For years I recorded rehearsals & gigs (& the occasional bootleg) with my old trusty Sony Pro-Walkman. When it died a few years ago, I got a Sony Mini-disc. I've never been very happy with it. The recordings seem o.k., but it's just too much of a pain-in-the-ass to use. My biggest complaint is that I can't tell if it's working or not. With my old Pro-Walkman, all you had to do was look at it and see the tape going around and the LED meter lighting in conjunction with the music volume. With the mini-disc. I'm never sure if it's recording. No reels spinning and the readout is so tiny and monochrome that I feel I need to stop playing and put it under a microscope to see if it's really on. I've lost many songs when I thought it was recording and it wasn't. And forget asking anyone else to use it to record the band at a gig while I'm playing. Too complicated. So what I'm looking for is a portable recorder that is VERY easy to use at rehearsal. I don't need internal effects, DSP, a host of editing, midi capability, cup holder, back-up lights, run-flat tires, camera, or any of the the other unnecessary bells and whistles they seem to attach to everything electronic these days. I want a simple, easy to use on-the-fly small recorder to take to rehearsal and the occasional gig. Function is more important that price at this point. Which units should I be looking at? Any and all suggestions greatly appreciated.
Bill, tgo
