Hello Chris,
I try to add somethink.
Like earmonger previously sayed, record gain wheel dont have fixed positions. But it approximately turns on 340 degrees so you can turn it down to zero and then set half or what you need.
I dont know if you need manual mode, because this recorder have auto gain mode, so all you need is to find microphone sensitivity switch in upper-right corner of device from behind, and when in monitoring mode you hear some distortions then switch microphone gain to low (bottom switch position). REC gain wheel in auto mode is not affecting anythink.
On top device have two microphones, then screen. Under the screen it have 5 buttons. Buttons are good for fiding with hands because center button have different relief, you can easily find center button and then 2 buttons left and 2 buttons right.
This 5 buttons from left to right are:
Folder (show list of folders), Menu, Delete, A to B (for repeating), and Display (switch display mode when recording or playing).
then go main controls button (one button up other button down)
two buttons on left side is FF and FR
two buttons on center is Pause and Stop
two buttons on right side is Rec and Play / enter
most right button is T Mark to make markers on current recoring file (maximum 99 markers on one file)
First is Folder button. It shows the contents of memory. It is good because all you need to do is press stop button few times to exit from everywhere you are and then press folder button. It will show contents of memory and last folder you was in will be selected with cursor.
Then you can list folders up and down with FF and FR buttons. Folders listing is looped so if you rich the upper folder, for example and press up again it will be on the last folder. But you can press Stop button to exit folders list and then again press folder button to re open folders list - the last folder you recorded or played will again in focus.
The folders are flat. So if you put folder called voices in to folder called music, on the device this folders will be showed on the same list. so folder menu show all subfolders and folders and subsubfolders in one list.
The menu button. When you in record mode or in stop mode, menu have different amount of menu items. In record mode you allowed to edit only two paremeters
first - when you press menu button you are on LCF (Low cut filter) option and second (one button down) is Detail menu. In detail menu you have only one option is Limiter. Limiter works only if you working in manual recording mode. If you switch auto recording mode on (right bottom side of device switch to down position) and try to go in limiter menu, device will show a screen for a 5 seconds that limiter works only in manual mode, and then will show parameters on or off.
Setting the parameters in menu are not so good. Usuallu menu items have only two parameters - on and off. When you go in some parameter, cursor automatically focused on previously activated position, for example on. if you press down it will select off. if you press down again in will loop and cursor will be on "on" again. So you cant go in option and press few times down button to 100% switch it off. You can only go in option and press down one time to toggle it. Only toggle the parameter, because menu looped from up to down.
In stop mode all menu items are allowed.
When you press Menu button you always on REC mode (quality) if you go into this - current rec mode will be selected. and items are looped too. But if you forget position and current quality you on, you can make step down and record somethink then again step down and record until you find definely new quality. it is because items are going PCM 96 kHz 24bit and then MP3 64 kbps. So when you go from LPC 96kHz to MP3 64kbps you will understand that now you are switched to MP3 by listening to quality.
menu items from up to down are:
1 REC Mode (its for quality)
2 Low cut filter (on and off)
3 Speed control (slower faster)
4 Effect (3 positions Bass1 Bass2 (for more bass) and off)
5 Key Control (tonality up and down)
6 Easy search (on and off) if on then you can rewind with big amount of time fast.
7 Play mode (6 positions are repeat folder, repeat all, play one and stop, play folder and stop, play all, repeat one) items are looped as in other places and current item in focus when you go in to menu.
8 Detail menu (will describe later)
9 Divide (2 positions are divide current position (it another menu it allow fine tuning of current position a little backward or little forward and listen preview) and second is divide all t mark) thats all in 9 divide.
10 Delete
11 File Copy
12 Add "TAKE" (to mark files you like with this string in name)
13 Protect (to avoid delete)
14 Memory (I dont have memory card so I dont know. I think here you can select to use some one type or cross memory mode)
15 here you again on REC MODE.
Detail menu have
1 clock
2 LED (on off - lights that are build in buttons)
3 backlight (10 seconds, 60 seconds, always on, off)
4 Language
5 Level meter in playback (just visual screen mode on and off)
6 Battery settings (alkaline battery or Ni MH battery dotn know what it do)
7 LIMITER (on off)
8 PRE Rec (on off) prerecording is 5 seconds. you press record button and then pause or play to start record.
9 Audio Out (2 modes: headphones you allowed to control volume with hardware switch on left center side or second mode - Line Out you not allowed to control volume it always on maximum - very loud)
10 Plug In Power (on off)
12 cross memory recording (on off)
13 Format (to format memory card)
14 here you again on Clock menu item
you can exit any menu with stop button or press menu button again to go level upper.
I dont know why but device have hardware Speed control switch. Left upper side of device If it will be turned off, then selected in menu speed control settings are not affected to playback. I think its maybe because of some extra power consumption - so you can switch off speed control processor so it will not eat batteries.
Device loose time and date settings if no batteries for 5 minutes. so when switch on it will ask you enter year month day and so on.
It have build in speaker in bottom center side of device. it not so loud, so you cant listen it in another room. bass is very bad. speaker is small.
Device have item to attach rope on bottom right corner
REC gain wheel is on right side
Hold / power switch is on right side under rec gain. If device is in hold mode you can continue use REC Gain wheel. Hold / power switch have 3 positions. Center position is usual work position. If you want hold mode then go upper position, if you want switch off slide it for few seconds down. Device have auto sleep mode so I donot turn it off never.
As I understand, it have so good battery life because it switch off phones/line out amplifier. I found that when playing is stopped, after few seconds small noise from phones amplifier is off.
The mounting tripod item is in center of back side of device.
