When you change the batteries some of the settings resetted themselves, at least on my machine. The file naming was reset to the default instead of the date as the filename. But the second time i changed the battery my settings were preserved. Strange but since i did not use the machine for some time, the internal? battery or capacitor ran out of power? But i could be wrong.The first time i started using the recorder i had to set the time. The second time when chancing the batteries i was not asked to set the time.

The remote control worked nicely, but i got some problems with the reception. Earlier (in some review video during a convention) it was mentioned this remote worked by radio. Well it does not. It used a infrared LED. So you really need a good line of sight to control the recorder from a distance.

Lastly this recorder can not stand “up”. The bottom is too rounded and the recorder will fall over when you try to set it upright. Too bad, but that’s probably why Roland is selling this thing.

Overal i am very impressed with the responsiveness, menu usability and built quality. It is worth each and every penny.

The table could be unreadable. So here you can download the pdf.

Recorder	Price*	Pros	Cons	Bonus Coolness Factor
Edirol R-09	$450 Get current price on Amazon	Easy to use Good onboard mics Good menu & interface	Windscreen not included Tripod adaptor is optional	Optional case & tripod are terrific
Korg MR-1	$899.99 Get current price on Amazon	Outstanding audio quality 40 gig hard drive Rugged metal housing with leather case Universal power supply	No hardware rec level control Internal battery Hard to set recording levels	1-bit audio is a huge improvement over PCM
M-Audio Microtrack 24/96	$499 Get current price on Amazon	Easy to use Audio quality 1/4″ TRS mic inputs with phantom power	Internal battery Potential damage from phantom power & TRS jacks	Smallest recorder with 1/4” inputs and phantom power
Marantz PMD620	$499 Get current price on Amazon	One-touch recording Mics well shielded from wind Sharp OLED display	Awkward menu interface Flimsy covers for USB port & SD card slot	Mono recording useful for broadcasters
Olympus LS-10	$399 Get current price on Amazon	Size Easy to use Audio quality 2 gig internal memory + SD card slot	Zoom mic effects color sound AC power supply not included	Outstanding battery life and great audio in a tiny package
Sony PCM-D50	$599.95 Get current price on Amazon	Rugged and ergonomic Very high audio quality 4 gig internal memory + removable memory	Heavier than the competition Cannot record MP3s Optional windscreen is expensive	Outstanding limiter means worry-free live recording
Zoom H2	$199 Get current price on Amazon	Front & rear stereo mics Inexpensive Doubles as USB audio interface	Feels flimsy Not exactly stellar audio	Records 4-channel “surround”
Zoom H4	$494.94 Get current price on Amazon	3 devices in 1: recorder, 4-track recorder & audio interface 1/4” & XLR combo-connectors with phantom power	Tiny display Confusing interface It’s big, Jim	It’s a portable USB audio interface with effects

Included in the package are this nice recorder, 2GB internal memory, bag, 2 AA batteries and even Cubase LE4!!. The recorder sports a mic-in, line-in, 2 speakers and a headphones output. The display is backlit so you can read in in the dark. Connected to a computer with USB2.0 it mounts as a external harddisk so transferring your recordings is easy.

Mark Nelson (O’Reilly.com) made an excellent in-depth review. I recommend reading it. 

Review of the Olympus LS-10

And the Winner Is…
I think the LS-10 does as good a job recording music and voice as some recorders costing quite a bit more.
I like the Olympus LS-10 a lot. I’m tickled with the design, ergonomics, audio quality, and the rugged aluminum case. I even like the little carrying case; it’s just big enough for the recorder and a mini tripod.
 

I think this recorder is a direct competitor of the Edirol R-09HR, but with a retal price of $399 i would go for the edirol instead. Lets see if Olympus will decrease the price any time soon.

Related Articles

• Review Edirol R-09HR
• Review Zoom H2
• Review of Marantz PMD-620

I would like make audio recordings of classes and bhajans. What should i buy?

Answer

Personally i think, at this moment, the best buy is :

• Edirol R-09HR - $350 – 400
• Zoom H2 - $170-200

Other answers

iPod and others
You could use an iPod, or other standard mp3 player to record. But do not expect too much quality from that. The low quality microphone and the lack of a dedicated record button speak against it for a solid recommendation.

In the past there used to be mp3 players (hard drive based) that offered a microphone input, (like the iRiver H120, H320 and H340). But generally mp3 players only have a Line-input. This means that you need a microphone that is powered seperately because the signal of the microphone is too weak for the Line-input.

Memo and Micro Recorders
Back in the old days the only option to record your voice was either a walkman or a memo recorder. Now that times have advanced so have the memo recorders. The tape was removed and now it records digitally.

These recorders usually do a much better job than iPods and the like. Most of them have reasonable microphones and have a excellent battery life. Lots of memo recorders use standard AAA batteries and these recorders are very small in size. But there are some tradeoffs also. Most of these recorders only record in WMA format (but that is changing, see below) and the quality settings are limited. Also the internal memory is not user expandable although some more expensive models might offer this option.

Olympus is making some excellent memo recorders. They even have WAV recorders now (LS-10).

Anybody out there who wants to make a review of a memo recorder ?

• Good review at oreilly.com
• Reader comments on the H2 at oreilly.com

I have said it before and it bears repeating: if you want professional features, prepare to pay professional prices. If you want a dandy little recorder that won’t break the bank, fits in your pocket, and does a fine job, then get this H2.

• Short review at stinkfight.com

I’ve wanted something like this my whole life, and this thing delivers. I give it a ten out of ten for performance and price.
The H2 is my little friend. I’ll whisper my secrets to him and he’ll paint my thoughts on the ether. IT SOUNDS GREAT!

• Wiki page at wikipedia.com
• Product page at Zoom (Samsontech.com)
• Latest firmware (1.30) at zoom.co.jp
• Find and buy it at google  (around $180)

 Nice to know

1. Records in WAV and MP3
2. Runs on 2 AA Batteries
3. USB connection is the older 1.1version (so 12 MB/s)
4. Connected to the computer, can be used as a audio capturing device.
5. Is very cheap
6. Has not 1, 2, 3 but 4 internal microphones…
7. Uses a SD/SDHC Memory card.

Still i prefer the Edirol R-09HR

It runs on 2 AA batteries (yeah!) and uses SD/SDHC memory cards. Marantz boasts that it should run for 5 hrs. Some reviewers have found that is lasts upto 6 hrs. It can record in standard WAV format, and also in MP3, but the highest quality is limited to 192 Kbps.

Here are some related links

• Excellent review at oreilly.com
• Another review on this machine at wingfieldaudio.com
• Good review at transom.org
• Product page at Marantz

Last month ( apr 2008 ) Marantz released a new firmware (internal software) to address some nasty programming mistakes.

• Download this firmware

After reading the reviews i must conclude that the latest Edirol R-09HR still beats this recorder. The slow USB (1.1) is one of the reasons. But the PMD620 comes very close…..

Reviews and others

The Edirol is a popular machine and Roland introduced an update to the R-09 in april ’08 called the R-09HR. I bought this recorder (R-09) a year ago and have used it quite frequently to record classes, bhajans and kirtans (Listen to a class i recorded). I will not write a full review of this recorder as i belief there are already many good reviews available. I will point them instead so you can read them if you like. My conclusions are also acknowledged in these reviews.

Great review on the Edirol R-09 at oreilly.com

The Edirol R-09 is a handy field recorder with some surprisingly sophisticated file-maintenance features. It is profoundly easy to use (once you suss out the buttons), it records to inexpensive media, and the onboard mics do a decent job. Battery life is outstanding. It looks cool, too … It’s not for everyone. Professionals will want higher sample rates, enhanced metering, and more robust mics. But they’ll have to pay a lot more

thorough review and info at f7sound.com 

It’s tiny (smaller than a microcassette – see below) and records 24 bit digital audio with a sound quality that surprised me in a good way. It’s light even with batteries and should easily fit in a shirt or pants pocket. The only gripe I have so far, and it’s been mentioned on the net via group lists and the like, is the battery cover. The cover, located at the bottom of the device is very hard to deal with and seems like it’s going to break long before anything on the rest of the unit.

Review at Gizmodo

Still, if you’re willing to spend in the neighborhood of four hundred bucks, you can make NPR-quality recordings for podcasts or radio shows, or quality concert bootlegs. Not bad for a gadget that fits in a shirt pocket.

In-depth review of the Edirol R09
More reviews and info about the R-09 at createdigitalmusic.com

My comments

First, recording with the machine is simply. Just put it near the speaker/singer and start recording. I really like the simple controls on this recorder. A big button to record that starts recording with 2 clicks. (The first click will start the recording preview, also very handy).
The two internal mic’s will pick up even faint sounds like the questions at the end of a class. When recording bhajans it will record also the singing public. (Listen to a bhajan i recorded)

Secondly this machine works with regular AA batteries. I am a fan of that because if you do run out of power, you can buy them everywhere. And your precious investment will not become useless once the integrated battery is dead.

Next is the support for SD/SDHC memory cards. With the latest software inside (v1.30) this machine will support SD or SDHC cards upto 8 GB. I have tested a 4 GB SD card and it works flawlessly. The battery / Memory card / USB compartment is really really flimsy. As noted by other reviewers Roland really made a serious design flaw with this. Luckily they solved this with the new model R-09HR. The battery compartment has been moved to the back and USB access is easier.

With a memory card of 2GB (small these days) you can record 2h in 24 bit/44KHz WAV. That is the highest quality for the R-09 model. The R-09HR will even record in 96KHz. Ouch, where are the bigger memory cards…..????

Strong and Weak Points (R-09HR)

Strong
* Uses 2 AA batteries (in new compartment)
* Records MP3 (320 kbps) and WAV (24bit, 96.1kHz), (44.1kHz  R-09)
* Good battery life (using NimH batteries)
* 2 Internal microphones (electret)
* Easy controls
* Uses SDHC cards
* Mounts as a standard harddrive when plugged in USB

Weak
* Flimsy battery comparment (in older model R-09)
* Protective bag is optional
* No screw for mounting on tripod (comes extra with protective cover)
* Batteries cannot be charged from USB

Conclusion

I highly recommend the Edirol recorder. It is expensive compared to the Zoom H2 but the use of SDHC speaks in its favor. But if you are low on cash the Zoom H2 is a worthy contender for $180. The recording quality is sufficient with the internal mics although some noise is there. You can always plug in an external (electret) microphone. My Sony mic does a nice job.

Now that Roland updated to the R-09HR model, personally i would not consider to buy other brands unless a better recorder will emerge.

Competitors

Direct competitors for the Edirol R-09 are the Zoom H4 and H2 , the M-Audio Microtrack I/II and the Marantz PMD620. The price of the R-09/HR is quite high compared to the Zoom for example, but makes up in ease of use. The Microtrack II is also a nice option, but uses a integrated NiMh battery which is not replaceable.

References, guides and websites

* Some bhajan that i recorded with the Edirol

* Edirol R-09 product page
* Edirol R-09HR product page
* Edirol Firmware v1.30 (up to 8GB SDHC cards)

* Edirol R-09HR at Amazon

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74OMEI6yTDQ]

Improvements over the R-09 Model

• !! Built in Speaker
• New Oled screen
• Decent battery compartment (normal AA)
• New SD memory card slot
• Sample Freq improved to 96 Khz, 24 bit
• Remote control (optional)

Links:

1. Edirol Product page
2. Roland Product Page