Damn I Just Spent A Boatload

We’re in the process of formalizing the SparkCasting software/hardware setup. The software coding gets underway in earnest on Monday. The hardware is something I’ve been working on for a very long time (it keeps me up at night).

In the past, we’ve used a simple combination of bits that included an iRiver MP3 recorder and some low-end microphones. Personally, I’m not an audio engineer so it never hurt my ears too bad to listen to previous shows we’ve done (being clever about how and when you record is the secret to turning a hostile environment into a friendly one).

Of course, we’ve had our share of complaints, bad experiences, and unusable audio. To that end, we’ve upped the ante quite a bit now and we’re sailing with a whole new batch of hardware that we can quickly destroy in a spill.

The top dog in this expensive new rig is the Edirol R-1. This is one of the best recorders I have seen for what we want to do that doesn’t cost a small fortune (don’t get me wrong these puppies are expensive enough). I’ve just acquired our first 2 for shows we’re planning for next month. We’ll still be using our old standby, the iRiver, when we’re short on equipment, but it feels good to start getting the things we know we need.

For anyone that’s been waiting/looking for one of these, B&H now has them in stock. Grab it here. They’re the cheapest I found anywhere to top it off.

For perspective, we’ve gone from a portable rig that cost $200 to $800. And that’s just for 4 people! We’ll definitely be round-robining guest for a little while, haha.