Brad Linder's digital home

Quick links: How radio's made, audio recording comparison,pubcasting in social media

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:47:00 +0000

I realized I haven't updated the blog in a while, and that's largely because I've moved to posting links like the ones you're about to see to Twitter. But today I figured I'd do something out of the ordinary and highlight some excellent content from around the web here:

Mediate's Power Grid: This site ranks broadcasting personalities based on their reach in old and new media including their broadcast audience, Google buzz, and overall web buzz. A number of NPR folks made the list including Steve Inskeep, Michele Norris, Melissa Block, and Renee Montagne. For some reason there's no category for radio reporters (although TV reporters do have a space). via Current
Video comparison of Zoom H2, Marantz PMD620, and Sony PCM-D50: Gearwire put together this video overview of these three devices nearly a year ago. But this is th efirst time I've seen it, thanks to Happy Orange.
How Radio is Made: Someone recently asked independent radio producer and blogger Cyrus Farivar how he put together a story. So he took the time to write a long, detailed explanation of how the public radio system works and what it takes to put together a story for a national radio program.

The new office... so far

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Sat, 30 May 2009 17:14:00 +0000

We've been living in the new house for about a week now, and things are coming along. Every day or two we find some new little disaster that needs dealing with. It turns out that the dishwasher is leaking, and the central air conditioning unit either needs fixing or replacing. But the washer and dryer work, our new sink is awesome, and most of our kitchen cabinets are in place.

And my new office is still filled with boxes and junk because I've been too busy to set things up properly, but that's on my to do list for this weekend. I decided that I've outgrown a single desk setup, so we picked up a second desk from Ikea a few weeks ago. Right now it's covered with odds and ends, but eventually I hope to use it to give myself a little extra workspace.

We also picked up an office chair for $30 from a secondhand store. It's far more comfortable than the desk chair I had been using, and it's at least $100 cheaper than anything I would have picked up from an office supply store.

Sharp eyed viewers will also notice that the windowsills have been ripped off. We have a guy fashioning replacements which should be in place in the next week or two. Did I mention this room is still a work in progress?

But all told, there's plenty of room for me, my computers, boxes of files, and some recording equipment. There's even a closet which I'm going to use for storage and as an occasional voice booth when I need to do radio work from home. That's the nice thing about converting a spare bedroom into a home office. They tend to come with closets, which are excellent at damping sounds if you throw a few shirts and a pair of pants or two in there.

The new house

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Mon, 04 May 2009 14:42:00 +0000

As if my life hadn't been busy enough, Farrah and I decided to buy a house recently. So on top of blogging for managing the fast-growing Liliputing, blogging for Download Squad, and anchoring newscasts a few days a week at WHYY-FM, we've been doing all sorts of housy stuff.

First there was the house hunting, mortgage applying, offer putting-in, negotiatin' and so forth. About a month ago we closed the deal and we've been working to make the house habitable ever since.

We move in a few weeks from now. But the house was a bit more of a fixer upper than we'd expected. We knew we wanted to remodel the incredibly tiny kitchen and make it bigger. But we also had to have a leaky roof fixed, deal with some faulty plumbing in the house, and there's still a fair amount of work to do. For instance, the laundry is on the third floor instead of the basement, which is nice. But the people who rehabbed the house a few years ago forgot to vent the dryer, so if you don't want lint rolling around the third floor of the house (which happens to be the floor my home office will be on), we need to knock a hole in the wall to vent the dryer.

A few weeks ago we signed up for DSL service with Verizon. Since we only need internet service and not cable TV or land line telephone service, DSL was by far the cheapest option. And every major room in the house has multiple phone jacks. Unfortunally, they were all wired wrong.

So when the modem showed up, I plugged it in to each room with the same results: nothing. I went out and purchased a cheap telephone handset to test the lines. Again, nothing. But if you climbed a ladder and plugged the handset into the Verizon box outside the house, you could hear a busy signal. So we could either run a line out a window and into that box as a permanent solution or call Verizon for help.

We chose the latter option, and the story gets long and sordid. But the short version is that I waited at the house from 8:00am until 7:00pm last Tuesday and nobody from Verizon ever showed up. Over the span of two days I spent about two hours on the phone until I found a Verizon supervisor that was actually quite helpful, and today two friendly Verizon techs came to the house and fixed our wiring. It was all very exciting and I'm writing this blog post using our brand new internet connection.

You can find more updates about the progress of our new home at Farrah's blog: Creative Neurosis.

Liliputing turns 1

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 15:37:00 +0000

About a year ago I launched Liliputing , a news and information site covering netbooks and low cost ultraportable computers. I'd been interested in tiny computing devices for ages, ever since I picked up my first PDA back in 2000: A Phillips Nino 300 running an early version of Windows CE. And in 2007, I was one of the first people in the US to pick up an Asus Eee PC 701 netbook. You can still find the unboxing video I posted to this blog.

After a short while, I realized there was a lot to say about this new generation of little computers that people were starting to call netbooks, and I launched Eee Site. But by April of 2008, it was clear that this wasn't just about the Asus Eee PC anymore. HP, Dell, Acer, and a number of other computer makers were getting in on the action, and rather than try to squeeze all of that information into a web page named for a single computer, I decided to launch a site with a broader focus. And Liliputing was born.

It turns out the low power, low priced computing trend was even bigger than I had anticipated. In 2008, practically every major computer maker (with the exception of Apple and Sony) launched a netbook. And a ton of companies I'd never heard of joined their ranks, including some companies that had never even released computers before. In 2009 we're starting to see a few new trends in the netbook space including:

Mini-laptops with touchscreen interfaces
Mobile carriers subsidizing netbooks the same way they do with cellphones for customers who sign up for long term data plans
A number of companies are starting to talk about releasing netbooks based on low power ARM processors which could run Windows CE or Linux and get battery life that blows away today's Intel Atom/Windows powered machines

As the netbook industry has taken shape, I'm proud to say that Liliputing has become one of the top destinations for news, information, and discussion about this new frontier in mobile computing. As of this month, the site has received over 6 million page views from 4 million unique visitors. Compete.com recently found that Liliputing is one of the top 10 sites people click on after searching for netbook related terms on major search engines. And through a number of advertising partnerships, Liliputing has begun to bring in enough money that I now consider it my primary source of income, although I still continue to do freelance work for Download Squad, WHYY-FM, NPR, and other organizations.

Last time I posted an update on Liliputing's progress here, I mentioned the launch of the Liliputing Forums, implementation of the Disqus commenting system, and a few other features that have helped make the site more of a community than simply a blog. I think those features are still helping the site grow, but I'm also proud of the fact that I've started building out a review section for the site where users can find detailed information about computers and products that I've had a chance to test. The Liliputing Product Database , maintained in partnership with UMPC Portal and several other sites, has also become one of the top resources for information about netbooks.

This month I'm running a series of contests on Liliputing to celebrate the one year anniversary. We've already given away a USB slim DVD burner from Asus, a universal laptop battery and a universal case from Ultimate Netbook, and we have a FidoHub netbook touchscreen kit contest currently underway . I've got at least one more contest scheduled to begin before the end of the month, and I've been saving one of the best prizes for last.

All told, it's been a pretty good year. I can't wait to see what the next year brings.

$100 off the Marantz PMD620 if you order by March 31st

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:36:00 +0000

It looks like Marantz is offering a $100 rebate on the PMD620 handheld digital audio recorder. BSW and Sweetwater are both showing the rebate on their product pages, which brings the price of the recorder down to $299 after rebate.

But some sites, like DJDeals are selling the recorder for as low as $322 before rebate, which means you can pick up a PMD620 for just $222 after rebate.

The rebate form says you have to purchase the recorder from an authorized dealer, but it's not entirely clear which dealers are unauthorized. It looks like you should be OK as long as you buy a new recorder from a store and not a refurbished or secondhand unit from a reseller. But I'm not making any promises.

via AudioGearDeals

Zoom H4n review

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 23:22:00 +0000

The Zoom H4n digital audio recorder is Zoom's third handheld flash memory recorder. It's the most expensive of the bunch, but it also features the best build quality of the three and is much easier to use than its predecessors. The sound quality is also pretty good, although you can achieve higher quality recordings with more expensive equipment. Still, for about $350, the H4n might appeal to a wide group of audio recordists, ranging from people who are looking for a cheap recorder that can power condenser mics that require phantom power to those who just don't want to shell out $450 or more for a recorder that offers only marginally better sounding recordings.

In addition to sturdier build quality with a rubberized grip, the H4n has larger, easier to manipulate buttons on the front of the unit. And the menus are much easier to navigate using the menu button and jog dial on the side of the unit than on the original Zoom H4. You can also rotate the internal mics to change the audio pickup pattern.

I do wish Zoom would start using a separate button for making track marks. Right now in order to create a new track while recording, you hit the record button again, which can be confusing -- especially because you need to hit the record button twice to start a recording in the first place (the first press puts you into record/pause mode).

The Zoom H4n also has a speaker built into the back of the unit. It's not going to replace your book box anytime soon, but it comes in handy if you want to check your audio or play a clip for someone on the go. You can certainly use the speaker to play music as well - it's just not going to sound very good.

But there is one major problem. It's far too easy to eject the SD card from the slot by pressing on the door that protects the compartment. And if you accidentally eject the SD card while making a recording, your data will be lost. I'm not saying that it's likely you'll eject the SD card, but it's possible. And that concerns me.

Here's a little video that should explain what I'm talking about. It shows both the new menu navigation and the problem with the SD card slot:

Like the original Zoom H4, the Zoom H4n has a number of features that really set it apart from competing recorders from Sony, Marantz, Tascam, and Edirol. For one thing, you can use the Zoom H4n either to record straightforward stereo tracks or as a 4-track digital recording studio. You can record up to 4 channels simultaneously using the built in stereo condenser mic for 2 tracks and the XLR inputs for to more channels.

You can also plug the Zoom H4n into a computer via a USB cable and use it as an audio interface. In other words, when it's plugged into your computer you can connect a microphone, musical instruments, or other audio devices up to your computer. You can also use the built in mics. It's sort of like having an external sound card that doubles as a microphone and headphone jack. This feature can come in handy if you need to make a Skype call or record a few voice or music tracks on the go with a laptop.

The recorder also has a number of digital effects that can be used while recording or playing back audio. There's a metronome feature, a guitar tuner, and even a karaoke effect.

Zoom has added a new "stamina mode" as well, which the company claims will nearly double your battery life by providing up to 11 hours of record time using 2 AA alkaline batteries. It's not entirely clear what stamina mode does, but the only recording option in stamina mode is 44.1kHz/16-bit WAV audio.

The Zoom H4n can handle WAV audio sample rates from 44.1kHz/16bit to 96kHz/24bit. You can also record MP3 files with bit rates ranging from 48kbps to 320kbps.

While the recorder is larger than the original Zoom H4 or Zoom H2, it's still reasonably small and fits easily in your palm, unlike larger recorders such as the Marantz PMD661, Fostex FR2-LE, or Tascam HD-P2. Here are some close-up photos of the Zoom H4n (Click any image in the slideshow to see a larger version):

Over the last few days I've posted a number of audio samples (made using the built in mics and external mics) to give you an idea of how the Zoom H4n sounds when recording my voice, ambient room sounds, and a bit of music. These tests are not by any means exhaustive. I wish I had 10 different microphones to try out with the H4n and other recorders, but I do not. Your results may vary.

To my ear, the Zoom H4n sounds better than the Zoom H4 in most of the tests. It records a fuller range of sounds and less hiss, especially when using the 1/8th inch input instead of the XLR inputs. With a high powered condenser microphone or the internal mics, the H4n sounds quite good. But when using a dynamic mic like the ElectroVoice RE-50, I feel that the Sony PCM-D50 sounds a little better and records less hiss.

That said, the Zoom H4n is at least $100 cheaper than the Sony PCM-D50, and while this recorder costs more than the Zoom H4 or Zoom H2, I think it's money well spent.

It's worth pointing out that, like most recorders with built in mics, the Zoom H4n is susceptible to handling noise. If you move your hand around too much while making a recording, you're likely to hear the sound of your fingers scuttling about the case. But thanks to the rubberized grip on the sides of the unit, it's a bit easier to keep your hands steady with the H4n than with earlier models.

The H4n also has a spot on the back of the unit that you can use to screw in a camera tripod. This allows you to set up the recorder and forget about it in some situations, while avoiding handling noise. The Sony PCM-D50 has this feature as well, while the original Zoom H4 came with a plastic attachment that you could use to attach a tripod - but you then had to strap the recorder into the plastic attachment with Velcro. Having a slot in the back of the recorder for the tripod is much more useful.

Overall, the Zoom H4n is a solid little recorder for podcasters, musicians, or radio producers on a budget. There are a ton of features packed into this little device, and the recording quality represents a significant improvement over earlier models. But if what you're looking for is crystal clear recordings, you'll probably have to pay more than $350 and buy a more expensive recorder.

The Zoom H4n is available through Amazon for $346.

Previous Zoom H4n coverage:

Zoom H4n external mic tests

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 23:48:00 +0000

The other day I posted audio recordings comparing the built in microphones on the Zoom H4n, Zoom H4, and Sony PCM-D50 digital audio recorders. Today I have some recordings made using two different external mics: an ElectroVoice RE50 dynamic mic and an AKG Perception 100 studio-style condensor.

I didn't have enough mics to make simultaneous recordings as I did with the previous tests. But each recording includes a bit of my voice, some ambient room sounds, and a short section of guitar. I can't promise that the mic placement was perfect for the guitar - as a radio journalist I'm better versed in micing people than musical instruments.

Zoom H4n with RE50 dynamic mic using the XLR input

Zoom H4n with RE50 dynamic mic using mini input

Zoom H4n with AKG Perception mic using 48v phantom power and XLR input

Zoom H4 with RE50 dynamic mic using XLR input

Zoom H4 with AKG Perception mic using 48v phantom power and XLR input

Sony PCM-D50 with RE50 dynamic mic and mini input

To my ear, the XLR inputs on both the original Zoom H4 and the Zoom H4n have far too much hiss to be used with a dynamic microphone like the RE50. On both devices, the original recording was very quiet (although the Zoom H4n recording was a bit louder), and when I boosted the volume using CoolEdit, the hiss become quite noticable.

But the Zoom H4n also has a 1/8th inch input. When using this input with the RE50 microphone, the recording level was much higher, and the hiss much less noticable. In my opinion, the Sony PCM-D50 still works better with the RE50. But it also costs $100 to $150 more. If you're on a tight budget, the Zoom H4n might be all you need. Plus it offers added features like XLR inputs and phantom power for condenser mics.

The AKG Perception microphone sounded reasonably good with both of the Zoom recorders. You'd need a preamp to use that mic with the Sony PCM-D50.

What it comes down to is that all three are decent recorders. But you'll have to pick the right one for your needs and your budget. The Zoom H4 is available from Amazon for as little as $227, while the Zoom H4n costs $346. The Sony PCM-D50 goes for about $469.

In the next few days I'll share my thoughts on the Zoom H4n hardware to roundup this review.

Farewell to NPR's Day to Day

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:54:00 +0000

NPR's Day to Day airs its final broadcast today. The program has been an NPR staple for the last 6 years, and while it was never carried by as many member stations as flagship programs like Morning Edition and All Things Considered, the program was always one of my favorite NPR shows.

Day to Day was a bit lighter, more conversational, and quirkier than its elder siblings. They were willing to experiment with new ideas and take a few more risks, and they were an amazing outlet for freelance radio journalists. Many of the stories I've filed for NR over the last 6 years have run on Day to Day.

This is actually the third radio program I've worked for that's gone off the air in the last year or so. NPR's Justice Talking and APM's Weekend America also had their funding pulled. The recession is taking its toll on everyone, and public radio programs like these rely on a combination of member donations, underwiting, charitable contributions, and endowment money to keep broadcasting. And a lot of those things are hard to come by these days. NPR is also eliminating News & Notes tonight, and last year pulled the plug on the moderately successful Bryant Park Project which was aimed at younger listeners.

It's likely that many of the people who have been associated with these programs will find their way into other radio, podcasting, or audio production jobs. But as a freelancer it always hurts a bit when one of these outlets for journalism goes off the air - both because it deprives the public of some excellent reporting and because it makes it a bit harder for people like me to make a living by selling stories.

Fortunately, I've been making a decent living by blogging for a number of technology web sites including Download Squad and Liliputing, and by filing stories for radio programs as well as helping out at WHYY in Philadelphia when necessary. So I'll be fine. But I'm still sad to see Day to Day go, and I certainly hope that by the time we come out of this recession there's still a place for innovative radio programming. If not, I suppose there'll always be podcasts, internet radio, and other online multimedia journalism. If radio doesn't survive (and I certainly hope it does, because there's something so engaging about turning on a box and having voices come into your home, car, or workplace to tell you a story), I'm sure there'll still be work for audio journalists.

Testing the Zoom H4, H4n, and Sony PCM-D50 internal mics

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 23:42:00 +0000

I'll have a detailed review of the Samson Zoom H4n recorder in the next week or so. But I can already tell you there are some things that Samson hit out of the park on their latest recorder, while there are a few things I wish were better thought out. For instance, the menu system and button layout is much better than on the original Zoom H4. But the SD card slot on the side of the unit is way too easy to open by accident.

But the most important thing is audio quality. I'll have more audio samples to share over the next few days, but I wanted to post a little shoot-out I did between the Sony PCM-D50, Zoom H4n, and Zoom H4 today. As you can hear, all three of these recorders have excellent built in microphones. All three are also subject to a fair amount of handling noise if you jostle them around while using those built in mics, but the rubberized grip on the Zoom H4n makes it easier to hold than the original Zoom H4, which means less jostling.

Zoom H4n audio sample:

Zoom H4 audio sample:

Sony PCM-D50 audio sample:

All three clips were recorded simultaneously and start out with me talking, followed by a little room tone. The clips end with me playing guitar. I seriously hope nobody listens all the way to the end all three times, because the guitar part - not so good. But I wanted to give you a sense of what music would sound like -- if it sounded better.

I should point out that the three recorders were laid out left to right. The Zoom H4 was on the left side of the table, and the Sony PCM-D50 was on the right. The Zoom H4n was in the middle and I was speaking directly into it, while the other two recorders were at an angle.

Of course, the real question is how the H4n performs with external mics. I'll have details on that soon.

Update: I've uploaded some audio samples recorded using 2 external mics, the ElectroVoice RE50 dynamic mic and AKG Perception 100 studio-style condenser mic.

Update 2: As has been pointed out in the comments, I accidentally used the wrong audio sample for the Sony PCM-D50 internal mic test. I've updated the post with the correct audio.

Zoom H4n unboxing

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 17:59:00 +0000

Good news, everyone! I finally got my hands on a Zoom H4n demo unit. I'll be putting it through the paces over the next few days and I hope to determine how it stacks up against similar machines like the original Samson Zoom H4 and the somewhat more costly Sony PCM-D50.

Keep in mind, my background is as a radio producer. I'm not a nature recordist, a bootlegger, or a musician (at least not a very good one). So my primary interest is in finding a computer that does a good job of recording vocals and ambient sound in a variety of settings using a variety of inputs including dynamic and condenser microphones and the built in mics. So my review's not going to be definitive, but hopefully I'll be able to tell you within a few days whether I can recommend this recorder over others that I've tried.

In the meantime, you can check out this unboxing video I shot this afternoon.

Zoom H4n audio take 2 - second time not so charming

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 15:44:00 +0000

The Samson Zoom H4n is probably one of the more exciting digital audio recorders to come along in a while. Samson has taken the original Zoom H4 and completely retooled it with a better button layout, a new rubberized grip, a new mic layout and better preamps. But while reader Jon Skitch sent us some fantastic sounding recordings he made using the recorder, Neil Ewers of Blind Cool Tech has sent in some evidence that the H4n might not as close to the Sony PCM-D50 and other slightly more expensive digital audio recorders as Samson would have us believe.

Here are a series of audio samples Ewers recorded using both the Zoom H4n and Sony PCM-D50, followed by a recording made on the original Zoom H4. The original Zoom recorder actually had quite decent built in mics, but sounded awful with an external mic plugged in, especially if it was a dynamic mic. To my ear it sounds like the Zoom H4n isn't much better. What do you think?

Sony PCM-D50 internal mics:

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Same audio source with Zoom H4n internal mics:

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Sony PCM-D50 with an Audio Technica mic:

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Zoom H4n with an Audio Technica mic:

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Sony PCM-D50 with a dynamic mic:

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Zoom H4n with a dynamic mic:

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Final recording with Zoom H4n:

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Original Zoom H4 reference recording:

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Update: Now you can hear audio samples I recorded myself using the internal mics and several external mics.

Homelessness Marathon on the web and radio tonight

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 15:26:00 +0000

A little while back I learned about a radio project called the Homelessness Marathon. The idea is to broadcast a series of stories from around the US to highlight issus concerning homelessness. The 14 hour broadcast begins tonight at 7:00PM EST and will broadcast on a number of non-commercial radio stations.

You can find out whether your local station is participating by visiting the project page. If not, you can listen online. A story on affordable housing I reported for NPR's Justice Talking in 2007 will be part of the broadcast. I believe it's scheduled to run at around 10:00PM tonight.

Zoom H4n audio sample

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 16:54:00 +0000

I'm still waiting to get my hands on a Samson Zoom H4n digital audio recorder, but the folks at Samson tell me one of the biggest improvements over the original Zoom H4 is that the new recorder has better preamps, which means you should get less hiss when using an external dynamic or condenser microphone.

I hope to get a demo unit soon and post a complete review. But in the meantime, reader Jon Skitch managed to snag an H4n and he sent me the following audio sample made using the recorder and a Rode NT1A microphone.

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The noise floor appears to be much lower than on the Zoom H4, which means you get cleaner sounding recordings, at least with a high quality mic like the NT1A. While it's not an apples to apples comparison, you can check out a few recordings I've made with the Zoom H4 and an EV RE50b dynamic mic in my original Zoom H4 review and my Sony PCM-D50 review.

Update: Jon just sent in another recording. This time it's a musical performance and it sounds fantastic.

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Shure introduces line of USB mics

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:24:00 +0000

Shure launched a new line of pro quality USB microphones at CES this month. I got a chance to stop by the company's booth and snap a few photos of the new Shure PG27USB and PG42USB mics as well as the X2u XLR to USB signal adaptor.

If you've already got a good mic that you want to use with your computer, sans mixing board, the X2u is probably the way to go. It sells for about $129 and includes an integrated preamp with a mic gain control and headphone jack for zero latency monitoring. It also supplies phantom power for condenser mics.

The PG27USB and PG42USB mics plug straight into your computer's USB port, no adapter or mixer required. Each has a headphone jack for zero latency monitoring. The PG27USB sells for around $199 and is designed for recording instruments or vocals with a flat frequency response. It comes with a stand mount and a carrying pouch, while the PG42USB comes with a shock mount and is designed for vocal and spoken word recordings. It has a tailored frequency response for vocals and costs about $249.

Samson announces Q2U USB microphone with XLR connection

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 19:14:00 +0000

The Zoom H4n wasn't the only product Samson launched at CES. The company was also showing off the new Samson Q2U USB dynamic microphone, which works as a multi-purpose mic.

You can plug it into your computer via a USB cable to record voice tracks straight to your hard drive or make VoIP calls. Or you can use an XLR cable to connect the mic to a portable audio recorder, PA system, or just about anything else that takes an XLR input..

You can even use the XLR and USB outputs simultaneously, which means you can plug the mic into a PA system and your computer at the same time and make a recording of your performance in real time. The mic also has a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack so you can monitor your recordings or performance without any latency. The mic has an A/D converter with a 16-bit, 48KHz sampling rate.

I've embedded the official press release and spec sheet below.

Zoom H4n audio recorder: Official specs and high res images

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:47:00 +0000

I just tracked down some higher resolution images for the upcoming Samson Zoom H4n digital audio recorder that I got a chance to check out at CES last week. I've embedded the product sheet, press release, and another image showing the recorder from the top below.

Tascam DR07 and DR100 digital audio recorders on their way

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:12:00 +0000

Tascam is expected to launch two new digital audio recorders within the next few months. The Tascam DR07 is a smaller recorder that will retail for around $199 and go head to head with the Zoom H2, while the Tascam DR100, which features XLR inputs and some more advanced features will sell for around $450.

The DR100 will support 48V phantom power, has a built in monitor speaker, and runs on 2 AA batteries. It also has four built in microphones, two uni-directional stereo mics for high quality recordings and two omni-directional mics for "minutes recording." Like the Sony PCM-D50, the Tascam DR100 will have a pre-recording featue that will let you set up the recorder in pause/record mode and actually start the recording a few seconds before you deselect the pause button. There's also a record delay option that lets you start a recording a few seconds after you hit the record key.

The Tascam DR07 has built in stereo mics, runs on 2 AA batteries, and like the DR1000 it records and plays MP3 and WAV files. It has 3.5mm mic and line inputs.

Each recorder comes with a 2GB SD card, at least if you order from Sound Professionals, one of the few sites that currently has product pages for these new devices.

via Tapers Section thanks Charles!

First look at the Zoom H4N digital audio recorder

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 02:03:00 +0000

I got a chance to stop by the Samson booth at CES yesterday and check out the new Zoom H4N digital audio recorder. This flash recorder is an upgraded version of the Zoom H4, but Zoom and Samson don't plan to phase out the older model. Rather, they'll now offer flash recorders in three price ranges, $199 for the Zoom H2, $249 to $299 for the Zoom H4, and $349 for the zoom H4N, which is a bit closer to being a pro audio device. The new recorder should begin shipping in February.

Zoom has made a number of significant changes to the Zoom H4 design for the H4N. For starters, the new model has a rubberized grip which makes it feel like a much more solid device. The older model feels like cheap plastic by comparison.

The H4N also has a much larger, easier to read display and the button layout makes the menus much easier to navigate. The built in stereo condensor microphones can also be rotated to adjust the pickup pattern. And you can now record four separate tracks simultaneously by using the two built in mics and the two XLR inputs.

Probably the most important change is that Zoom says it is using better preamps for the XLR inputs. I always thought the Zoom H4 sounded excellent when you use the built in mics, but the moment you plug a microphone in, you wind up picking up a hissing noise. I wasn't able to test the preamps on the noisy show room floor, but hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on a review unit soon so I can see how the H4N stacks up against the Zoom H4 and the Sony PCM D-50. I wouldn't really expect it to sound as good as the Sony recorder which sells for over $100 more. But if it comes close, this recorder could be a steal at $349.

You can check out some photos I shot of the Zoom H4N as well as some images comparing it to the original H4 below:

Update: You can also find the official spec sheet and some higher resolution images here.

And here's a short video I shot with a Samson representative about the Zoom H4N:

Zoom H4n flash recorder coming soon

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 20:57:00 +0000

I've been hearing rumors that Zoom would be updating the Zoom H4 Handy recorder for a while now, and it looks like Inside Home Recording has the official news. The new version will be called the Zoom H4n, and it will have higher quality preamps, the ability to record up to 4 tracks simultaneously from the internal mics and the XLR inputs.

Here are a few other features:

Rubberized, shock-resistent body
Variable speed playback
Support for Broadcast Wave Format recordings with timestamps
Built in X/Y stereo condenser mics that will record at 90 degrees or 120 degrees
Aditional effects
Ability to record continuously for 10 hours with a single pair of AA batteries

Hopefully I can find out more when I visit the Samson folks at CES this week.

Update: I added an image found at CNet.

Marantz PMD661 reviewed

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:15:00 +0000

The folks at Wingfield Audio have posted a review of the new PMD661 digital audio recorder from Marantz. The PMD661 is the sequal to the company's popular PMD660 field recorder, but it seems feature improvements in a few areas.

The new recorder is thinner and lighter than its predecesser. And while Wingfield Audio didn't make many direct comparisons between the audio quality of the two devices, the review does state that the built in mics are significantly better than the mics on the PMD660 and sound almost as good as the mics on the smaller PMD620 recorder. If true, I'd say that means that under certain conditions you could record broadcast quality audio using the built in mic. With most recorders in this price range, I'd recommend finding a good plug-in microphone to use 90% of the time. But if you're in a hurry and just need to pull the recorder out of your pocket and hit the record button right away, it's good to know that you might get decent audio quality.

Wingfield also says the recording quality qas excellent when using mics that draw phantom power from the XLR inputs. Dynamic mics did not perform as well, generally producing noisy results.

Using a phantom powered mic will cut down on your battery life a bit, but Wingfield Audio says they managed to get about 5 hours of recording time from 4 AA batteries, which ain't bad.

You can pick up a Marantz PMD661 from Amazon for about $599.

thanks Philip!

Brad's Radio year in review: 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 14:27:00 +0000

When I became a freelance journalist and blogger in 2006, I really thought I'd focus primarily on radio journalism and dabble in blogging. Over the past few years I've become more of a full time blogger with a part time radio habit. But that's worked out surprisingly well for my radio career since it means I've been able to take the time to focus on the few stories I do each year.

In the middle of 2008 we moved from New York back to Philadelphia, so some of these stories were reported in or near each place.

ICED: An ant i-deportation video game

In March PRI's The World ran a story I produced about ICED, a video game with an activist message. ICED stands for "I Can End Deportation." It's a lofty goal, but the developers see the US immigration policy as a human rights issue and video games as a way to reach young people.

I interviewed the makers of the game, a conservative activist, and a group of kids who had played the game for this story.

The Value of Trash

NPR's Day to Day was working on a series of stories about value and I pitched a story about a New York artist who had been picking up trash from the streets, packaging it, and selling the cubes as collectible souvenirs.

Looking back, I kind of wish I had gone out trash picking with him or at least recorded a bit of sound of the packaging process. But I still really like the way this story turned out.

The city that never sleeps gets drowsy

Have you ever had one of those ideas that makes perfect sense until you realize you're actually going to have to follow through on it? This story is about a push from neighborhood groups to get bars and clubs in New York to close earlier. And of course in order to get sound for this story I needed to go out in the middle of the night and interview revelers.

I used to be a night person. Really, I was. But I was much younger then, and standing out at the street at 2:30am with a microphone in my hand is not so m

uch my idea of a good time at this point in my life.

On the other hand, I'm so glad I did because I found some great voices that really made the story work.

The Something Store

I figured this would be the last story I reported in New York. But you know what? It turns out that New York isn't that far from Philly. I wound up taking a train to New York a few week back to do an interview for another story which has yet to air.

But anyway, this was a quirky little story about a store that sells... something. You pay $10 and they'll ship something to your door. And you won't know what it is until you open the box. Some people have gotten iPod shuffles, while others get coffee mugs. Not everybody has been happy with the gifts, but many people are.

It turns out that the "warehouse" for the Something Store was really just a small rented office space in Long Island, and when I arrived to do an interview pretty much all of the inventory was boxed up and ready to ship. The company had recently gotten a ton of publicity and was having a hard time keeping up with demand, so as soon as products came in, they went back out again. In other words, there wasn't really much sound to record.

But what really made this story work was the fact that I was able to find a customer and interview him just after he placed his order and again when the product arrived. I even got him to hold off on opening the package until we spoke on the phone so I could experience the surprise with him.

Atlantic City in a slumping economy

My first NPR story after moving back to Philadelphia... was about another city 2 hours away. I hopped in a Zipcar and headed to Atlantic City for this story about how the tourist destination was doing during the slumping economy. The verdict? Not so good.

While casino operators and tourism officials tried to put a positive spin on things, I spoke with a souvenir shop owner on the Boardwalk who told me that this had been his worst season in 37 years. He had to lay off all of his staff and man the shop himself this summer.

Yammer: Twitter for business

Twitter kind of took the world by storm in 2008. The micro-blogging service seems like an odd idea at first. Users can post short, 140 character updates about what they're doing or thinking. But in practice, Twitter provides an intriguing method for keeping in touch with friends, celebrities, or opinion leaders without investing too much time and effort.

But Twitter isn't exactly a secure method of communication. So you wouldn't want to use it to talk about your company's business unless you're OK with letting the whole world know what you're working on. And that's where Yammer comes in.

The easiest way to escribe Yammer is that it's just like Twitter - except the only people who you can communicate with are employees of your company. For this story I interviewed the founder of Yammer and some workers at a tech company in suburban Philadelphia including one who is a Twitter and social media addict.

Advertising in a recession

If you think it's hard finding money to buy things during a recession, you should try selling things. It's even harder to convince people to buy - but if you don't spend money on advertising how will you make enough money to...

Last month I spoke with local advertising experts and the owner of an area auto dealership to talk about the difficulties facing advertising in a recssion.

HumanLight: December's new secular holiday

I closed out the year with this story about HumanLight, a new holiday created by a group of Humanists in the New Jersey and Philadelphia area 8 years ago. The goal was to create an event that brought together atheists, agnostics, and Humanists during a time of year when many other people are celebrating religious holidays. HumanLight is now celebrated by hundreds of people around the country, and at least one group in England holds an event as well.

Other journalistic projects

Lest you think I've been slacking off (after all, only 8 reports, really?) I've been involved in a number of other projects over the past year.

In New York I had the pleasure of working with Antenna Audio to help produce audio tours for exhibits at several New York Museums.
This summer I helped get WHYY's Its Our City blog up and running.
I also spent some time working as a part time editor in the WHYY 91FM radio newsroom, but I was doing this in addition to blogging full time, which meant I was working 12+ hour days for about a month. It was a great way to get back into the swing of Philadelphia politics and local issues after spending a few years away from the city, though.
Now I still help out from time to time as a fill-in afternoon anchor at WHYY, so don't be surprised if you hear me announcing the news or reading the weather report every now and again.
It's been a great year at Download Squad. Our traffic has continued to grow and we've written some excellent articles about software and web technology.

Probably the most exciting development over the past year is the rapid growth of both the netbook market and of Liliputing, a blog dedicated to netbooks that I started in April. With over half a million page views per month, the site is one of the largest English-language blogs dedicated exclusively to low cost mini-laptops.

It's been exciting learning not just how best to cover the netbook industry, but how to design a web site, maintain the server, and deal with advertising in a way to make the blog profitable. While Liliputing hasn't exactly made me rich, a few months ago the site started to represent the most significant portion of my income, which helps me justify the amount of time I put into it.

Next week I'll be attending CES in Las Vegas where I expect to make some connections and check out the latest trends in the netbook and mobile tech space, and I expect 2009 to be an even better year for the site.

I'll also be keeping an eye out for any developments on the portable digital audio recorder space while I'm at CES, although I'd expect to see more consumer oriented devices than pro audio gear at this particular show. The NAB and AES shows tend to have more exciting technology for radio producers.

HumanLight: A secular holiday in December

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:51:00 +0000

image: The Humanist Association of Greater Philadelphia hands out awards for volunteers

HumanLight is a new holiday, founded about 8 years ago by a group of Humanists in New Jersey. It's now celebrated by a handful of people throughout the US, and at least one group in England is holding a HumanLight party this year.

The holiday season permeates American culture in December, and the idea was to provide athiest, agnostics, and Humanists, who don't believe in the religious trappings of Christmas and Chanukah with a holiday they could call their own.

This weekend I attended a HumanLight Party in Horsham, Pennsylvania in order to interview people and produce a report for NPR's Morning Edition. The story ran this morning. But I realized I have a lot of great tape that I didn't get a chance to use in the story. For example, I feel we did a good job of explaining the holiday, but not Humanism itself.

So I thought I'd share excerpts from some of the interviews I didn't get to use in the story here.

First up we have Tony Hileman, former director of the American Humanist Association. I think he explains what Humanism is, and why it was important to create a holiday in December.

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Joe Fox is the president of the Humanist Association of Greater Philadelphia, and a co-founder of the holiday.

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Marantz PMD661 digital recorder now shipping

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 22:08:00 +0000

The Marantz PMD661 pro audio recorder I mentioned last month is now shipping in limited quantities. Sweetwater has a small number of units in stock for just under $600. And the folks at Marantz have put together a brief YouTube video explaining the features of the recorder and how it differs from its predecessor, the Marantz PMD660.

I was never a big fan of the PMD660. It was a bit too large to comfortably hold in your hand, and the mic preamps were fairly noisy unless you sprung for a third party modification from Oade Brothers. But the PMD661 looks like a huge improvement. It's slightly smaller than the older model, but it packs more features, including:

The XLR jacks now accept now line/mic inputs, not just mic input. They also have "enhanced" preamps.
There's a digital S/PDIF input.
The outputs have been upgraded from 1/8th inch mini jacks to RCA outputs.
There's a new 1/8th inch mini input.
The headphone jack is now 1/4th inch instead of 1/8th inch.
The recorder has a shiny new OLED display which is easier to read.
The VU meter is at an angle, making it easier to monitor from the top or side.

The recorder also takes SD cards instead of CompactFlash cards, and still relies on 4 AA batteries.

I haven't had a chance to test the PMD661 out myself yet, so I can't say if it's worth the price when you can pick up a Sony PCM-D50 for $450 or a Marantz PMD620 or Olympus LS-10 for under $400. But I'll be keeping an eye out for this recorder at CES next month and I'll try to make some test recordings if I get a chance to play with it at the Marantz booth.

thanks Charles!

Advertising in a recession

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 22:21:00 +0000

I spent the past week trying to answer the question: How do you advertise during a recession? At a time when consumer spending is down, advertisers trying to promote big ticket items like cars or jewelry face unique challenges.

I interviewed an auto dealer, a marketing expert, and the vice president of one of Philadelphia's largest advertising agencies. My story runs this afternoon on Weekend All Things Considered from NPR. The audio should be available online soon.

Apparently I picked the right time to start investing

noreply@blogger.com (Brad Linder) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 20:01:00 +0000

Many stocks were trading near their all-time lows on Friday when I decided to dip my toe in the stock market. Today marks the third day of growth since then. I've gotten roughly a 17% return on my investment in less than a week, which is kind of ridiculous. The Dow seems to have gone up about 13% over the same period of time.

Of course, the whole thing is kind of meaningless unless I decide to sell all the stocks I'm holding right now and cash out. It's possible that the market could tank again and I could lose everything. Or it's possible that the handful of stocks I have in my portfolio will continue to climb, albeit at a slower rate.

Anyway, looking at this little chart makes me happy. For now.