Sony's PCM-M10 digital audio recorder brings pro quality to laypeople, Southern Californians

Remember when Sony outed its PCM-D1 digital audio recorder and charged $2,000 for it with a straight face? Even today, the aforementioned player (along with the still-pricey PCM-D50) stands as one of the best in the sector, but Sony has just introduced the newest PCM unit with an equally impressive specs list and a price tag that even the amateur can swallow. Over in Nashville, the outfit has busted out the PCM-M10, which goes down as the least expensive flash-based recorder from Sony "capable of recording 96kHz/24-bit stereo audio using either the internal condenser mics or an external mic / line input." There's 4GB of built-in memory, a Memory Stick Micro slot and a (gasp!) microSD compartment. Sony also tossed in a built-in speaker, a 5-second pre-recording buffer, digital limiter and the ability to record directly to MP3. The Seth and Ryan-approved recorder should ship this October for $399, and you can catch a glimpse now by peeking the video just past the break.

[Via Brad Linder]

[James @ Jul 19th 2009 6:58PM]

Is it just me, or are her arms extremely long?

[rsm @ Jul 19th 2009 7:24PM]

They do look kinda long. Her long arms may be due to PhotoShop -- least I hope so!

[Nikesh @ Jul 19th 2009 8:09PM]

They do look it. They look like they almost reach her knees which is really creepy. I always found Rachel Bilson way hotter anyways.

[Surfaced @ Jul 19th 2009 8:34PM]

Nah, I'm seeing that too. Maybe it's one of those Megan Fox kind of things?

[Uncontrol @ Jul 19th 2009 6:58PM]

i unironically loved the first season of the oc

[sacapuntas @ Jul 19th 2009 7:12PM]

you better mmmm what ya say, or your gonna get down ranked. :D

[robpetrin @ Jul 19th 2009 7:42PM]

Cool story, bro.

[FitFan @ Jul 19th 2009 8:52PM]

Some get her a sandwich.

[FitFan @ Jul 19th 2009 8:53PM]

* Someone

[Information Central @ Sep 22nd 2009 4:03PM]

"or your gonna get down ranked"

you + are = you're

[robothouse @ Jul 19th 2009 7:00PM]

Am I the only one that doesn't get the OC joke? How is this product at all related to Southern California?

[Dez @ Jul 19th 2009 7:52PM]

Darren, don't leave us in the dark here. I just don't get the OC joke at all.

[Mike P. @ Jul 19th 2009 9:24PM]

From what I gather from Google... the only reference to voice/sound/tape recorder in The OC is "Caldwell" questioning Seth and Ryan with a tape recorder. Mighty obscure reference, Darren, if that is what you're referring to.

[darkmax @ Jul 19th 2009 9:39PM]

I was wondering the same thing.... what's with the OC reference?....

[Chris @ Jul 19th 2009 10:25PM]

I have a hard time not being annoyed by Darren Murph's posts. Please just give us the news. Don't dress it up in this nonsense.

[ProfessorKaos @ Jul 20th 2009 12:19PM]

The sad thing is all of you are arguing about the OC, a show none of you should be watching, if you have any sense of being a man at all. These comments are just way to funny, seriously you aruging about a show for prissy, over maintanenced girls who thrive on drama and shallow television. Come on guys XD , wow

[waiownsyou @ Jul 19th 2009 7:11PM]

I wish to have consensual sex with with Rachel Bilson in the missionary position for the purpose of procreation.

[sacapuntas @ Jul 19th 2009 7:13PM]

and your children will look like your avatar....

[paperless @ Jul 19th 2009 9:24PM]

KEEP WISHING MUAHAHAHA

[mseltzer418 @ Jul 19th 2009 7:16PM]

@robothouse, i'm totally with you, i have no idea what the oc joke is... anyone care to enlighten us?

[HorizonSmoker @ Jul 19th 2009 7:24PM]

I wish I could tell you but the only person I know that watches the OC is my 10-year-old sister and i'm not asking her anything that will question my sexuality.

[Porkchop Flavored Cupcake @ Jul 19th 2009 7:26PM]

I'm quite content with my zoom h4n.
Dual XLR inputs, kind of a big deal.
That said, the Sony should make some people happy.
Even the spoiled bastards on the OC.

[Information Central @ Jul 20th 2009 2:01PM]

Yeah, the lack of XLR inputs kills just about every small flash recorder on the market. Abominable cluelessness.

[Chris Anderson @ Jul 19th 2009 9:27PM]

Edirol R-09HR FTW

[TapTap @ Jul 19th 2009 10:23PM]

@Chris Anderson: So true. I was about to say it.

[Pre-determined @ Jul 19th 2009 10:45PM]

finally on gadget topic...

I'm going to take a strong look at this. Planned on buying a high-end recorder to compliment a HD camcorder. This is one area that many novice, pro-am, and even some pros overlook. With 720 and 1080P video recording and the same resolution video monitoring... so much concentration on squeezing the best video quality out of footage...we sometimes forget how important the audio is to match. As the price of blu-ray recording/recordable discs/players come down... it will make a world of difference in the video presentation. Notice I said video and not just audio, because I have done A/B tests with friends and they came away saying one looked better than the other when the only thing changed in the encoding was a higher/ less compression audio and bitrate. DD .ac3 vs 48k/16bit PCM

[Pre-determined @ Jul 19th 2009 11:02PM]

oh i forgot... the absence of xlr inputs is a big oversight...but I guess sony had a price point, as stated, to come in on the low end. I didn't sweat the full features and specs, but I bet this unit has some nice unique features thats some will undoubtedly like thats absence on other high end audio recorders. With that said, and "you just got to have it" geek attitude..you could use an equally high end xlr adapter. If I was "forced" to use it (stupid purchasing dept. what they know about this stuff?!) I'd pair it with the not-so-small-but-gets-the-job-done-right Juicedlink xlr adapter.

http://www.juicedlink.com/index_files/CX_camcorder_XLR_microphone_adapter_audio_mixers_CX211.htm

[tekdroid @ Jul 20th 2009 12:00PM]

This device will probably have better build quality and lower-noise mic preamps than the Zoom, though. Probably, if their current models are any indication.

I can see some video guys also using some shotgun mics with an AA battery capability over XLR (Audio Technica AT897, Rode NTG-2, etc) to capture some quality dialogue, so it's not always about phantom power with XLR, especially if you fall in that bracket and have one of these:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/158476-REG/Hosa_Technology_XVM_101F_Mini_Stereo_Male_to.html#reviews

Otherwise, some form of external phantom power is needed. But for the size I think it was a sensible omission. What I'm trying to find is the volume dial on this thing. I see the REC LEVEL dial, but where is the volume dial?

[Information Central @ Jul 20th 2009 2:02PM]

Come on, even the cheap MicroTrack has TRS XLR inputs. It's a must. Selling a recorder with a cheeseball 1/8" mic input just sucks.

Come on, this isn't a 1970s cassette recorder.

[dsteve303 @ Jul 19th 2009 7:39PM]

DARREN MURPH. SAY SUMTING TO ME. PLZ Darren.

[derX @ Jul 19th 2009 10:18PM]

o.O?

Is there a reason for you to keep writing this? I haven't read Engadget with consistency in a while: Is there some sort of joke I'm missing, or do you just really want him to contact you?

[Matt @ Jul 19th 2009 7:41PM]

I'm not ashamed to say that my life used to stop at 8:00PM on Wednesday nights.

I love you Summer.

[ilh @ Jul 19th 2009 7:51PM]

Wouldn't mind having my head in her chest like that guy...

[Steven @ Jul 19th 2009 7:51PM]

Califorrnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Here we coooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooome!

[monkfishbandana @ Jul 19th 2009 9:23PM]

Ooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh!!! Doo doo doooo doo doooo...

I miss the gang :(

[Steve Jobs @ Jul 19th 2009 9:19PM]

Don't give her a sandwich you idiot just because your wife is a fat slob doesn't mean the rest of us like them like that!

[peepeepants @ Jul 19th 2009 9:58PM]

That's a mighty pointy looking "play" triangle on that device.

"At Sony, we make our Play triangle especially long... so you don't have to."

[502boyz @ Jul 19th 2009 10:02PM]

http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/cat-audio/resource.solutions.bbsccms-assets-cat-audio-solutions-pcmm10.shtml

[Tobby @ Jul 19th 2009 11:17PM]

What a waste with that chick now she in a psychiatric hospital cause she was high on coke and wanted to kill herself.

I still have a chance with Rachel Bison please call me you got my #.

[Engrudget @ Jul 19th 2009 11:47PM]

I think the extent of the O.C. reference is an attempt to juxtapose laypeople with rich people. The original unit was outrageously expensive, and this one is cheaper. Therefore, not just rich people (i.e. The O.C. characters) can own one now. Of course, the author could have used Gossip Girl or any other show about rich people that wasn't cancelled 3 years ago.

[ED @ Jul 19th 2009 11:58PM]

Is that what laypeople look like? I never knew.

[Magallanes @ Jul 20th 2009 11:56AM]

96kHz ?

why?

[tekdroid @ Jul 20th 2009 12:09PM]

...because god insists.
He also mentioned to me, over dinner, that he expects the next model to have a sample rate of 192KHz, because he wasn't satisfied with this "96KHz crap" as he put it. He wants a truer representation of his analogue waveforms.

I told him I don't work for Sony but "I'll look into it..."
He didn't seem impressed with my half-arsed response. I made some excuse about having no time and made a hasty exit before an otherwise fine evening turned sour.

It isn't good to make god upset.

[Michael Newman @ Aug 4th 2009 2:15PM]

The world doesn't record at 192kHz, not even all the fancy studios around the world. They are all doing 96k and many fine recordings are done at 44.1kHz. 192kHz simply takes up way too much disk space, processing, throughput, etc to be worth the time right now.

Also if all you are doing is dialog you would really be hard pressed to hear the difference in a band limited environment. Sound effects or other full frequency range sound sources are different of course.

Michael Newman
www.michaelnewmanconsulting.com