The R-1 Portable 24-Bit WAVE Recorder & Player looks like a very nice device for field or live recordings. The best thing is that is has almost everything you could want in one smallish box — it’s (just) small enough to fit in your hand. It has built in stereo mics, and onboard effects if you need to tweak the sound.

I don’t have much use for a portable recorder, but I have been looking at this since the Microtrack was announced. That device garnered lots of attention, but many people were unimpressed and prefer the R-1 instead.

This device seems pretty popular among people who need to do live recordings, or even to use a a sketchbook. Edirol’s R-1 Portable Recorder & Player website has all the details. Here’s what it says.

Top-Grade Components, World-Class Sound

Searching for the highest recording quality in a portable device? EDIROL handpicked the top analog and digital components for the R-1. The unit records and plays back at crystal-clear, 24-bit audio resolution without compression. Electrolytic capacitors provide stable, reliable power to the analog circuits, eliminating DC interference and offering a truly low-distortion sound. Maximum recording time is approximately 137 minutes (MP3, 64 kbps mode) when using the included 64 MB memory card. The R-1 offers nine quality modes ranging from 64 kbps compression to 24-bit linear WAV.

Record via Built-In Mic, External Mic, or Line Inputs

Need to record quickly, easily, with pro results – and without having to buy extra components? The R-1 is equipped with two omni-directional electret microphones for quick and clean capture. It offers superior results using internal microphones because it is completely solid state – the R-1 makes no noise itself for the internal microphones to pick up. Just press the REC button, the level indicator pops up on the display, and you’re instantly ready to record. The R-1 also lets you capture audio through its external line or microphone input.

Internal Effects, Metronome, & Tuner

The R-1 goes above and beyond the competition with its pro-quality internal effects processor, equipped with 13 tools for perfecting your sound (microphone simulator, noise suppressor, hum-cut, EQ, reverb, center canceller, and more). The EQ of the R-1 offers a variety of presets for various styles of music. The R-1 also provides Tuner and Metronome functions, making it an excellent portable music-practice tool!

Take it Anywhere

Robust, rugged, and ready to travel, the R-1 is built to withstand the rigors of the road. Capture the sounds of nature, record live music, use it as an MP3 player, plug it into your studio gear or stereo for pristine playback – the options are vast. The R-1 runs on two AA batteries or from the included AC adaptor.

Convenient Connectivity

In addition to its headphone output and external audio inputs, the R-1 can connect to the outside world via USB 2.0 for importing/exporting WAV / MP3 audio files directly to the computer. The R-1’s headphone jack also doubles as an S/PDIF optical out, so you can stream audio to digital equipment such as digital speakers or DAT/CD/MD recorders.

Main Specifications

Audio Input: Internal Microphone (stereo): Stereo Microphone (1/8″ phone jack : plug-in powered compatible type), 1/8″ Stereo Line Input
Audio Output: 1/8″ stereo phone jack, Headphones (1/8″ stereo phone jack), S/PDIF 1/8″ phone optical type (same port as Headphones)
Recorder/Player: 2 Tracks (1 stereo track) Recording data format WAV, MP3, CompactFlash(tm) card Up to 2 GB capacity
Audio Effects: 1. Easy EQ (11 presets), 2. For Speech, 3. Voice Perform, 4. Editable EQ (10 Band EQ : 32/64/125/250/500/1k/2k/4k/8k/16k Hz), 5. Noise Reducer, 6. Hum Noise Cut, 7. Reverb, 8. Int-Mic Rec. (Mic Simulator Optimized for Built-in Mic), 9. Ext-Mic Rec. (Mic Simulator for External Mic), 10. Mastering, 11. Center Cancel, 12. Tuner, 13. Metronome
Weight: 205 g / 8 oz (excluding CF and batteries)
Dynamic Range: 83dB (S:N 93 dB)
Nominal Input Level (adjustable): Mic input: -40dBu (input level set to maximum), Line input: -10dBu (input level set to maximum)
Input Impedance: Mic input: 6.8 k ohms, Line input: 100 k-ohm
Maximum Output Level (adjustable): 9 dBu (output volume set to maximum)
Recommended Load Impedance: 32 ohms
Frequency Response: 20 Hz–20 kHz (+/- 2dBu)
Residual Noise Level: (input level set to maximum/output volume set to maximum) -84dBu
Signal Processing: AD/DA conversion 24 bit / 44.1 kHz
Power Supply: AC adaptor (included) or Battery Rechargeable Ni-MH AA x 2 or Alkaline AA x 2. R-1 has no charge function.
Battery life: Playback: approximate 6 hours, Recording: approximate 2.5 hours
USB: USB 2.0 Storage device (WindowsXP/2000/Me, MacOS9.2 or MacOS X, OS standard driver)
Display: 20 x 2 character display
Accessories: CF Card 64 MB, AC Adaptor Roland PSB-6U type, Carrying Case, Owner’s manual
Dimensions: 99.25 (W) x 134 (D) x 30.2 (H) mm / 3-15/16 (W) x 5-5/16 (D) x 1-3/16 (H) inches
Options: Headphones Roland RH-200/RH-50

Buy Edirol R-1 at SameDayMusic.com