As one of the market leaders in digital handheld audio recording devices, Olympus is committed to educating consumers on the best ways to use digital recording technology.
This blog is a resource for anyone – musicians, birders, naturalists, podcasters, journalists and more – who wants to improve their recording skills.
A couple of years ago I became aware of an interesting instrument called the Halo Genesis, a type of steel pan manufactured by Pantheon Steel. I was immediately taken aback by the sonic range of this handpan instrument so, every once in a while, I’d head over to YouTube in search of performances and demos.
The other day I found one of the best examples yet. Give it about a minute or so to get revved up and you’ll hear some great eastern influenced melodies. This particular demo was shot with the LS-20M HD Video/Linear PCM Recorder.
I’ve heard some pretty interesting audio captured with our voice recorders over the past few years, but this is one of the more unusual samples to come my way. One of our users who does some ambient field recording brought this unusual clip to my attention.
The audio was captured at Lola Montez Lake in Tahoe National Forrest. On cold winter days the lake is said to moan. A few folks went out to hear for themselves and came up with this audio captured on an Olympus WS-710M. I wonder exactly what is causing the ice to resonate this way.
Coming into 2012 I wanted to find some killer live audio to share with you guys. I also wanted to take a step back and reflect on our first linear PCM recorder. I’m happy to say I was able to do both quite successfully. This morning I dug up this live performance by the Warren Hayes Band recorded live at The Moody Theater in Austin, Texas in November of 2011. This blistering 130 minute set was captured with our first linear PCM recorder, the LS-10, (16bit/44.1kHz) paired with an Olympus ME-51S stereo electret condenser mic. While both of these products date back a few years, I am constantly reminded of how great this pairing is whenever I hear audio evidence like this.
Here are a couple of tracks from this outstanding performance:
Today we’re proud to announce the latest addition to our LS series of recorders. The LS-100 expands upon our commitment to our loyal fan base with the addition of some key features every musician will appreciate.
The LS-100 Multi-Track Linear PCM Recorder is first and foremost a best-in-class live recorder and features our best mics to date. In addition to a frequency response 20Hz – 20kHz, these directional mics support an acoustic pressure limit of 140dBspl so you get the range you need with less clipping.
Other key additions include:
Manual level adjustment dials for left and right channels
Dual XLR/phone inputs with integrated phantom power support at 48V/24V
Eight track recording capability featuring two-channel recording and eight-channel playback. You can edit, mix-down onboard, then directly plug into a CD burner without connecting to a PC.
Pre-record buffer
Metronome
Tuner
Like our previous LS recorders, you’ll find the LS-100 incredibly intuitive and easy to use, even if this is your first time using a multi-tracker. Learn more about some of the advance features of our newest recorder here.
As soon as I have a unit in-house with final firmware, I’ll put together a walkthrough video and provide you with a closer look at functionality.
The engineers in Tokyo have been working feverishly on our newest recorder. I can’t share all the details with you just yet but I can tell you it is something new and different for Olympus and it’s coming very soon. Fans of our LS series of recorders will want to take note. This one is just for you.
Below are some photos of a prototype I was able to get my hands on. I didn’t want to let the cat out of the bag just yet so these are just glimpses. Any guesses on what we’ve developed?
Stay tuned to the blog and follow us on Twitter for updates and announcements on our newest recorder.
Update: 12/8/11
There’s just one more photo I want to show you before the official announcement. Have a look at these!
