Topic: Olympus LS-100 with XLR, 8 channels

[TimeBandit]

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1581

XLR Input + Phantom power
internal mics up to 140 dB SPL
8 channel Recording
4 gb internal memory
SDXC Card compatible up to 64 gig

Li Ion Battery up to 12 and a half hours of recording (?? don'T think with phantom ?? but when it must be    )

Official Price 399 USD

[hoppedup]

My first thought was, "Where are the inputs for 8 channels?"  so I clicked the linky.

Eight Channel Multi-track Recording.

Features two channel recording with eight channel playback. Run both left and right inputs into one track for deep, rich sound. Once tracks are recorded; edit, mix-down onboard, and even burn directly to a CD without a PC connection.

[TimeBandit]

the Li Ion is a Li-50B like they are using on cameras. i i don'T belive ~20h recording w phantom now. 

[rastasean]

To me, channel is the proper term. Many recorder manufactures like to use channel to refer to INPUT, but this clearly has two internal microphones and two xlr inputs and the possibility for playback/overdubbing/multiTRACK on the channels.
The site also indicates the internal mics have independent control, that's pretty nice but not sure how useful. Also, like most other small recorders, has a built in speaker almost guaranteed to be useless.

the internal rechargeable battery is not a good thing.

[H₂O]

From what I read is:
 - 2 Channel recording
 - 8 channel playback - i.e. you can make 4 different recordings and playback together   

[TimeBandit]

for this function set i think that with the Li ion is a bit bad. The factory LI-50B has 950 mAh...

so still eyes on a m-10  at least the functional set from the olympus is a bit overkill for "standard" taper usage.

[aaronji]

Interesting...Quite small too...I wonder if it has an aluminum case like the LS-10/11...

But where did you see 29 hours of recording time?  On the "Specifications" tab, it says 12.5...I wonder how long with phantom on for a moderate draw mic...

[aaronji]

A little more information about this on the Olympus Europe site (http://www.olympus-europa.com/consumer/2581_digital-recorder_ls-100_25231.htm).  It does have a metal case, for one thing...From the 360 degree photo, it looks like the the battery can be easily replaced (but the resolution isn't great, so it's hard to tell).  I can't stand it when it's difficult/impossible to change the batteries!

Curious to know more about this thing, but it's so recently announced that I can't really find much...

[TimeBandit]

like written above its the LI-50B which they also use on their compact cameras. So its user swappable.

Maybe there are also aftermarket ones which have more "juice" otherwise this recorder is only suitable for FOB pulls  where power plugs should be availiable.

[labello]

First review and comparison to other recorders, Soundfiles. (only German)

http://www.audiotranskription.de/olympus-ls-100

[flintstone]

Interesting review of a pre-production model.  They recommend cross-shopping the Marantz PMD661 and Roland R-26. 

There is much complaining in the article and reader comments about the cost of the Li-Ion battery.  In USA, a genuine Olympus LI-50B costs about $15.  Chinese knockoffs cost about $4, including shipping. 

[John Willett]

Interesting review of a pre-production model.  They recommend cross-shopping the Marantz PMD661 and Roland R-26. 

There is much complaining in the article and reader comments about the cost of the Li-Ion battery.  In USA, a genuine Olympus LI-50B costs about $15.  Chinese knockoffs cost about $4, including shipping.

$15 sounds cheap to me - and Chinese copies never last and die much faster than originals.  I have found this with PC batteries.

[TimeBandit]

Not all. The quality of aftermarket went better.i remember worse times with aftermarkets for Canon Ixus / Powershot SD but now i run a Panasonic DMc-zs3 with aftermarkets with no problems and they even last longer...

IF there are some aftermarkets for the Olympus with around 1200 mAh that would be suitable. With the standard one i quite feel a bit unsafe for "set it and forget it" even when using the phantom power option.

[flintstone]

Just FYI, genuine Olympus LI-50B $11.79 plus shipping ~=$15
http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-Rechargeable-Battery-Digital-Packaging/dp/B00160MV8W/

[rastasean]

Just FYI, genuine Olympus LI-50B $11.79 plus shipping ~=$15
http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-Rechargeable-Battery-Digital-Packaging/dp/B00160MV8W/

Not a bad price considering its 7 pounds shipping weight!!!

[flintstone]

Obviously a typo.  Item is $11.79, Shipping is $2.98, Total $14.77 
Or buy 3 Chinese knockoff batteries for about $12.

The point is that the cost of the rechargeable battery should not play a role in the decision to choose the LS-100 or not.  Battery life, quality of preamp, ease of use, construction quality, these are the sorts of features we need to pay attention to when the LS-100 becomes available.

[aaronji]

If I could get a dependable 2.5 or 3 hours running phantom, I would be pretty interested (assuming decent pre-amps).  Olympus says it can handle a draw (both channels combined) of just under 20 mA...They didn't actually answer my question, though, which was P48 run time with 3 or 4 mA mics...They also said, "The AC Adapter cannot power the recorder -- it is only used to charge the battery in the recorder." 

Oh, and one of the dimensions in English (3.25") doesn't match the metric size (159 mm) on their website; they said the metric sizes are correct.  Still not huge, but not nearly as small as it seemed!

[aaronji]

The manual is now on-line (http://www.olympusamerica.com/files/oima_cckb/LS-100_Instruction_Manual_EN.pdf)...

[aaronji]

Based on the manual and web descriptions, I had a few questions for Olympus:

1.  Max input level for the XLR mic- and line-ins.
2.  Approximate battery life with P48 (for any draw they choose).
3.  Cross-memory recording (like the M10).
4.  2 GB splits (automatic? seamless?).  It seems to me that one of the earlier ones (maybe LS-10) just stopped at 2 GB.

So far, I have heard back on the cross-memory recording.  It is not possible with this recorder...

[rjp]

4.  2 GB splits (automatic? seamless?).  It seems to me that one of the earlier ones (maybe LS-10) just stopped at 2 GB.

That was true of the LS-10 with the early firmware. Once I updated mine, it gave me seamless splits.

[aaronji]

^^^ Olympus confirmed that it will do seamless splits.  They said they will still let me know about maximum input levels and battery life with P48, but I am not really holding my breath at this point!

[ausavim]

B&H - Hands-On with the Olympus LS-100 Portable Recorder:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/indepth/audio/hands-reviews/hands-olympus-ls-100-portable-recorder

[John Willett]

B&H - Hands-On with the Olympus LS-100 Portable Recorder:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/indepth/audio/hands-reviews/hands-olympus-ls-100-portable-recorder

Very useful, thanks.

But he forgot to mention one great advantage of the level control - it looks as if it's been designed to be hand-held and you can easily adjust the level by sliding your thumb over the control (Tascam have done this on the HD-P2) and can even be done with gloved hands.

[flintstone]

So true!  Few manufacturers give thought to actual field use, preferring instead to design gear that works best when it's sitting on a table. 

[John Willett]

So true!  Few manufacturers give thought to actual field use, preferring instead to design gear that works best when it's sitting on a table.

Olympus are certainly the exception.

They want feedback from users as to what is really needed.  They contacted the Institute of Professional Sound (formally the Institute of Broadcast Sound - I am on the committee) - so someone from Olympus is coming to see me in a couple of weeks and I will also put him in touch with other sound recordists.

I have already mentioned a few things (like I would like to see an optical digital input so it can also be used as a "bit bucket" back-up recorder) - and he will be bringing an LS-100 with him.   

[Chimney Top]

So true!  Few manufacturers give thought to actual field use, preferring instead to design gear that works best when it's sitting on a table.

Olympus are certainly the exception.

They want feedback from users as to what is really needed.  They contacted the Institute of Professional Sound (formally the Institute of Broadcast Sound - I am on the committee) - so someone from Olympus is coming to see me in a couple of weeks and I will also put him in touch with other sound recordists.

I have already mentioned a few things (like I would like to see an optical digital input so it can also be used as a "bit bucket" back-up recorder) - and he will be bringing an LS-100 with him.   

I have been impressed with Olympus since I bought the LS-10.  great mic's, built sturdy, compact...  I would like to see atleast 4 or 6 track recording (XLR + line-in + built-in mics), not just playback.  That's the main thing keeping me from the LS-100 right now.

[John Willett]

So true!  Few manufacturers give thought to actual field use, preferring instead to design gear that works best when it's sitting on a table.

Olympus are certainly the exception.

They want feedback from users as to what is really needed.  They contacted the Institute of Professional Sound (formally the Institute of Broadcast Sound - I am on the committee) - so someone from Olympus is coming to see me in a couple of weeks and I will also put him in touch with other sound recordists.

I have already mentioned a few things (like I would like to see an optical digital input so it can also be used as a "bit bucket" back-up recorder) - and he will be bringing an LS-100 with him.   

I have been impressed with Olympus since I bought the LS-10.  great mic's, built sturdy, compact...  I would like to see atleast 4 or 6 track recording (XLR + line-in + built-in mics), not just playback.  That's the main thing keeping me from the LS-100 right now.

The LS-100 is 8-track recording.

You can record 4 at once and overdub the others.

To record 6 or 8 at once the price goes up as you need more mic. pre-amps and they cost money for good ones.

[ausavim]

In stock: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/830941-REG/Olympus_LS_100_LS_100_Multi_Track_PCM_Recorder.html

[ero3030]

if anyone gets one, give us a update.  this is something i think would work for me.  ed

[ausavim]

The Olympus LS-100 has Equivalent Input Noise (EIN, A-weighted, impedance 150 ohms) of -125dBu, see http://www.avisoft.com/recordertests.htm

[flintstone]

"The LS-100 is 8-track recording. You can record 4 at once and overdub the others."

I couldn't find how to do this in the manual, so I wrote to Olympus as follows

My Question: Does the LS-100 have the ability to record from multiple inputs simultaneously?

Their Answer:  Only one microphone set can be used at a time -- either the built-in microphones or external microphones.

My conclusion:  While the LS-100 has plenty of options for overdubbing and combining pre-recorded material, this recorder cannot simultaneously record 4 channels of new material.

[rastasean]

Thanks for getting a direct response. This looks like a neat recorder but its essentially a two track recorder with extra features.

[aaronji]

The Olympus LS-100 has Equivalent Input Noise (EIN, A-weighted, impedance 150 ohms) of -125dBu, see http://www.avisoft.com/recordertests.htm

...at maximum gain.  Could be different at more usual taper gain settings...

Olympus gave me some idea of P48 run-times, too. 2h15m at 24/96 and 2h45m at 16/44.1.  Unfortunately, they didn't say what microphones they were using or their draw.  I asked about that, but no reply as of yet.

[burble]

I had my hands on one of these today and it is certainly sleeker/smaller than the DR-100mkII (the other recorder I am really curious about.) Loads smaller than the R-26.

I liked that you could turn phantom power on/off discretely for the two inputs. Didn't like that the xlr inputs are not lockable. Liked that the battery is easily accessible, i.e. easy to have a spare or two. Appears to be lots of "xtra" buttons and a little shiny... But ultimately VERY curious to read some testing and hear some experience. Fascinated by the Avisoft numbers and wonder about sound quality and worth of the $100 up-charge from the mkII (B&H now has it for $299.)

Looking for what will make me happiest with phantom power and my AT875R prior to acquiring a preamp/mixer.

[rastasean]

Very odd to hear the XLR inputs are not locking. The $100 difference between the tascam and the Oly will probably be the deciding factor for many people. The Tascam has optical input but doesn't have the ability to mix channels, and the oly looks like it records two inputs at a time anyway i.e. stereo on xlr. 
I wish both recorders had a visual indicator of when the levels were peaking like the m10 and sound device units, but this functionality seems to only be seen in pro gear and skipped on even records like r44 and dr680.

I think a good comp would be between the oly and tascam with the internal pres. We already know both are going to be noisy compared to sound devices and Nagra but which one has a more realist sound.

[Ozpeter]

...at maximum gain.  Could be different at more usual taper gain settings...

That's how these measurements are always taken, because that's where the s/n ratio is best (yes, you hear more noise at high gain but the increase in signal is greater than the increase in noise).

The chief thing about the avisoft chart is to see where each recorder comes relative to the others (without getting too hung up on the odd dB variations).

On the nature recordists site, Raimund has now reported that

"In the mean time I also measured the noise floor of the LS-100 (3.5mm) "External
Mic" input (gain set to "Hi" and Plug-in Power switched off). The results are
quite poor at -114 dBu(A)."

[kenyee]

Interesting review of a pre-production model.  They recommend cross-shopping the Marantz PMD661 and Roland R-26. 

That doesn't make sense....both of those can record from the internal mics and the XLRs simultaneously (4 channels).
I wonder why that's so hard...first the Tascam DR-100mkII and now this that look great but can only do 2 channels at once :-P

The 8 channel mixing seems like a silly feature...most people would probably do this in post on the computer :-)

[flintstone]

Actually, the PMD661 is a two channel recorder.  It was introduced in 2008, before the current fad of hand-held multi-track recorders took off.

I think the reason the article suggested cross-shopping the PMD661 and Roland R-26 is that their XLR input preamps have similar low self-noise characteristics.  Otherwise, the recorders are quite different.

[aaronji]

...at maximum gain.  Could be different at more usual taper gain settings...

That's how these measurements are always taken, because that's where the s/n ratio is best (yes, you hear more noise at high gain but the increase in signal is greater than the increase in noise).

The chief thing about the avisoft chart is to see where each recorder comes relative to the others (without getting too hung up on the odd dB variations).

The question remains whether or not those relative differences in the avisoft chart are applicable at the much lower gain settings people here typically use.  I have read numerous posts from DSatz, and others, suggesting that may not be the case.  Below is an example.  It may be that he is incorrect, but I'll trust him in the absence of evidence to the contrary!

The "quietness" of a preamp depends to a considerable extent on the gain setting that is chosen. If you need to boost the mike signals by (say) 30 dB then you could measure and rank ten given preamps by their noise figures at that gain setting; if on the other hand you need 50 or 60 dB gain then the ranking might be entirely different.

In other words, if someone tests a bunch of preamps while they're set for a gain that's markedly different from the gain that you require, their evaluations might well be misleading and useless for your purposes, even if they're technically correct down to the last decimal place.

You need to know the gain that you will require from a preamp, and the preamps have to be tested at or near that particular gain level. Only then can any comparisons of noise levels start to become meaningful.

--best regards

[kenyee]

Actually, the PMD661 is a two channel recorder.  It was introduced in 2008, before the current fad of hand-held multi-track recorders took off.

Forgot about that.  It always is highly recommended as an H4N alternative.

BTW, I bugged Olympus about why they couldn't make the LS-100 record 4 channels:
"The primary reason there is a restriction on using more than one capture type is the potential for feedback and for the internal microphones and XLR microphones to record out of phase with each other. There are many more issues, one of which is the ability to direct Phantom Power to the XLR jacks."
That might explain why the H4N's XLRs are noisy unless you use a mic w/ internal batteries...

[ausavim]

Olympus LS-100 review in German: http://www.delamar.de/test/olympus-ls-100-testbericht/

[TheSlade]

I ordered one of these recorders, Olympus LS-100, and I'll try and share my thoughts with ya'll.

It should arrive Tuesday, probably going to be a learning curve for me, so it may take me some time to get a grip on it, so to speak.

I've really only used an old mp3 player with a built in voice recorder (until the hard-drive failed last year)

Remember, always back up as soon as you can!

 

[dangulberry]

Hi all,
First post here, so hello 

I bought an LS-100 and have been using it for the past couple of days. It's great in many ways. And the onboard mics (which do sound very good and detailed) can take very high SPL.

But I have a question: do most portable recorders (2 track or multitrack) have direct monitoring? Or is there latency in the monitoring? The ZOOM h4n, for example?

As far as I can tell, the LS-100 does NOT have direct monitoring as an option.

This might not really bug any tapers out there. I want to use the multitrack option occasionally, and delayed monitoring is a bummer.
Olympus might provide for it in a firmware update, I suppose. But for this price I kinda want a guarantee!

I suppose I could always return it, and get a Roland r26 (I think I'd prefer the sound of the onboard mics)....but then I lose the multitracking option.

So, I hope someone can help!

cheers
dg

[kenyee]

But I have a question: do most portable recorders (2 track or multitrack) have direct monitoring? Or is there latency in the monitoring? The ZOOM h4n, for example?

With the H4n, you can connect the output to your DSLR and also split it so you can monitor it at the same time.  You use something like this:
  http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/755857-REG/Sescom_LN2MIC_ZMGH_MON_LN2MIC_ZMGHN_MON_Line_Out_to.html

You used the R-26 before?  You're one of the few that has if so...I was wondering how it compared to the H4n...

[John Willett]

Hi all,
First post here, so hello 

I bought an LS-100 and have been using it for the past couple of days. It's great in many ways. And the onboard mics (which do sound very good and detailed) can take very high SPL.

But I have a question: do most portable recorders (2 track or multitrack) have direct monitoring? Or is there latency in the monitoring? The ZOOM h4n, for example?

As far as I can tell, the LS-100 does NOT have direct monitoring as an option.

This might not really bug any tapers out there. I want to use the multitrack option occasionally, and delayed monitoring is a bummer.
Olympus might provide for it in a firmware update, I suppose. But for this price I kinda want a guarantee!

I suppose I could always return it, and get a Roland r26 (I think I'd prefer the sound of the onboard mics)....but then I lose the multitracking option.

So, I hope someone can help!

cheers
dg

Someone posted this question on another forum (was it you?).

I had the guy from Olympus at my premises yesterday and copied this question over to him.

The LS-100 has only just come out in the last day or two in the UK.

I have had a reply from him to say that they are evaluating all the feedback from the LS-100 with v1 firmware and everything is being shared with HQ in Japan.  So expect improvements on the next firmware update.

Olympus are being very pro-active and listening very much to user feedback.

[dangulberry]

Hi John, Yes, I posted a similar thing on soundonsound forums.
Good that you got a reply from Olympus. I'm sure they could iron out the monitoring issues.
BUT after using the unit to record mic'd instruments yesterday, I came across quite a few more problems:

The first is minor, and related to the direct monitoring issue. When you record in MTR mode, you can select 1-trk recording or 2-trck. In 1-trk mode, the signal is panned hard left. This can't be altered (until of course you're in playback mode; there you can pan, mute, solo,  and change levels). I assume that if they manage to implement direct monitoring, the pan issue would be fixed as well.

The second is that in MTR mode there is no PAUSE function. Only STOP, which resets the counter. This results in unnecessary navigating. Makes overdubbing tedious.

The third: on several occasions, the unit froze while only one or two seconds into a recording. Hard reset was possible, which fixed the issue temporarily.

Additionally, I would have to reset the unit in order to hear what I'd recorded. Specifically this was in MTR mode, and I was attempting to overdub a piano over a drum track. Just could not hear the drum track, so I instead had to press play then 'punch in' record for the piano. It worked. Maybe this was just due to my lack of knowledge of all the functions, however; perhaps I was doing something wrong.

It's good that Olympus are responsive to users. But really these problems are very basic and should've been identified and fixed before release. Instead Olympus use customers as testers. That's not on.

I think I will have to return the unit (I have only 20 days left to do so) and perhaps wait until these issues are resolved (that is, if they get resolved).

On the plus side, the preamps seem very good.

Such a shame, it could really be a great machine. As it is, though, the LS100 is just not ready for release. Sure, the normal 2track record mode works fine (as far as I can tell) but I think that since other units can record more inputs simulataneously (Roland r26, for example, which is much cheaper) it's an overpriced recorder.

[flintstone]

"Roland r26, for example, which is much cheaper"

Cheaper in Europe, perhaps.  In USA, the typical retail price for the LS-100 is $399, while the R-26 costs $499. 

The price of the Tascam DR100 Mk II, often compared with the previous two, has declined in recent days to $299.  The Zoom H4N costs about $275. 

[John Willett]

Hi John, Yes, I posted a similar thing on soundonsound forums.
Good that you got a reply from Olympus. I'm sure they could iron out the monitoring issues.
BUT after using the unit to record mic'd instruments yesterday, I came across quite a few more problems:

The first is minor, and related to the direct monitoring issue. When you record in MTR mode, you can select 1-trk recording or 2-trck. In 1-trk mode, the signal is panned hard left. This can't be altered (until of course you're in playback mode; there you can pan, mute, solo,  and change levels). I assume that if they manage to implement direct monitoring, the pan issue would be fixed as well.

The second is that in MTR mode there is no PAUSE function. Only STOP, which resets the counter. This results in unnecessary navigating. Makes overdubbing tedious.

The third: on several occasions, the unit froze while only one or two seconds into a recording. Hard reset was possible, which fixed the issue temporarily.

Additionally, I would have to reset the unit in order to hear what I'd recorded. Specifically this was in MTR mode, and I was attempting to overdub a piano over a drum track. Just could not hear the drum track, so I instead had to press play then 'punch in' record for the piano. It worked. Maybe this was just due to my lack of knowledge of all the functions, however; perhaps I was doing something wrong.

It's good that Olympus are responsive to users. But really these problems are very basic and should've been identified and fixed before release. Instead Olympus use customers as testers. That's not on.

I think I will have to return the unit (I have only 20 days left to do so) and perhaps wait until these issues are resolved (that is, if they get resolved).

On the plus side, the preamps seem very good.

Such a shame, it could really be a great machine. As it is, though, the LS100 is just not ready for release. Sure, the normal 2track record mode works fine (as far as I can tell) but I think that since other units can record more inputs simulataneously (Roland r26, for example, which is much cheaper) it's an overpriced recorder.

I forwarded your comments to Olympus and got this reply:-

I appreciate this feedback very much.  I will feedback to Hamburg so the corrected Firmware can be looked at in Japan.

We take the user experience of our customers and I am concerned that they are experiencing difficulties.

So, be assured they are looking at it seriously.

John

[dangulberry]

Thanks John. I'm sure they take it seriously, that's their business after all. I got a reply also, with them saying that they could not find a delay in the recording modes. I had to explain again about direct monitoring. No further response yet. I do expect one, though. Maybe the machine will be ready for multitracking musicians very soon, but I will bow out for now, let them do their thing. I would've had no qualms about being a tester had I not paid for the privilege!

Still, I think it's potentially an excellent machine. It was really amazing to carry around that kind of power in my (quite large) pocket. I usually use laptops to multitrack, and this was definitely more fun.

[ausavim]

Comparative Review: LS-100, DR-100 MkII & Zoom H4n: http://www.photographybay.com/2012/03/17/zoom-h4n-tascam-dr-100-mkii-olympus-ls-100-compact-xlr-recorders-compared/

Link is fixed

[kenyee]

Comparative Review: LS-100, DR-100 MkII & Zoom H4n: Zoom H4n, Tascam DR-100 MkII & Olympus LS-100 Compact XLR Recorders Compared

Link is broken...

[TheSlade]

I ordered one of these recorders, Olympus LS-100, and I'll try and share my thoughts with ya'll.

It should arrive Tuesday, probably going to be a learning curve for me, so it may take me some time to get a grip on it, so to speak.

I've really only used an old mp3 player with a built in voice recorder (until the hard-drive failed last year)

Remember, always back up as soon as you can!

 

So I've been using the Olympus LS100 for about a month or so. And it's really simple for what it is.

First, the Olympus LS100 has excellent built-in-microphones and secondly, it looks cool for an XLR portable recorder.

1. It seems like it should have more features, internal memory is ~4gb, and I would prefer this space to be filled with features... Since, I plan to use my own SD card, as many others, it'd be helpful to use this internal memory for additional features than the bare-minimum (which it does well).

I would like to see some effects (ie. reverb, etc.)! The more, the better. I know a lot would rather work on the computer for effects, but some people choose to work differently. It'd be nice.
-As far as editing these effects, I don't know the logistics, but I would choose to resource the buttons to do new actions in a Effects edit screen (ie. length of delay, etc.)

Some other issues:

2. I wanted to erase a track in multi-track mode, yet the action 'erase' did nothing, I hope that a soon-to-be-released software update will allow you to click the 'erase' button and remove files in multitrack mode rather than using mute and wasting a track spot that could otherwise be used as one of the 8 tracks.

3. While a song was in playback in multi-track mode, I clicked the power button off, the song continued to play, but the power/Olympus screen appeared, it eventually turned off, after a minute or so... Not a major issue, just letting anyone know... I simply could've pressed stop on playback, then safely turned it off, but why? It should be able to turn off, unless, of course, a recording is in progress.

4. Although, I was able to drag files from my SD card while it was charging (through computer), shouldn't I be able to record, too? It didn't work while it was charging (by computer or wall) No features can work?

5. Also, it seems like you could shorten the charge time if the screen was put to sleep while charging... I haven't been able to figure it out.

And if I sound nit-picky, it's because I was trying to be.

It's an excellent recorder, but it can still be improved.

All these additions/fixes would be appreciated.

By the way, I'm mostly using the recorder for song ideas/demos at home.


(^_^)

[flintstone]

On the Nature Recordists list, a fellow named Simon Bennett ran a test to see how long the LS-100 would record while providing phantom power to mics, and running from a small external battery pack.  The result was just short of 15 hours. 
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/naturerecordists/message/47173

Here's a link to Amazon.com for the battery pack Simon used.  This Li-Ion battery is rated at 5000 mAh at 3.7V.
http://www.amazon.com/adiVolt-5000mah-Replacement-Ericsson-Blackberry/dp/B006LX9MMW/
Price $26,  shipping within USA included

[slyasafox]

Hi all - I'm brand new here and have read so much that I'm completely overwhelmed and need some help! I'm pretty new to recording and all I record are live concerts. I've been using the Blue Mikey up to this point which has very little adjustment - it either works and I got the concert or it was a total failure.  I decided to invest in a 'real' recorder and purchased the LS-100 on eBay but there was a mix up in the delivery so my local music equipment store sold me a Zoom H4n to record the concert that I organized telling me to try it and that I could return it.  Now I have the option of returning either one.  The concert I recorded with the Zoom, I was able to use the 4 channel and plug into the mixer which was nice, however, I ran out of disk space which was a drag. If I keep that one, I know I need to change that.  I read the article that compared the 3 recorders and I'm still baffled.  Is being able to do 4 channels worth keeping the Zoom if I have the ability to record like I did on Saturday?

The other question I have is, the person that sold me the Zoom didn't suggest external mics.  I had planned on buying a clip on mic - someone that I know who records a lot of shows uses one but I don't know what kind.  I know that most people here recommend them and I read a lot of suggestions but again, I'm still baffled.  Can anyone weigh in on which recorder I should keep for live music and which microphone would be best to go with it?  I did the show on Sat. with just the microphones in the Zoom but because I was with the artist, the recorder was on the stage - so it was a bit different than a regular concert I would be going to with crowd noise around me.

I really appreciate your help!!

Thanks

[TimeBandit]

buying a 400 Dollar recorder and keeping the blue mikey is definitely the wrong way.

Get some good small mics and Battery box and the results would be better on a 50 Dollar Zoom recorder then with bluemikey on the Oly...

[slyasafox]

Oh no, you misunderstood...I'm trying to decide which of the Olympus or the Zoom H4n to keep.  The blue mikey I used to use with my iPod Touch and I will probably use it as a back up just in case.

sorry that I wasn't clear.

Any suggestion for what microphone and which of the Oly or the Zoom?

Thanks

[ausavim]

Firmware V 1.10 now available:
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_support_product.asp?id=1581

LS100_FWUPDATE_v110.exe: This firmware updates the following.
1. Improves the latency of the Record Monitor.
2. Adds the capability that allows the recorder to start recording and playing back
simultaneously when the REC or PLAY button is pressed during Recording pause while
in the Multi-Track mode.
3. Adds the capability to pause playback in Multi-Track mode.
4. Fixes the problem with the recorder displaying the wrong remaining time when it
continues recording for a period of time.
5. Fixes the Solo function issue: You may now set it properly in Multi-Track mode.
6. Fixes the problem with the recorder saving an incorrect "create date and time" when a
64GB SDXC card is used.
7. Adds the capability to start recording by pressing once on the REC button on the remote
controller when used.
8. Changes the setting to not turn off the LCD when the recorder runs in Metronome mode,
Tuner mode, Lissajous mode, Menu mode, or when it is connected to PC.
9. Improves stability of the recorder.

[Amir]

In case you have an Olympus LS-100, you may want to update its firmware to V1.20. This isn't a new firmware release, but Olympus America doesn't offer it -- they're just up to V1.11, and the fact that the V1.20 update isn't there is quite telling. Anyhow, the V1.2 release can be downloaded and installed from Olympus Europe: http://www.olympus-europa.com/site/en/a/audio_support/audio_support_downloads/ls_1/ls_100_downloads.html

What's new?
* Rec monitor sound will come through both R and L channel while recording in the Multi-track mode.
* Erasing a track file with the delete button has become available in the Multi-track screen.
* Displays the file length of a overdubbed file instead of remaining time in the Overdub or Play Sync mode.
* The starting point of a new recording is synchronized with a metronome beat in the Multi-truck mode.
* "File divide" has become available while recording in the Recorder mode.
* Added three options in the metronome beat setting menu.
* Added two options in the metronome sound setting.
* Rec level for the built-in microphone is automatically set to an optimal level in the Tuner and Lissajous mode.