Review: M-Audio MicroTrack 24/96 Pocket Digital Recorder
Pages: 1, 2, 3, 4

In Use

I tested the MicroTrack under a variety of conditions, including rehearsals and performances at the Aloha Week Festivities in Hana, Maui. I made a number of recordings at a variety of WAV and MP3 resolutions using both the included mini mic and an Audio-Technica AT822 self-powered stereo mic — a real workhorse. I also took a line feed directly off the mixer when possible — nice to have that option! Both mics worked fine, though the AT822 yielded the best quality. (Check out the audio examples.)

That said, I found M-Audio's mini mic to be a useful addition, and I'd happily use it for voice recording, tune collecting at festivals, or other situations where portability and convenience are paramount.

M-Audio's stereo T-mic does a good job for informal recording situations (hear some examples). Here I'm recording slack key greats Kevin Brown and Pekelo Cosma in Lahaina, Maui.

It was difficult to get an adequate level using the TRS microphone inputs without resorting to the internal 27 dB boost. Nor could I hear a significant improvement between recording at 44.1 and 96 kHz. I'd suggest forgoing the higher sample rates — you'll save memory, too, because doubling the sample rate doubles the storage requirements. I thought the MP3 recordings were quite good, particularly at the higher bit rates, though in the quieter sections they exhibited the usual graininess and lack of detail associated with lossy data compression.

With the firmware that came with my review unit (and which is currently in most models out there), the only way to set recording levels was while you were recording. That meant you'd be making an extra test file every time you changed levels. Sure, deleting files is easy, but it's far better to set levels while in standby or record-pause mode.

I also discovered another glitch in the initial firmware: the three-position switch that selects Line, Microphone, and Microphone High (a 12dB boost) for the 1/4-inch inputs was reversed. That problem, along with a potentially more severe one that sent loud spikes through the system, is found on all models with software version 1.0.2. M-Audio has posted a beta firmware revision (v. 1.2.0) on its website that fixes both of these troubling problems. If you have a MicroTrack, you absolutely need this update.

Here's something cool: I'd planned on swapping cards prior to our band's set, but the schedule changed at the last minute. As I no longer had enough free memory to record the set as a WAV file, I quickly changed over to MP3 mode and saw my available recording time jump from about 15 minutes to well over an hour and a half. I really like having the ability to record to a number of file formats and resolutions on the same card.

Mark-o Likes It

As you can tell, I'm quite taken with this little puppy. I learned to use it in nothing flat. I can hold it in one hand and operate all of the controls. It makes acceptable field recordings. As a plus, it records straight to MP3, handy for e-mailing song ideas to bandmates or creating podcasts.

The MicroTrack takes about 12 seconds to boot up, but once it's running you can start recording with a single button press. There is a slight delay while it writes the newly recorded file to memory, but you can pause and restart instantly.

Transferring files couldn't be easier. Connect a USB cable to your computer and the MicroTrack appears on your computer screen as an external hard drive. From there, drag the files where you need 'em. With USB 2's 480 megabit-per-second (60 megabyte-per-second) transfer speed, it took about 15 minutes to transfer the 804MB of files I recorded in Hana. (The theoretical fastest transfer time, calculated by dividing 804 by 60, would be 13.4 minutes, but all communication protocols demand some overhead.) Still, that beats doing transfers in real time.

About the battery: How long it lasts depends on what you're doing. I never ran out of juice when recording, but I was careful to fully recharge after each session. M-Audio says the battery will last up to five hours in ideal conditions; using phantom power, I got three hours and 40 minutes before it failed. However, it takes about two hours to recharge—up to seven hours if you totally drain the battery! Worse, you cannot swap it out for a fresh one, which is a real bummer. However, here's a cool tip: the MicroTrack will operate with just about any USB battery pack, like you'd use for a personal music player.

Recharging is simple: Plugging the USB cable into a computer or the wall adaptor puts the unit into charging mode. To operate the MicroTrack while it's plugged in, you press its Delete key (!). Incidentally, the AC adaptor is a very cleverly designed wall wart no wider than a standard AC plug. Cool. When the day comes that the battery no longer takes a charge, M-Audio will replace it for you if you send them the entire recorder and $75. (The process is described in this PDF. )