RIAA Nightmare: Pro-level Portable Hard Disk Recorder

ratfynk writes "Anybody interested in creating their own MP3 or WAV recordings should take a look at this device. It is a compact hard drive recorder that looks like it is the next logical step beyond ADAT. My interest is fair use, the ability to record my compositions and performance with studio grade equipment at a reasonable cost. This device seems to fit the bill. Specs are available at micsupply.com. This device looks so good that the RIAA might try to make it illegal." For a not-cheap but cheaper alternative, check out the updated-weekly Core Sound page on their PDA-based recorder mentioned a few months ago.

Comments

i doubt the riaa can stop this

[Anonymous Coward]

for one reason and one reason alone, fair fvcking use. we still have the rights in this country to purchase items to use for our convenience. they should not, and in my opinion, never will have the fvcking right to tell me that i as an american cannot buy a product because it would hurt their industry. its like telling a cay buyer not to buy a chevy because it would hurt his ford dealership.

Re:i doubt the riaa can stop this

[Jason1729]

Just like fair use protected my rights to use DeCSS to rip some DVDs to my notebook HD so I can play them on a trip? Oh, you must have meant the way fair use protects my rights to use p2p software to distribute music I record or even download mp3s of songs on CDs I have.

Jason
ProfQuotes

Re:i doubt the riaa can stop this

[ratfynk]

No I just used the RIAA as flamebait to get people thinking about how crappy DRM really is!
I am an acoustic musician that wants to send compressed music of my own making freely on p2p over the net. I am really pissed that real musicians will be stopped from doing exactly this by DRM and whats coming from Redmond, and by morons that do nothing but pirate junk mp3s with p2p. See my journal.

They can try...

[armyofone]

This device looks so good that the RIAA might try to make it illegal.

The more they try, the more innovations will come along. The RIAA are fighting a losing battle. The sooner they realize it, the better off everyone, (including the RIAA), will be.

Re:They can try...

[Anonymous Coward]

Stupid RIAA. Don't let them limit your imagination of engineering things up. If everyone thought about every implication of consumer devices, we'd still be stuck with super-safe stone wheels on our cars. (Tires might pop! Stone wheels are more resistant and therefore safer!)

Re:They can try...

[Anonymous Coward]

The more they tighten their grip, the more systems will slip out of their control

Someday we will fly the x-wing of P2P into the death star of the MPAA/RIAA and we will destroy the evil Valenti and his reign of terror will be at an end.

Re:They can try...

[fishbowl]

The thing about "making it illegal" is, there is a point at which they make it "illegal" to use the device to record my own music. At that moment, I have grounds for a federal lawsuit on first amendment pretenses, and possibly even criminal sanctions for an unlawful restraint of trade.

I *WANT* them to cross that line. Then I want someone like Springsteen or Madonna to press the charges.

Re:They can try...

[squiggleslash]

Jeez. Will you people lay off?

In the UK, the popular comedians Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse have a pair of characters called the "Self-righteous Brothers". Conversations usually go along the lines of:

First: Did you hear about that Linus Torvalds? He wrote an operating system and distributed to everyone for free
Second: Ah Torvalds, a master of his craft. His Linux kernel is widely regarded as one of the finest components of the GNU/Linux operating system, a superbly designed example of technical excellence
First: Oh yes. And if Torvalds were to come round my house, I'd gladly shake him by the hand.
Second: You're right there
First: Mind you, if he were to invite himself in, start making himself some tea without even asking if I wanted some, made a mess all over the kitchen, and ate all my biscuits, I'd be outraged.
Second: As well you might be.
At this point, both characters are seething with rage
First: I'd say "Oi! Torvalds! Noooo! You might be a superb C programmer, and your generousity distributing your operating system for free is well appreciated. But you don't start using up my tea, and making a mess of the kitchen, without my permission!" And I'd give him a slap.
Second: And you'd be well in order there. Bloody computer programmers, think they own everything.

You get the idea. Ok, Enfield and Whitehouse wouldn't choose such a nerdy subject, but you get the gist.

And the moment someone comes up with anything to do with music, Slashdotters go off and do their "Bloody RIAA, think they own everything" act, no matter how inappropriate.

We even saw that with the iTunes Music Store threads. That's the music service backed by the major labels. Those are the labels that fund the RIAA. Everyone saw that in the write ups and they still went into a frothing self-righteous quixotic rage about how the RIAA would try to shut it down.

The RIAA hasn't made any comments to the best of my knowledge about this particular piece of equipment. Nor would they want to. It's as infringing as an MP3 player. It's not a way of transporting music to masses of people anonymously. It'll make no serious dent in piracy terms. And it'll make music more valuable. The RIAA have done some bloody stupid things before, but they're not challenging Apple over the iPod - why would they try to make this illegal?

It gets worse. The writeup implies that the RIAA's solution to what it sees as threats is to go to congress and lobby for new laws. That's bollocks. The only new law the RIAA has lobbied for in recent history concerning copyright infringements has been a law allowing it to hack into computers. It's not a sane proposal - nobody would imply that - but it's a world away from proposing further restrictions on the use of content. For all the RIAA's faults, it isn't the MPAA. The MPAA got the DMCA through onto the statute books, I can't even say for definite if the RIAA supported that law, and it's not something they've encouraged their members to make use of, in the same way as the MPAA built the DMCA protected DVD CSS standards.

Can we at least do ourselves some favours and, if we consider the RIAA the "enemy", presumably in reality for being the representative of music publishers we feel have foisted too much crap on the public and who have treated artists with less respect than they deserve, at least criticise them for what they are, rather than some stereotype of what they might become.

Re:They can try...

[Macadamizer]

"The only new law the RIAA has lobbied for in recent history concerning copyright infringements has been a law allowing it to hack into computers"

Actually, the RIAA was also behind the Copyright office's adoption of licensing fees for webcasters. But overall, I agree with your point -- just thought I would nitpick...

Re:They can try...

[Anonymous Coward]

When you said, The more they try, the more innovations will come along", all I could think of was Leia. "The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers."

Re:They can try...

[yog]

This is just another hard disk recorder; what's the big deal? HD recorders have been around for years. These units are distinguished by the fact that they can encode MP3 and have CF slots, both of which sound like handy features to me but highly unlikely to attract the wrath of our friends at the RIAA. These products start at $2000 which is appropriate for their target market of recording professionals.

You can buy a PC for around $300 or $400 that can record to hard disk and encode MP3 and write to a CF card. So what? Nothing's new here. I like to read about HD recorders because I do some recording work, but this hardly counts as major news for /. Clearly we have a non-news day today.

Re:They can try...

[someone247356]

Actually I can think of a couple of reasons that the RIAA might not like something like this to get into widespread use.

Analog hole - people taking DRM audio playing it into this little puppy and presto, minimal quality loss, unencumbered digital file.

Concert bootlegging - I bet something like this would come in real handy recording a concert.

Non-RIAA audio production - Have you looked at commercial audio products lately? I remember not too long ago (well perhaps I'm dating myself) where most consumer level audio equipment either came with a mic, a built in mic, or both. These days the only thing that records are those little dictation devices recording low quality mono. According to the RIAA people don't create music, they consume it. All "legal " music creation/distribution must, by definition, go through them. Something like this would come in real handy for your folk singer, garage band, night-club rapper to record/distribute their music, RIAA not needed.

Sure, it may be $2,000 USD now, but how much did CD-R drives cost when they first came out? How much does one cost now?

High quality, portable, in the price range of a small band or audiophile. Just one more piece of the puzzle to getting non-RIAA music developed/distributed. The fact that your average Joe can use it to un DRM her music is just icing on the cake. If it's legal, and catches on to any degree, the next version may have 100GB and this one resold for a couple of hundred. Perhaps a version could be sold as a kareoke machine. You never know.....

someone247356

Why mention RIAA? (-2, Flamebait)

[Bonker]

I know, this story is not good enough to be posted just as hardware or audio news.

What's otherwise a fairly interesting piece of hardware has no relation to the RIAA, so it's given one to make it more interesting.

Re:Why mention RIAA? (-2, Flamebait)

[L. VeGas]

no kidding

Well at least they didn't say...

"Looks like a likely candidate for a Linux hack"
or
"This should be a significant challenge to the DMCA".

Re:Why mention RIAA? (-2, Flamebait)

[NanoGator]

"What's otherwise a fairly interesting piece of hardware has no relation to the RIAA, so it's given one to make it more interesting. "

Well, that speculation wasn't entirely baseless. In the mid-eighties the RIAA made a ridiculous stink over DAT machines, worrying about lost cassette sales etc.

I agree it was used to spice up the story (just like the terms "Mozilla, OGG, Kernel, and AMD), but I suspect the author was probably thinking about that. So no, I don't agree with the flamebait comment.

Re:Why mention RIAA? (-2, Flamebait)

[mrscorpio]

I suggest that you, kind sir/madam, do a search on Google to see what happened with the advent of the DAT that has plenty to do with RIAA. You might try starting with "SCMS" for your search. Then, you will see the parallels and reason for concern.

Chris

Re:Why mention RIAA? (-2, Flamebait)

[RatBastard]

Actually the fear the RIAA had with DATs was making digital copies of CDs on tape, not copies of cassette tapes.

Re:Why mention RIAA? (-2, Flamebait)

[Anonymous Coward]

If you stop to consider that the main market for these kind of devices (which have been around for nearly ten years, made by Roland, Tascam, Zoom, Yamaha, etc) is musicians or audio engineers, hence the title "Pro-level", the RIAA would be shooting itself in the foot preventing these devices. The RIAA hasn't moved against any devices made by the manufacturers listed above, even though some can burn CDs, and it would be amazingly unlikely they would move against this one now that the market is so firmly entrenched.

Having been in the music business since the mid-eighties, I can catagorically state that the "ridiculous stink" that the RIAA made over DAT was not about people copying cassettes, but entirely about copying CDs via light pipe. As a result of that, a premium was put on the purchase price of every DAT tape, ostensibly to recoup lost royalties, but in reality the idea was to push the price of blank media way above what consumers would be prepared to pay. DAT failed as a consumer medium because of this, and it didn't matter to the record companies since the $15 per DAT was a tiny fraction of a recording budget.

I very much doubt that the author was thinking about that at all, since it isn't really relevant, and mentioned the RIAA simply to sensationalize the item. Also, Zoom has had an equivalent product available for 18 months now...the RIAA could care less. Sorry, it was flamebait, actually.

Re:Why mention RIAA? (-2, Flamebait)

[Wakko Warner]

What's otherwise a fairly interesting piece of hardware has no relation to the RIAA, so it's given one to make it more interesting.

I've been bootlegging shows with something known as a Digital Audio Tape (DAT) deck for years. I just moved to something known in taper circles as a "laptop with a S/PDIF card in it". These devices, on the surface, seem quite tame at first, as well.

When I saw this thing, I knew my illegal concert bootleg-creating days could continue on!

You are clearly deluded if you think evil music pirates such as myself won't take full advantage of this device. Expect to see me stealing all sorts of live concerts with this thing in a couple of years, and sharing them with everyone I know!

- A.P.

mirror

[kvandivo]

in case micsupply.com doesn't last, purely for mirroring purposes....


http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/~kvandivo/micsupply/722.h tm

Re:mirror

[kvandivo]

sorry.. too much traffic.. had to take it down..

Re:mirror

[LuxuryYacht]

OK.... now it looks like we need a mirror for the mirror.

Re:mirror

[kvandivo]

:) actually, I probably could have handled it, but I didn't clear it before doing it, and I don't want to be a pain for people around here.

Re:mirror

[Brigadoon]

I've chucked my own mirror up (sans one image).

Enjoy


-DS

Re:mirror

[Anonymous Coward]

Not a mirror of micsupply, but this is the product info at Sound Devices's own site...

744T and 722 Audio Recorders

http://www.sounddevices.com/products/7.htm

The way of the RIAA

[Gefiltefish11]

I believe that the long rang plan of the RIAA includes a mandatory international registry for all individuals with any musical talent. This is how it will work:

A RIAA Official, wearing his dress uniform and goose-stepping, will arrive at the door of any family days after it becomes apparent that a child possesses any musical talent. The child will then be promptly escorted to an officially-sanctioned RIAA retraining facility for indoctrination. This methodology will prevent the production of music by any non-sanctioned source, which could be blamed for hurting profits.

/premonition

Re:The way of the RIAA

[Timesprout]

No way. The talent will not be wasted. Said doctrination will involve minor brain surgery to remove creative impulses, insertion of metal pins in hands to remove instrument playing dexterity and a few punches in the throat to reduce vocal quality.

The indoctrine will then be brainwashed with the ability to name their favourite colour, animal and pop star without a moments hesitation for use in interviews. Also inculcated will be the ability to appeal to a certain demographic e.g. the red headed minger, or the pensive (too stupid to respond quickly) groups. The indoctrinee will then be able to fulfill a full and productive life (12 months or so) as a member of a boy/girl band generating loads of revenue for the record companies selling records to naive teeagers and boring the rest of us to death.

Re:The way of the RIAA

[concept14]

I believe that the long rang plan of the RIAA includes a mandatory international registry for all individuals with any musical talent.

Does this mean they are going to drop most of the people who are signed with them now?

Re:The way of the RIAA

[crisco]

Interesting thought. I think a very strong copyright culture has already been created among many musicians.

The musicians I hung around with growing up were pretty paranoid about copyrights and such. Filling out copyright registration forms for the library of congress, mailing yourself registered copies of your casettes and whining about your songs being stolen were often topics for discussion.

While that is no different from the commercial software industry, these same musicians were making extra $$ cranking out cover songs and had learned by picking up music off LPs and casettes.

I think many musicians would have no concept of 'copylefting' any of their music, while retaining traditional ownership of the rest.

Exceptions are out there, the strong sampling/remixing culture in electronic and rap music and the taper culture for many varieties of music are the first that come to mind. But I think the vast majority of musicians have come to believe that the current model is the only way.

Re:The way of the RIAA

[abreauj]

A RIAA Official, wearing his dress uniform and goose-stepping, will arrive at the door of any family days after it becomes apparent that a child possesses any musical talent. The child will then be promptly escorted to an officially-sanctioned RIAA retraining facility for indoctrination. This methodology will prevent the production of music by any non-sanctioned source, which could be blamed for hurting profit

Of course, they will provide several choices. The child can sign with the RIAA, or undergo a drug therapy for the rest of their lives that suppresses psi.. er, musical potential. Or they can just go directly to jail.

It's all to protect the public, of course. "The RIAA is Mother, the RIAA is Father".

Re:The way of the RIAA

[TimTheFoolMan]

You mean BOTH of them? Tim

My interest is fair use?

[VValdo]

My interest is fair use, the ability to record my compositions and performance with studio grade equipment at a reasonable cost.

No, this isn't "fair use"-- fair use is an allowance for you to use someone ELSE'S copyrighted material for a limited purpose-- a review, an excerpt, until recently a sample, etc for certain purposes. What you're talking about is a legitimate use that gives you the SAME powers as the RIAA has for their own copyrighted works. The RIAA can claim that you might use this to infringe on their copyrights. You can argue that they may use the equipment they currently use to infringe on yours.

W

Re:My interest is fair use?

[hawkbug]

Right on man - I'm tired of people equating the RIAA with the government. There are plenty of other reasons to have equipment like this that don't involve infringing on copyrights held by the RIAA. It's just too bad that the average person who holds a copyright doesn't have as much say with Congress as the big guys do...

Re:My interest is fair use?

[bugnuts]

In addition to having nothing to do with fair use and nothing to do with RIAA, most recordings you'd make with it would be legitimate.

If you've ever recorded at a live event like a concert, to get any quality recording you must set up mics that are high enough to pick up the band (and not the idiot in front of you whistling) and be positioned near the center for any reasonable stereo separation. If you're setting up 8' poles with mics and not thrown out of a concert, you're probably not breaking any rules.

Without a proper setup, live recordings will sound horrid, and illegitimate tapings don't have much draw because of the poor sound quality. In fact, you might be able to record for local bands and such as a favor.

Actually I enjoy hearing about stuff like this...

[L0stb0Y]

I could care less if they mention the RIAA or not, I enjoy hearing about interesting new products, especially tech-type toys. So "this story is not good enough" is from your perspective...with your wonderful paradigms...so yes, it was interesting enough for me to read even without the RIAA reference.

(And a dig at RIAA just adds a little bounus humor!)

*Exactly*

[0x0d0a]

This is exactly what I thought, though I was a bit more cynical...if I worked at an audio supply place, I might post something to Slashdot...free advertising on a high-traffic site for only the effort of fabricating an RIAA tie-in.

Of course, it could just be the poster wanting to get his story put up, but the paranoid view is much more fun...

Re:*Exactly*

[sporty]

Not really. It should be a serious concern. The RIAA probably will be over all of this like it has been all over DRM, protected cd's, mp3's cdwriters and the likes.

After all, stereotypical views usually have a seed of truth, no matter how cynical you are.

Re:*Exactly*

[angle_slam]

Not really. It should be a serious concern. The RIAA probably will be over all of this like it has been all over DRM, protected cd's, mp3's cdwriters and the likes.

Why would the RIAA give a damn about this? It is a portable recording device. A simple search turns up these Roland recording devices. It's far from the first hard disk recorder and is far from the best option to do what the RIAA cares about: pirating CDs. (Not to mention that portable DAT recorders have been around for 10 years). The RIAA doesn't care about professional recording devices, only consumer-level.

Re:*Exactly*

[sporty]

Remember, bootlegging is a culture that the RIAA doesn't like. Granted, it's not the first, but if more and more recorders like this show up, it's quite possible the RIAA will butt in.

Re:*Exactly*

[Anonymous Coward]

Not to mention that portable DAT recorders have been around for 10 years

Yes, and the RIAA gets a percentage of all DAT tape sales, which is why they don't care about DAT being out there. This could end up the same, only with HARDDRIVES getting a RIAA tax.

Free As In

[Anonymous Coward]

"I'll copy it if I want, laws and copyright be damned!"

But when the GPL is violated there is a virtual nerd riot here on Slashdot.

Typical "something for nothing" Linux crowd.

Re:Free As In

[Anonymous Coward]

I dare you to explain to me why wanting to record sound to MP3 or WAV is the same as wanting "something for nothing." In addition, I want to know what the hell this has to with Linux.

Just because the original poster said that this device has anything to do with the RIAA doesn't make it so.

Re:Free As In

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, it has legitimate uses.

Doesn't the headline imply to you "hey we can use this to rip off the RIAA and violate copyright laws!"? It sure does to me.

The editors should be more responsible with their headlines. I know they're going to blame the person who submitted it since the editors didn't actually write the headline, but they're the ones who have the final say.

Re:Free As In

[Anonymous Coward]

once you get past a certain level in your thinking, you might realize WHY someone might support the GPL and not the RIAA's use of copyright law.

You do realize one is very different than the other, right?

And yeah, I want something for nothing, they want nothing for something, when we get together it's called a free market.

Keep supporting the GPL and slamming the RIAA, folks...

Re:Free As In

[mugnyte]

..BEER. You equate the GPL with RIAA's use of market dominance to enforce a copyright?

Howabout we get rid of the radio payola system, the ticketmaster lockout contracts, and the central radio ownership to ALLOW OTHER PEOPLE to get their music out and heard.

Dude, nobody argues with the copyright. Its the ramming of the prices down everyone's throat - for a product we KNOW doesn't cost that much. If it walks and talks like a monopoly...

Filesharing copyrighted material is - to me - a form of public protest; civil disobedience. And it's already at critical mass.

Re:Free As In

[Anonymous Coward]

once you get past a certain level in your thinking..

Oh great one I bow down to your typical Slashdot "smarter than thou" syndrome!

you might realize WHY someone might support the GPL and not the RIAA's use of copyright law.

I do realize that. Both sides playing within the rules so what's the problem?

You do realize one is very different than the other, right?

I bow down once again to your superior intellect oh great AC! I kiss your feet for enlightening me with the knowledge that there is a difference between the two!

And yeah, I want something for nothing, they want nothing for something, when we get together it's called a free market.

They want "nothing for something" eh? If I understand correctly the RIAA is giving things away free? They want nothing but are trading something for it?

Keep supporting the GPL and slamming the RIAA, folks...

That's fine with me, but encouraging lawlessness, even nerdy lawlessness in the form of IP theft is uncalled for. Play within the rules, beat them at their own game.

Until posters like yourself realize this there will be a cirle of theft and lawsuits, theft and lawsuits. Nobody will ever win and no compromise will be reached.

Re:Free As In

[Macadamizer]

"You equate the GPL with RIAA's use of market dominance to enforce a copyright?"

This was brought up as a defense in A&M Records, et.al. v. Napster, but was dismissed by the judge in that case. So it's not happening [/sarcasm]

"Filesharing copyrighted material is - to me - a form of public protest; civil disobedience. And it's already at critical mass"

Be careful, though, that you don't end up in jail -- Copyright violations do have a criminal penalty attached to them. And with Summary Judgment being awarded to Grokster and Morpheus, if the RIAA and MPAA can't go after the companies, they'll come after the users -- see RIAA v. Verizon...

Re:Free As In

[Anonymous Coward]

you are brave anonymous coward.

mr. burns is that you?

do you see your stocks fall through the floor?

your wife had 27 plastic surgerys last year and that plan to slam some long distance customers in alaska fall through?

your slush fund run out?

your latest trivial internet patent didn't pass today?

four congressman sent back your special contribution envelopes?

what?

WHAT?

poor you.

why don't you take off that suit and tie, and hang yourself.

Re:Free As In

[nathanh]

"I'll copy it if I want, laws and copyright be damned!"

But when the GPL is violated there is a virtual nerd riot here on Slashdot.

First, it's pretty stupid to equate the "Linux crowd" with the copyright infringing crowd. We're not the freaking borg, you know. Your post proves the point all by itself.

Second, there is no double standard between fighting for free software and "stealing" music. Not that I condone it, but in both cases the person wants "information to be free". Right or wrong, at least it's consistent.

Shhhhhhh......

[t0ny]

If we talk about it really quiet, maybe RIAA will never find out about it...

Re:Shhhhhhh......

[spj524]

I really don't think the RIAA is going to care too much about this. This thing looks like a digital field recorder (see Nagra: http://equipmentemporium.com/recorder.htm).

These things have been out for years. But the price of these looks really good for all of the features! Reliability will be the next test....

Seth

The Underlying Problem

[aster_ken]

I posted this in the Dr. Dre article mentioned earlier, but it seems appropriate for here, too. It's a bit off-topic, so I won't mind it getting moderated as such, but moderators, if you feel the information in this is useful then mod it up so more people will see the resources I have listed.

Yes, the RIAA will hate this.

But that is not the problem.

The underlying problem is this: we have broken intellectual property laws.

The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) has taken America's already stringent copyright, trademark, registration, and patent laws and forced them upon signing members in slightly revised format.

So now all of these broken laws are *entrenched* the world over. Dr. Dre, even as huge (no pun intended) as he is, will not make a difference changing these laws any more than you or I. I've said it before, people. The only thing that will finally fix these problems is getting a *huge* player - someone like AOL/Time Warner, General Electric, or Microsoft to stand up and say, "Hey! We feel that the current intellectual property laws are stifling competition, encouraging frivolous lawsuits with exponentially too large damages, and generally causes the state of mankind's advancement to diminish. Their reach should be reduced, and their protections should be diminished." then we will *not* get IP reform.

So that leaves the average Slashdot reader three choices:

1) Whine about it, do nothing, whine some more
2) Write your congress people, consumer advocate groups, and manufactureres of IP and try to educate them on the true damage that current IP laws are causing
3) Create and support a viable alternative that will gain momentum from consumer and commercial support that eventually can replace current business models and content-creator demand

There are several projects in all three groups that have been started already. Some links:

For item 1: Slashdot.org - seriously, there's more whining on here than just about anywhere else I go.

For item 2: Please note that these links are very US-centric. As I am from the US, I do not know the laws or government structure of other countries and cannot make recommendations on who or what to write.

http://www.house.gov - Write your representative. It is their *job* to voice the opinions of their constituents (though usually they voice the opinions of whoever contributes the most to their campaign fund).

http://www.senate.gov - See above.

http://www.whitehouse.gov - Write the president. Your letter may not be read, but please try.

http://www.aclu.org - American Civil Liberties Union. These guys *try* to protect your freedoms. Try to make this an issue of civil liberties rather than commercial interests.

http://www.eff.org - Electronic Frontier Foundation. DONATE! They need your money to continue fighting our fight!

http://www.futureofmusic.org - Future of Music Coalition. They're trying to come up with a compromise. I don't know if it'll work, but it's worth the reading.

http://www.lp.org - Libertarian Party. Support candidates that support you! The Libertarian Party believes in a system of government that doesn't restrict individual freedoms.

http://www.democrats.org - Democratic Party. Write to their leaders. Encourage their platform to support legislation that would reduce the life of a copyright or encourage the rejection of software and "method" patents.

http://www.gop.org - Republican Party. See above.

For item 3:

http://www.boycott-riaa.com - Discussions on getting the RIAA out of the picture. It's not totally productive, but some good ideas have come from their members.

http://www.boycott-riaa.com/article/6540 - A new peer-to-peer network that may actually get started. Developers and content-creators are especially encouraged to read this article AND the user comments.

http://www.azoz.com - GREAT site. It's the home page of the guy who wrote the previously mentioned article

Re:The Underlying Problem

[Anonymous Coward]

are you screaming for mods or what? idiot. nobody cares about what you have to say.

Re:The Underlying Problem

[Anonymous Coward]

The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) has taken America's already stringent copyright, trademark, registration, and patent laws and forced them upon signing members in slightly revised format.

The WIPO has taken everything and copyrighted it, trademarked it, registrated it, patented it and forced all kinds of stupid laws upon signing (and non-signing) members ...

I just wish the WIPO troll would come back from snott hell and kicked their butts

Re:The Underlying Problem

[Galvatron]

The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) has taken America's already stringent copyright, trademark, registration, and patent laws and forced them upon signing members in slightly revised format.The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) has taken America's already stringent copyright, trademark, registration, and patent laws and forced them upon signing members in slightly revised format.

I think you mean "Europe's," not "America's." The most recent copyright extension was justified on the premise that we ought to bring America's copyright laws into harmony with Europe's. Indeed, Europe is the progenitor of this mess, America didn't even have copyrights until the late 1800's. It's just American corporations that have been most effective at exploiting the situation.

Re:The Underlying Problem

[Anonymous Coward]

>American Civil Liberties Union. These guys *try* to protect your freedoms.

This is complete and utter nonsense. The ACLU used to try to protect your freedom. Now it only will try to protect your freedom if they agree politically with your freedom.

Consider the Boy Scouts, a private organization, which has been under legal and media pressure to accept people into it which don't meet the qualifications as laid out in the Boy Scout bylaws.

Consider the Augusta Golf country club, a private orginzation, which has been under intense NT Times pressure to admit women as members.

Why hasn't the ACLU come to defend the rights of the private Boy Scouts orgizination and the Augusta Golf country club to admit whom they like?

Simple answer, the ACLU does not agree with the politics of either orginization.

ACLu == American Civil Liberties Union

I guess that a private club does not have the liberty to admit whatever members it wants.

Re:The Underlying Problem

[fishbowl]

>(WIPO) has taken America's already stringent
>copyright, trademark, registration, and patent
>laws and forced them upon signing members in
>slightly revised format.

They have not forced anything on anybody. Democratic governments (including the US) have adopted these laws and implemented them. This represents the will of the people who participate in the political process. It also represents the will of the people who choose to ignore the political process, only to whine about it when their collective apathy brought them a government not of their choosing.

Re:The Underlying Problem

[aster_ken]

Alright, folks, thanks for clarifying the European / American bit. I'll take that into account next time I start rambling about copyright. :)

Concerning the ACLU reply, there are laws in this country that forbid even private organizations from discrimating based on race, religion, sex, disability, etc. So the ACLU is protecting the rights of *everyone*. The Boy Scouts, if someone wanted to sue for it, would be required to admit girls, gays, etc. under current law. All forms of discrimination are illegal in America.

Re:The Underlying Problem

[msaavedra]

there are laws in this country that forbid even private organizations from discrimating based on race, religion, sex, disability, etc...All forms of discrimination are illegal in America.

You are wrong. It is perfectly legal for private clubs to bar membership to anyone, for whatever reasons they choose. Private businesses, though, are not allowed to discriminate in hiring on the basis of race and sex. There are currently no federal laws prohibiting discrimination against homosexuals, unless one has been passed recently (with the GOP controlling the presidency and congress, that is pretty unlikely). I'm not sure if discrimination on the basis of age or religion has been made illegal or not.

Anyway, you overstate your case in saying no forms of discrimination are legal, even for businesses. If you are hiring one person from an applicant pool of two, you have to make a value judgment somewhere. Last I heard, discrimination against unqualified applicants is still legal. And even in the case of race and gender, I can think of plenty of examples where it is okay. For instance, actors trying to get a specific role are usually rejected if they aren't the same race or gender as the character.

Re:The Underlying Problem

[freestyle-fiend]

I think you mean "Europe's," not "America's." The most recent copyright extension was justified on the premise that we ought to bring America's copyright laws into harmony with Europe's.

Actually, while the US has been making its "intellectual property" restrictions more draconian to harmonise with Europe, the EU was doing the same thing: making its own laws stronger and more unreasonable to "bring us into line with the US". We have been taken for a ride by our governments.

Re:The Underlying Problem

[mpe]

The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) has taken America's already stringent copyright, trademark, registration, and patent laws and forced them upon signing members in slightly revised format.

The whole process is called "harmonization". But only appears to involve creating new laws. The eventual result would be that everyone will end up more stringent IP laws. Assuming there is actually an "end" and not continual "feature creep".
US laws are not the only contributions here, just so happens that the US was amongst the first to attempt to impliment the WIPO composite.

Karma Whore Time (ps... mod parent above troll)

[Uber Banker]

Parent makes a valid point, pls mod up.

Now, the website looks like it is going tits-up so time for some cut-n-paste:

--ARTICLE BELOW--

Due to arrive late Summer '03

April 17, 2003

Sound Devices quietly previewed two upcoming audio recorders, the 744T and 722, at NAB 2003 in Las Vegas. These products have instantly re-defined portable audio recording and are being viewed as the logical successor to time-code-DAT and portable-DAT recorders. They also bring important new capabilities to audio professionals including portable multi-track recording, non-linear file access, the ability to record to both internal hard drive and compact flash, high-speed data transfers via FireWire, up to 24-bit /96 kHz data rates with high-resolution A/D, native MP3 file encoding, and extended runtime from on-board batteries. The 744T and 722 recorders are slated for availability late summer 2003.

Below is preliminary feature information on one of the two recorders - the two channel 722. As Sound Devices nears introduction, additional product information will be posted. Please bookmark this page and stop by regularly. If you would like to be sent a notice that this information has been updated, drop us your e-mail address and request to be put on the recorder e-mailing list.

About the 722 (2 channel)

Features
Analog Audio Inputs and Outputs

* Two full-featured active-balanced mic/line level inputs with selectable 48 V phantom powering on XLR-3 connectors
* MS stereo matrix
* High-resolution A/D and D/A converters
* Full input-to-output routing matrix
* Mic/line-level selectable outputs on balanced TA3 connectors
* Headphone output on 3.5-mm jack with level control
* Headphone source selection can monitor any input or output, including real time post-record monitoring
* Adjustable high-pass filter on XLR inputs

Display, Metering, and Controls

* Front panel backlit LCD display viewable in all lighting conditions
* Sunlight-viewable LED meter selectable among multiple sources, including analog input levels

Digital I/O

* Two-channel AES input on balanced TA3 connector
* Two-channel S/PDIF input on RCA connector
* AES real time digital outputs on balanced TA3 connector
* S/PDIF real time output on RCA connector

Recorder

* Selectable track arming of track 1 or 2
* Selectable bit depth of 16 or 24-bit (16-bit with or without dither)
* Selectable sampling rates of 44.1, 48, or 96 kHz
* Records to uncompressed .wav or .bwf (mono or poly) files
* On-board MP3 encoding at 128, 192, and 256 kb/s mono or stereo

Data Storage (Medium)

* Internal 40 GB 2.5-inch hard drive (field removable and replaceable)
* CF (type I, II, and + compatible) slot for removable medium
* Recording to internal hard drive, CF, or mirror to both mediums (identical file format)
* Record buffer of 20 second at 24-bit / 48 kHz x 2 (10 seconds at 24/96 x 2)

External Data Interface

* 1394 (FireWire 400) port for high-speed data transfer between local disks and computer. CF and internal drive appear as FAT32 volumes
* Serial port (future expansion)
* Word clock input and output - also allows linking multiple units

Powering

* Removable Lion rechargeable battery compatible with Sony M and L mounts
* Voltage metering on front panel LCD display
* 5-18 VDC input via 4-pin Hirose connector for external powering

Mechanicals

* Class-defining compact design
* Extruded aluminum chassis

Estimated 722 Retail Price: * ~$2000 with 40 GB internal drive

Estimated 744T Price: ~$4000

Please note that features, specifications, and pricing are subject to change...and will. This is not a complete list of features.

--E

Re:Karma Whore Time (ps... mod parent above troll)

[calidoscope]

Hmmmm 722, 744T...

Why do I get the impression that someone is nostalgic for the Crown tape recorders?

Re:Slashdot sucks

[Anonymous Coward]

Slashdot has always sucked. That's why everyone comes back!

Cops!

[blackmonday]

Now, undercover police informants can wear a 24 track surround sound studio!

Re:Cops!

[reverse flow reactor]

24 track! That's the equivalent of 12 (stereo) recorders!

Google Cache

[saitoh]

already /.'ed... Another mirror:

Google Cache

Mod Parent "+1e10, Brutally Fucking Honest"

[Anonymous Coward]

Mod Parent "+1e10, Brutally Fucking Honest"

Re:Actually I enjoy hearing about stuff like this.

[Bonker]

I think the piece of hardware is quite interesting and worthy of a post on Slashdot. Unfortuneately, I nearly passed it up for seeing it as 'Oh, god. Yet another RIAA article.'

Dude The all new iPod is better

[Durendal]

This thing is heavy, ugly and will not fit in my pocket. Does it connect to iTunes? I did not think so! Who needs all that silly storage space and overhyped digital recording stuff anyway.

Apple products are soo much more stylish and streamlined as well. >10% marketshare cannot be wrong.

Re:Dude The all new iPod is better

[Anonymous Coward]

nice, apple users are too stupid to understand sarcasm. It's a troll, numbnuts!

Re:Dude The all new iPod is better

[Anonymous Coward]

Your joke would have been funnier if you had used the correct figure of >2% marketshare...(Currently about 2.4%)

Hmmm

[Lxy]

This device is an odd one. A professional MP3 recorder? Isn't that like saying you bought an italian leather sofa then covered it with drop cloths as not to get it dirty?

On one spec, it says:
* Selectable bit depth of 16 or 24-bit (16-bit with or without dither)
* Selectable sampling rates of 44.1, 48, or 96 kHz

Impressive, that's what most digital recorders can do. Then it follows with:
* On-board MP3 encoding at 128, 192, and 256 kb/s mono or stereo

A professional device that will do MP3, but only at crappy levels. Most high end gear encodes at 320K at least.

If you can do without MP3 support, Mackie, Alesis, and others have beautiful 24 track HD recorders that will record in 96K/32bit. Sure, it gets hefty for drive space, and it's 2U. Priced around $2K it's comparable, but offers better quality over more channels. Take your pick, but this little device doesn't seem worth the money.

Re:Hmmm

[swb]

Pro, shmo, I'd love to have a stereo audio MP3 HD recorder, but only if its ipod sized and is suitable for recording live shows.

Re:Hmmm

[jred]

Try the Archos units. I have the Multimedia 20, and have used it to "bootleg" some local shows. I say bootleg because I just sat at the bar & recorded, but I had the bands' permissions.

The biggest problem I had was the levels being maxed out. The sound was ok using the built-in mics, but I believe you can add external mics. I know you can plug into the board using the line-in (RCA).

Slighty larger & heavier than the iPod, but feels more sturdy to me.

Re:Hmmm

[caino59]

read the rest of the text...

it also does uncompressed audio too..in 96/24, which isn't bad.

it's just that directly to mp3 is a nice feature, especially if you want to quickly distribute the files, great for someone who freely trades their music.

now i know everyone wants to see...say it with me now...OGG support...hah.

that's supposed to be funny....
*looks down, and walks away*

Re:Hmmm

[extra88]

How about the Archos Jukebox Recorder 20? I haven't used one, I just found this when a professor was asking about something to do field recordings (I actually suggested the Multimedia Jukebox for her because she wanted a place to put her digital photos and you can buy a memory card reader for the Multimedia Jukebox). It's not iPod sized but it's still pretty small.

The specs say this can do up to 160Kbps encoding. I read a user comment somewhere that the built-in mic tends to pick up the hard drive noise but it has "Stereo Digital Line In/Out, Stereo Analog Line in" and you probably wouldn't use the built-in mic anyway.

Archos's Ondio is even smaller than the iPod and can record up VPR 160Kbps MP3s through line-in. It has 128MB Flash memory instead of a hard drive but is expandable with MultiMediaCards. You might not be able to make it through one show on just the 128MB but certainly could with an additional MMC. Again, I haven't used any of Archos's stuff, I just came across it on their web site.

Re:Hmmm

[Anonymous Coward]

just some thoughts....

but this little device doesn't seem worth the money

little, until you consider field recording.

for field recording, the size is right, because lugging around a 24-track HD recorder is just not an option at music festivals at remote locations (say, 8,000 feet in the colorado rockies - http://www.nedfest.com). you want something that's relatively small. i've seen some of these units you mentioned, and they're a little large for my taste.

another problem with larger units is the power requirements. smaller units can be run off smaller (and therefore more portable) power sources, which is a good thing, especially if power in the venue in which you are recording is sketchy or unavailable.

i agree though, the price point is a little high. one of the better portable DAT recorders (the TASCAM DA-P1) sells for around $1200. when these units hit that price point, i'll probably consider buying one.

and i agree with you on the mp3 option - who cares. if i'm going to record at 24/96, the last thing i'm going to do is create an MP3 for it. i'm gonna leave it digital on a particular medium and use an outboard A/D converter that can handle those bitrates for playback.

my biggest gripe is that i've seen this all before - these devices always get advertised, but they never actually seem to get created. terminal vaporware. ugh.

stephen

Re:Hmmm

[Anonymous Coward]

This is aimed at a different market to the large HD recording racks. If, 20 years ago you were the kind of person who wanted a Nagra mark VI, then this is for you. If you have never heard of a Nagra mark VI, then you don't do Outside Broadcast/ field recordings, and you should look to other products. The main points of this device are: Portability (which Mackie, Alesis, etc are NOT), built-in sync (not a big feature on any Alesis machine) and, most important, BATTERY POWER.

I would like to see you running after a camera lugging 24 microphones, a 2 unit rack enclosure, a HUI desk and enough extension cord to cover a football field...very funny indeed.

As for the MP3 capacity: if you're converting to MP3 at any bit rate, you are compromising quality. There are situations where you need MP3 precisely for its high compression (reporting via email for example), but if you want high quality, stick with uncompressed and just change the hard drive when required.

This is a piece of portable, broadcast quality equipment. From the point of view of someone who does recording for film and video, this device looks great, and not unreasonably priced given the features (as long as the mic pres aren't too noisy...). If you don't need something you can carry, don't buy one. If you need 24 tracks, don't buy one. If you want something that will record in the field, give you a format you can transmit easily, and will sync with any other piece of broadcast gear with just a cable, buy this. It does look good, you just need the right eyes (open ones).

Re:Hmmm

[goosman]

I can do all of this already. So what's so great about this new device ?

I haven't had this device in my hands yet, but from what I can tell it's a pro device in a ruggedized package. It has a lot of the features that a professional would require and would take a beating in the field. Your Zaurus doesn't even compare to this piece of gear. Having done film shoots in completely crappy conditions (rain, dust, mud, snow, you ge the idea...) I can say at least a couple things: One, if I showed up to record with a Zaurus, I'd be sent away and never called for a job again, and Two, that Zaurus would be toast in a matter of minutes.

Your Zaurus is a fine tool for certain things, but this is not one of them.

I guess to answer your question, what is so great is that it includes a lot of features at a great price. Compare it to the HHB unit that was mentioned elsewhere...$10k+ so $2k is pretty reasonable.

Re:Hmmm

[Dr. Spork]

You're right that 256Kbps is far too crappy for an MP3. However, an MP3 made at a sampling rate of 96 kHz with 24 bit encoding would sound much better than a CDA file twice its size.

I think it makes sense to have a portable recorder that lossy-compresses the input. Since storage space will always be limited in a portable device, compression gives you at least 5X more recording time. It sure beats the alternative, which is to record uncompressed at only 44 kHz and 16 bits. That sounds terrible--merely CD quality.

So yeah, these guys dropped the ball. To me it's a no-brainer that they need compression up to at least 1Mbps with 96kHzX24b. But that will still make smaller files than crappy CD wav's.

Re:Actually I enjoy hearing about stuff like this.

[L0stb0Y]

I see what you mean now...RIAA = MUST NOT READ, or the RIAA mind corps. will be at your house soon! :)

Come on, miss out on any dig on the RIAA? For shame ;)

Anyway, I misunderstood the point of your original post....

And the inevitable posts...

[Anonymous Coward]

1. Does it run Linux?

2. Imagine a Beowolf cluster of these...

or a recent variant:

3. Can Apple make a profit from it?

Why would they hate that, how about ...

[binaryDigit]

It's a very expensive product geared towards the professional. What the RIAA would REALLY hate would be an iPod with SPDIF inputs and the ability to connect to other iPods via firewire. You could then connect your cd player directly to your iPod and then transfer directly from iPod to iPod, all without leaving the digital domain and with no lossy compression.

Re:Why would they hate that, how about ...

[Anonymous Coward]

No shit. To avoid that problem, I'm not going to tell you about the $600 product with a 40GB hard drive that's getting great field reviews and has all those features.

Re:Why would they hate that, how about ...

[Glonk]

It's a very expensive product geared towards the professional. What the RIAA would REALLY hate would be an iPod with SPDIF inputs and the ability to connect to other iPods via firewire. You could then connect your cd player directly to your iPod and then transfer directly from iPod to iPod, all without leaving the digital domain and with no lossy compression.

The FireWire version of the Nomad Zens allow you to transfer from Zen to Zen with the latest firmware.

Re:Why would they hate that, how about ...

[Anonymous Coward]

The 2nd gen ipods already have this feature supported in the hardware. Its just a matter of time till apple decides to release the firmware with this publicly enabled.

Have a look:
http://www.ipoding.com/modules.php?op=modlo ad&name =News&file=article&sid=1137

Uhh..cost effective?

[flyneye]

My interest is fair use, the ability to record my compositions and performance with studio grade equipment at a reasonable cost

for thousands less,couldnt you just build a good desktop system with a wide choice of hardware and software and even operating systems(hey,DeMuDi is getting close i understand)
If portability is important,perhaps protools and a laptop.Even building a lunchbox computer would be cheaper.

RIAA nightmare?

[autopr0n]

What, this would make it slightly more easy to bootleg concerts. Why the hell would the RIAA care about that?

They're worried about faster then real-time exponential distribution (i.e. file sharing to everyone quickly).

It's not like concerts are hard to bootleg. Whoever made this thing has a wrote this thing has a serious ego problem.

Re:RIAA nightmare?

[Anonymous Coward]

Whoever made this thing has a wrote this thing has a serious ego problem.

Whoever made this post has a wrote this post has a serious grammar problem.

Doesn't matter.

[supabeast!]

Wow, cheap recording equipment for the low-budget musician without a G4.

Unfortunately, it still won't produce the kind of album you get from a multimillion dollar staff of producers and engineers, and those are the guys who really make albums that sell.

Re:Doesn't matter.

[mcpkaaos]

Plug this... Presonus Firestation

Into your PC running this... Cubase SX

Hey super, you now have the same recording capability as many studios claiming to run ProTools HD (which your million dollar studio is most likely running.) And before you holler about recording quality, lemme tell you that it's 90% engineer, 10% equipment, and I'm being generous to the equipment.

The cost? Under a grand if you don't buy at Guitar Center. ;) I think I paid around $500 for the Firestation and $340 for Cubase SX.. both new and in the box. And you don't even need pre's for your mic.. the Firestation has nice tube preamps on channels 1 & 2.

The best part? You don't need a mac. Sorry mac users, it's true. Thanks to firewire the PC has caught up. And before someone starts shouting Digi001 or Digi002 and the omnipresent ProTools or the venerable Logic Audio... the only real difference between the production suites anymore is interface and editing tools (and *not* sound quality, no matter what you're told.)

Just my opinion. :)

--
mcp.kaaos

Re:Doesn't matter.

[supabeast!]

Great. You still aren't the Neptunes, Puffy, or Missy Elliot, which is why the albums they produce go platinum, and you just record stuff nobody else wants in your basement. Talent cannot be bought.

Re:Doesn't matter.

[Anonymous Coward]

Absolutely right...talent can NOT be bought or created.
Top 10 hits CAN and ARE created.

We could go on in circles on this topic (I have to deal with an italian mechanic who keeps repeating that Stallone is a great actor based on the amount of hit movies hes been in) but I could spend 1 week jamming in a club in your town and easily find at least a dozen artists with more talent than the ones you mentioned.

Talent and commercial success have little to do with each other.
You can have a hit with no talent but you can not have a hit wihtout the right business connections.

Of course, I presume that you feel that the Spice Girls, NSync Kids on the Block and multitudes others who were created (as in the famous ad which said "singing talent not necessary) than some local jazz musician who has been honing his art for decades.

Its all a matter of taste....just like food.
Hell, McDonalds must be the best food on the planet since its the most eaten.

zeke

Re:Doesn't matter.

[mcpkaaos]

Two words:

Milli Vanilli.

I rest my case.

--
mcp.kaaos

Re:Doesn't matter.

[Anonymous Coward]

Not true.
I'd argue promotion has more to do with it than the studio for which you need fistfulls of $$$$

There lots of "bedroom" recording artists (*ahem*, i don't mean porn here) who have had success when taken on by a label with enough muscle to promote them; the first Gomez album was (largely) recorded in their garage for example. Most examples are probably in the dance genre though.

Sweeeeeeet!

[Anonymous Coward]

* 1394 (FireWire 400) port for high-speed data transfer between local disks and computer. CF and internal drive appear as FAT32 volumes
* Serial port (future expansion)

screw the firewire! I am gonna transfer that data over the serial port!

Re:Sweeeeeeet!

[stratjakt]

The serial port could be 20 times faster than the firewire for all you know.

Firewire is serial too.

Re:Sweeeeeeet!

[FuzzyBad-Mofo]

Yeah baby, bring on the 115200 bps goodness! I'm sure that leaves this so called 'firewire' in the dust. What's that, IEEE-1394 transfers data in excess of 1Gb/s? Err..

Re:Sweeeeeeet!

[Anonymous Coward]

screw the firewire! I am gonna transfer that data over the serial port!

Does it support kermit?

Re:Sweeeeeeet!

[Anonymous Coward]

w00t! FAT32!

I've been following this...

[WookieOnTheRun]

Ok, there are some problems with both of these units. I've been following their production from the get-go as I work within the audio industry. First off every single thing core sound has made in the past is CRAP. Poorly made, known to occasionally damage audio gear and so on. Look at their sony 7 pin cables. They are horrible. On top of this these units arent ready for their intended purposes. They are supposed to be for live concert audio recording, however at 24/96 or 24/192 neither unit can handle over 2 hours of recording (most live shows run over that). If I want to record in 16/44.1 Ill go back to using my DAT's.

Re:I've been following this...

[jokell82]

You seem to be mistaken about a few things...

First, the devices are not made by Core Sound, they're made by Sound Devices. Core Sound was only mentioned because of their PDA recorder which was mentioned here recently. And yes, generally their products are crap and most of the time they're just vaporware, never even being released.

Second, they are not limited to two hours of recording. They are, however, limited to 2 gigabytes for each wav file, but this is a limitation of the format, not of the device. It appears that the devices also record in .bwf files, which they state are uncompressed. I assume that this is to get around the 2 gig limit.

Most of us that do record live concerts think that they have excellent potential. The only reason anyone is thinking twice about them is because of the preamp built in and whether or not it's at the same level as a MiniMe or a Lunatec V3.

Re:I've been following this...

[WookieOnTheRun]

Well both allow for a digi in which renders the pre needless. Its a progression but for the same money I can have a laptop and a motu or a multiset or even one of the emagic convertors and have a much better piece of gear.

Re:I've been following this...

[Read Icculus]

So are the people who are thinking twice about it right? For $4K I sure hope so.

Re:I've been following this...

[scott brown]

>>They are supposed to be for live concert audio recording, however at 24/96 or 24/192 neither unit can handle over 2 hours of recording (most live shows run over that). advice: don't speak if you have no idea what you're talking about the sound devices units will be able to split files at 650 megs, 1 gig, 2 gigs or 4 gigs. it'll record as long as you want, provided you have the disk space

Re:I've been following this...

[scott brown]

dammit, my quoting didn't work. that said advice: don't speak if you have no idea what you're talking about the sound devices units will be able to split files at 650 megs, 1 gig, 2 gigs or 4 gigs. it'll record as long as you want, provided you have the disk space

Re:Actually I enjoy hearing about stuff like this.

[gilesjuk]

Well it becomes the responsibility of the venue's security staff to prevent illegal bootlegs of gig. I can't see how the RIAA would care.

If they banned all devices capable of infringing copyright then you would have no samplers, digital or analog recording tools and no computers.

So is pro-level MiniDisc or DAT recorders...

[questionlp]

that ignore SCMS or any other form of "copy protection" scheme that they have put in place in the consumer version of the products a nightmare for the RIAA? I don't think so... it would be a nightmare if pro-level equipment are mandated to have such restrictions!

I think the device is a progression from DAT, just like how there are hard-drive modules for DV video cameras as another storage device to store recorded data. Tape is fine, but not if you need to record long sessions or need to be able to work on them using NLE or audio tools without having to do some form of DV tape or DAT tape to file transfer as an interim step.

Re:Actually I enjoy hearing about stuff like this.

[brer_rabbit]

(And a dig at RIAA just adds a little bounus humor!)

Humor? It's pure FUD and it doesn't add anything to the content. I don't mind a bit of opinionated journalism but this type of unsubstantiated comment is unwarranted.

Question

[gazbo]

Why would the RIAA, representing the biggest labels and by extension artists in the world, care about you recording your hilarious retro-arcade techno with William Shatner samples over the top?

They wouldn't. The RIAA care about you stealing songs on P2P. Digital recording has been around for a long time. However, there is the question of how you will position the microphones, indeed what types of microphones to have in order to capture the true sound and the room's ambiance. Assuming this is done to a satisfactory standard, who is going to produce it? Oh, right. You. Because as we all know, you are a polymath capable of performing, recording and producing. Oh, you didn't realise that mastering was a step either? Ah well. It's not like anyone's going to be listening.

So I rambled a bit - the point is, this is nothing to do with the RIAA except that they are both associated with music.

Re:Question

[anubi]

I think what the RIAA is afraid of is that they will go through all this trouble, buying off Congress to pass all this law to require DRM technology in all consumer stuff. And all the negotiation and working with Microsoft to incorporate all sorts of crypto-shit in their media players.

Then have the consumer connect one of these to the analog audio-out connector, or across the speaker connection, neatly bypassing everything they've lobbied for.

Kinda like the surprise the homeowner encounters when he buys all the latest security for his front door, and the burglar slips in through the bathroom window.

Re:Question

[commodoresloat]

Why would the RIAA, representing the biggest labels and by extension artists in the world, care about you recording your hilarious retro-arcade techno with William Shatner samples over the top?

Actually, it's the MPAA you have to worry about because of the William Shatner samples.

ADAT has already been killed by 24/96 sound cards

[blueworm]

ADAT was dead a long time ago, you should use an ASIO compatible 24/96 sound card with software that supports it.

Two more

[Brigadoon]

Since my server isn't exactly what I'd consider "Slashdot Effect Ready," here are two more mirrors that should be better suited for it. Be nice or I'll have to take them down.

mirror 2
mirror 3

MOD PARENT UP

[Anonymous Coward]

Thats the most insightful thing I've seen posted in months.

Re:MOD PARENT UP

[commodoresloat]

It's one of the dumbest things I've seen in months; it is bizarre that anyone considers this insightful. This has nothing to do with Linux or the GPL. And it has nothing to freakin' do with the RIAA for that matter; the article author states that he wants a recording device to record his own freakin' music!

Re:MOD PARENT UP

[Anonymous Coward]

if you can't tell the difference, next time we see your stupid ass trying to put out water with a bucket of fire, we'll all know why.

your stupid sorry ass has no cognitive abilities.

Oliver Twist

[Anonymous Coward]

Please sir, may I have some more?

RIAA? Gimme a break

[jokell82]

This device looks so good that the RIAA might try to make it illegal

This is one of the dumbest statements I've read all day. Why would the RIAA give a rats ass about this device? It offers nothing more than PC's can already do. On top of this, it is not a consumer device, so the chance of Joe Blow getting his hands on one (or even figuring out where to buy one) are slim.

This device is meant for location recording. It'll work great for those of us that record live audio, as we'll no longer have to a) carry around laptops or b) spend time converting from formats like DAT. Some people are a little weary of it, however, due to the fact that no one has heard the preamp it uses (but most assume that it's the same as the MP2).

Oh, and if you want to check out the official website and not a vendor's site, here it is.

Call me stupid...

[allism]

but what is a CF slot? (Sorry I am not a hardware person). Is this a slot for a floppy or CD-RW/DVDR-W drive?

Re:Call me stupid...

[NetMasta10bt]

Compact Flash == CF

Like the cards used in a lot of digital cameras or portable MP3 players etc...

Re:Call me stupid...

[Anonymous Coward]

CF is short for compact flash, it's a smaller variant of PCMCIA. Generally used in PDAs and digital cameras as an expansion method. Under linux it presents and ATA/IDE interface, hence a CF memory card on a Zaurus is /dev/hda

Re:Call me stupid...

[allism]

Ok, I REALLY feel stupid now, we have two disks-on-key, one of which I bought my husband last week....

Re:Call me stupid...

[allism]

And now I feel really REALLY stupid, cause that's not the same thing either. I am too tired to be trying to think about stuff, let alone posting... :/

$2000/$4000? Why not Minidisc?

[jetkust]

I'm no expert on audio, but I've always been interested in portable audio recording. $2000/$4000 seems kind of steep to me. What advantages does a device like this have over a much cheaper minidisc recorder with a good microphone? Anyone think its worth the money? Or are their other alternatives, like a laptop with a good sound card or something?

Re:$2000/$4000? Why not Minidisc?

[WookieOnTheRun]

I'll tell you why not MD for recording. ATRAC compression sounds HORRIBLE. Also you need a good mic pre & a/d convertor none of which MD has. MD is greatly frowned upon by the recording industry. It is a purely low grade consumer media.

Re:$2000/$4000? Why not Minidisc?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'll tell you why not MD for recording. ATRAC compression sounds HORRIBLE. Also you need a good mic pre & a/d convertor none of which MD has....

Horrible? to an audiofile maybe, but I don't think it's all that bad for a prosumer. in fact it serves as a kind of compressor/limiter which for non-pro people can be quite beneficial.

Re:$2000/$4000? Why not Minidisc?

[alannon]

The reason why is that you cannot purchase, for love or money, a minidisc recorder that will allow you to transfer digital data from the recorder to a computer. Sony has made special sure of this and there are a hell of a lot of pissed-off minidisc owners over it. Since all new minidisc recorders come with USB ports, it would be trivial to add this capatability in, but Sony has kept it off. This makes a minidisc recorder useless to me and many, many other people, particularly musicians.

Re:$2000/$4000? Why not Minidisc?

[zakezuke]

Laptop with a good soundcard, you do have a valid point to a degree. As long as your laptop supported 24bit 96kHZ recording, and was fully equiped to handle mike and line level inputs.. then yea. But most laptops are only released with support for 16bit 48kHz, just slightly above CD. I'm not aware of any PCMCIA cards that offer this fuctionality but you, but it wouldn't be far fetched for this to exist.

Mini disc, well you don't really have a valid point on. I don't remember the exact size of mini-disk, but I believe it's about 120megs per disk highly compressed. Doesn't really compare. Mini-disk isn't really adquate for something you'd wish to publish.

The advantage of this unit to you for example would be the fact that records at twice the sampling rate of CD, higher bitrate, is compatable with the prefered connections used in recording rather then consumer grade solutions like the mini disk.

I don't mean to flame you at all, you are asking a very logical question. But imagine if you were an audio professional, who considered buying a laptop for portable recording. This would run you a good chunk of change for software and the hardware, $1000-$2000 would be reasonable for such a device that records at CD-quality. Then imagine if someone offered you a digital recording device, something that doesn't need a computer to operate, but has the ability to download quickly and be manipluated for publishing. Assuming your application is exclusivly recording sound, the cost for the stereo unit is comparable to what you'd spend on a kick ass laptop.

Clearly you are happy with mini-disk... lots of people are. It's a great consumer grade product which provides (though some would argue) quality superior to cassette what is termed, *near CD quality*. I'm not knocking them at all, far from it. Mini-disc has done wonders to giving home users the ability make pretty brilient recordings. However when you start maniplulating sounds, you really don't want something that is compressed. A few transformations on it, and it will sound like crap. Your master recordings these days you want atleast uncompressed CD quality.

Is $2000 spendy? Well, compair to a Sony portable dat recorder fetching somewhere along the lines of $800. It's going to offer 16bit up to 48kHZ recording ability, which is most adquate for audio mastering, very portable, going to need some extras to plug into a mixing board, but will not provide 20gigs of storage nor firewire for quick transfer to a system, nor will it provide 24bit 96kHz sound quality.

But if you one to say mini-disc suits your needs, then great. To be honest, I have a hard time determining the diffrence between *some* mini-disk recordings and CDs. Mini-disk is cool. It's not CD quality, but most people don't notice. It just doesn't nessicarly meet the minium requirements for publishing a CD on a professional level, which just takes up more space then a mini-disk can hold. Dat, Adat, and digital recording is much prefered.

Re:$2000/$4000? Why not Minidisc?

[rco3]

Horrible? to an audiofile maybe, but I don't think it's all that bad for a prosumer. in fact it serves as a kind of compressor/limiter which for non-pro people can be quite beneficialr a prosumer. in fact it serves as a kind of compressor/limiter which for non-pro people can be quite beneficial.

Thus explaining why it's worth the extra money. ATRAC *does* sound like crap, and people who CAN hear the difference are often willing to pay extra for a piece of gear which *doesn't* sound like crap.

It's pro gear, records in a pro format, and costs pro money. What's the problem? Oh, yeah, this quote: "I'm no expert on audio, but..." STOP!

How about "I'm no expert in video cards, but why is this $500 nVidia card better than my $10 ATI Rage 3D? They both display at 1024x768..."

It's better because it's better. Got tin ears? You don't need a recorder that does 24/96. Go buy a walkman.

Re:$2000/$4000? Why not Minidisc?

[bobcat7677]

Minidisk is OK, but the real advantage here is a BIG disk (40GB) to store sound data to. $2000+ is pretty steep though for this as a laptop setup with a professional audio capture card will do the exact same thing for at least $500 less and have more functionality. Also, if it's ultra-portable you are looking for, a nomad also offers firewire interface and an internal HDD and goes for around $250. Obviously it doesn't have all the pro features like built in mic pre-amps. But for most normal people that won't matter as they will want to pull the signal off some line out signals anyway, not direct mic signals. The mic pres are pretty pointless except for some very specific broadcast applications. ...Or all those people out there trying to covertly record live performances I guess. I don't understand that though... the poor sound quality you would get out of holding even the best mic out in the audience of any performace is going to suck to the point of making the use of any high quality recording gear completely and utterly pointless. Nomad 3 -> http://www.nomadworld.com/products/Jukebox3/specs. asp

Re:$2000/$4000? Why not Minidisc?

[Raffaello]

With a laptop, Mbox (small enough to be quite portable), good mics, and ProTools LE, you have an affordable, portable, professional recording solution. Professional as in, pros use exactly this setup to do recording, editing, and mixing when on the road.

Buy an iBook, or G4 PowerBook, and the above Digidesign hardware and software. That's what real pros do.

See Digidesign's website .

Re:$2000/$4000? Why not Minidisc?

[jeff.paulsen]

You aren't really making an apples-to-apples comparison. The 722 has two XLR connectors, allowing balanced connection to microphones, and can also provide phantom power. To get an MD unit with this capability, you have to look at something like the HHb PortaDisc, which sells for about $1350. Otherwise you'd want to get an outboard mic preamp for your mics, and provide it with power, and then it's no longer a one-box solution.

So, now the question is what do you get for that last $500? The 722 has 24bit/96khz recording, as opposed to something rather less than 16/44.1 for MD, and 722 records raw digital, as opposed to MD compressed.

What about the 744T, Sonic Devices' $4000 unit? It can record 4 tracks at a time (2 analog and 2 digital). The next step up from that might be the HHb PortaDrive, which can record 8 tracks at once.

Re:$2000/$4000? Why not Minidisc?

[mrscorpio]

Instead, you just need a digital soundcard (came included with my Soyo Dragon Plus motherboard) and an actual component MD recorder (not portable, like my Sharp MD-R1 I got NIB off e-bay 2 years ago for $120 after shipping).

Chris

Re:$2000/$4000? Why not Minidisc?

[Anonymous Coward]

what about a edirol interface (http://www.edirol.com/products/audio.html), good mics, and a laptop? Would that be equivalent?

gangalee at comcast.net

Why MP3?

[kasperd]

I prefer OGG, my experience with OGG in comparision with MP3 is:

• Faster compression
• Smaller files
• Better sound quality
• Free technology

So what good reasons remain for using MP3? (Except from the tons of pirat MP3s you can download from the net.)

Re:Why MP3?

[stratjakt]

You can stream your mp3 in realtime, and do your live internet concert.

That and noone gives a shit about OGG.

Re:Why MP3?

[ocelotbob]

I give a shit about ogg. It gives better sound quality than mp3s, and usually gives a bit smaller filesize. Plus, you can stream vorbis files just fine. There are several places on the internet doing so as we speak. Just because you're ignorant to them doesn't mean they don't exist.

Re:Why MP3?

[Second_Derivative]

Sorry, I'm quite sure that OGG sucks compared to MP3. Especially at low bitrates it absolutely slaughters the sound compared to MP3. I use OGG anyway, but out of ideological preference, not technical.

Re:Why MP3?

[valkraider]

What is OGG? Or are you referring to Ogg?

Re:Why MP3?

[BitterOak]

So what good reasons remain for using MP3? (Except from the tons of pirat MP3s you can download from the net.)

Err, well, how about the fact that I have yet to see a portable or car CD player that plays a CD-ROM full of Ogg-vorbis files? When I'm at home, I can listen to my orignal CDs. There's no need for compression. When I'm on the road, I don't like to take my thousand or so CDs with me. But I need something to play the music on. So far, the only devices I know of that will play Ogg Vorbis files are PCs!

Re:Why MP3?

[Anonymous Coward]

This will play vorbis files. http://www.neurosaudio.com/

Re:Why MP3?

[spinkham]

Define low bitrate.
At 64k, vorbis absolutly eats MP3's lunch. Pretty much anything 128kb or under, vorbis has an advantage. The lame is still better tuned for getting the maximum possible sound quality for the minimum amount of space, and for that reason it's my general choice if space doesn't allow for lossless compression. For anything less then 128k, vorbis and AAC have a pretty good lead over mp3.

Re:Why MP3?

[kasperd]

I'm quite sure that OGG sucks compared to MP3.

I can hardly tell the difference between OggVorbis at 45kb/s and the original noncompressed CD. Try MP3 at 45kb/s! I never saw one, the lowest bitrate I have seen used for MP3 encoding was 64kb/s, and the result certainly wasn't good sound quality.

Re:Why MP3?

[kasperd]

Err, well, how about the fact that I have yet to see a portable or car CD player that plays a CD-ROM full of Ogg-vorbis files?

Today designing such a player with MP3 support but no OggVorbis support sounds like a bad idea. The fact that with the same storage capacity you can get more music at a better quality really should be the killer argument for such a device. And of course the MP3 royalities doesn't make the device cheaper, so at some point it would even be stupid to include MP3 support.

Re:Actually I enjoy hearing about stuff like this.

[L0stb0Y]

Humor in the fact that it brought a smile to my face.

FUD, whatever~ so don't read it.

Mp3 isnt its main intended use. [was Re:Hmmm]

[saitoh]

I see the mp3 encoding only as an added benefit/feature and the line right above it which says "record to uncompressed wav" as being its intended use.

Also, you figure this isnt much bigger then 2 hdds stacked together since the XLR imputs are about the size of a quarter (maybe slightly smaller) and the two imputs take up a little more then 1/3rd of the end of the unit.

As I see it, this is as the post stated and the next step in DAT recording for the field (as many of those features listed will/could be used in field taping) and not a "pro mp3 recorder".

Page

What this thing really needs...

[Anonymous Coward]

...is a built in compressor/limiter. Then the amatures would grab it too. This may not produce the 'best' sound in the world but a good compressor/limiter combo would consistently produce very good sound for the hobby people (or pod people).

I can't even begin to tell people how valuable my minidisc recorder has been in recording DJ sets because of the built in compression functions like a compressor/limiter.

Nice unit....

[zakezuke]

Much more in the way of jacks then for example the sony walkman dat recorder that i've experenced in the past. Not nearly so portable, and likely not nearly so quiet, but hey, looks like the perfect thing to jack into a mixing board.

It's nice to see someone designing goods that are ment to be modular. Part of the reason 4mm dat was attractive to me back in the 20th century was the fact that it was also a computer media standard and one could, in theory, pop it in a system for digital editing. Alas because of issues with the RIAA, it was a pain in the butt to get the drives though successfully upgraded the rom on a old HP unit and got something useful.

This unit on the other hand based on what I read is pretty much geared for fast transfer to a system.

I question sometimes the motive behind the RIAA getting on the case on devices who's sole purpose and design are for people who want the ability to master origional materal, rather then music pirates who use the CD. When I see this, I say, "wow, plug into a mixing board and get great recordings of live shows" something that you typicaly need the band's authoration for (well, record label and venue, but let the band fight out that aspect), somehow I suspect that it would be percieved as a great evil. Yea, the great evil the fact that professional grade recording equipment, the type you'd use to master with, is becoming lower in price and more practical for bands to actually own them selves, creating the danger of no longer needing to be signed with labels to get material out.

Whoops

[Anonymous Coward]

My interest is fair use

Damn... my interest is only in unfair use.

A letter from Alalgamated Motors

[mr. methane]

(while I get really annoyed with the thieves who justify downloading music, simply because nobody's sticking their sorry asses in jail yet, now and then I do feel a compulsion to whack some sense into the RIAA. In that spirit...)

Dear Senator Fastpocket,

We at Amalgamated Motors are deeply concerned. The automobile industry is in dire condition, and immediate action is required.

Our sales have been nearly flat since 2001. While some apologists for lawbreakers might blame trivial things like a global economic downturn, big increases in unemployment, or the total meltdown of the telecom sector. We know that's simply not the case.

It's vehicle piracy, plain and simple.

We try to manufacture good cars for the public. We expect the public to buy those cars, and possibly even drive them.

But we simply cannot abide by the rampant vehicle piracy going on. It's become commonplace to see "used car" lots, where one can buy a car from an indivdual who is not us! And who - horrors - may even make a profit re-selling our good(ahem) products!

Not only that, but an entire industry has sprung up blatantly encouraging the open, shameless RENTAL of vehicles.

Surely you can't help but notice that these businesses are located near airports, and are commonly staffed by people who are suspiciously dark in skin tone. The conclusion is obvious: If we allow vehicle rentals, The Terrorists Win. No other conclusion is possible.

The only reasonable solution is more thorough strip-searches of every passenger who fails to display their own car keys when checking in. Especially those who are not wearing federally-approved plaid golf pants.

We also seek federal aid to fund a public awareness campaign against the casual "lending" of vehicles between friends and family members. It's even crept into prime-time television, where it's simply treated as common humor when a teenage boy asks dad if he can borrow the car.

Surely you can understand the dire straits(ka-ching!) our industry is in, as we clash(ka-ching!) with these nickle-and-dime, and even 50-cent(ka-ching!) criminals.

We believe that the highly publicized arrests of the entire staff of Avis, Hertz, and Budget are only reasonable.

So good it's illegal

[siskbc]

Shit, they said that about the damned VCR. Neither their goals nor ours (a broad "us" I realize, but I digress) have changed in 20 years. They want money, we want freedom.

Despite this, they've won. Why? We don't have libbyists! The EFF doesn't have enough money. What we need are for some high-profile geeks that are commercially successful and not particularly political in the real world (read: not Stallman) to openly back the EFF, donating money and such.

Think if the EFF was even as powerful as the ACLU. Stupid laws like the DMCA would be immediately challenged and shit-canned. Copyright wouldn't last millennia. It's time to have these bullshit industry lobbying groups fear us for a change.

Re:So good it's illegal

[Anonymous Coward]

Why? We don't have libbyists!

Quick! Fly in extra people from Libya!

Re:So good it's illegal

[shadowbearer]

"We don't have libbyists!"

Thank God. Those Libby's commercials for canned food were bad enough.

Libby libby libby on the label label labe *click*

SB

What would be more interesting

[Anonymous Coward]

would be diagrams for building your own high-quality music recording device at low cost.

Re:What would be more interesting

[mediahacker]

Too expensive and hard to do.
You need ASICs, surface mount and lots of pure unobtanium.
Rackmount is a different story altogether but portable is over the top. You would be better off with a decent laptop and PCMCIA sound card.

A better solution:

[Anonymous Coward]

Gee. All that sounds like work.

How about if we take the approach of Havel (the leader of the Czech velvet revolution) and massively ignore the confining dictates of the overlords.

To wit: millions of us can simultaneously swap anything we choose over the internet and be unstopable because of our numbers and international diversity. We could even call it KAZAA.

The internet has forever changed the cost of organizing the many.

Re:A better solution:

[renehollan]

How about if we take the approach of Havel (the leader of the Czech velvet revolution) and massively ignore the confining dictates of the overlords

Hmm... there was something, it's just at the edge of my memory... damn. Think, think, thinkkkk!. Some kind of danger, but what was it...

Ah!

... Soviet tanks rolling into Prague in the spring.

Re:A better solution:

[renehollan]

Damn, wrong would-be revolution. I was misremembering 1968.

Take note, though. Timing matters.

Re:Dude, You're getting a Smell!

[teamhasnoi]

You are heavy, ugly and will not fit in my pocket. Do you connect to iTunes? I did not think so! Who needs all that silly brain storage space when you are parroting overhyped marketing about digital recording stuff anyway.

Ner. This is hardly aimed towards an iPod user.

RTFA. Twice.

Another cheap alternative digital recorder

[Anonymous Coward]

The Creative Nomad III costs = $299, can record 16/48 wav for hours on its 20gb drive and also supports mp3-encoded recording at various rates, sounds decent enough for mp3. Barring electrically noisy environments, its unbalanced input circuit is *very* quiet for consumer gear...running on battery with a battery-powered mic preamp, its S/N is low enough not to matter to anyone but a purist. If you want quick and cheap portable digital record and you don't have to run lots of wire between your mic and the unit or hook the thing up to any line-powered stuff, it works great. See http://sound.westhost.com/project66.htm for a preamp circuit that works well.

Re:Another cheap alternative digital recorder

[Anonymous Coward]

Look also at the Archos (although I really can't recommend the multimedia jukebox, it is crap for displaying pictures - however, the MP3 recorder sounds good) and Phototainer a swiss produckt, running Linux (!) on an ARM core.

I bought the Archos, but will give it back tomorrow (it takes forever to load images, cannot do progressive JPGs, no TIFs, and it can not properly scale images and it always has a max res. of 230x230 pixel, even on the TV out :/. But my Phototainer should arrive today and make me happy :-)

RIAA Meeting Tomorrow

[oaf357]

RIAA Robot #1: Did you guys see that post on /.? RIAA Robot #2: The one where it said we'd try to ban that recording device? RIAA Robot #1: Yea! RIAA Robot #3: We can, right?

GPL is the only legal defense vs. stupid IP laws

[nyet]

if our IP system weren't so hopelessly corrupt, the GPL would not be needed.

ADAT Safe - for now at lest

[rlillard]

ADAT recorders have 8 channels of storage per unit. Multiple units can be ganged together to create very wide multi-track recorders. This device, clever as it is, only records two tracks. This makes it good for making demos and such, but not suitable for professional studio work intended for commercial release.

The suits will probably get their knickers in a twist if it doesn't support SCMS though.

It will make for some killer audience and board tapes though. Too bad this didn't exist back when I was making "Dead" tapes. Sigh....

That's funny moron

[Anonymous Coward]

Except that a car is a physical product that once bought, the producer the compensated.

Music is "intellectual" property. Notice how I put that in quotes. Probably because you are too fucking stupid to figure that copying a song and giving it out is nowhere near like buying a car and renting it out.

Another slashbolt mental midget.

So, you were off planet...

[nyet]

... during the VCR and DAT flaps?

Are you still missing the connection, or do you need a sharp thwack with a cluestick?

Nice

[j_kenpo]

Actually a very nice device, but it lacks the ability to do SMPTE time code output (for syncronization with external devices such as the Pangolin Quadmod series laser display systems), but then again, you can sacrifice an audio channel and use an external device such as an Aquilla time code unit for this. And for a brand new device, being much cheaper than the ADATs were when they came out, this seems like a very good alternative to the bulkier rack mount solutions such as the TASCAM 24/24.

Best damn portable music player ever created

[Anonymous Coward]

Best damn portable music player ever created

Re:The way of the RIAA- The Notes Corp?

[Anonymous Coward]

Sounds like the Psy Corp in Babylon 5.... Could it be that the RIAA is actually run by the Shadows?

Re:Question Why

[ratfynk]

I have and still use 4 track reel to reel, You see I am a Classical Guitarist and find that DAT and ADAT equipment suck! I use a Mackie 1202 to mix down and find that the results with real hall sound and mics is far more musical. This new tech seems to come a little closer to high grade portable use for acoustic musicians, who use their ears and not gizmos or brain dead sound card software to record music. As for mic placement most recording engineers do not have a clue about how to mic classical guitar, so I have needed to become an expert.

The reality is that mike technology has not made any great advances since the 1950s.
Just give a listen to DGG recordings on the Archive label from 1960-62, what they did with tape, tubes and great mics back then puts most modern digital crap to shame! I suggest Bachs Mass in B minor, if you want to hear great recording.
These things were done long before Polydor or Sony polluted the waters.

Gratitude?

[contrabassoon]

Their site: Welcome to MicSupply.com This page is temporarily unavailable due to excess server traffic caused by the kind folks at Slashdot. Thanks for the warning guys. My e-mail to them: Slashdot can't go around warning people they're going to post a link. Should CNN, Yahoo, msn, cNet do the same thing when they give you free promotion??? Most retailers would actually be extatic if their e-commerce site got tens of thousands of exposures.
Check out the Manufatures site

Re:Gratitude?

[no_code_charlie]

I'm relatively new here, but has anyone already thought of this: Slashdot could mirror each site that its articles link to for a 24-hr period. (For that 24-hr period, the slashdot article would point to the slashdot mirror and thereafter, to the original site.) I used to laugh everytime I tried to load a page from a slashdotted site; now it just pisses me off.

Re:Gratitude?

[BFaucet]

The problem with this is it can piss a lot of companies off. Why? Well most big web sites are funded by advertising. Having hundreds of /. readers viewing their site is a lot of income. Were /. to make a mirror of their site, all that income would dissappear. I think this is actually considered theft by many sites... not sure what the courts feel.

Contacting the web master asking permission before posting would take far too long.

Me, I think if the site doesn't have any ads /. should mirror it for a couple days and email the web master letting them know and offering to take the mirror down if the web master so desires. In the event there are ads they should email the webmaster of whatever site asking permission and while waiting for a response post the story as is... but this would be a whole lot of work for /.

Keep in mind I'm an idiot, so my thoughts should be taken with a 25 lb. grain of salt or three.

Re:Gratitude?

[UrGeek]

Screw these winey little babies! Doesn't anyone appreciate free publicity???? Instead, check out www.archos.com. Somewhere, I here these little jewels are quite hackable, too. And gawd, get real! Do you really except to have a noise floor at 120 db when you have mini-mikes in your hat at a live show? 24-bit/96 kHz only makes senses in a well built studio.

Re:Gratitude?

[ratfynk]

Maybe they might switch to a NUX server! And have to hire a few ./ geeks. Not bad eh!

Ipod Recording Capabilities

[R33MSpec]

A hidden sound recording feature has been discovered in the new iPod which allows recording through the earphones (for the moment).

Instructions here: http://www.ipoding.com/...article&sid=1137&mode=th read&order=0

Docking: How To Record Right Now With Gen 2 (New) iPod Posted by: iPoding

To record right now:

Plug in earphones

Activate Diagnostic Mode - Reset (hold MENU and PLAY) and hold down PREVIOUS, NEXT and CENTER buttons at Apple logo - Release buttons and you'll hear a chirp and Diagnostic mode will appear

Use Next button to navigate to "J. RECORD"

Speak into Left earphone when "BEGIN..." appears

You'll get about 6 sec. of record time and then "DONE"

Press center button for playback

Press Play/Pause to return to list of tests

This is just the mono record feature... as noted here there is also a stereo line-in but that is in the dock connector and activated by "F. LIN REC"

Unofficial confirmation here: http://www.ipoding.com/...article&sid=1138&mode=th read&order=0

"...iPoding says that it has unofficial confirmation from 'sources' at Apple that full support for stereo recording will be available later this year..."

Wow, a portable hard disc recorder!!

[Anonymous Coward]

What a concept!! I'm going to jump into my time machine to 1993 and tell the Roland Music company about this.....There, I've done it! Now this great new idea is old news....Just kidding, I don't really have a time machine, this concept just IS old news

Re:Wow, a portable hard disc recorder!!

[scott brown]

a portable 24/96 recorder is *not* old news. There is only one other product like it on the market now, except it's made by HHB and is $10k+ this is a portable, 2 channel 24/96 recorder with microphone preamps, spdif input, line input, an A/D and an internal 40 gig drive. roland didn't have anything near that in 1993

Re:RIAA? Gimme a break

[Anonymous Coward]

(Slashdotter's gf... Posting as AC 'cause I'm apparently not smart enough to register properly. )

After the wash of criticism of this article stating that the RIAA won't care because this thing is a total piece of crap... won't it be interesting when they really do try and make it illegal?

Nobody is going to use the MP3 encoder.

[jeff.paulsen]

The cool thing about this is that it offers 2 tracks of 24/96 direct to HD recording. The people who want 24-bit words, the people who want that resolution, are the last people who would store their stuff as MP3. It makes WAVs (or BWFs, to get around the file size limit), which you can then mess with at home.

Did you miss that it's portable, and tiny, and runs on a camcorder-type rechargable battery pack? That if you need more than 3 hours at a shot it has a 5-18 volt locking DC input? The high-quality onboard mic preamps?

This is in a totally different category than a Mackie HD2496. The Mackie recorder is excellent for a studio, but I cannot fit it in my pocket, and if I could, how much extra gear would I need to keep it supplied with delicious power out in the field?

If I'm going to tape a concert, or make a documentary, or just go out and get samples for something, I'll go for a Sound Devices 722, and the presence or absence of MP3 support will have nothing to do with that.

Re:RIAA? Gimme a break

[no_code_charlie]

Slashdotter's gf? What the hell is that? His mother? Some old hardware? A severed hand?

Re:Actually I enjoy hearing about stuff like this.

[Fluid Truth]

a bit of opinionated journalism

Since when has /. claimed to have any relation to journalism? For as long as I've been on here, it's mostly discussion. And discussion is boring without opinions.

Personally, I could see both sides of this: yes, it's nifty hardware in which some people might be interested and it is a potential target for the RIAA. Judging by their past record of at least trying to kill things that threaten their cash flow (like, as mentioned before, what happened with DAT), it's at least something important to consider.

That's true.

[twitter]

What you're talking about is a legitimate use that gives you the SAME powers as the RIAA has for their own copyrighted works. The RIAA can claim that you might use this to infringe on their copyrights.

Sure, that's what they said about Sony's DAT. Then poof, it was encumbered with DRM that kept you from making copies of your own music, recitations, bird calls, introspective silence, farts or anything as if it were owned by Micahel Jackson. We should not forget that twarted technology or the laws that did it.

It's taken this long to come up with an equivalent device. Want to bet the RIAA won't try to squash it? I would not bet on their failure.

Re:That's true.

[Fulcrum of Evil]

Sure, that's what they said about Sony's DAT. Then poof, it was encumbered with DRM that kept you from making copies of your own music, recitations, bird calls, introspective silence, farts or anything as if it were owned by Micahel Jackson

I thought its main effect was the sudden proliferation of pro-sumer DAT gear, since the copying restrictions didn't apply to them.

WIPO & US Copyright Law

[commodoresloat]

Actually, it is European interpretations of copyright law that WIPO has enforced on the rest of the world, including the USA. The European copyright tradition is much more in line with the thinking of the RIAA and MPAA than is the American copyright tradition, which comes from a Constitutional mandate to "promote the progress of science and the useful arts." As many in this forum and others have long been pointing out, current trends in copyright (and patent) law threaten to impede that progress. This is because American copyright traditions have given way to European traditions, which are not based on incentive to create. The DMCA, you'll recall, was passed in order to make US Copyright law consistent with WIPO. So it's incorrect to say that WIPO enforced US copyright law on other countries. (That said, the US Congress & courts have recently done little or nothing to return US copyright laws to their roots in the Constitution).

You forgot:

[Anonymous Coward]

Step 1: buy hard drive recorder
Step 2: ???
Step 3: profit!

and...

In Soviet Russia, hard drive records onto you!

Oh, and...

"There seems to be a grinding sound on the recording" (Obligatory Simpsons (mis)quote; anyone correctly guessing which episode will recieve an "Off" switch for their television)

Alternate Simpsons quote:

"Ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom, learn from a professional, kid"

What about stability

[zakezuke]

I'm not going to discount the value of such a solution. On the contrary, it's quite nice. But I can see some advantages to a dedicated recording device like the one offered here for $2000.00.

1. Stability... while i'm not personaly familar with the product, it doesn't apear to operate via a microsoft, apple, nor linux / bsd operating system. No worries about your sys admin setting it up correctly.

2. Simple user interface. From the user's perspective, it's just a recorder, sorta like using a portable dat recorder. Nothing too complex to learn.

3. Swift bootup time. Haven't used it, but chances are it's going to be faster then booting up an OS and loading pro-tools.

4. Smaller footprint. Laptops and that device you spoke of are indeed portable. Portable dat and the hard disk recorder based device are going to have a smaller footprint. While it doesn't nessicarly seem like a big deal, odds are there will be room for a small recording device, assuming your agenda is recording on the road. Finding a place for a small recorder is easy, finding a place for a laptop is harder.

Now i'd don't have the experence base with either or product, to be honest, but I do see it's attractive qualities.

Share and share alike

[abe ferlman]

"I'll copy it if I want, laws and copyright be damned!"
But when the GPL is violated there is a virtual nerd riot here on Slashdot.

So you're surprised when people who like to share things are overprotective of the freedom to share things?

You make it sound like they're being hypocrites but they are not. In a world where idea ownership (i.e., intellectual property) didn't exist, the GPL would just be redundant.

Any other position would actually be *inconsistent* with the belief that monopolies over ideas are illegitimate.

Pro-level Portable Hard Disk Recorder Specs Mirror

[vxone]

well we decided to mirror this thing because it looks cool :) http://www.vx1.net/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=105

retards are funny

[Anonymous Coward]

I did not think so. They are laughing at you, not with you.



some troll for pre-teens, some troll for pedophiles, some troll for morons...

argh matey, bring out the heavy gear!!! aaarrrgghh

part 2

[Anonymous Coward]

...besides which, at $2000 a pop, and dimensions resembling a short length of 2*4, Billy Bootlegger is hardly about to trade in his DAT walkman or MiniDisc recorder...

been off planet?

[nyet]

I guess you, like 100s of other misguided /. devils advocates missed the VCR and DAT flaps, and the resulting Macrovision idiocy and DAT taxes.

Oh, and did we already mention the RIAA's attempts to legislate MANDATORY DRM into any device capable of recording sound digitally?

I'll stick with the Nomad.

[erik_fredricks]

My Jukebox 3 can do .wav recordings at up to 48khz either through a mic or an optical line-in. It also does onboard mp3 encoding at up to 320kbs. (Note that the Zen doesn't have these capabilities, kust the NJB3)

Even with the lowly 20GB model, I've got more than enough overhead to record several nights' shows with no compression. All this for under $300 USD.

1998

[Anonymous Coward]

I thought about making one of these in 1998. Yes, while getting in the shower, getting ready to go to work, I believe. Wasn't an engineer (took the easy way out - MIS), so I couldn't build it. Maybe I should have patented the idea and licensed it to these guys.

If something like this would piss off the RIAA....

[Dr Reducto]

Think of a Sony Clie with A 1 gig memory stick,which is just about to come out. The $800 model can record MPEG-4 Movies with sound. How is the MPAA fight that? The tools of piracy will get harder and harder to detect, and then one day, we will just be able to scan the experience from our brains into MyLifeBits. At thatt point, our brains will be circumvention technologies, and the government will force us to kill ourselves. Imagine, you go to see a movie, and then you get a cease and desist letter for having watched it!!!

Which laws?

[Convergence]

Well, the webcaster royalty payment law.

Then there was the AHRA from about 15 years ago (which killed off DAT as a consumer audio technology) Oh, and the levy on blank CDR's.

I dunno, did they lobby for the DMCA, or is 5 years too old to consider it? The reason the DMCA applies to DVD's is because they *do* include an access control technology. CDDA's don't. If you broke the access control technology on SACD, I'll bet you dollars to donuts that they'll come on you like a ton of bricks.

They've agreed to lobby against CBDTPA, however, we don't know what backroom deals were involved in this. Something like: ''The RIAA will stop pressuring Congress to institute mandatory copy-protection in new computers, and the tech groups will stop lobbying for enhanced personal-use rights to media.'' appears to be the case.

They're lobbying against MOCA.

"Unaccompanied Sonata"

[Samrobb]

A short story by Orson Scott Card, available in "Unaccompanied Sonata and Other Stories".

Re:"Unaccompanied Sonata"

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh I'm sorry, did you have a point, or do I have to go buy the book to find out what the hell you're talking about?

Re:"Unaccompanied Sonata"

[Anonymous Coward]

Go buy the book - it's more than worth it. Some of Card's best short stories, IMHO - including the title one, which is about a child who is raised by the government to be a musician, then persecuted by the government for making music after he "falls" from grace. Haven't read it for years, but some of the imagery in those stories ("Kingsmeat", for example) is particularly vivid.

This geek is content.

[Khyeron]

As a mixed business/comp sci geek, I am contented that innovation has not been slammed in the shitter and flushed down by the exploiters. I have nothing wrong with corporate politics, but in the case of art... and consumer music... regulation is much needed, to prevent such titanic and amoral groups such as the RIAA/MPAA from dicking people and innovators over only for the sake of executive profits. Since obviously the band doesn't get even HALF the money (or even a quarter of it for some bands).

Khyeron

Re:This geek is content.

[jc42]

... the band doesn't get even HALF the money (or even a quarter of it for some bands).

Most bands don't gen ANY money from a commercially-made recording.

There have been any number of analyses published that explain why, unless you sell a million or more albums, you end up in debt to the recording company.

I do wonder what sort of deal a n unknown musician or band needs to sign to get their stuff on iTunes. Do you have to sign the rights over to Apple? Or will they put your tracks up on terms that give you part of the money? So far, I haven't seen any comment on this, only that Apple was making the top-selling commercial music available. Any pointers to info on this topic?

If Apple will give us nobodies a reasonable cut of the income without having to sign away the rights to our music, we'll consider them heroes. If they go the way of the recording industry and require the same sort of "standard" contract, then they're just part of the problem.

Meaning that...

[Khyeron]

Patent, copyright and trademark holders, that is anyone who normally gets residual income from royalties on IP (intellectual property) should get a bigger cut and should even be able to DICTATE how things are done with their music.

If they indeed do, then why is it that artists speaking up has not put the RIAA on the pleasant side of things, when they instead are becoming greater aggressors against privacy and innovation?

If they wanted to stop piracy there are simpler ways. Lower prices on cds, and fill them with music people WANT to hear. At 10.99 I know most of my friends would buy another copy of Metallica's Black Album as well as most of the Megadeth cds. And that's what they cost back then.

Not to point out one of the great failures of our American society in the past, but lets recall "prohibition" where instead of destroying alcohol consumption in the public... the psychotic right wingers succeeded in making the mafia a nearly unstoppable force while also providing MORE than ample room for crime hubs, distribution centers, and allowing the mafia to become the equivalent of a labor / trade union (speakeasies and bootleggers ring a bell anyone??)

Trying to prohibit something people want, leads to rampant crime rate, jail overpopulation (with nonviolent offenders) while also forcing innovation in criminal procedures. You'd think the fools at the RIAA would've learned their USA history before repeating one of it's greatest mistakes so blatantly.

Khyeron

Replacing Business modelsRR

[WillWare]

1) Whine about it, do nothing, whine some more
As you point out, this is uninteresting.

2) Write your congress people, consumer advocate groups, and manufactureres of IP and try to educate them on the true damage that current IP laws are causing
Marginally more interesting, ultimately probably ineffective. Industries have vastly deeper pockets, and these days, government is for sale.

3) Create and support a viable alternative that will gain momentum from consumer and commercial support that eventually can replace current business models and content-creator demand
Now this struck me as really interesting. The examples you gave, however, are ones that aren't likely to have much impact. I admire the efforts of people cooking up P2P hacks and open source licenses, but I don't think it will significantly change the way business is done.

What really intrigued me, and what I didn't see in your examples, was "a viable alternative...that eventually can replace current business models". Businesses are the loci of social and political power in our society, and if they never take an interest in protecting the creative commons, it ain't gonna happen. Offering business models that serve their interests without obliterating the public noosphere would be a necessary step, I think, to the change you envision. I suspect that many businesses might be hesitant to jump on the RIAA bandwagon of "corporate profits uber alles, human freedom be damned", and might welcome an alternative if one were available.

The GPL offers pretty bleak options to the software business world: sell support and documentation. Cygnus couldn't make it work, and Red Hat isn't having much better luck. Bless them for trying, and I hope things improve, but other companies will not be lining up to enter that business niche. To the business world, there is nothing positive about P2P, besides the chance to sell computer hardware, which was going to happen anyway.

I don't have a good proposal, and I wouldn't expect you to have one either, but I think the general idea of "let's make it worth the business world's while to protect the public noosphere" is a good direction in which to head.

Re:Replacing Business modelsRR

[mpe]

The GPL offers pretty bleak options to the software business world: sell support and documentation. Cygnus couldn't make it work, and Red Hat isn't having much better luck.

The business model of selling software as an off the shelf commodity dosn't have much to offer many businesses either. Unless they have a clear niche market.

Bless them for trying, and I hope things improve, but other companies will not be lining up to enter that business niche.

Companies are unlikely to be lining up to enter the "software business" so long as there is a completly distorted market.

wow.

[Sj0]

This device looks so good that the RIAA might try to make it illegal.

That line sends chills down my spine.

Because it can happen.

Why not go to the real source?

[alienmole]

Here's the manufacturer's page for these recorders. They seem pretty expensive, though.

Re:The Underlying Problem (OT)

[msaavedra]

You seem to be misinformed about the ACLU's involvement in these two controversies. The ACLU lawsuit regarding the Augusta National Golf Club is not against the club itself, but against the city, which limited the rights of the public to protest over the issue. The ACLU feels, and I think rightly, that while the golf club may have the right to refuse admission of women, they are not immune from public pressure to reform. The city's laws, enacted in anticipation of protests at Augusta National, violate the 1st amendement.

Regarding the Boy Scouts, the ACLU filed suit, once again, against the government, trying to end public subsidy of the group. The Boy Scouts, since they bar admission to athiests and require members to proclaim their belief in God, are a religious group. Therefore, they should not get special treatment from the government, in accordance with the 1st amendment.

The ACLU certainly has a political agenda, but they defend groups even if they disagree with them. Take, for instance, the ACLU's defense of the KU Klux Klan's rights to hold public demonstrations. To be fair, ACLU has not been perfect in this regard. They do not oppose firearm restriction, for instance. I guess they care more about the 1st amendment than the 2nd.

Don't Forget Option 4

[serutan]

Become the next AOL Time Warner so that you can be represented in Congress, then spread some money around. Isn't American democracy wonderful?

oh man...

[Zugok]

I'm still waiting for consumer vinyl recorders. when will people realise the superior sound of vinyl?

Re:oh man...

[Anonymous Coward]

It's been done: The Kingston Dubplate Cutter...
http://www.mixmachines.com/products/kin gston.html

Re:Lies, damn lies, and statistics?

[dakers27]

Didn't read the article, but they might not like this because it could make bootlegging easier/chearper/higher quality/accessible to more people. The RIAA didnt seem to get really pissy about mp3's until napster came along and made it easy for any idiot with a net connection to download mp3's. People had been swapping mp3's on irc for years before napster without very many problems from the RIAA. If this device makes it easier for the average joe to make bootleg recording at concerts then they might want to stop it form being sold. Then again i could be totally off, it was just a thought. :)

Re:ADAT has already been killed by 24/96 sound car

[mrjb]

Last time I checked, ADATs managed recording at 44.1/48 khz, 8 track, 20 bit. That's still far better than the quality of the audio CD's that things usually get mixed down to. What's the point of having quality that you end up losing anyway? For studio use, ADAT is still a lot more practical than many alternatives. Once things are recorded on tape (which normally hold about 2 GB each) no further transfer is needed to keep copies or to transport the work. Disks fill up and regularly need to be backed up to other media- CDR is a cheap solution but only holds about a third of an ADAT tape. Surely better tools are being developed, but ADAT still is one of the best tools for the job.

DAT OR ADAT

[locarecords.com]

Note that DAT and ADAT are completely different technologies, one is a mastering stereo mix and the other a professional quality 8-track recorder.

This looks like a challenge to the DAT but to keep the quality up and remain pro it will always remain out of the price range of consumers. When you can walk around with an iPod that has all the tracks and convenience why would you bother with a pro bit of kit that is designed for recording live sounds (and has the outputs to support it).

There are already lots of DAT's that allow you to disable all digital copying due to the needs of professional studios but you don't see anyone on the train with one do you?

The reality is consumer and pro equipment has different needs and different functions and very rarely is there a crossover. I don't think the RIAA will be getting too worried providing this remains a pro choice...

Digital recorders

[richieb]

I already own a Korg PRX4 digital recorder. What is the difference between this one vs. the item discussed here? Other than hard disk storage?

Re:Digital recorders

[goosman]

What is the difference between this one vs. the item discussed here?

Well...rugedization, mic pres with phantom power, professional I/O, accurate metering, high sample rates and wordlength, choice of lossless or compressed recording (MP3...where's the Ogg option?)
simultaneous recording to CF and HD for security...

Is that enough? ;-)

Hmmm

[Salsaman]

Plug a microphone into my Zaurus, record a wav file onto CF or SD ram. Then when I get home, upload the wav to my desktop and burn it onto a CD.

I can do all of this already. So what's so great about this new device ?

This thing would be sweet..

[Anonymous Coward]

.. for sound-effects producers for games!

wrong idea about fair use

[Anonymous Coward]

I hate to be nitpicky, but the submitter says that his use, recording his own stuff at studio-level quality, is fair use. He is wrong. The music he performs is his own, thus he holds the copyright to the music and the performance. There is no fair use involved, because he is the copyright owner.

Move on, nothing to see here.

[Penguin2212]

This is nothing new. For about 4 years I've known about dard drive recorderes. My uncle has been selling them in his store, and using them to make his own recordings for quite a while. They are quite nice, and the sound quality is excellent.

fair use!? damn them...

[gosand]

My interest is fair use, the ability to record my compositions and performance with studio grade equipment at a reasonable cost.

No, this isn't "fair use"-- fair use [copyright.gov] is an allowance for you to use someone ELSE'S copyrighted material for a limited purpose-- a review, an excerpt, until recently a sample, etc for certain purposes. What you're talking about is a legitimate use that gives you the SAME powers as the RIAA has for their own copyrighted works.

The first thing I thought when I read the original statement was "It is pretty sad that we now have to qualify things in the terms that the frickin RIAA has set out." We are so skittish that we feel the need to qualify ourselves with "...and I will be using this device for legal activities."

What the F is going on!? I almost want to just stop following tech news, unsubscribe from the EFF newsletter and the DMCA discussion list , stick my fingers in my ears and yell LA LA LA LA LA! I am just growing more and more frustrated with the whole mess. I am ashamed that we have this kind of environment in what is supposed to be a country of Freedom.

Re:ADAT has already been killed by 24/96 sound car

[WookieOnTheRun]

The point of having that quality is that you archive in it knowing that there are better formats to come. Also not all of us listen at 16/44.1 (the resolution of a CD) at home. I listen at 24/96 and 24/192 at home :-) Sounds WAY cooler and deeper.

Re:Lies, damn lies, and statistics?

[angle_slam]

If you read the article you would have realized it's a $2000 professional recording device. It's not easier, cheaper, or higher quality than any currently available hard drive recorder.

Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox III

[initself]

I currently use an all digital recording setup (except for the mics):

Audio Technica Mini Mics (x2)>> Deneke AD20>> SPDI/F Optical Out>> SPDI/F Optical In>> Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox III 20 Gig

It is wonderfully realistic.
mb

maybe it is the universal SERIAL bus

[Anonymous Coward]

duh

Re:The Underlying Problem (corection needed)

[someone247356]

Ummm... You said;
"Democratic governments (including the US) have adopted these laws and implemented them."

The United States does not now, nor ever has had a democratic government. The United States is governed under a system sometimes referred to as a Constitutional Republic. We elect representatives, they govern, hence the Republic portion. Our elected officials aren't allowed to do whatever they want, they are limited by the Constitution, hence the Constitutional part.

Democracies are bad. I wouldn't ever want to live under a pure democracy. In the first place, I have better things to do than vote on every decision needed to run a country. What brand of toilet paper should we purchase for the Senate bathroom? Ugh. Secondly, democracy = mob rule. One of the main reason's for the Bill of Rights is to protect the minority from the tyranny of the majority. If most of the country is white, and 51% of them think all non-white people should be slaves, in a democracy, they are slaves. If 51% of the country are Fundamentalist Christians, or Muslims, and they decide that their religion is the only "true" religion, guess what? If you don't follow/practice/adhere to the dominant religion, at best you're a second class citizen, at worse a criminal subject to summery execution.

There's on old saying that goes something like this, "Democracy is three wolves and a sheep deciding what to have for dinner."

someone247356

Re:The Underlying Problem (corection needed)

[fishbowl]

I said nothing like "pure democracy."

Our republic consists of democratically elected representatives and their subsequent appointees. Most of Europe has similar systems.

The point is, the laws you say are "forced" on people are actually suffered by those people willingly, to the extent they choose to even be aware of their own government and laws. Unfortunately, most choose to be ignorant and do not participate in the process.

Have you ever looked at a sound wave?

[ratfynk]

One of the easiest things to do in primitive encryption is to encode a rider on an analog sound wave on nodes you will not hear. That technology goes back to 1930s spy vs spy Nazi Germany science. Back then it was not as easy but was still done, similar to complex micro-dot printing.

There is already DRM which can be put into analog so that when you try to go from analog to digital it can retain a lockout signature.
You would need to spend hours finding it in the wave to edit it out and would hose the original in the process. Most mortals can't do it.
So I'm afraid your idea has already been hosed, by the music police, and the Nazis!

(-::-) Siamese Twin smile?

NOT Another cheap alternative digital recorder

[Anonymous Coward]

You mean the Creative Nomad III that they don't sell any more? Creative now has a dozen portable MP3 products -- but somehow none of them are recorders.

Why are there fifty companies making portable MP3 "players", but zero to one making MP3 or WAV "recorders"?

Surely there's no conspiracy involved...