As the Portable Media & Podcast Expo draws near, we take a look at another portable flash recorder. This time, the Edirol R-1 takes its turn in Studio1A.

I found this to be a great little recorder, although more of the “consumer” type than the Marantz PMD660, which has a “pro” feel to it.

The R-1 comes with 64MB of CF memory and will handle up to 2GB. I found the built-in stereo mics to work quite well. For an external mic, you’ll need a dynamic or condenser with an 1/8″ mini plug. The backlit display is very informative as you select either MP3 or WAV formats. MP3 allows you to choose your bitrate. The level meters were approximate and only gave a relative indication before recording. The R-1 has several nice built-in effects that can be added while recording or applied during playback. Namely, you can add reverb, a compressor, de-esser, low-cut filter and EQ. There are no speakers for playback, so you do need to have headphones.

Both record and playback quality were excellent. The unit comes with an AC/DC power supply or can be run with 2 AA batteries. You also get a nice carrying case and USB cable. The USB connection allows you to “mount” the R-1 as a removable drive, similar to a thumb drive and then drag’n'drop files.

All-in-all, this little machine worked flawlessly. I only wonder where to classify it. It doesn’t have enough pro features to be a workhorse and definitely is too big to be a music-type MP3 player. I suspect this would make a great machine for office dictation, as a student or corporate lecture recorder too.

Have a listen as we roll out spooky PodSqod 13 on Halloween Eve.

Street Prices varied and averaged about $439

Best,
MarkJensen & Laura

Filed under: Podcasts