Has anyone used one of these? http://www.d-mpro.com/users/folder.asp?FolderID=1548&CatID=4&SubCatID=142

or something similar? I've bought the Sony HDR-FX1 and it has no XLR inputs, only a 1/8" mic input. I can get the Beachtek converter so that I get two XLR inputs, but will I get good enough audio for a indie film?

Does this device *only* record to CD? (ie, not besides tape).

I would not trust a device to record directly to CD in real-world
film usage where it may be banged around, run with or in some
heavy type of weather (cold, moist etc.). CD recording is a real
precision art and the slightest interference might get you into
problems. I would not trust it personally for things I can do only
once (like recording something with a camera).

However, I've never used such a device in the real-world so
ofcourse it might be really good and work around such issues
etc. However I would probably still record audio to tape or
harddisk for example.

So maybe a DAT recorder would do the trick then? I'm just concerned about audio quality. DATs are analog correct? Or can I, with the right tools, create a 5.1 surround sound using a DAT recorder?

DAT= Digital Audio Tape. Just like miniDV is digital video recorded onto tape...

ah hah... so that's what that stands for.. excuse my ignorance in that.

that sounds great.

Look at this. Many are very excited about this product. I think it is under $500.

http://www.edirol.com/products/info/r1.html

Regards,

Mark

that looks pretty neat.. i'd have to get XLR adapters though for it right?

Sorry to keep bugging, but what about this thing?

http://www.roland.com/products/en/BR-864/

The guy at the store gave me a quote of $384 for it and it has an XLR input.. only one though.

So maybe a DAT recorder would do the trick then? I'm just concerned about audio quality. DATs are analog correct? Or can I, with the right tools, create a 5.1 surround sound using a DAT recorder?

The DAT recorder, like any other audio recorder, is only used to gather the sounds you need. It doesn't have anything to do with how many channels your final project is mixed in. You do that in your computer or at the audio post house you take it to, or whatever you end up using.

You cannot, however, record a 5.1ch soundtrack from your computer to DAT. You're going to have to record it to a specific media that can utilize a 5.1ch signal, like DVD or (I believe) HDCAM, or to blank media that can hold the 5.1ch encoded files, like DVD-R, CD-R, Zip disk, or the like.

The only problem I've had with CD recording devices is that they only record at 44.1kHz. This is a problem because you then have to either up-convert it to 48k or render the audio while your editing which is a huge PITA! I would go with a DAT recorder or the Beachtek, with the Beachtek being my first choice (because of price and ease of use).
The nicest thing about the portable DAT recorders is that the sound guy isn't tied to your camera and it does make that part of life easier.