Sony preps low-cost 96kHz digital recorder
updated 03:55 pm EDT, Mon July 20, 2009
Sony PCM-M10
Sony at the summer NAMM music event has previewed a new audio recorder intended to bridge the gap between high-end pro and mainstream capturing gear. The PCM-M10 is the company's lowest-cost recorder to use flash for storage but to still record at a high 96kHz, 24-bit sample rate for its audio. It's also the first to use a format other than an in-house Sony format for removable cards and takes microSD in addition to Memory Stick Micro, both of which help reduce the overall size of the recorder itself.
Input comes through either twin condenser mics built into the M10 itself or else an attached external mic. In contrast to previous Sony recorders, though, it also has a speaker of its own to play back resulting clips for a preview. Compressed MP3 audio is also now an option for recording instead of lossless but larger WAV. Although supporting most operating systems, the capture equipment will cater to Windows users with a bundled copy of Sound Forge.
The new recorder will come in at a price of $399, or $200 less than Sony's previous lowest-cost recorder. Shipments only begin by October. [via Brad Linder]
