Yamaha Pocketrak C24 / W24 launches at NAMM
| Posted in Music Technology
The Yamaha Pocketrak C24 and Pocketrak W24 portable recorders have been unveiled this afternoon ahead of their official launch at 2010 NAMM show, with Yamaha promising 24bit/96kHz sound quality and, with the W24, “the fastest start-up time of any portable recorder” in 4.5 seconds.
Both new Pocketrack models are due to be presented for the first time on January 14th at the NAMM show in California, but DV247 has taken an early look at the specifications that users can expect to find. While the C24 is the entry-level model (and reportedly “the smallest pocket recorder”), it shares a 2GB memory with the more feature-packed W24, plus a bundled copy of Cubase AI5, a peak limiter, a tuner, a metronome and of course onboard speakers. The memory capacity of both models can also be expanded with microSD cards.
But it’s the two recorders’ individual specifications that best point to the kinds of fans they will each attract – and Yamaha knows it. Tellingly, the Pocketrak C24 has been designed to be as compact as possible (it weighs just 57g) and includes a new clip that will attach it to anything from a microphone stand to a drum kit. That feature might seem fairly unimportant to non-musicians, but anyone who has spent considerable time setting up a laptop to record a writing and rehearsal session will welcome it with open arms.
The same is true of the recorder’s two nondirectional stereo microphones, which have been designed to cover as wide a field of recording as possible in order to pick out different instruments during the recording of a whole band. Critically, the C24 also includes an internal USB connector for transferring files over to a computer.
In contrast, the 92g Pocketrak W24 has been designed less for grabbing quick rehearsal recordings than capturing precise stereo images, as demonstrated by the X/Y configuration of its dual microphone assembly. Yamaha claims that this makes full use of the 24bit/96kHz resolution, and we’re inclined to believe it. Also worthy of note is the inclusion with the W24 of a wireless remote control – you won’t even have to cross the studio or stage to set it recording – plus internal scene memories that allow pre-used settings to be recalled instantly.
Pocketrak has already proved itself to be a popular range for Yamaha offering professional level portable recording for a budget-friendly price, but these two new recorders do appear to be a significant step forward for the series. We’ll be reviewing both as soon as they arrive in store – both are set to hit the UK next month. In the meantime expect to hear quite a buzz surround the Pocketrak W24 and Pocketrak C24.
About Barney Jameson
A contributor, editor and in some cases creator of more music and pro audio magazines than he cares to remember, Barney Jameson is a veteran of writing about gear, and a pretty keen singer songwriter to boot.
Having started his musical education reading old copies of the Melody Maker while riding the tube to University in the mid-nineties, Barney once sang in a band called Sugarstone, troubling record company chequebooks not quite enough to make it a career option. Instead, he achieved his goal of starting a music magazine of his own when he founded Playmusic in the early noughties. Later on, having exploited VIP access to as many festivals as possible, he wrote about the pro audio industry throughout Europe and the Middle East, travelling to far-flung destinations such as Dubai, Doha and Muscat (nice mountains).
As the latest addition to the DV247 team, Barney has big plans. But when he’s not plotting online domination of the musical instrument world, he keeps himself busy writing songs on a battered old acoustic guitar and playing them to audiences in his home town.
Tags: Pocketrack, Pocketrak, Pockettrack, Yamaha portable recorder