Topic: Alesis: New Handheld recording solution for iPod

[moooose]

The handeld digital recorder market is definitely getting crowded.

Alesis presented a recording solution for the iPod with decent specs.

The name is Protrack, the link is http://www.alesis.com/protrack

[digifish_music]

The handeld digital recorder market is definitely getting crowded.

Alesis presented a recording solution for the iPod with decent specs.

The name is Protrack, the link is http://www.alesis.com/protrack

Nice find...



EDIT: but looking at the specs...

    * Sleek industrial design incorporates iPod
    * Integrated recording to iPod (Classic and 5th generation) and iPod nano (2nd or 3rd generation)
    * Pro-grade connections: two combo XLR - 1/4-inch inputs, 1/8-inch stereo output
    * Supplies 48V phantom power to inputs when wall-powered
    * Records 16-Bit, 44.1kHz or 22kHz stereo
    * Two built-in condenser microphones for detailed recording
    * Built-in microphones in XY configuration for optimum stereo image
    * Switchable limiter ensures overload-free recordings even in unpredictable aural situations
    * AC power adapter included
    * Four AAA batteries provide four to five hours of operation
    * Tripod stand mount for placing into ideal recording conditions

They have messed up for field/location recording. AAA batteries suck, no 24 bit and P48 only on wall-power is a deal breaker

digifish

[sunjan]

    * Supplies 48V phantom power to inputs when wall-powered

They have messed up for field/location recording. AAA batteries suck, no 24 bit and P48 only on wall-power is a deal breaker

digifish

Wouldn't it be possible to fake wall-powering by just connecting an external battery in the DC jack? Or would it require one of those pesky AC transformers?

[flintstone]

The "no 24 bit recording" is an iPod limitation, rather than Alesis design issue.
Too bad about no 48V phantom unless attached to mains power.

[digifish_music]

    * Supplies 48V phantom power to inputs when wall-powered

They have messed up for field/location recording. AAA batteries suck, no 24 bit and P48 only on wall-power is a deal breaker

digifish

Wouldn't it be possible to fake wall-powering by just connecting an external battery in the DC jack? Or would it require one of those pesky AC transformers?

Good idea, so long as it gets 6V DC in I am sure it would switch on P48. However, that's starting to look like a messy solution 

digifish

[sunjan]

"...priced at $199, and will begin to ship in October."
(From http://www.soundonsound.com/news?NewsID=10187)

Considering the cost, I see little reason going for this unless you're a die-hard iPod fan. For other tapers who are looking for a P48 solution, Zoom H4 will probably serve you just as good...

[rowjimmy]

might allow me to ditch my jb3...

[greppson]

if you want to do 16 bit/44.1 recording and can run it off a walmart dvd batt, it seems like a perfect option for someone that wants something more low profile.

[balou2]

It may not appeal to the major group of hard core gear heads, but there is a HUGE growing market of people taping shows with inexpensive rigs.  While it holds no interest for me, it's nice to see more and more companies thinking about producing gear that is used for field recording.

[greppson]

in some aspect, there must have been someone with a small amount of "taping" experience to have both mics and XLR inputs on it. i'm surprised it isn't just a line in.

[Kevin T]

and Phantom powered. Alesis must be gearing this to MUSO's that havent jumped from DAT / MD. But this crowded field makes a resonable $200 price now seem high . 

[baustin]

might be nice if you just want to patch or have a 2nd source.

or, for instance, i could patch out of my own 744t so i could listen to the show on the way home.

[stevetoney]

I don't understand why people don't see this as a really cool innovation.  So what that it's not 24 bit.  Just keep your levels reasonable and you don't have to worry about headroom.

It's got a 6V jack, so it's the same as 95% of the other recorders that people use in the field...an external battery...which then kicks in the phantom power option on the device.

I LOVE the idea of have 160gb from my ipod classic available for recording onto. 

The only question I have would be how to I then use get the stuff downloaded back off my ipod?  I currently only use the ipod as an ipod so I've never been able to use it as an external drive...so I guess it's easy enough to figure that there is software drivers availabe that allow the ipod to be read as another remote drive.

Course the other question is how does it perform as a music recorder...noise floor...quality of ADC.  That's more than likely where this would fall down compared to say an R-09.  I'd be interested in knowing the details though.

[boolz]

I wonder if, like with the Belkin Tunetalk, it picks up the sound of the iPod's drive whirring. That's a killer on quiet moments (for the relevant iPods).

(Of course, I'm saying this in part to console myself: after reading here for over a year, taping everything I went to with my pitiful little Belkin, helping friends edit audio, I finally came to the realization that, rather than being a non-taper who dabbles, I was (at least in spirit) a taper without gear, and got an R09HR. Yesterday. So I'm glad this thing exists, but I'm also kind of glad that it doesn't make my new toy obsolete.)

[petur]

First of all the ipod can be attached like a normal (external) harddrive, so you should be able to access the files*if* they didn't do that sneaky file naming and database stuff. If not, there are other tools besides itunes that can read/write from/to the ipod and its database.

But me, I stay as far away from ipods... it is called consumer lock-in.....

[rhinowing]

there's also the fact that no security guard is ever going to give you shit about bringing an ipod into a show.

[petur]

there's also the fact that no security guard is ever going to give you shit about bringing an ipod into a show.

sure, but the recorder itself is bigger than the ipod, and you still have to bring that one in...

[audiothings]

i am interested because i think the ipod classic 160 gb @ $350 is a great buy for listening to music and for data storage. i am looking forward to more information. there are no specs on the website  it is likely that i will spend more time listening to music than taping, and if this thing is good, i won't have to carry multiple devices and i can have my entire library available at all times  lets see...

[indietaperwloo]

You can actually RockBox 5G iPods if you don't like the Apple interface which isn't ideal for taping.  I have a 5G 30 gig and it's just fine for playback (although a lot of my hipster musician friends all hate iPods...one even goes as far as to say it has a crappy headphone amp and won't drive low impedance headphones...maybe I should test illconditioned's Sony 7506's with my iPod to see if there's any truth to this) but I would rather use something like an R-09 which is 24 bit capable.
Question is, if you use a RockBoxed 5G iPod, will it work with the new Alesis hardware?  Maybe someone should post this on the RockBox forum.

[travelinbeat]

there's also the fact that no security guard is ever going to give you shit about bringing an ipod into a show.

I've been turned away for an ipod