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It is easy to learn how to operate and produces outstanding sound quality. I have had this unit for about 18 months and it has performed excellent.
Because it's so practical, direct, intuitive and simple, this is a machine I'm likely to use--and take more seriously than a small, light unit with gratuitous gadgetry combined with excessive miniaturization. I don't need a portable recording studio with capabilities of recording MP3s, of mixing 4 tracks, or a machine with a tiny touchpad in place of knobs and switches. And it's proven indestructible. If you perform music and simultaneously record yourself, it can be a hassle monitoring levels so that they remain in the -12db level.When all is said and done, what sets the Sony apart is the quality of its two onboard microphones, the accessibility of the controls, and above all the professional quality of the sound--not enhanced but so faithful that it's fair to say the recorder literally hears what the listener hears. Sony comes closest in keeping the average person's-- and musician's--needs in mind yet giving him all of the quality desired by anyone who isn't a record producer.I assumed that high-quality external mics would be essential with a unit like this, but the onboard ones on this Sony are, to my ears, practically of commercial CD quality. As a musician, music lover, music critic, I need, simply, a reliable, dedicated machine with no frills, no thick manuals containing the promise that "the possibilities are limitless." (I've got just one lifetime. It even contains a metronome and tuner. It's not for someone who wants to run separate mics on the drums, bass, and piano or add reverb and numerous other effects.
There's nothing plastic or cheap about this machine, and I love some of its "old-fashioned" deployment of controls that have a single function. I'm graduating from my Zoom H2 and moving up to the Sony, no doubt my last recorder. Now if Sony would only do something about that ridiculous $50 "hat" / windscreen that's offered as an option. (The Zoom H2 still serves me well as a handy back-up, and some of the "extras" that come as standard equipment with the Zoom--e.g. In fact, if I have one major disappointment it's the lack of an automatic volume control, a feature I've come to take for granted since it's common on much less expensive machines.
In the category of bells and whistles, the only feature that might qualify is the 5-second pre-record monitor (which seems to excite some reviewers far more than it does me--I just don't see the big advantage). Unlike the Sony, it has features like MP3 as well as.WAV formatting, file conversion, normalizing, and functions usually found only on computer software programs for recording and editing audio. If the user can get past the "toylike" feel of the device and learn to live with its tiny touchpad, it's a machine that someone on a budget need have no regrets about. And often I can't distinguish its sound quality from the Sony. There was a time when Sony blew me away with its mini-disc Walkman. a hand grip and a tripod--occasionally are useful with the Sony).A word on behalf of the Zoom H2, which is still #1 in Amazon sales (I may be so immodest as to suggest with no small help from my spotlighted review, which Amazon recently decided to demote to the date of composition): Admittedly the 4 mics border on "gimmickry," but's it's an unbeatable value as currently priced--weightless and small, a perfect "stealth" recorder or back-up. Even the promotional literature of the new Zoom H4n is enough to scare me away).
And unlike my Zoom H2, the Sony was seen immediately by my iMac using OSX.5 (Leopard). Rather than creating another trendy gizmo, Sony has designed a no-nonsense "hi def audio" recorder that is, above all else, "solid." Certainly, the company could have included lesser-quality recording formats, reverb effects, 4-track recording, a speaker, extra mics, but they chose to go with what is most essential--and to do it right.In sum, the Sony is a hefty yet compact, personal machine with dedicated, clearly-labeled controls (a welcome change from tiny touch pads and deeply buried menu settings). And I don't need more than 4-5 hours of WAV file room. This reduced-priced model of their top-of-the-line machine, which costs 3-4 times more, continues the same tradition that once did Sony proud in the field of cutting-edge audio reproduction from miniature technology.
You will not be dissatisfied with the recording quality. Absolutely awesome. The PCM-D50 is like a recording God sent to rescue audiophiles from corporate exploitation of mediocre production.
As a tech-averse geezer, even I'm comfortablewith this product. The microphones are excellentquality, and it's easy to use. Highly Recommended. [[ASIN:B0016NCRW4 Sony Professional Portable 24-bit Linear PCM D50 Audio RecorderThis is a wonderful tool. Being a professional musician, I've beenlooking for something in this price range, and this product is theone I've been waiting for.It's small, portable, and rugged.
This makes it simple to record sessions that involve speech and live music, though I suspect editing will need to still be done to level it out. If you're looking for a fun, small recorder, look at the Zoom H2 or Tascam DR-1. If you want something better, save for the Sound Devices 702/722 (oddly numbered like the old Sharp MD 702/722 units).I've now recorded rehearsals and individual practice sessions (orchestra/trombone) and can say this unit does an adequate job of recording. This is noticeable compared to the late, tiny MiniDisc units (such as the RH1). Quality-wise, this is the MiniDisc replacement people have been looking for.
Hopefully as the technology improves, this caliber of flash recoder, like the early portable MiniDisc recorders (remember those)., will become smaller with time.Not So Bad: The unit requires Memory Stick Duo (Pro or Pro-HG) flash memory, but it is not much more expensive than regular SD cards (about $10-15 more) and the unit comes with 4GB of internal memory (under 2 hrs @ 24/96 or under 6 hours @ 16/44).RealityYou can't have ultra-portable at this quality level yet. But the Sony has three additional features that are great: there are manual controls for many basic functions; the unnoticeable limiter makes it difficult to peak; variable speed playback is toggled with a manual control. If you want a quality recorder now, spend the extra $100-200 and get the Sony to avoid buyer's remorse. If you have the perfect setup and can wait for a smaller version of this, wait a while and see if the Sony gets smaller in a later model (or if another company puts the same quality into a smaller package). (As an example, such a setup would work for recording an interview where a violinist speaks and plays, but editing would be needed to level out the same type of interview with a brass player because brass vs. This works well by itself when left inside in one place (like a normal condenser mic is setup indoors), with a windscreen, or with an external mic that is either less sensitive to air movement or has a wind screen.
Sony kept out extras such as quad mic setups, overdubbing, MP3 recording, and cheap XLR inputs to focus on getting the basics right: clean mic input, useful limiting, durability (metal casing--what most MiniDisc units had, but few flash recorders currently have), and clean playback (accurate monitoring). Musicians will love that a manual control toggles the variable speed playback. (Walking around while recording generates wind noise that allows other sounds to pass through while high wind outside will cover up all other sounds).The Sony is bulky and heavy for a portable device. A perk is that it has great battery life (very frequent recording and playback throughout the day = change the batteries once every 2-3 days).Skip the rest and get this if you want to spend less than $1200 to replace your old MiniDisc or portable sub-$600 DAT setup. voice is often a 30dB+ difference--more than the 20dB the Sony limiter handles).The BadThe mics are sensitive to air movement. The limiter records two tracks, 20dB apart and seamlessly splices the tracks together when your levels are too high; on playback, it is hard to tell when it is activated.
It's not great like a multi-mic, pro recording chain setup can be, but it fails to introduce noise into recordings when one uses external mics or the internal mics; other flash recorders (Edirol, Zoom, Tascam) seem to do a less than adequate job by including noisy mic preamps.After waiting through years of noisy mic pre's in the first generations of flash recorders, I couldn't ask for more. It is simple to listen back at half-speed (or slower)--and, like some other flash recorders (and unlike the $20-$50 tape recorders), it retains pitch.
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