Topic: Olympus LS-10 questions

[Om_Audio]

Hello-

I have been using an M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 for awhile- don't really like it for many reasons and am considering the Olympus LS-10 as a replacement. My main question is about recording very loud sources and if the Olympus can handle say recording a live rock show in a small venue ver close to stage. The Microtrack had an external 20dB buffer that i lost and now only get distorted recordings as the built in input settings are not sufficient.

I looked at a few others which have their own features I like but I think the Olympus is great as it has built in mics, small size, good battery life, and a speaker (great for reference)

any info appreciated-

Om

PS- good article-
http://emusician.com/daw/emusic_studio_pocket/

[flintstone]

The LS-10 has higher mic sensitivity than most small recorders.  So it's likely to be overloaded by a really loud show without padding the signal from the mics.  Or try recording into the Line-in jack.

The best small recorder I've seen for that situation is the Tascam DR-1.  With the latest firmware, the DR-1 has a third "lower-than-low" sensitivity setting that is perfect for loud shows.

Flintstone

[Om_Audio]

Boy that's a big ol bummer. Thanks very much for the info. I will record loud rehearsals and shows in addition to my own songs and ideas. My friend brought over the Tascam the other day- was pretty big and no speaker. Might just get one of those anyway- it was my 2nd choice for several reasons (metronome, tuner, price, etc-)

Om

[Om_Audio]

One last thing- have you actually used the LS-10 in a very loud environment? I might do some more digging as I really like the small size and speakers- thanks.

[John Willett]

No problems with the LS-10 - I love it.

The mic. has a low sensitivity setting for the loud events and a manually adjustable level.

It also has a limiter.

I used it in anger at the Whitley Bay International Jazz Festival two weeks ago - it was great and I was surprised how good it was.

Superb machine - decent metal body, feels "right" quick and instinctive to use - just make sure yo get the optional SD card(s) - I did.

No regrets getting it at all.

[flintstone]

There's jazz concerts, and then there's loud concerts...just sayin'

[Om_Audio]

Thanks all for the info-
I agree though about jazz/rock- I'd like to see if anyone has used the LS-10 in a loud rehearsal room or a small venue rock show- i.e LOUD
thanks
Om

[Om_Audio]

bump

[Will_S]

I have a couple unrelated questions on the LS10, but I might as well bump this thread in the hopes at least one of us gets the answers we are looking for.

I hear people talking about the low and non-adjustable sensitivity of the line input, usually as a negative.  But is it safe to assume this means it should be always able to handle a patch from an FOH console without attenuation?

Anyone have any insight into the chances for a firmware update to fix the 2 gig limitation?  I'd love to be able to leave one running unattended for several hours at 24/44.1

[sunjan]

Anyone have any insight into the chances for a firmware update to fix the 2 gig limitation?  I'd love to be able to leave one running unattended for several hours at 24/44.1

Did anyone actually bother to get in touch with Olympus to submit this as a feature request?
I know the chances of getting a meaningful response diminishes with the size of the company. But there are other firms who actually listen to their customer base, so maybe it's worth a try? Best case scenario would be to hook up with their engineers and get a dialog rolling...

[dallman]

Hello-

I have been using an M-Audio Microtrack 24/96 for awhile- don't really like it for many reasons and am considering the Olympus LS-10 as a replacement. My main question is about recording very loud sources and if the Olympus can handle say recording a live rock show in a small venue ver close to stage. The Microtrack had an external 20dB buffer that i lost and now only get distorted recordings as the built in input settings are not sufficient.

I looked at a few others which have their own features I like but I think the Olympus is great as it has built in mics, small size, good battery life, and a speaker (great for reference)

any info appreciated-

Om

PS- good article-
http://emusician.com/daw/emusic_studio_pocket/

one alternative is to buy or build a 1/8" to 1/4"TRS set of jacks. The issues that the MT 2496 has at 1/8" are not issues with the 1/4" TRS inputs. I have a battery box that sits atop the unit that does this, but prior to that I just made something with ratshack parts that converted my (soundpro modded 1/8 input) AT853's from 1/8 to 1/4 and had no issues after that.

[anechoic]

the link to leave comments is broken on the Olympus site
so I emailed a customer service rep who returned an email to me on Aug 27
here is a copy of what I sent him:
=======================================
I would like to make the following feature requests for the LS-10:
- mono recording mode -- handy for film and sound people working with shotgun mics
- record @ 88.2kHz - presents an easier way to downsample to 44.1kHz for CD production
- record files larger than 2G -- for unattended location recording and live music taping
- one button push for 'record into new file' while still in record mode...sometimes called a 'divide' function.
   - for example: while recording into file LS001 you hit the 'next' button 
and immediately start recording into LS002 - very handy for chopping takes into separate files for easier auditioning
- have firmware updates available for *OS X* and Linux in addition to XP!!!

[John Willett]

the link to leave comments is broken on the Olympus site
so I emailed a customer service rep who returned an email to me on Aug 27
here is a copy of what I sent him:
=======================================
I would like to make the following feature requests for the LS-10:
- mono recording mode -- handy for film and sound people working with shotgun mics
- record @ 88.2kHz - presents an easier way to downsample to 44.1kHz for CD production
- record files larger than 2G -- for unattended location recording and live music taping
- one button push for 'record into new file' while still in record mode...sometimes called a 'divide' function.
   - for example: while recording into file LS001 you hit the 'next' button 
and immediately start recording into LS002 - very handy for chopping takes into separate files for easier auditioning
- have firmware updates available for *OS X* and Linux in addition to XP!!!

The one thing I asked them to add for the next version was a digital input (maybe an optical one using the same socket as line-in) - that would make the LS-10 a superb littille back-up machine as well.

I'm still very happy with mine, though.

[anechoic]

yeah -- maybe some way of using the USB connector?
such as invoking a mode on the LS-10 that wouldn't mount it as a drive
that would allow you to write to it in real time

[Arni99]

here some reviews with audio samples:
http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2008/05/22/olympus-ls-10-recorder-review.html
http://www.wingfieldaudio.com/olympus-ls-10-review.html
http://transom.org/tools/recording_interviewing/200805_olympus_ls10/