newbie , buying a portable recorder

[poorlyconditioned]

The actual specs on the site say nothing either way, but if you listen to the promotional video on their site, the woman says they are omnidirectional, also if you look at this pamphlet:

http://www.rolandus.com/uploads/CMS/Downloads/1977/r_09_pamphlet.pdf

the polar pattern shows its an omnidirectional, though the field is "crippled" probably due to the actual body of the recorded

also, google Edirol R-09, omnidirectional, you'll find a lot of places mentioned its an omni

I still have my doubts about it being omnidirectional... If it is they are using the housing of the edirol to avoid phase cancellation.. If anyone has opened up the edirol and knows if the capsules are omni or not please let me know..

Chris Church

Not opened yet, but I'm tempted...

I'm tempted to put a pair of AT853 in there.  God knows I've got enough of these things!  I almost bought another pair today, but was outbid by someone.

  Richard

[Church-Audio]

The actual specs on the site say nothing either way, but if you listen to the promotional video on their site, the woman says they are omnidirectional, also if you look at this pamphlet:

http://www.rolandus.com/uploads/CMS/Downloads/1977/r_09_pamphlet.pdf

the polar pattern shows its an omnidirectional, though the field is "crippled" probably due to the actual body of the recorded

also, google Edirol R-09, omnidirectional, you'll find a lot of places mentioned its an omni

I still have my doubts about it being omnidirectional... If it is they are using the housing of the edirol to avoid phase cancellation.. If anyone has opened up the edirol and knows if the capsules are omni or not please let me know..

Chris Church

Not opened yet, but I'm tempted...

I'm tempted to put a pair of AT853 in there.  God knows I've got enough of these things!  I almost bought another pair today, but was outbid by someone.

  Richard

I think you would wire your toaster with an 853 if you could! I can picture it now the sound of the toast popping is so crisp and clear. Now if I only had a good preamp to go with it 

Chris

[Vidra]

Anyway, I pulled the trigger for Edirol R-09

I ordered it in a local store, and will probably have it by the end of the month.

It just seems like a better device for recording environments and soundscapes (due to the polar pattern).
It draws less attention because it's smaller, and people will probably mistake it for a ipod or walkman or some such device.
Zoom h4 looks like a weapon on the other hand.

But the biggest reason for this decision is manual control of gain on edirol. The clipping diode and manual corrections of gain during a take.

I've listened to samples of both. The biggest difference I can hear is that edirol sounds a bit more "wet", while the zoom is a bit more focused.