Roland R-26 6-Channel Portable Recorder

[Wally Malone]

This looks interesting:

 

http://www.rolandus.com/community/insider/article.php?ArticleId=1447

 

Wally

[jeremy c]

It's $500.

[Wally Malone]

I hear you Jeremy, out of my price range at the moment but it looks like a multi-purpose unit able to produce quality recordings in many types of settings.

 

Wally

[Russkull]

 

I like Roland a lot, but the pricing kills me. They are (seemingly) more expensive, with less features, than competing products. I know the Boss pedals have a well deserved reputation for being bullet proof, but beyond that I fail to see how they can get away with charging so much.

 

<...end rant>

[rumpelstiltskin.]

quality costs. but so does branding. the hard part is figuring out ahead of time which you're paying for. if you can't audition it, you're guessing.

[The Bear Jew]

Portable six-channel recording is very handy, that's for sure, and that's a nice price for that kind of technology. I find it somewhat amazing that this is available to consumers at a relatively reasonable price. I was pleased when I was able to get a Zoom H-1 for less than $100. This is even cooler... but I wouldn't spend $500 on it right now. I think I'd wait a while and see some reviews before pulling the trigger. And the price would probably drop while I waited...

[Wally Malone]

TBJ, my thinking as well.

 

Wally

[Mark Schmieder]

Roland is ALWAYS overpriced, relative to other vendors and equivalent features and quality. It bugs me a lot, along with how they break compatibility of gear (and editors) while other vendors go out of their way to maintain backward compatibilty.

 

Nevertheless, Roland quality and innovation have really been stepping up these past few years. At the right price, I would buy one. But their portable recorders get a few points marked off in most reviews for their mic quality, amongst other things -- search on-line and you'll easily find these comments.

 

The Roland I would go for is Edirol-branded and is the only solid state recorder that can produce four simultaneous outputs. If I ever did backing tracks on-stage again, that would come in handy as I could finally go stereo for the audio and then have separate mono cue tracks for the drummer and the singers. But that model -- even in its cheapest edition -- is close to $1000. Still, its configuration is such that it is the best-featured field recorder and location recorder (including for classical concerts, where multiple mics are usually a given) outside the boutique range of devices that start at over $2000.

 

One thing to consider with these smaller hand-held devices though, is their level of file compatibility as well as what their editing software is like and how soon in the workflow you can exit their software to use tools you already know and love for more generalized audio editing and production. It is this "locked-in" nature of the Korg MR-series recorders that causes many to hesitate in spite of their overall superior audio quality (unique bitstream approach).