Freesound Forums
nice new product from m-audio:
Started July 23rd, 2005 · 31 replies · Latest reply by Ronny Pries 18 years, 1 month ago
Hey all,
I'm currently using the MicroTrack, and have uploaded several files of the results using the supplied stereo omnis mic. The sound quality is awsome, but there are a few bugs and it doesn't feel very sturdy. Overall I'm very pleased with it, and will continue to use.
I got mine from Ebay imported from the US. I think it was about £240 in the end with P&P. Bear in mind though that you will need to buy a CF card too, but they're coming down in price rapidly now. Also be sure to find out which are compatible!
Anyway, check out the sound:
http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=12501
http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=12500
More to come!
Koops.
Hey,
Yup, I'm at v1.2.3 now which seems to be much better than v.1. In terms of software it's almost there now (it still cannot record mono to a mono file, it's identical waveforms to each stereo channel). There are a few hardware bugs and annoyances too..
The nav-wheel is very difficult to get used to. something simpler would have been more effective, and it tends to seem a bit loose. Also, inserting and ejecting CF media is a hit & miss process as there is no guidance to get the correct projectorary. It Squeaks when you squeeze it, and the buttons make a small clicking noise that is easily picked up by the supplied mic.
Don't let that put you off this machine though, as it has many advantages too... it's size and weight is incredible. It's like carrying a mobile phone or something it really is that lightweight.
What do you think of the sounds?
I think the sounds are great, can you tell us which mic you used with it.
I'm now using my new Rode S1 with a Marantz PMD 661 which is borrowed. I was considering the microtrack but i'm worried that the phantom power being so much less than 48 will make the sound quality suffer.
Sure, the mic I used came with the MicroTrack. It's not great, but in certain applications it seems to work fine. It reminds me of noe of those mics you can get for minidisc recorders that tag onto the minidisc unit itself. It's slightly larger, and forms a 'T' shape where the omni capsules face in opposite directions. I fnid it strange that it uses 2 omni's so close together, as the stereo image could be much better with, say, cardiods. It's probably only an inch between capsules.
Here's a pic of it:
http://pds.exblog.jp/pds/1/200509/20/30/b0050130_163976.jpg
I cannot yet afford any decent condensor mics, and as you say there are only a limited number of them that work from the MicroTracks phantom power (32 Volts if I remember correctly)... the Sennhieser K6 and it's add-ons looks ideal, but it's gonna cost hundreds of quid.
I've noticed that using the supplied mic doesn't filter out low frequency rumble, so it muct be used carefully in windy and unstable environments, as any excessive bumps can easily distort the signal. I think it's primerily designed for vocal use as it seems very sensitive.
Hope this helps mate,
Koops.
Koops : Many thanks for posting info - I'm primarily looking to record in industrial factories and stuff to revitalise my library and was looking at devices like this.
What were the postives/negatives of equivalent devices of this type of technology?
What other brands are users looking at?
Hi Sawtooth,
I'd still recommend the Microtrack for recording factory-type industrial sounds as it's so portable and the sound quality is awsome, but obviously you're gonna need a mic that can handle loud amplitudes and the power issue. As I say, the only real problem is with it's phantom power supply and nav wheel, as some of the other niggles I mentioned become obsolete when isolating the microtrack from microphone capsules. I've found that I don't need to remove the CF card at all as it being 2GB will store plenty of sound in one outing.
Alternatives that I stumbled across are:
Edirol R01 - I hear the preamps aren't all that great, and despite being handheld it's still slightly on the large side for my taste... http://www.locationsound.ca/edr1.html
Marantz PMD660 - more bulky and expensive than the Microtrack, but better build quality and standard phantom power voltage... http://www.proaudiosuperstore.com/marantz-pmd660.html
There is a new product on the horizen too... the Edirol R09 is tiny, but I'm not sure about phantom power with this one, it's released April 06. http://www.bananas.com/productdetail.asp/pid_9710/productname_Roland-Edirol-R09-Compact-Field-Recorder-MP3/WAV
I think that's about it for these types of recorder... does anybody else know of other alternatives?
I was walking around town shopping for my field recorder, And in the music shops they were all in love with the M-audio microtrack device, also displayed a zoom version.
And they were both over the 370 $ range and I thought, well what do I need it for?
I want it to be small, real small so that i take it with me always. And I really don't want to carry around a big microphone, perhaps I would on occasion, but not always. So I went over to the average "tech" store and checked out their mp3 players. I found one in one of the stores that Had won prices for its sound quality, not only playing up sound, but for its recordings of sounds. That was a Iriver 799 and with that I bought a stereo microphone from Sony, and I'm quite blown away of the sound quality this little combo achieves! Together they look like this!
It's like a smaller version of the microtrack 
cheaper and smaller.
That's the way I like it!
ATTENTION:
The microtracks phantom power is not 48V, it is just about 30V so there are many micorphones out there, which will not work with the Microtracks preamps. On the first view i also was impressed about this little smart device but it has some bugs. I found this out after talking to some friends who had tested the device.
Furthermore the amplification is just 35 dB so this could be under the requirements for certain uses.
I you are looking for high quality mics with the ability to work with phantom power down to 16V, I can recommend these:
http://www.mbho.de
I do not have any relationship to this company 
ops: , I just have 4 of these mics and i am really enthusiastic. Some peope say they have the same quality as Schoeps for the half price - i cannot estimate that because i never used Schoeps.
My current field recording workaroud is this:
http://www.erdie.de/arme1.jpg
I know, the bottleneck is the Multimediaplayer as a recording device but it works better than expected.
Erdie
I've got the Microtrack and i'm loving it. Alongside with the standard Mic i've got an OKM in ear set and an Audio Tehnika ATR97 - it's a very well working combination for recording fields as well as closeup sounds. Successfully used it for making game sound design and whatnot.
Best price / value spread i could imagine.
Ronny