I seem to have spent half the day reading reviews of MD (minidisk) players and other hi-tech recording devices and find myself more confused than when I started.
I am about to start flute lessons with a new teacher and would like to record the proceedings. I’m also interested in the option of moving them to my laptop (or recording on it) so I can use a slow-down program.
I don’t want to spend a fortune, preferably under $100 US. Any suggestions and recommendations would be most welcome.
Thanx,
If your laptop is iBook or PowerBook, get an iMic and microphone and record directly to the harddrive. If it’s a PC you can probably do it, too, but I wouldn’t know.
In terms of little gadgets like MD recorders or MP3 recorders, $100 is going to be a bit hard to do, I think.
There have been several threads on this topic, run a search and make sure to include the whistle forum.
This topic has been discussed often so you may want to search the archives for more opinions.
The portable MiniDisc recorders are almost a perfect device except for the fact you can’t transfer audio from the MD to the computer over the USB cable. Because Sony is braindead, the only way to transfer the audio is to plug a cable from your headphone jack to your line-in on your soundcard and record it in realtime.
Sucks.
Sony has the new Hi-MD devices coming out and they will let you transfer the audio files, but they can only be played in their software!! So you cannot transfer the file and then play it in your slowdown software.
Sony, get a clue. 
So there’s that, nice devices, very portable, good sound quality, bad limitations. Up to you if you can stand it. They cost a few hundred dollars though, may be out of your price range.
This</a](Shopping Online at Shopping.com | Price Comparison Site)> device may suit you, the quality isn’t as good but it’s cheap and portable. I don’t know anything about that website, it’s just the first that google returned.
While we’re on the topic, let me give a shout-out to my favorite slowdown software, Transcribe</a](http://www.seventhstring.demon.co.uk/xscribe/">Transcribe</a)>. Great stuff, very easy to use, I use it almost daily. I need to get the new version this week when I get some time.
Eddie