M-Audio Micro Track II

This is a great unit for what it is. The recording quality is amazing with the right microphone(s) and the true 48 volt phantom power makes every microphone a viable option. Even the included t-mic sounded fair to good when recording in high resoulution (WAV / 24 / 44.1 or higher).

What I like Ease of use. One touch recording is a snap and navigation the file is easy once you get used to it. It ain't no iPod. It's small, light, built well and has a low learning curve. Additionally, one of the BEST features that this unit has is the analog limiter. A loud peak in your audio source will cause distortion but the limiter corrects it before it even gets to the DAC. This is a huge plus for recording live music. The 1/4 inch input makes connecting to a mixer or a condenser mic a breeze. One warning though.. it should be a balanced 1/4 inch (TRS) connector. Don't use and unbalanced input for 2 main reasons. 1. it will not pass phantom power to the condenser mic, and 2. it will be a bit noisy for signals such as an instrument or other unbalanced inputs.

What I don't like It ships without memory so you'll have to buy your own. I bought mine at the big guitar store and a 512MB card cost me 40 bucks! I have since found it online for a MUCH better price so memory is not that big of a deal but would it hurt them to throw a small card in the box? There is no stand for the unit as well so you're gonna have to be careful where you place it for your recording. You also can't change the battery so when it dies, you have to send it in.

All in all, I compared it to the Edirol, the Zoom, and another smaller Yamaha unit and this is hands down the best of the lot. The Edirol was a close second because of the remote. The sound quality is about the same.

Good Luck!

I've recorded for years. Mostly live jazz or piano at home. As background I still have Revox open reels and larger digital recorders. I tested this mike in several settings using the included mike and a pair of Shure SM81s powered by the Microtrack IIs phantom power.

Recordings were made at 16 bit 44.1 and 24 bit 96K. Bottom line is the recorder has a very natural analog type sound. The mid range is full bodied and the recording is liquid sounding and rich in acoustic information regarding placement and room ambience. What I mean is the recorder has the resolving power and quality of electronics to capture suble detail.

Some other units I've tested are a bit drier in sound.

This unit is simply superb if your focus is sound instead of features. The phantom power drove the SM81s well and the noise floor was reasonable.

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This small "miracle" really does the job. I'm a singer for more than 50 years, and it's the first time that I have very clear digital recordings.

Very easy to handle. M-Audio MicroTrack 2 is really the solution for my recording problems.

The sound is studio quality.

GREAT! THANK YOU!

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This is one nifty little device. Sound quality is great.

HOWEVER, M-Audio may be misleading consumers. You cannot just connect the MicroTrack II to any audio equipment at home. Microphones are never a problem, but for other uses, it's best to connect the MicroTrack II to what is known as a *balanced* output. Normally, consumer equipment such as CD players have UNbalanced outputs, the usual RCA phono connectors that consist of only two conductors per channel (i.e. there is the left and right channel for stereo). There are technical problems connecting these to the MicroTrack II, and sound quality may be impaired or even worse: you may DAMAGE your equipment.

M-Audio is being irresponsible, and in their knowledge base recommends users to just connect unbalanced sources to the 1/8" input jack. There is a 5V microphone power on this jack, that CANNOT be turned off! I confirmed this by measuring the voltage, on a new MicroTrack II bought in March 2009. So beware that in the worst case you will damage your equipment's output stage.

For those who know what they're doing, the MicroTrack II is a greatly recommended digital recorder for its price.

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This unit is extremely unpredictable.

When it works, it works well and is a great portable recorder.

Most units lack a digital input which I think is a critical component for the application i use it for.

However I have had several instances where the unit stops recording for no reason when it should be recording.

I'll start a recording, put the hold button on, it will be recording fine then out of the blue it just stops the recording.

It does not happen all the time but it is a big problem when it does happen as i'm taping a live performance.

M-Audio technical support is clueless.