10
Best Digital Recorders
for Guitarists
BY JOE COFFEY
Just think of how many Doobie Brothers bootlegs Rerun could’ve recorded if he would’ve
had a sleek digital recorder instead of that bulky
casette recorder that got him busted. In terms
of truly portable recording devices, we’ve come
a long way, baby. Not only are digital recorders
small enough to fit into your pocket these days,
they can record at previously unfathomable
quality settings. Some do a lot more, too—like
add guitar effects, play back loops and give you
multi-track capabilities. Here are ten that we find
particularly worth the bang for their buck.
Sony PCM-D50
(Street $450)
The little brother of
the PCM-D1, the
PCM-D50 makes
better-than-DAT
recording affordable
while retaining many
features of its award-winning relative: X-Y
or Wide electret
condenser stereo
mics, 4 GB internal
and Memory Stick
Duo memory, digital
and optical lines in/
out, . WAV recording, . WAV/MP3 playback and
USB connectivity. Differences include a lightweight aluminum casing (not titanium), a smaller
frame, and a preamp that is only slightly less
stellar. Bonus: Sonic Forge software included.
Roland
Edirol R-09
(Street $350)
The R-09 is a
workhorse that
has proven
dependable in
live field record-
ing situations for
our staff. With
24bit/48.1kHz
recording in
MP3 playback,
built-in stereo
mics, a slot
for an SD or SDHC memory card, and mic/
line inputs, the R-09 packs a lot of punch for
its cigarette pack size ( 100’s). The updated
R-09HR offers upgrades like 24bit/96kHz
recording, an internal playback speaker and
Cakewalk software for $400.
Olympus LS- 10
(Street $400)
Capable of
recording in
. WAV, MP3
and . WMA at
24bit/96kHz,
the LS- 10
continues
Olympus’ tradition of looking
very businesslike while offering surprisingly
good musical
recording
capability. The
LS- 10 performs
well in amped
guitar situations
with careful
manipulation
of its simple-but-effective
Low and High
microphone sensitivity settings, Low Cut
Filter and Zoom Mic (wide, standard, narrow, zoom)settings. Special playback settings
are fun but not necessarily crucial—Reverb
(Studio, Club, Hall and Dome) and Euphony
(Normal, Natural, Wide, Power). Bonus: windscreens, case, strap and Cubase LE included.
Line 6 Back Track (Street $100)
Our first guitar-specific digital recorder in this
lineup basically takes your guitar line out and
records everything you do, waiting for you to
press the Mark button after you stumble upon
a moment of brilliance. The device reads like a
flash drive and stores up to 1GB of . WAV files at
up to 24bit/48kHz and runs off a USB rechargeable battery. The upgraded Back Track + Mic has
a built-in mic, a 1/8” headphone out and 2GB of
memory for $150.
TASCAM GT-R1
(Street $350)
Combine a
24bit/48kHz
recorder (.WAV
and MP3) with
the concept of
guitar training
and you get
the formidable
GT-R1, a back
pocket-friendly
tool built for
chop-building
and songwriting. Plug your
guitar or bass in along with your headphones and you can play with more than
80 rhythm tracks using an array of amp
simulators and effects (compressor, chorus,
flanger, verb, delay and more). Load some
MP3 files and go to town looping sections, slowing licks while keeping pitch and
overdubbing tracks. There’s also an analog
limiter, a guitar and bass cancelling feature,
and an EQ. Bonus: metronome and tuner.
Also: 1GB SD card and rechargeable battery included.
Zoom H2
(Street $180)
The H2
records at
24bit/96kHz
in . WAV or
MP3 with a
time stamping
function for
referencing.
The quality
is very good
and the unit is
back pocket-friendly. The
W-Y or Wide
pattern mics
( 4 capsules) allow you to capture front 90
degree cardioid, rear 120 degree cardiod and
360 degree polar patterns. Bonus: tuner and
auto start. Also: mini-tripod, earbuds, wall
wart, windscreen, pouch, mic clip adapter
and 512MB SD card included.
