Edirol Corp. on Friday announced that its R-4 recorder, which was first introduced last October, is now shipping. The company has added support for Broadcast Wave Format (BWF), which enables the R-4 to write the metadata required to comply with that standard. BWF files can be used in any playback device or audio editor that is compatible with the WAV format. The R-4 features a 40GB hard drive and USB 2.0 connectivity, with the ability to hold up to 17 hours of material at 24-bit/96kHz quality or up to 58 hours at 16-bit/44.1kHz, which is comparable to a CD.
The R-4 also offers a built-in limiter and five processors — a three-band parametric equalizer, a six-band graphic equalizer, a noise gate, an enhancer and a compressor/desser — as well as four XLR/TRS combo microphone jacks, RCA analog output, S/PDIF coaxial input and output and built-in stereo microphone and speakers. It can also operate as a mass storage device for transferring any types of files between computers, and it has a CompactFlash slot for using that media to move data.
.WAV file editing takes place on an LCD display that allows you to trim, append, split and merge audio clips as well as drop markers for shuttling between important spots and loop any section of audio with A-B repeat. Its recording buffer constantly captures the last few seconds of audio entering the mic, enabling you to still grab what you need after pressing the record button. Power comes from the included AC adapter or eight AA batteries. Pricing was not provided.