Topic: Edirol R-9 pros cons?

[nedstruzz]

Can anyone shed light on the pro's and cons of this unit?  I have a friend who is looking at buying one for a cheap recording device?  What would be a next step up for him? 

[Arni99]

my 2 cents:
read this 1st
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,71818.0.html

pro:
-2x 1,5Vbatteries(5.5 hours recording time) so it´s easy to tape several days on festivals with rechargeables in your pocket
-easy recording with easy menue handling
-internal mics for acoustic or moderately loud shows usable

cons:
when using low-sens mics with 4.7k low-sens-mod or dpa 4061/62 etc., acoustic or moderately loud shows need an external preamp to avoid noise from the internal preamp...learned this lesson yesterday !
=>alternative: use high-sens mics ..dpa 4060(omnis) or MM-HLSC-1(cardioids) or mics without the 4.7k mod OR an external low-noise preamp=> 1 thing more to carry for stealth-tapers like me .
even at loud amplified shows...uriah heep...3 weeks ago, I had to use MIC-IN with my dpa 4061´s at gain 20 to get good levels peaking at -12 to -6 on the levelmeter!
The internal preamp is considerably noisy at gainrange 25-30.

[nedstruzz]

Ah thank you for the link. 

[powermonkey]

My initial reaction to the R09 (after taping a whole 3 shows):

Pro: replaceable, easy-to-find batteries.
Good sound, ability to record in 24bit (although 24/96 or higher would be preferable).
Pretty clear menu, easy to figure out (even when, like me, you don't tend to spend an awful lot of time reading manuals).
Internal mics - perfectly good for recording interviews, etc etc, will do in a pinch for recording shows - better than not having mics at all, anyway.

Con: need for external pre (not really a con, but something worth considering which will greatly increase the quality of recordings).
My initial thought was the the R09 seemed pretty light and flimsy. Definately one to take good care of.
Much-reported problems with breaking input jack sockets. I've not had a problem, yet, but I've been careful with it. Using angled jacks is recommended, I believe.

It's a nice little piece of kit - fewer problems reported than with the microtrack 24/96 (eg the R09 splits files seamlessly when they reach 2gig, whereas the MT doesn't.

Hope that helps.

[Nicola Fankhauser]

pros:
- small, light
- very usable internal mics
- takes aa-batteries

cons:
- made of cheap plastic, don't let it drop
- changing batteries is difficult in the field
- no digital-in
- goes to record-standby if record-key is pressed twice - you'll miss a whole show if you're dumb enough like I was last week. that shows learning how to use your gear correctly is paramount.

conclusion: I love mine.

regards
nicola

[Arni99]

- goes to record-standby if record-key is pressed twice - you'll miss a whole show if you're dumb enough like I was last week. that shows learning how to use your gear correctly is paramount.

hi nicola,
pressing REC once => standby
pressing a 2nd time => REC starts

That´s at least how my R09 with firmware 1.20 behaves .

[Nicola Fankhauser]

pressing REC once => standby
pressing a 2nd time => REC starts

right. 3rd press -> goes to standby again.

nicola