M-Audio Microtrack II Recorder
 

I'm currently looking at Zoom H2, H4 and similar recorders and came across this about a new release from M-Audio so posting it here (sorry if this has already been covered....it says long awaited in the article!)

http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/29/m...udio-recorder/

They left out two features I think it should have (I have the MicroTrack I).

It needs an autolevel setting for those times I'm too busy with the camera to ride herd on the level, and it needs to SMPTE time-code.

Other than that, it looks good, though why anyone would need to record audio files larger than 2 gigs is beyond me. That's a LOT of continuous audio, even at 96K 24 bit.

Martin

It's got 48v phantom! That's good news.

In their literature, it says:

"Capture high-SPL sources without clipping thanks to an extended input gain range and built-in analog input limiter."

Note: captures BWF wav
 

I am intrigued by this thing, but what made me question was the BWF format. I know it means broadcast wave format, but I cant tell who recognizes that form. or how it differs from normal WAV pcm. also in the market for a recorder, I dig the Fostex MR8 MkII, despite its size. its the VFAT system that makes me hesitate. Im seriously looking into spending similar money on a firewire capable mixer for laptop recording. but darn i want a recorder.
OK, Iv now looked at B&H (love them for specs sheets) and neither they or m-audio are listing the specs on the inputs on this. makes it hard to guess what mics will work well with it. thats one thing that led me away from the H4.
Another point is the camera/recorder synch drift inherent in these small recorders. Ive heard the most complaints about the h4, but supposedly all are going to suffer from it. As i understand its usually only noticealbe on long takes (5 plus minutes pending on unit), and is correctable through tweaking, but I will be recording numerous live events, often over 1 1/2 hours before any break.
ps. b&h has not yet posted a release daate, but says "aprox arrival November" hmm, time is running on that claim :) also, looked into the m-audio website, and thier mict=rotrack is listed there as recording WAV, BWF, and MP3. solves my first concern, but not question; what is the dif 'tween WAV and BWF?

BWF files are normal wave files with some additional information in the header regarding the start of file timestamp, etc. Almost all applications that accept wav files will play bwf's without a hitch. Some editing software gives you the option when placing the clip in the project to have it automatically line up its start timestamp with the matching point in the timeline.

Thanks Steve. Is this info added automatically by recorder? Is it a set when recording thing, or is it editable, like titles? Sounds pretty darn handy all around, assuming Ive got equipment that can put it to use.....

The Microtrack II should work with almost any mic out there. It lists 48v phantom with pre-amps which will power most condensor mics. I see they are expecting 8 hours of recording time, 3 hours with phantom. First thing I'm going to do when I get mine is see how well it syncs with video.

Additionally, multitrack recorders frequently use a part of the BWF spec known as polyphonic wav - basically a multichannel wav format.

Some editors that don't "work" with stereo bwf will work fine if it is just renamed to .wav. There are also freeware utilities that will split a polyphonic bwf into multiple wav files.

I totally agree with Steve - there is more than enough industry acceptance of the bwf format... it works fine with most audio-centric apps and many video editors as well. For those that don't support it directly, there are utilities that will make it work.

Best of all for those doing multicamera work or double-system sound, bwf supports a timecode stamp (if your recorder will stamp it).