Topic: iPod HD recorder (from DAT-Heads)

[John Kelly]

Analoge input would be fine , because it already has the hardware to obtain 24bit 96k (bit perfect as you call it) it just needs to be turned on by apple.

Bit perfect only refers to digital inputs simply recorded the passed signal and not resampling.  An analog input is by nature not bit perfect, because there are no bits for it to process.

The only hard disk recorder I see is the Sound Devices and its not cheap or stealthy.

Plus Edirol, Marantz, and the upcoming M-Audio.

But if Apple ever open up the recording capabilities of the I-pod it would certainly surpass the capabilities of the JB3 and be stealthy.

There is no way you could ever know that.  What if the recording capabilities Apple decided to open up was a simple record function with no way to control the quality?  What if there were no meters?  What if it was limited to mp3?  Or limited to a certain size?

[tonyvt]

There have been some rumors circulating of enhanced recording features being built into the upcoming iTunes 4.9 to support podcasting.
Scroll to the bottom of this link. http://www.macosrumors.com/
My fingers are crossed that something cool will be announced at MacWorld in July.

[BLOODYJACK]

The signal from your mic is analoge and somewere in the recording chain an A2D has to convert it to digital so you allways need an analoge input somewere?
The I-pod has convertors built in hence the analoge inputs and there is no digital input on the I-pod.
I was clarifying this because I belive this thread is about useing the I-pod as a hard disk recorder.

Edirol has a 4 track hard disk recorder neither cheap or stealthy the others you refer to are not hard disk recorders there flash recorders see my previous post.
Fostex has a flash recorder that takes PCMCIA mini hard drives so technicaly that can be a hard disk recorder if you hand over the cash for the drives after spending $1200 on the unit.

There is no way for you to know that Apple wont update the firmware to 96k recording with meters my original point is the hardware is in place to do this if they choose.
In fact with podcasting on the horizon it is going to happen. I do know for a fact that a number of companys are working on recording interfaces.

[John Kelly]

In fact with podcasting on the horizon it is going to happen. I do know for a fact that a number of companys are working on recording interfaces.

Please provide links, I'd like to see this.

[BLOODYJACK]

There are no links yet
most companys have NDA Agreements
Take the M-audio fast-tracker for example rumor has it released next month but the only thing you will find on the web about it is one photo taken at the recent Frankfurt show.

[John Kelly]

So they have NDA agreements and yet you know about it?  M-Audio doesn't have any NDA agreements with resellers about the flash tracker, and resellers are releasing information as soon as they get it.

[BLOODYJACK]

Well that’s because the flash-tracker is imminent, after a product has been shown at a show its then public.
My point was until the show nobody new it existed and typically I would guess from experience that product was on the drawing board a year ago if not more.
Yes I have signed some NDA,s so I cannot say anymore

[greenone]

The signal from your mic is analoge and somewere in the recording chain an A2D has to convert it to digital so you allways need an analoge input somewere?
The I-pod has convertors built in hence the analoge inputs

Which likely sound like complete and total shit. There's a big difference between "it can be done" and "it can be done right". I see your point about clarifying this, but as it exists now, with the hacks that exist now, I still don't see anything better than mono recording through an analog input...which is nowhere near what any music taper would want. For speech, great. For music, useless...

[BLOODYJACK]

Let me try and clarify there are already stereo line inputs available on the docking port and with the linex firmware right now you can record stereo at a 96k sample rate.
I have not tried it but the codecs used are no worse than any other cheese ball hard drive players out there and the sample rate is twice that of the JB3
Sticking a 24 bit A2D on to a 16 bit devices just means you truncate the 8 bits that the better A2D gives you this stuff is not rocket science

[Brian Skalinder]

I have not tried it but the codecs used are no worse than any other cheese ball hard drive players out there and the sample rate is twice that of the JB3

The sound of the analog input and ADC depends on far more than just the codecs used.  So even if the codecs used are the same as other HD players that happen to include recording capability, they may sound either better or worse in this particular implementation.  I'm betting worse since the other HD recorders actually had the feature designed in from the beginning, whereas this is purely an afterthought.  I suppose we'll find out when someone actually gives it a try.  In the meantime, none that I've actually heard sound especially good analog-in, IMO (Neuros, another I don't recall, and the surprisingly best of the bunch JB3).  And besides, the real beauty of the JB3 is it reliably records digital-in, a feature the iPod does not - and will not - offer.  I'd rather run quality outboard 16-bit / 44kHz ADC > digital-in recorder than crappy to mediocre analog-in at 24/96.

At any rate, I'll believe it's a viable option for our purposes when I see one working reliably - and sounding good  - in the field.  Somehow, I suspect it'll be quite some time from now, if ever.

[BLOODYJACK]

You know all I was trying to do was explain what was available on the I-pod because that’s what the topic was about and there seemed to be some confusion.
If you posters actually read the link attached to this thread and understood it you would know all this anyway so I am going to shut the fuck up.
 

[rvpigeon]

i've had linux on my ipod for a while, i dont ever use it though. it's pretty much fucked up all across the board, they can't even get mp3 playback to work smoothly, and the battery status display doesnt work. playback of recordings over 32khz freeze every time, and the recordings don't sound very good anyway, there are lots of weird clicks and buzzes that come in regularly (even with a good mic). its a cool trick though

[tscales]

Anybody else try recording with some decent mics to evaluate it, imperically, rather than speculate?

-T

[John Kelly]

Doubtful, but just a warning to ya if you plan to stick around these parts:  don't end your posts with "-T" as it has quite a different meaning on here.

+T to get ya started.

[Ray76]

Anybody else try recording with some decent mics to evaluate it, imperically, rather than speculate?

-T

nope purely speculation.

ray +t