Topic: Imagine a recorder built to your own design..

[Gutbucket]

What would you really like in a recorder made to your own specs - it's design not determined by the ordinarily overriding forces of marketing and design for a large target audience?

Keep it technically feasible.

A few features I'd like in my fantasy machine:

• 6-channel, 20bit/48kHz pocket sized recorder
• great analog front end & ADC
• uses standard rechargeable batteries
• records to two SDHC slots (so if a second card is inserted, the two can be either sequentially or simultaneously written (maybe a mode where the cards are simultaneously written until the 1st fills, to provide redundancy, after which the 2nd is overwritten for increased storage space)
• a single multi-pin, locking mini-XLR or equivalent input jack with various multi-conductor plug-in pigtails user adapted for various input configurations: digital, analog, XLR, mini-XLR, microdot, mini-jack, 1/4" TRS, RCA, Lemo or whatever (plus sync)
• full 9vdc plug-in power, phantom option with larger external battery pack (to keep it reasonable)
• same single multi-pin, locking mini-XLR or equivalent deal for output (plus HDMI)
• FLAC encode/decode, Dolby-HD/DTS-HD bitstream output encoding
• control + monitoring via a wrist watch, phone, or dedicated remote
• good headphone monitoring, software switchable between channels, with surround virtualization
• internal digital mixer with level, pan, mute, solo, delay and eq on each channel
• writes a simultaneous CUE file that lists markers, gain changes, limiter actions, etc.
• limiter that marks the CUE file with the position and amount of gain reduction applied so its effect can be reversed in the DAW after a headroom adjustment
• timer/clock based record and file split option (either during or after recording)
• fade in/out at rec start/stop option
• possible sync using cell phone or other wireless network link

[rhinowing]

four track recording
sweet battery life
looks like a cell phone
built in DPAs and Schoeps

[Mojowill]

 

[timP]

f'n HYSTERICAL


+T

[hoppedup]

@mojowill:  all those inputs should accept digital and analog. Really don't need output, just putout.

I'd spend all my time licking at the levels.

[DisturbedPyro]

that is hilarious mojowill! who is that? it kinda looks like kate from lost

[bgreen]

I think Mojo about summed it up 

[anodyne33]

Somebody has some spare time on his hands.

[kindms]

that is hilarious mojowill! who is that? it kinda looks like kate from lost

elle macpherson

[SmokinJoe]

This thread has great potential for a similar design to this....

[anodyne33]

Are you tired of people questioning your sexuality?

Thundercougarfalconbird!

[Gutbucket]

You fellers really let the imagination seep right out of the box.

I dig the miniature 'repoman' air freshener in the homer-mobile, but I'd want my imaginary Elle to move around a bit, not just stand statue-like recording.   Besides that's way too distracting, I'd never quit fiddling with my setup, my recordings would suck and I wouldn’t care. Perhaps there's a bit too much product convergence going on there? Sometimes I just want my phone to work as a phone.  Why waste that platform with superfluous features like audio recording?

I'd rather let Elle ride into the section bareback on my giraffe recorder:


Or better yet, on one of those fairytale horses with the built-in mic stand on their head:

[dmonkey]

LOL!

[Giant_Rick]

I like my Hi-MD.. in fact I only stealth for a number of reasons.
I'd like to have a Hi-MD that..
•can record in 24 bit and 48K Hz resolution
•uses MiniDiscs that are capable of 8 GB
•has reliable VU-Meters
•backlight screen

..but it's my dream, though.
If only Sony makes a 2 GB MD..

[Gutbucket]

All of these designs would be very expensive.  The giraffe would probably be the best budget option . . .

On a serious note, the locking circular connector the OP required for that much I/O, plus the pigtail cable(s), would likely cost a couple hundred bucks.

Understood, and I did consider that. Yet a couple hundred bucks for a feature that really fits my usage is nothing compared to giraffe stabling, feeding and vet bills, much less keeping a super model contented.