Question 1

Would this be good for a podcast with 4 people?

Accepted Answer

Would it be "good", as in "studio quality"? No, but "podcasting" isn't supposed to be studio quality anyway. Definitely possible with the right external mic. The sound quality would be passable, and everyone would have to be close to the mic, (since it would have to be an omni-directional stereo mic.) On the positive side, the set-up would be very simple: plug in mic, turn on microphone power (in record menu) double-tap the record button, and start talking. Oh, and also very cheap: DR-05 $85USD, $26 for an omni stereo mic and maybe blanket to cut down on echo behind the speakers.

The included mics are sensitive, but they are better for ambient sound rather than vocal recording.

Question 2

How long of a recording session will fit on this, and can you download it to soundcloud easy?

Accepted Answer

Version 2.0 of the DR-05 includes a 4 gigabyte card. With this space, you can record up to 3 DAYS of mundane "podcasting"-quality audio into a 128kbs MP3 file. Since Soundcloud supports MP3 and WAV (PCM for computers) formats, you should not have issues.

You will need to use the included USB cable and copy the files off the device manually. I wouldn't call it "easy", but it's doable for anyone that's previously copied audio or pictures from a digital camera or a mobile phone.

Question 3

Can I schedule recording?  I want to record a late-night radio show while I sleep.

Accepted Answer

If you set it to MP3 (256), it records for a long enough period that it will probably capture the late-night radio show. You'd need to edit out the unwanted material on the front end. Even though I have several purchased audio editors, I normally use Audacity which is a great little editor, and it's free.

Question 4

Can I listen to the recording through the headphones as I'm recording it in real time. Or only during playback? I need monitoring capability.

Accepted Answer

Yup. In addition to the levels displayed on the screen, you can listen in real-time as the audio is being recorded. There are separate adjustments for recording sensitivity and the loudness of the headphones, so keep that in mind.

DR-05 Portable Digital Recorder (Version 2)

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