Topic: Neuros hard disk recorder

[skua]

Anybody have any recent experience with the Neuros 20GB Hard Disk Recorder?

http://www.neurosaudio.com/

Looks promising... currently supports recording to uncompressed WAV as well as OGG. Posibility that they may be able to support FLAC in the future. Although USB 1.1 is a bummer.

Has anyone used it to record any concerts?

[timP]

I have looked at in the store, but it didn't do WAV at the time... how much is it going for these days?
slim, small.... wonder about the bit accuracy...

[mirth]

Looks like its inputs are analog, so bit perfectness is moot.

http://www.neurosaudio.com/store/prod_20gbspec.asp

[cmoorevt]

MSRP on the 20 gig model is $199.99.  They don't seem to have a digital I/O which is strange considering most of their competition does.  

I too would be interested in the bit accuracy, as well as if it has a limit on the size of a wav file and whether the harddrive introduces the same clicks to wav recordings as the Archos and the iRiver.

A quick check of their support forums shows the tech support to be fairly responsive, so it maybe I'll ask a few questions.

[Kelso]

no digital I/O means no bit accuracy issue:
You look for bit accuracy from a digital in

[seethreepo]

isnt usb a digital in ?   its not spdif  but ..

seems to me this is the way to go  over the gmini.

[Ed.]

will it record a wav from the usb in?  if so it might be an interesting option to take a look at.

[mirth]

No, USB is an interface for your computer to connect to the device.

So, you could use the Neuros as an external hard drive for recording but you'd still need an A>D

[seethreepo]

but arnt there  pre amps with usb out ?  

or is there something inherent that the machine wont record from a usb on the fly ?

[Brian Skalinder]

but arnt there  pre amps with usb out ?  

or is there something inherent that the machine wont record from a usb on the fly ?

First, preamps are in the analog domain.  USB is the digital domain.  Hence, Mirth's comment that you'd need an ADC with a USB output to even consider running pre/ADC > USB > Neuros.  Yes, there are some ADCs with USB output: UA5, maybe one from M-Audio, too, and the MiniMe.

Second, yes - recording an incoming signal to a file is a different animal from simply transferring an incoming file.  I'm guessing the Neuros is not capable of *recording* an incoming signal over USB and writing it to WAV, but rather is merely capable of receiving a file transfer over USB.  Then again, I don't really know jack about the Neuros.

[Simp-Dawg]

ok here it is...
usb outputs on any device, recording or otherwise, are meant to attach to a "host".  it's not the same as an audio output or even a digital output, it is a means for that device to communicate to the host.  the host would be a pc or a laptop.
if the neuros or other hard-drive based recording devices could act as a host, then yes, you would be able to attach a usb-enabled pre-amp/a-d device to them, however all the devices i have seen are not sophisticated enough to be a host.  you'd need to install device drivers on them and all that jazz like a normal computer.

so no you can't record via the usb port on any current hard-drive based devices.

[Brian Skalinder]

I think where I was going - in my mostly ignorant state - is even if the Neuros is, in fact, acting as a host, in addition it still needs the appropriate s/w installed and configured to record the signal coming in from USB.  So, it's at least a two-step issue: [1] as you've mentioned, Simp, communications between the two devices over USB must be enabled, [2] the recording device must be able to utilize the signal coming in over USB.

Good detail, Simp - first things first:  the device has to do [1] before it can do [2].  +T

[mirth]

The only time I've seen devices acting in this fashion are proprietary ones that offload images from CF media for digi cams.... Both devices tend to be from the same manufacturer so they can write the necessary functionality into the firmware on all equipment involved.

[Sean Gallemore]

also, the USBpre1.5 will work with a laptop USB style

[Kelso]

USB has never be an audio transfert protocol like Firewire with video. But that would be great.