The Dutch distributor still claims there is no stock, so unable to provide one for review. In the meantime, Tim Locke who works at BBC News shares the following observations. In general, he is positive. But he notes:
1. The unit takes quite a while to boot up - around 20 seconds. A worry for reporters in a hurry..
2. Using the extra gain on the TRS inputs seems to add a "whine" when recording from the BBC's standard Beyer M58s microphones.
3. The inability to swop out batteries is a worry - they have bought an Ipod AA USB battery pack to mitigate against trouble - it would be good to bundle these like the mains ones supplied.
4. The promised mono recording firmware is not out yet, expected Feb 06. - currently they are either having to use hardwired solutions which are clumsy.
5. There's no pause+record function - so you can't tweak your record levels before starting recording.
6. Accidentally hitting the navigation button and inadvertantly pausing during a recording is a too easy.
7. Nav selector for menus can be too sensitive and overshoots intended selection.
8. There is no way to add track marks during recording.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
More on M-Audio Microtrack
