NAMM 2006 Show News

Sunday, July 24, 2005

2005 NAMM Summer Session: M-Audio Unveils MicroTrack 24/96 Mobile Digital Recorder

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2005 NAMM Summer Session: M-Audio, a leading provider of creative tools for computer-centric musicians, is proud to announce shipment of the new MicroTrack 24/96™ digital recorder. Only about the size and weight of a deck of cards, the MicroTrack 24/96 digital recorder is a rugged high-fidelity mobile 2-channel digital recorder that records WAV and MP3 files to CompactFlash media or microdrives. While the unit is designed primarily as a professional field recorder and songwriter’s notebook, it will also be embraced by other markets including business, education and worship.

Despite its small size, leaps in miniaturization technology allow the MicroTrack 24/96 to deliver the same quality as M-Audio’s critically acclaimed audio interfaces—up to 24-bit/96kHz PCM. The unit can record via balanced ¼” line inputs or built-in high-fidelity microphone preamps complete with 48V phantom power for studio-quality microphones. Balanced ¼” TRS line inputs also make it easy to take a feed directly from a studio or club mixer. S/PDIF input provides for recording the output of digital mixers and doing transfers from other digital recording/storage devices. Monitoring is provided via the 1/8” stereo headphone jack or RCA line outs.

One of the secrets to the MicroTrack 24/96 digital recorder’s compact size is that, like many of today’s digital cameras, it records to CompactFlash or microdrives. Recording capacity is based on the format selected and the size of the currently inserted media. An affordable 1GB CompactFlash card or microdrive, for example, will hold approximately 100 minutes of uncompressed CD-quality 16-bit stereo 44.1kHz WAV files. That same 1GB media will store 1500 minutes of stereo speech-quality MP3 audio at 96kbps. Users can deploy and swap out whatever capacity media suits their needs.

The MicroTrack 24/96 can record as many unique files as the capacity of the available storage allows. When connected to a PC or Mac computer, the MicroTrack 24/96 appears as a USB mass storage device showing the unique identification number of each file. Just drag and drop the files to the computer’s hard drive and the audio files are ready to edit and/or post to the Web. The included Audacity software provides easy editing and format conversion of files if desired.

While MicroTrack 24/96 features WAV fidelity suitable for professional use, the unit’s ability to record directly to MP3 files and transfer them instantly to computer means that users can e-mail or post high-quality recordings to the Web immediately. Musicians can e-mail demos to writing/production partners and record companies when the inspiration strikes, for example.

This same capability makes the unit invaluable in other markets as well. Business users can easily upload meetings and presentations for review and wider dissemination. Educators can post classes, lectures and seminars without delay. Faith-based organizations can quickly broadcast worship services and speakers. Professional presenters can create and sell back-end collateral content almost instantly—and the list goes on.

MicroTrack 24/96 is powered via long-life lithium-ion batteries that provide for approximately eight hours on a single charge (or about three hours with phantom power engaged). The battery recharges by simply connecting MicroTrack 24/96 to a PC or Mac via USB, or using an optional power supply.

When compared with DAT, the MicroTrack 24/96 represents a far better way to acquire audio, especially in the field. MicroTrack 24/96’s media and electronics are all solid state, making them significantly more compact, reliable and resilient. Where delicate DAT tapes are comparatively hard to find, CompactFlash and microdrives are readily available, and the price per megabyte keeps plummeting. Perhaps even more compelling, audio data transfers from MicroTrack 24/96 to a computer almost instantly—no more waiting around for real-time DAT transfers. MicroTrack 24/96’s media can even double as storage for other devices such as digital cameras.

“The MicroTrack 24/96 represents a new level of convenience in digital recording,” says Adam Castillo, M-Audio’s marketing director. "Capture high fidelity recordings wherever you are, then drag and drop them into your application. It's the ultimate solution in professional mobile recording. MicroTrack 24/96 is small enough to fit in a shirt pocket, but at 24-bit 96kHz your scratch tracks can now be 'keepers.' The MicroTrack 24/96 is a must-have for every songwriter, engineer and producer—and will have significant ramifications on M-Audio’s other markets including education, corporate meetings and training and even podcasting.”

The MicroTrack 24/96 is expected to ship in July and carries an MSRP of $499.95.

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