Review: Sony PCM-D50 Portable WAV Recorder
Pages: 1, 2, 3, 4

Recording Interviews

As with my last review, my editor solicited questions and comments from you, our readers, before I started work. I find these to be quite useful, since they often point me in directions I wouldn't otherwise consider. A couple of posters were interested how the D50 would stack up as an interview device, so I turned it on and pointed it at an unsuspecting young friend:

• Noisy Interview (348KB MP3)

As you can hear, my less-than-stellar technique resulted in a great deal of handling noise. I could learn to tame that with practice, but notice the whoosh of wind each time I swung the recorder between the subject and me. Later I tried another approach. For this next example, I used the low cut filter to take care of most of the handling noise, and attached Sony's optional windscreen to tame the wind:

• Quiet Interview (340KB MP3)

I think the noise is quite acceptable in this instance. Don't forget you can always use an external mic via the 1/8-inch TRS input; plug-in power is engaged in software. Note that you can't set individual left and right levels, though.

Select "Pre-record" and the D50 continually stores five seconds of audio in a circular buffer — plenty of time to hit Record after the subject admits taking the bribe. Just be aware that it takes the D50 around six seconds to power up.

I can think of two potential deal breakers if interviews are your thing: first, you can't record MP3s, which means more work for podcasters; and second, you can't record in mono, even with a monaural microphone.

That said, battery life is excellent. (Sony claims up to 14 hours; I didn't have the patience to test it.) In addition, you can set the mics to 120°, increasing the separation between interviewer and interviewee.

The Sync System

Another reader wondered if the D50's internal clock was stable enough to record audio for video. In other words, can you press Record on two unsynchronized devices and expect them to stay together over time?

To test that, I simultaneously recorded hour-long audio tracks at 48kHz (the standard rate for video sound) on the D50 and my trusty MOTU 828 audio interface. I set up an audible timing reference and clanged a pan at regular intervals to generate easy-to-see waveforms. That allowed me to line up the start times precisely once I had imported the D50's track into my DAW.

After one hour, the D50 had drifted about 100ms behind the reference track. That equates to three frames, more or less. What's more, the drift increased at a set rate over time, indicating the D50's clock was not fluctuating randomly.

Admittedly, this is anything but scientific (perhaps the MOTU was running fast), but it does indicate that you could get away with resolving audio to videos once you determine the fudge factor. Nevertheless, pros will definitely want to go with a recorder that supports time code.

Speaking of sync, I was surprised to find a menu item labeled "Synch Record." This has nothing to do with video; rather it's a throwback to the days of recording CDs to cassette or Mini-Disc instead of ripping them to your computer. Synch Record simply means that the D50 will not begin recording until you press Play on the other device. In this age of downloads, iTunes, and audio editors, does anybody need this anymore?

You have the option of recording via analog or optical digital line in. Both share a 1/8-inch jack; there is a second 1/8-inch TRS jack for an external mic. (For some reason the mic/line switch is on the opposite side of the recorder, next to the line-out jack.) Like the line-in, the line-out automatically configures to analog or optical cables.

To test the line input, I recorded an old cassette filled with vintage Romanian folk music. Using the Divide button, I created a new file for each song on the fly. On a couple of tracks, I thought the recorder might have cut off the downbeat, since the screen still flashed a status message, but each new file started precisely where I'd punched the button. Divide also works after the fact during playback.

Slow Going

As with Synch Record, I was intrigued by the inclusion of Digital Pitch Control (DPC). The idea is to alter playback speed without changing the pitch. Slowing down a difficult musical passage is a great way to learn it, and Sony's DPC does a pretty good job. Sure, you'll hear artifacts, particularly at more extreme settings (up to 75% slower). But I can see folks who attend music workshops or festivals buying piles of these recorders just for this feature.

I am not so certain about the other side of DPC — for not only can you slow tracks down, but you can increase playback speed up to 100% (twice as fast). I suppose you could use this to speed through a lecture, but at the extreme setting any talking sounds like one of those unintelligible medical disclaimers on TV. On the other hand, my guitar playing sure got impressive when I sped it up.

DPC works with both WAV and MP3 files — nice.

The Computer Connection

The D50 sports a mini-USB jack and supports Hi-Speed USB 2.0 for quick file transfers. Connection is as simple as you'd expect — plug it in and the device shows up on your computer. Take care, though: if you rename folders or files that the recorder needs, you run the risk of making them unreadable. USB connection takes precedence over whatever else you are doing; so don't plug in while recording. Nor can you record, or indeed access any menu item, once you are connected. Too bad — the D50 would have made a dandy USB mic.

One more wrinkle: terminating the connection on my Mac, whether by using the Finder's "eject" button or by dragging the device icon to the trash, did not automatically end the session as far as the recorder was concerned. I found I had to ignore the dire warnings on the display and physically unplug the cable; as expected, this did no harm to my data. PC users can relax; this is a Mac-only issue, and not a dire one at that.

Pages: 1, 2, 3, 4

Next Page