Based on Michael's write up, I bought a refurbished Sony ICD-ST10 from simplycheap.com ($70 + $9 shipping, full retail is $150). It arrived today, and overall I am pleased. My plans are to record my own playing at home, record live music at various venues such as church, a monthly music group, and open mics. I will also use it to record voice. As a songwriter, having such a tiny lightweight device allows me to always carry it, to record song ideas as they come rather than holding the thought until I can get it down in some other form.eskin wrote:For session tune grabbing I use a Sony ICD-ST10 voice recorder, put together this article on the subject:
http://www.uptospeed.net/hoi/digitalrecorders.html
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Michael
One surprise is how loud the recordings are using the internal mic. Equally surprising is that using an external mic forces me much closer to the unit. The Sony is a big step up in recording technology from my cheap mics and my integrated sound card.
One key feature for session musicians, mentioned by Michael, is the ability to slow down or speed up recorded tunes and keep the pitch the same. The Sony allows this to be done in 10% increments. It uses two AAA batteries and the manual says to expect 7 to 12 hours from each set. Memory will hold 41 minutes of stereo, and about 2 hours of mono. There is also LP mode but that is probably not suitable for music.
The Sony uses its own file formats, and comes with software to convert it to WAV files for saving on the computer. Transfer is via USB port. I use CDex to convert to MP3. I can also convert WAV files to the Sony format if for some reason I want to move a sound file from the computer to the Sony.
I think the Sony will end up being more useful to me than some other competing budget items such as another whistle, a better sound card, or a better mic. As I work with it more, I will report back.
+ Bill