( 6 reviews )
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Posted: Jan 26 2009
I've been recording nature sounds with this recorder for the last year. By mounting it on a tripod, either stand-alone or on a gorilla-pod clinging to a tree branch, I've been able to leave the recorder out doing it's thing for up to 4 hours on one battery pack and memory card. This recorder has captured some beautiful dawn chorus' while I was away recording elsewhere. I've added a home-made fuzzy wind screen to the fuzzy I purchased from Sony and the two control wind noise well. This whole system with recorder and extra batteries and memory cards fits into a small fanny pack. My principle recording system consists of a Sound Devices 722 with Sennheiser MKH 30/40 mics which do give a better recording. However, this makes a great back-up and secondary system when I'm out on site and want to record in two locations at once. It is compact enough to take along when my full system would be awkward. Very easy to use. Easy to download files to my computer with the USB port. One feature Sony should add is the ability to limit file sizes to a use-chosen size less than 2 hours.
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Posted: Dec 11 2008
I would not purchase this for one reason. I have dozens of SD cards. I would not want to confuse the issue with SONY's proprietary memory sticks. This is the main reason I have not purchased many other SONY products, even though I like the quality of SONY products. I've decided to purchase the Olympus LS-10. It is cheaper and doesn't require me to repurchase a new type of memory cards. One final thought, as memory sizes increase, instead of tossing out an SD card, I find that by standardizing on these cards, I can use them on other products--camera's, GPS's, and computers.
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Posted: May 30 2008
I have tried several field recorders including the Nagra, Zoom H4, PCM-D50 and now the PCM-D1. This product is in a class by it's self. The microphone pre-amps are extremely quiet. The built in mics are extremely high quality. (Much better than the others.) The build quality is superior. The titanium & magnesium case is just beautiful. The controls & menus are clear and direct. Not a lot of bells & whistles... Just CLEAN sound. Of course it does not have XLR inputs like the Zoom H4. But you CAN always add the Sony XLR adapter that has phantom power... Or use an external mixer. And unlike the Zoom H4 the PCM-D1 mic inputs actually record SOUND not HISS & DISTORTION. I can't say enough good things about this product. Yes there is a cheaper PCM-D50 and the Zoom H4 and perhaps the over hyped Korg 1 bit models... NONE of these other units can compare for sound quality. NONE of these other units have truly professional sounding mic-preamps. If you want a cheap recorder with a lot of bells & whistles get a Zoom H4. If you want to make high quality recordings buy a PCM-D1. And don't forget you can find them used for about $1000.
