-
"The Yamaha Pockettrax CX is a great portable recorder!" on by hswin
Pros: I like the size of the unit and it's overall recorded sound. The sound files are easily transferred to my laptop for further use.
Cons: When recording "Line in", this unit only records mp3 and not wav files.
Summary: I usually record group music with my multi-track unit, but have been surprised by the quality of this unit. I have recorded many musical groups and they liked the sound I got from it. I sometimes use the Pockettrax CX to add audience ambience to my multi-track recordings by transferring tracks with that sound to my computer.
I have even recorded sounds from a mixer directly into the Pockettrax CX for digital recordings without using the usual computer. I only wish it recorded line-in signals as wav files instead of mp3. If you set the record input to line-in, it doesn't say anything about that. Just one of those things.
I just returned from Africa where I used this unit to record vocal groups. I used this unit when the electrical power went out and we kept on recording with great success. If I had room, I would have taken the windscreen as I needed it there. We even used big headphones with plenty of volume!
I have a new habit of carrying this unit along with my expensive camera to record spur-of-the-moment events. I sometimes use the Pockettrax CX on a short camera tripod (6 to 12") with great success. I have yet to get close to using all of the battery power, or change from rechargeable to AA cell. Great little unit! Yamaha did their homework on this unit. -
"Excellent tool for musicians-any audio recording need." on by dewdude2112
Pros: Slim design. Simple functions and ease of use. Very good quality recording for the cost. Difficult sources like a rock drum set have full balanced sound, from cymbal sizzle to deep kick to snappy snare. Can handle a full band with ease.
Cons: The included rechargeable battery lost recharging after about 4-6 times. Probably no fault of Yamaha. Popped in a standard AA no problem.
Summary: Not much else to say. Every musician should have one of these or something like it. I got mine on a holiday clearance sale...so for the money, it's the best accessory I've ever bought (non-guitar or amp). Save your ideas,either spoken or musical. Record your rehearsals with good listenable quality. Mini plug for line or mic (with adapters) give you options, but the built in mics work just fine. Simple USB transfer to PC. With experimentation and adeptness on post production...you could possibly get a decent live demo from this thing...it's that good.
-
"Excellent little recorder." on by garytraveis
Pros: It's very non-iPodish in that the CX has a standard AA removable NiMH battery, MicroSD memory port, and looks like a memory device when plugged into a USB port. No proprietary memory, hidden built-in battery, or computer-slogging software.
Cons: With the MIC SENS on high, and the gain setting cranked all the way up, that a bit of digital noise gets in. Mine (V1.01Y) DOES record in PCM mode with LINE IN (see previous review). LINE IN input gain is fixed.
Summary: I love the CX.
I did find that, with the MIC SENS on high, and the gain setting cranked all the way up, that a bit of digital noise gets in. I popped a Sony mini-stereo mic into the input and the noise went away. It may be an artifact of the mic circuitry layout or internal mic power. Once again, this is with every part of the input stage maxed out - definitely not what most folks would do.
Speaking of setting the mic gain, while recording, pressing the >> and << buttons turns the mic gain up and down. This does NOT work with Automatic Level Control (ALC) ON or when the input is set to LINE. The first part makes sense, sort of, in that ALC will supposedly take care of the mic gain, but the LINE input mode being a fixed level? That makes no sense at all.
A couple of online reviews mention how the CX is hyper-sensitive to wind and movement. Putting the supplied windscreen on helps a lot, as does turning on the High-Pass Filter function. What tipped me off to the cause was looking at a recording in Audacity - There was the usual waveforms of the sounds that I recorded, but it also showed that it was recording motion related input way down in the sub-audible range! In fact, it looks like it can record down to about 4Hz. Wow!
That low frequency sensitivity may be sort of a pain for folks who gesture or dance while recording stuff, but I like the idea that the CX goes almost to DC as its bottom end. It's insane, and could yield some very cool recordings!
The HPF negates most of the weirdness associated with handheld or conducted vibration and the windscreen works great (but looks funny). I checked again with Audacity and the High Pass Filter eliminated all traces of motion noise.
Also, never pick the CX up by the windscreen. You will drop it.
The CX claims to have amazing battery life - >20 hours/per charge with the included Eneloop (NiMH) battery, and that's in straight-up PCM (44.1KHz/16bit) mode. Higher compression and lower rates are supposed to last even longer.
I think that the CX is an excellent little unit at ~$200. If you can catch it on sale, even more excellent.
Here are some other reviews, if they'll let me post them.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb09/articles/yamahapocketrack.htm
http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2009/01/12/sonic-lab-portable-recorders-yamaha-pocketrak-cx/
Yamaha Pocketrak CX user reviews
Results 1-3 of 3
Results 1-3 of 3
Where to Buy
Pricing not available
Set price alert
