Customer Reviews

M-Audio Mcro Track II 99005227912 Professional 2-C

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

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.

After dealing with handicapped minidisc technology for years as a radio producer, and watching the rather limited ability of digital recorders over the years, this recorder is a godsend. The discounted $200 price I paid for this invaluable equipment was hard to believe. I carry it with me everywhere, doing on the street interviews and field recordings at will.

I'm somewhat unimpressed by the battery life, but otherwise adore it's ease-of-use, simple interface, and high recording quality. The included stereo microphone is useful, but you could include a better one in your kit.

I bought one of these last year and have had nothing but problems. First and worst: it is utterly unreliable - it will APPEAR to be recording just fine (monitoring and meters work, Rec. light is on), but when you press a control button, you'll discover the unit is actually 'frozen' - the buttons don't work, and nothing has been recorded. The battery lasts about 30 min., and it is factory-replaceable ONLY - it will cost you $80.00 to have that done. The dim blue display is virtually unreadable in dim light, and boot-up and file xfers take WAY too long. If you want to play "Recording Roulette", this box is for you. If you want to RECORD, get a Tascam DR-1 - it's comparably priced and superior to this unit in every way.

The 'M' in M-Audio must stand for 'misbegotten'...

Lots of people have poor reviews for this great little recorder, but it offers a some things others don't, a digital, SPDIF, audio input. The mic and line inputs are relatively noisy, (85dB dynamic range) compared to most other recorders in it's class, but not a lot worse. Most other recorders in this class offer about a 90dB dynamic range. If you are recording music, you probably wouldn't know the difference. But, if you need the best, lowest noise recordings, you can use external microphone preamps with SPDIF outputs to input to this recorder, giving you superior audio to any other recorder in it's class. For the price of a good microphone preamp and this inexpensive recorder, you can beat $1500 dollar equipment in performance, exceeding 115dB dynamic range. It offers phantom power and you can use an external usb battery pack to extend the battery life. I hope M-Audio redesigns this with a new model that uses SD cards with a better internal mic amp.

I have been using the Microtrack and Microtrack II for years as a bit bucket using an external mic amp with an SPDIF output. They are cheap enough to have spares in the field.

First unit was DOA, the one I have now is intermittent. Sometimes it won't power up, sometimes it only stays on if you hold the power button (lousy!). I would recommend that amnyone searching for a portable recorder AVOID this unit, as it is not reliable. When it works, the quality is great, but that it actually works is rare. SHAME ON YOU M-AUDIO!

I decided to order the Microtrack II, after my friend told me about his good experience with the first-generation Microtrack. Mine arrived on time and in pristine condition, but it was dead on arrival. After fully charging the device and turning it on, I simply got a message that said "Insert rescue disk!" I found the knowledge base regarding this issue (it must be a fairly common problem), and followed its recommendations, which involved formatting a CF card and adding repair files to it. Still no luck.

I contacted M-Audio support, and they sent a FedEx shipment code so that I can send it to them for repairs. This should take about two weeks, and hopefully it will be fixed. But I can't recommend a product that immediately fails on its initial run.