compact Flash card. Both types are readily available and inexpensive. You can get a 2GB SD card for less than $50, and this will store 3 hours of 44.1kHz/16 bit PCM coded audio in WAV file format (i.e. CD quality).

For playback, the R-09 has a nice little digital reverb option with five choices: large hall, medium hall, room, plate, off. This works well and sounds quite good; a nice way to sweeten the recorded sound.

For recording, the R-09 has an automatic gain control (AGC) which quietly prevents clipping if the recording level is set too high for the music loudness. Normally you would not use this, and would turn it off, but sometime it can be a life saver. A big improvement of the R-09 over the MT is that the recording level can be turned all the way down to 0, meaning that both gain and attenuation are available as required by the input signal levels. One thing missing is that the R-09 cannot set the left and right channels to different levels, something the MT is able to do.

Setting the record level is down with a pair of up/down buttons on the left side of the R-09, rather like a cell phone volume control. The current setting is displayed on the LCD. Similarly, the playback level is adjusted with a pair of buttons on the right side of the unit. A minor annoyance is that the R-09 levels are set with a terranced/stepped internal circuit, which makes a very quiet click each time you ramp from one level to the next. This is useful, as you can hear the amount of change, but it is something you will hear in the recording. Best to set levels before starting the real recording, or use the AGC if you will not be able to set levels ahead of time.

For almost every application, I would recommend the R-09 over the competing Microtrack. I would only consider the MT now if I needed S/PDIF interface or the ability to set different left and right levels.

Edirol R-09 Review Comparisons 24/96, Marantz PMD 660
The Edirol R-09, the long awaited closest successor to the Sony M1 type of DAT recorder, arrived. The entry of small portable DAT recorders was a boon to people wanting a small, quiet, high fidelity, audio recorder that was easy to use, and had long run times. To some the M1 was limited by not having balanced mic inputs. There have now been a succession of non-mechanical recorders using flash media and I own and use three of them. The R-09 is a joy, like the M1

The unit is smaller than the M1, a little fatter than a deck of playing cards. It shipped from Full Compass in a typical small product box and when I opened it, and moved through various items, I thought they have forgot to include the recorder. But it was sitting there wrapped inconspicuously at the bottom. The cables, and power supply take up much more space. The owner's manual had a cover sheet warning about how to install the batteries, something that was also talked about in the detailed user guide. Opening the recorder to install batteries is its one Achille's heel and requires caution to not force it open. The mechanics are unusual, you slide the cover half way to get at the USB and SD card, and then have to slide a lock in the right direction to have the door pivot to open up the battery bay. Be careful here. It takes 2 AA's just like the M1 and 2500 NiMH's will power it for a very long time. I've run it for 9 hours recording with those.

The recorder has more familiar buttons and controls than it's closest competitor, the m-audio Microtrack 24/96 which is only slightly longer. The R-09 screen is small, almost junky, but it is bright and easy to read, with strong black and white letters. Without looking at the manual, you can program the date, and details with one hand. There are two built-in microphones which work very well. The Microtrack lacks internal microphones, and a T-microphone is supplied which is quite good but it is more of a hassle to use the recorder that way because it sticks out and if you wanted to just put the recorder in a pocket and record yourself, there will be much more rubbing noise. I've put the R-09 into a shirt pocket and recorded events very well without much body noise using the internal mics which sound very clean.

Unlike the rotating wheel for recording levels on the M1, there are two buttons to set the level and these appear to function like true gain controls, which are different from the 24/96 where level setting goes by three steps (only two for plug in power) with some adjustment within them. The m-audio sets right and left channels independently or they can be ganged, a feature lacking on the R-09. The Marantz PMD-660 has true concentric wheels to set recording levels, sort of like the Sony TC-D5M cassette recorder that I loved using. There is no limiter feature, but tbe automatic gain control on the Edirol works well for mic input, and does not function for line level input. There is a high-low mic sensitivity slide switch. The recording level meters appear to actually depict recording levels, unlike the m-audio. There is a peak indicator for clipping and in my limited experimenting with peak levels, the signal doesn't degrade as much as I expected. So recording is fun.

The unit has plug-in power with adequate voltage to power my Sonic Studios DSM-6S, something the m-audio can't do, and requires an external power supply for that mic. There are no balanced mic inputs with phantom power as the Microtrack and Marantz have. The Microtrack only provides about 30 volts but that is adequate to run my mics. The Marantz has XLR connectors, the Microtrack 1/4 inch TRS jacks require adaptor cables. The PMD 660 has no plug-in power, about the only limitation it has for my usage.

So recording is a joy with the R-09. The display shows recording time left, and time as well as whether plug-in power is on. All units have a hold switch, slides on the m-audio and Edirol, and requiring to push two buttons simultaneously on the PMD-660. While recording, there is a red oval light surrounding the record button indicating the status, whereas on the Marantz, indication is similarly clear from a red diode that either flashes for standby or is continuous when recording. The Marantz has true mono recording, that is recording time available is twice that in stereo. the m-audio has a mono-mode but it records two channels simultaneously and you can't have longer recording times as would be useful for meetings that last weeks.

The Edirol records 16 and 24 bit, at 44.1 and 48 kHz sampling, as well as mp3 from 320 kbps down to 64 kbps. The Marantz for mp3 has only 128 kbps or 64 for mono. The Microtrack goes down to 96. The lower transfer rates are useful for recording non-critical voice, hence my reason for going into detail here. I find one can send lengthy (1-2 hour) voice files over the internet when compressed by software to 24 kbps. It is a great way for sharing lectures and discussions.

There is digital output by Toslink through the headphone jack on the R-09, and no digital input, something others might find a problem. The 24/96 has SPDIF digital in and out through a phono jack. The Edirol has USB 2.0 connectability to a computer, as does the 24/96 while the Marantz has only 1.1 and you require the unit to have the AC power connected to transfer or download directly to the computer. I get around this with a CF card reader. There is no other digital in or out for the Marantz.

I really like the Edirol so far. My only concern is the battery door. It is great having replaceable AA batteries to power it. This a feature lacking in the microtrack which has a built-in lithium ion battery and when power levels drop, you can connect an external USB device with 4 AA's to power it, but this is complicated and cumbersome. The display is smaller on the Edirol but is much more readable than the bigger one on the 24/96. It is more fussy to run the buttons on the 24/96 and the slider switches are more easy to move by mistake with unrecoverable consequences, while the Edirol has smaller slide switches whose position is more difficult to change by accident.

Names of audio files can be edited in the Edirol, and not in the other two recorders. Both the R-09 and Marantz provide considerable information about the files on their screens, while this is limited in the 24/96.

If compactness doesn't matter, the Marantz PMD 660 is my favorite because it has features not available in the smaller units. These include the ability to edit files that have been recorded, that is to make smaller ones and merge several. Battery life from 4 AA's is remarkable, and the unit feels rugged. It has built in speakers which the other two lack, and you can monitor recording through them as well as with headphones. During a recording a point can be marked making it easy to return there during review, a useful feature for interviews. There is a remote recording control to start and stop recording as well as place marks, a very valuable feature in many situations.

The Microtrack 24/96 has much higher sampling rates than the other two, a feature that doesn't matter to me and it has balanced mic inputs as well as digital I/O. But I had to get 4 units replaced because of production problems and the one I have now still isn't right. Other reviews haven't mentioned such problems. It took a number of firmware upgrades to get the functions to work as depicted in the manual. I feel least confident with the battery that will require eventual replacement, a costly process.

The Roland R-09 is compact, featured, easy to use and may become the one I use the most. It is becoming accessorized to get with the iPod mania, so there is a carrying case with a tripod on the way as well as a microphone stand adaptor to put the unit in its case on a stand to use it as a complete microphone-recorder combo. We are blessed with good recorders to choose from.

Edirol R-09 vs Zoom H4
Just after ordering the Edirol R-09, the Zoom H4 came out, which promised even more features at $100 less. I ordered Zoom H4, too. The Zoom went back and the Edirol stayed, despite the premium cost.

The Zoom has a huge variety of features that the Edirol lacks. The Zoom may even sound the slightest bit better (more open, slightly better high end) when both are used to record with their built in mics. However, this functionality comes with a price--a much more complicated interface.

The Zoom does everything. It records directly to wav and mp3. It's a 4 track recording studio. It serves as computer interface for your guitar. It serves as an effects box. It can emulate four different types of microphones, such as the Shure SM57 and the AKG C414. It's even got a built-in metronome and tuner!

In order to do all this, the Zoom H4's buttons and controls must necessarily be multi-function. On top of that, it adds a jog dial (like the wheel on a mouse: slide in either direction to change menu choices, push to select the current choice). It is necessary to go two levels deep in the menus to set recording levels manually. The Edirol R-09's interface is so simple and intuitive that many could use it without even looking at the manual. Since all I was looking for was a recorder, the Edirol was the easy choice for me.

The Edirol is quite rightly criticized for how awkward it is to insert and remove batteries. In theory, it's a lot easier to do with the Zoom H4. In practice, I found it just as awkward. I found the SD card much harder to swap out of the Zoom H4 than out of the Edirol R-09.

The Edirol R-09 has four very small rubber buttons on the back. They're too small to notice until someone bumps the surface the recorder is sitting on and the unit doesn't move! The Zoom unit has one rubber button on the back but it didn't seem to grip much.

As the side-by-side photo I uploaded shows, the Zoom H4 is a bit larger than the Edirol R-09. I did not find the H4 so much larger as to be a burden. I did find the Edirol's screen easier to read, however!

A Zoom plus: The Zoom has a true automatic gain control, where the Edirol's is a compressor circuit. The Zoom prevents clipping at high volume where the Edirol boosts low volumes without guarding against clipping.

A Zoom minus: Both devices have level meters. The Zoom has no peak indicator that I could find. The Edirol, in addition to its meters, has an impossible-to-miss LED that blinks when the unit peaks. This makes it very easy to adjust levels properly by using Up and Down buttons on the side of the unit, which can be done even while recording.

One final comment that won't mean much except to other die-hard MiniDisc users like me who stuck with the MiniDisc despite its shortcomings because its fidelity is so good. The Edirol R-09 is the unit that got me to finally abandon the MiniDisc!!!