The recorded sound is good, and reveals how far audio has come in just a few years. in 24/96 mode and fed by a good mixer, the sound is excellent. It's not professional, but even five years ago it might have been. For live classical concert recording in unpredictable situations, its sound is fine.

This would get a "10" except for the battery. It dies, it's not user-replaceable, and I haven't found an online replacement yet. I'm certainly not going to send it back, pay $75, and be without it while I wait. For now, it's powered with an external APC supply with four AAA batteries. If you're not handy with a soldering iron to replace the battery when one becomes available, it's a deal breaker.

There's not much easier to use. The menus are clear and it operates easily and with each control different enough that you don't make mistakes. The screen is bright when you need it. A few flaws: too easy to double-press the delete button; you have to tape down cables if they're too heavy because they'll pull out of the TRS jacks; and it takes too long to boot.

The quality is okay -- and it's durable. I fell off a cliff into a river with it, and after careful cleaning and drying, it worked just fine.

For the street price here at Zzounds, it's a good deal. With a tiny T microphone (mine is Core Sound), it's the perfect travel recorder to get excellent recordings with no weight. Take extra batteries and a USB power supply, a bunch of flash cards, and somewhere to dump them (I use an X-Drive Pro) and you've got a recording studio that weighs about a pound.

Not being able to buy a battery is very bad. Downloadable firmware updates is very good.

Professional composer and live recording engineer

Nonpop

Relatively low rating due to somewhat misleading stats. Although billed as 24 bit 96khz capable, even a cursory look through the documentation indicates more of a 16/44.1khz "on steroids" level of performance...that being said the truth is, this little box rocks! I aspire in a vague sort of way toward true multi-track recording but I don't practice it. For years I've tended toward "Live to Two-Track" with carefully chosen and placed microphones to record small live ensembles. I've recorded to cassette, VHS, Minidisc, Compact disc, Laptop PC, Destop PC and Digital multi-trackers from Boss and Tascam. For what I do, this is tops. Low-to-no self noise (umm, you gotta accept that if you use the included mic which ATTACHES TO THE MICROTRACK 24/96 it will pick up all the handling sounds-with exquisite clarity)I will eventually put it through some paces with some better setups but with a $100 Sony stereo mic right into the 1/8th" jack I get REDBOOK AUDIO CAPTURE with NO MOVING PARTS. Sound quality beats minidisc with the same mic in the same room with weird little side-effect: Minidisc's ATRAC compression is a little more musical and forgiving. The enhanced clarity of the MICROTRACK allows for much improved accoustic guitar top-end, does nice things for spatialization on cymbals but, A/B'ed with minidisc sounds a little harsher and hissier. The hiss isn't from the MICROTRACK, though. It goes away when the amp is shut off. Sound would be a 10 if it were billed as 16/44.1. Knocking 3 points off for "lost" resolution I don't plan to use is harsh. I don't feel billing it as "True 24 bit 96Khz" is fair. It will make "~24 bit~" recordings but not with the fidelity/bandwidth that spec deserves. "Better than CD" would have been more accurate advertising. Overall, it's more than good enough to play back for you how bad you really are. It does lack any limiting or compression (NOT DATA compression-AUDIO COMPRESSION is different concept)circuitry. EQ is crude but effective. I haven't recorded MP3s off the mic(s)it is a very good MP3 player

This is, overall, an ABSOLUTELY STUNNING PRODUCT!! It is thougtfully accesorized but loses the elusive "10" rating due to a lack of "slipcase" or fitted cover. The included velveteen bag does keep out the dust but is not really befitting such an otherwise VERY COOL product. Another lost chance for "niice touch" kudos is the openings:the 1/8" and RCA ports. Why not include soft rubber covers for these ports to protect the MICROTRACK's insides when those ports aren't in use. Better yet, attach the plugs to the FITTED and FUNCTIONAL slipcase (neoprene would add impact/shock protection...)wiht sort nylon lanyards and this would be ready for real field recording. I plan to keep it indoors. On a mixing desk. But a nice case would ROCK....In terms of what it's got vs. what it lacks, it includes a USB-to-AC plug for battery charging without a PC. The included earbuds are servicable but nothing special. The stereo "T" mic works...about what you would expect but really not capable of showing the potential of the MICROTRACK. Try to find a better source. There were no audio cables or adapters but most people spending $400 on a two-track probably have enough cables and adapters to re-stock a Radio Shack... The supplied USB cable allowed hookup to PC and laptop as well as AC power to put an initial charge on the battery. That took less than 5 hours but I didn't get an exact time. The included 64 meg Compact flash is enough to test out the unit's functions but, unless you really want to go live to 2-track MP3 (probably a significant market, actually) is not enough for serious recording. It won't read any higher than 4 gig. Plan on another $60-$400 for additional memory. $60 should get you a gig which is a bit longer recording time than a 100 minute cassette at 16/44.1khz. Mass storage drive is SOOO MUCH BETTER than "jukebox" paradigm nonsense. This is how NETMD (minidisc with USB) should have worked BUT DIDN'T! Fast, easy transfer of digital files TO AND FROM the MICROTRACK and the PC. Absolutely wonderful! As Compact flash prices drop you can get extra cards for spare storage. IT also works to "shuttle" music between bandmembers:no need to burn to CD when you've got USB and FTP:.... SUPER SUPER COOL I LOVE YOU M-AUDIO! Thank you for recognizing that I have my own stuff to record and I don't need my equipment CRIPPLED in a misguided attempt to prevent me from doing things I would NEVER do (like copy a Britnny Spears CD...weren't there too many of those in the first place?)Minidisc recorders by Sony have always been musician-hostile due to draconian software limitations on fairly capable hardware. Well G'bye Sony. HELLO M-AUDIO!

I feel a little queasy about offering a 10 for something I haven't used for years. It seems tight and compact. If I hadn't been using solid-state memory players for the last few years I would find it somewhat insubstantial-this isn't a bad thing. The lack of heft or stolid "tank-like" build is a reflection of NO MOVING PARTS-it doesn't have to withstand wearing itself out. Use care with the buttons, remember than LCDs deserve attention, and this thing should last for generations...provided you can find a way to get at the LI-Ion battery...no screws, no obvious joints...nice construction. Do wish there was a cover over the Compact flash port.

It should come with a better case...or it should cost less...or come with better mic...or more memory...or, wait a minute? Isn't this a BRAND-NEW thing? Isn't it true there there was and is NOTHING like it? (other flash recorders are bigger and not really any better...well no, the MArantz kicks serious A%* but costs a grand...and won'r slip into a shirt pocket....) Y'know, maybe this is a REALLY EXCELLENT value. I found it for $399. I think it's worth that. With a 4 Gig card and some amenities it would be worth $600 and I would have paid that instead of $400 for "this" model. A nice peice of hardware. I'm like seriously.

Alright, bit of a cheat. The best support is that which you don't need. I can't see needing support on such a well-designed and executed product.

This is a narrow market, I think, but if you do stereo recording you will love this little gadjet. No real bells and whistels, just a solid redbook audio capture device you can use for files with a PC or as a standalone recorder. Good playback, good capture. Nice loud inputs and outputs. Controls for fine-tuning and rock-solid construction (for a handheld recording device-DON'T PLAY CATCH WITH HARDWARE!!)

Active hobbyist recording engineer/musician

"The greys"-improvisational strings and electronics with (usually) lots of delay, loops

I teach classes in digital audio and I've been looking for something like this for quite some time. This is the best new addition to portable recording that I have seen in years! The sound is incredibly good even with the inexpensive stereo mic that is included. I recorded both dialog and sound effects at 48kHz, 16 bit and it came out exceptionally clean with good depth.

completely intuitive to use. navigation features are simple and having level meters that are easy to attenuate and easy to read is a big plus. The multiple I/O's make this a steal.

It is made well. It feels solid in your hand, yet incredible lightweight. The buttons are very solid. The screen is high quality.

For less than $450 with all of the accessories??? are you kidding!??? It's a steal!

I've dealt with M-Audio before on another product. They were easy to contact and easy to talk to. Problem was solved rather quickly.

Very cool & hip looking. Techy and sexy. I think I just sold 10 to my students who after using it, started looking up places to buy one.

recording engineer and teacher

rock, jazz, electronica

It is very good and you are going to have to worry and fuss with the mics to find out. The mic quality is going to be the weak link in creating a satisfying recording and your skill at placing it. As others have pointed out, it comes with plug in mic. The mic is moulded to the jack so using a good shilded extension cable will help if you are need to fuss with stopping and starting and want to minimize the risk of handling noises.

I won't enumerate features here. It provides what is necessary to capture very good digital sound in a small package.

The menus and operation are about as simple as you can get. The Navigation button works well though it feels a little "unstable" when pressing inward to execute a command. My hit to the unit and the designers here is the lousy display they have used. The LCD has low contrast and the backlight does not seem to help at all. You are constantly having to tilt it to find a readable angle. Strong sun makes it unreadable. My mother bought this unit and I've been getting her going with her music recording. I would have appreciated more conern in the choice of screen for her 70 year eyesight. She does manage though. Once the unit is setup though, you seldom need the screen. Most of the time the start/stop button is all you have to be bothered with. Super simple to use. Then if you use your PC to edit, manipulate and play stuff back, the poor interface is mostly an annoyance that must only be briefly dealt with. All this display stuff should be caveated by the fact that I've only used one. There is the possibility that ours has a display issue though I think this unlikely.

The screen again is poor so I'm giving docking it based on that as well. M-Aduio describes it as "rugged" and by virtue of the fact that it has no moving parts, that is true. But that seems a low standard for a digital device. In a portable device often used "plein-air" I'd like to see it stand up to some moisture and the the odd drop. I wasn't willing to try that out with Mom's machine and looking at the case design, I don't think it would hold up too well.

At the street price it is passes the value test, but only just. Main problem is that there is so little competition out there at this quality level in this type of device.

Hey, that battery issue that everyone is complaining about in the other issues. Easily fixed if you go online and update with the latest firmware. She called tech support herself and figured most of it out - a fact she was very proud of. The web site is well-organized though navigation through support may require a little too much product knowledge for people like mother.

People do marvel at the sound possible out of the device and think it is cool. I would like to see the form factor slim down even more though.

Hobbyist

Acoustic in all styles, Guitar

Sound quality rates a zero because the charger or battery fails so you don't get any recordings at all.

The principal feature is that after you charge it up and take it somewhere to do a recording, it announces that its battery is exhausted. Since this is a proprietary non-swappable battery you are done for.

Battery/charger failure on brand new unit. The dealer said he has had others returned with the same complaint.

What is a non-functional item worth?

na

Accompanying microphone isn't built in, so it sticks out irritatingly off the top.

semi pro

jazz rock world classical

Sound quality is strong. Very clear for such a small device. Of course your don't have ProTool Quality preamps and inputs, but if your on the go and you need it now, you got it.

Weak stereo mic that stayed in the box right after the first test. Sure recording your babys first words its great, but recording a live concert your going to be less than pleased. USB power is a great feature, I think every small device should charge in the same manner.

The menus are easy to get through and leave you feeling like you could master it in a day.

BATTERY IS NOT USER REPLACEABLE!!!! Mine died about 8 months into it. Go check out M-Audio's site the warranty only covers the mechanics, not the battery. The battery has a 90 day warranty. So if your battery dies on the 4th month, you have to replace it for almost 1/3 of the total cost of the unit. M-Audio leaves you feeling like you got scammed. Thank god for their competitors picking up where they left off.

I would reconsider my purchase at this point, unless M-Audio does something about the battery issue I would not purchase this device unless you are ok paying $75 every year to maintain the unit...

I used to love M-Audio till I bought this device... The Battery dies with in a one year period, and then I am charged $75 and chipping cost to send it in. THE WARRANTY ON THE BATTERY IS 90 days... M-Audio needs to get their act together and should have replaced the batteries with either user replaceable ones or one that they don't have to make a special warranty for... Buyer be ware.

Great to use, when it works.

Hobbyist

House/Breaks

If comparing to other small portable devices I've had it would be a 10. I use it all the time to record students, informal concerts and recitals and stuff. For formal concerts I use a C-414, going to a DBX mic preamp and then daisy chain to a Alesis hard drive recorder and DAT recorder as backup. Compared to that there is a bit more hiss and there is a bit of loss of detail. Mic doesn't compare but the AKG is a studio mic. But I wouldn't take all that stuff to record my group out doors at a shopping mall (noisier than the hiss) or record my students. My DAT recorder died at one of my concerts and I was able to send a spdif over to the Microtrak! What a convenience. Comparing the sound it was close but of course the Alesis sounded like the last bit of veil was removed. Difficult to hear but it was there on the Microtrak. I tried comparing it to my friends R9 and it seems the electronics on the analog side is quite a bit quieter and I like the sound a bit better.

I like the T bar mic but for more important things I use my Rode NT-4. Very convenient to just plug it in and go. Liked having the spdif I/O which came which I used once. Wished it was coaxial but I have a converter in my kit. Great to have ability to use my condenser mics with phantom but pain to wire up special cables.

Wished setting levels was easier. Somehow the pause switch never worked. Tried my friends R9 and its much easier - hit the record button, set levels and hit it again. Menus on the Microtrak were easy to get used to. Some of the buttons do different functions and sometimes forgot how they are used. But over all they are easy. For some of my students who are less technically inclined I recommend the R9 because it seems simpler to operate otherwise I recommend the Microtrak because it has more features and it sounds a bit better.

All plastic so have to work on not dropping it. Have dropped it twice and it still worked fine but trying not to tempt fate. Had problems with batteries when I first bought it but after several firmware updates things settled down. I get about 3-4 hours of recording time which is far more than I need. I know most would rather have AA's but I like just plugging it in to my USB port and going to the job and I hate adding more to our landfills.

Does everything I ever wanted at less than I've paid for in the past.

Never had to deal with it except for updating the firmware which was pretty simple.

I've had a number of ooohs and aaahs and several students have gone out to buy it. But its a rather plain looking device.

Band Director, Recording Engineer

Classical but love jazz and most styles

Excellent sound quality, especially considering the small form factor and low price.

The battery is not user replaceable (and it has gone bad on me after only a few uses!), so the 5 rating may be too generous.

It was an unfinished product considering that it took several firmware updates to get it nearly right.

The batter won't hold a charge. This makes the Microtrack totally useless: not only is the battery proprietary, but it is not user replaceable, so now I have to go through the hassle of shipping it back. Oh! I also have to search for the receipt so I can get it fixed under warranty.

40+ years

Rock, jazz, blues, classical, latin, etc.