As a dilettante musician I enjoy the concept – if not the process – of recording my reedy, whiny voice to digital files. Until recently, that process was fraught with trouble and high quality recording equipment was difficult to obtain and expensive. Now anyone with a six-string and a dream can record fairly acceptable audio with something like the Belkin GoStudio.
The GoStudio records directly to your iPod. It is compatible with iPod Classics, Videos, and Nanos in 16-bit 44kHz stereo. The recordings are stored on the iPod as voice memos which then appear when you sync the iPod. It has two combo XLR/mic jacks and two 3.5mm mini-jack inputs along with two built-in microphones. It has independent gain control on both channels, a main master level control, and a monitor/headphone jack and control.
The recorder works best without inputs. As a stereo audio recorder the GoStudio records with nice depth and quality. Below is a sample taken with the built-in mics:
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This is completely unamped with me about three feet from the recorder. Once you get into add-on mics, unfortunately, things break down.
Because this doesn’t amplify line-in input, you get a bit of a mess. If you increase the gain and the levels, you get fuzz. If you don’t, you get silence. This is the best I could do with an XLR stage mic and a Dean Markley acoustic pick-up:
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I’m sure with a bit of tweaking I could make it sound better, but I came at this as a novice and without trial and error you won’t be thrilled with the results. In short, the built-in microphones are acceptable and the combo and 3.5mm jacks are slightly less so.
How is this better than a standard iPod voice recorder, then? It’s more robust, definitely, and once you solve the problems I mentioned, it records audio quite nicely. Like the TuneStudio, Belkin is offering fairly high-end technology to entry-level consumers, which is admirable. At $119.99, the device would be good for recording concerts or seminars and even grab a quick musical performance in your bath- or bedroom.
Bottom Line
A nice little audio recorder that records directly to iPods.
We did an extensive review of this product and found that, with the right external mics, the quality was quite good and *much* better than with the internal mics. Samples are posted on our website:
SoundPro Tech Review
Wow, what a cool new recording device. We were hopeful that Belkin would do a nice job with this iPod accessory, and they came through. It seems a bit smaller than it appears in the pictures. While is it quite lightweight and completely plastic, it has a high quality feel, especially considering the low price. The mic preamps sound good, typical of the small digital recorders in the under $500 price range that it will compete with. Too bad they didn’t include phantom power for the balanced mic inputs, but this would have probably pushed the price up too high for the Belkin marketing folks (chances are, they don’t understand why anyone would want phantom power anyway). It runs on two AAA batteries (Personally, I am not a fan of using AAA’s, and wish they had used AA’s instead as they have much longer run time). No data yet on battery life, but we should have this later this week. One nice surprise is that the 3.5mm (1/8″) stereo mic input has mic power (plug in power) – no mention of this on Belkin’s website.
OK, the good and the bad:
On the downside, the built-in mics are terrible – the worst I have heard on an digital recorder. Muddy bass, and very little high frequencies. Even for simple voice recordings, they are not a good choice, considering that even an inexpensive plug-in mic will sound MUCH better. If you are looking for a recording device that you can use with just the built-in mics, then look elsewhere. If you are OK with a small plug-in mic, or want to make really high quality recordings with good external mics, then read on.
For folks who are accustomed to using professional recording equipment (metal construction, heavy solid feel), the look and feel of this product will probably disappoint. It’s all plastic (though it has a nice texture) and lightweight. Once you add a 160GB iPod, it feels much better of course :-) The feel of the switches and knobs are consistent with consumer equipment, not professional gear – but they don’t feel flimsy. Again, considering the price and feature set, it’s excellent.
The positives: Well laid out controls, good recording sound quality and its the least expensive way to make CD quality recordings (assuming you already own an iPod). The mic preamps are pretty good, similar in quality to those on the other digital recorders in the under $500 price range. It’s nice to have the option of plugging in so many different types of audio sources into one device – mini mics, musical instruments, balanced mics, etc. I don’t know of another recorder on the market that handles all of those in one device.
In summary, the GoStudio is a solid recording device at a very attractive price. It’s a great choice for people who already own an iPod (probably a few of those out there!). If you don’t, and don’t need an iPod for music playback, you are probably better off with one of the smaller, dedicated digital recorders
What size is the mike input jack, 1/4″ or 3.5mm only. I need it to plug into an Apeture Duet which has 1/4″ jacks.
is there a european supplier for the Belkin GoStudio?