Belkin unveils the GoStudio iPod recording dock

Belkin's not letting a little thing like the launch of the iPhone 3G slow it down this morning -- in addition to all that wireless gear, it's even got the stones to throw down an iPod accessory, which is a little funny. The GoStudio recorder is a full-featured recording dock for the iPod 5G, classic, and 2G and 3G nanos, which allows you to record 16-bit 44.1kHz audio directly from two built-in stereo mics or quarter-inch, XLR, and minijack inputs, and dump it all into iTunes when you're done. The $119 box isn't the sexiest thing we've ever seen, but if you're a dedicated podcaster or just suffer from delusions of being the next Martin Hannett, it's probably worth a look.

[bobbywigs @ Jul 10th 2008 10:24AM]

this seems like Belkin TuneTalk on steroids. TuneTalk was OK, but the sound quality wasnt too good. nice for the convenience though. I've since sold it and upgraded to a Zoom H2, which is WAY better.

[bohsocks @ Jul 10th 2008 10:32AM]

Everything in that picture is artificial... photoshopped or photoshopped in.... just like all my enthusiasm over this device is artificial :)

[Dipendra @ Jul 10th 2008 12:02PM]

Yes the Zoom H2 is great!

[Phil @ Jul 10th 2008 8:16PM]

I have the H4. Expensive but surprisingly good for a zoom product.

[ghostfish @ Jul 10th 2008 10:32AM]

Is it me or does this thing look like something out of the 80's with that big dial and switches?

[Timothy Sottek @ Jul 10th 2008 10:53AM]

It looks just powerful enough to randomly calculate enough numbers to prevent us from getting hit by satellites.

[Jared @ Jul 10th 2008 11:03AM]

And strangely, I like it! It looks sexy in that Fluke multimeter kind of way.

[Jared @ Jul 10th 2008 11:09AM]

Ok something about the press photo bugs me.. look closely and you'll see that the guitar isn't even tuned up.

[bohsocks @ Jul 10th 2008 10:33AM]

I like you. You've got moxie. You're going places, kid.

Hang in there, baby.

[djczar @ Jul 10th 2008 10:40AM]

It kinda looks like Bomberman!

[bohsocks @ Jul 10th 2008 10:46AM]

..................
...................
................
...........
........................

...Wow.

Bravo, sir.

[Wwhat @ Jul 10th 2008 10:58AM]

Funny but it does, interesting that you saw that.

[4honor @ Jul 10th 2008 1:35PM]

Actually, it looks like the default avatar for Engadget to me...

[IT-Accountant @ Jul 10th 2008 10:52AM]

someone got their account password hacked.

[LoadStar @ Jul 10th 2008 10:59AM]

Nice. If the build and sound quality are even barely adequate, I'm definitely in for this. It'd be nice if it were JUST a bit smaller (like, a lot) because I could see this being useful for doing bootleg recordings of concerts.

[atghiphop @ Jul 10th 2008 11:01AM]

you know what that is right??? it's the engadget default commenter picture!!! Just stretched a little bit

[Macdelaney @ Jul 10th 2008 12:19PM]

exactly what i thought!
looks oddly similar, and i also agree in the bomberman point

[bhamslacker @ Jul 10th 2008 11:05AM]

I wish it had the option to capture as mp3. At CD quality my nano would fill up too fast with all the other stuff on there.

[bobbywigs @ Jul 10th 2008 11:40AM]

blame Apple for the lack of MP3 option. very silly.

[JL @ Jul 10th 2008 11:41AM]

Damn, you go Nilay! Martin Hannett!
Nice reference - If I remember correctly (if not, please correct me), Hannett was one of the early users of digital tech as well?

[Mobius_1 @ Jul 10th 2008 11:50AM]

Looks totally industrial, cluttered and ugly next to the iPod

I'm no fanboy, but Apple really has an awesome team of industrial designers (although the new iPhone 3G is rather "cheap" with the shiny plastic back)

[dan2600 @ Jul 10th 2008 12:04PM]

16-bit 44.1kHz ???? gross, whats the point...

24bit 48kHz or more or its not worth it.

who the heck still does music recording at 16-bit, its bad enough you have to master it down to 16-bit for audio devices to play it.

Then again, i suppose if you are using your ipod as a recording device you know nothing about audio recording/mastering anyway.

[efmvii @ Jul 10th 2008 12:33PM]

nice try belkin, leave the big toys to the big boys

[Jon Doe. @ Jul 10th 2008 12:25PM]

So is Engadget trying to go for a world record on the number of pointless Apple posts in a 24 hour period? I wish they would get it over with and just rename the damn site to Apple's Engadget. Tools.

LOOK EVERYONE! New iTunes software. BUt where is that post about Adobe releasing a new version of Acrobat reader...oh yah IO forgot. This is an Apple site. Again tools.

[Chris Dunning @ Jul 10th 2008 12:58PM]

Get over it.

I'm pretty sure this is BELKIN news that happens to have a connection to Apple by virtue of it being an iPod compatible device.

If you don't want to read about Apple/iPod/iPhone/Mac news, don't read it, skip over it. At last count there were more non-Apple stories on the front page then Apple stories.

[uristocrat @ Jul 10th 2008 12:52PM]

not sexy is an understatement.... That thing is like a cb radio... one from the 70's that is...

http://www.uristocrat.com/Dispatch/

[D.Sneed @ Jul 10th 2008 1:42PM]

This is kind of ugly. I have a Zoom H4 and it has been a great recording device, at least after I learn how to use it correctly.

[Minilap @ Jul 10th 2008 2:33PM]

Why is it ugly, do you only record sound of model's shoes on a fashion runway?

[Phil @ Jul 10th 2008 8:29PM]

It doesn't matter what the thing looks like, it the sound quality that counts. Some of us require 24bit so that things don't end up sounding muddy once mixed down. The H4 exceeded all of my expectations for sound quality. Sorry Belkin, but this is like trying to sell VCRs in a world of HD.

[chefgon_ign @ Jul 10th 2008 2:38PM]

So aside from making the clashing styles look completely ridiculous, what point does the iPod hold? Just as a hard drive to dump your recordings on? Why not make it a standalone unit that isn't held back by the limitations of the iPod's recording abilities?

This reminds me of the sewing machine that hooks up to the Game Boy Color. It's just trying to gain some popularity with a completely unrelated crowd of buyers by incorporating a popular gadget for no apparent reason.

[max yoshimoto @ Jul 11th 2008 12:53AM]

Belkin has a larger product for direct recording on ipods. look here http://www.design-crit.com/blog Has the same general look and feel. I have to say, i'm a little confused about the design positioning of this.

[max yoshimoto @ Jul 11th 2008 1:01AM]

opps, here's a direct link to the other belkin product http://design-crit.com/blog/2008/06/id-annual-belkin-tunestudio.html#links

[JRM @ Jul 11th 2008 4:25AM]

Roland, Kenwood, and Sony make better portable recorders. with line-in, line out, and external mic inputs.