The Yamaha Pocketrak CX handheld recorder is slim and sleek, uses a replaceable rechargeable battery, and captures pristine audio with its top quality inbuilt microphones.
The slim design of the Pocketrak CX does not make allowance for bigger external mic connections ; the use of microSD memory boundaries storage capacity ; and there are some sophisticated settings.
The Pocketrak CX is a great choice for solo musicians and bands that need a no-nonsense recorder with quality in-built mics, but its features might be too basic for demanding users.
Demanding audio executives might turn up their nose at the Pocketrak’s shortage of full-size-mic connections and minimal onboard audio settings, but musicians and laymen will appreciate the recorder’s point-and-shoot approach.
For good or bad, the Yamaha Pocketrak CX is designed like a typical handheld voice recorder you’d pick up at an office supply store. On the upside, the design isn’t large intuitive, and familiar. The disadvantage, though , is that you are not going to find the full-size instrument, RCA, or XLR mic inputs that are used on bigger rivals like the M-Audio MicroTrack II, or the Zoom H4N. You are also a little constrained by the Pocketrak’s comparatively little 1.25-inch screen.
The recorder weighs just 92 grams, and measures five inches long, 1.75 inches wide, and just 0.6 in. thick. On the other side, you will find buttons for power, folder, track list, edit, and remove, as well as a 3.5mm mic and line input and a hinged door that hides the recorder’s Mini-USB port and microSD card slot.
Yamaha placed a hold turn on the back of the Pocketrak to stop the buttons on all sides of the recorder from causing incidentally when the player is gripped. At first, the hold-switch position felt a little out of the way, but we ultimately appreciated how it falls naturally under the index finger while holding the recorder. Below the switch is an internal spokesperson that permits you to listen back to your recordings without headphones.
Compared with recorders like the Zoom H2 or the Edirol R-09HR, the Pocketrak CX’s feature set looks short, as it does not include sophisticated features like 24-bit recording, multiple compressor / limiter settings, or audio effects. It also lacks support for SDHC memory cards, opting instead for microSD memory, which now tops out at 8GB.
