On Sun, 6 Jan 2013 08:48:35 -0800 "Len Ovens" <len(a)ovenwerks.net> wrote: As to why, I can think of a few things: - triggering recording at fixed time intervals, or based on some audio event like raised volume, or based on some external event, e. g. for syncing to a video camera - implementing USB audio so the device can be used as an external microphone. The recorders I've seen only output an analog signal. - changing recording parameters like custom sampling rates or different encodings. Commercial ones mostly do uncompressed WAV or MP3, but no lossless compression like FLAC for example. Other people probably have other ideas... Last not least, I simply like the idea of being in control of hardware I buy. As to price: the DSO nano is a free/open source oscilloscope which isn't expensive at all, so building free and inexpensive hardware is possible. Actually, using the DSO nano as a base could be a good start for a recorder, it has A/D converters, mass storage and everything... Just no mics.

You might have a little look at the Rockbox project - it's a mature FOSS replacement OS for personal music players. It won't (yet) do exactly what you're asking, but I'm be fairly sure that one or two people will have suggested such a direction on the forums over the years. On 7 January 2013 22:13, Len Ovens <len(a)ovenwerks.net> wrote:

WRT use cases: I am a record-all-rehearsals guy. A hackable/extendable box would fuel my urge to solder and help me get rid of the lengthy setup routine I go through before every rehearsal. No, wait, I actually tend to forget recording because of the hassle... I'd love to build something like the time machine jack client, only in hardware.  - Burkhard -- please excuse top posting from my crappy old Palm Pre Johannes Kroll <jkroll(a)lavabit.com> schrieb am 07.01.2013 18:42: On Sun, 6 Jan 2013 08:48:35 -0800 "Len Ovens" <len(a)ovenwerks.net> wrote: > > On Sun, January 6, 2013 5:57 am, Johannes Kroll wrote: > > Hi all! > > > > This is kind of off-topic here but I thought if there is such a thing, > > some of you guys might know. > > > > I'm looking for an audio recorder where the firmware and/or the > > hardware is hackable. Ideally, this would be similar to the Tascam > > DR-05 in price and features, but with free/libre firmware and hardware. > > Maybe someone knows of such a project? > > > > Alternatively, is any of the "closed" devices such as the Tascam DR-XX > > known to have modifiable firmware? > > The price point would be the hard part. Any of the open hardware projects > I have seen are more expensive than the closed projects, just because they > are small and don't have the price cuts of large scale manufacture. The > Open Moco is a great example in the smart phone world (one of the few that > got to a usable/buyable product). And may actually work for you... though > I don't know that it has stereo in. > > What I would suggest is to take something like the dr ($60 is cheap) for > the case, mics and display and add one of the small open general purpose > mother boards that are around. The gumstix or something similar would fit > the case... there may even be an atom based board that would fit.... or > would fit in a box not much bigger. The question would be how much time do > you personally want to send hacking? (hardware hacking) How much can you > spend? The computer swapout alone would more than double the price. > > As for hacking the unit itself, the first question is why. Not so much why > you want to, but why would others want to. Before something gets the > firm/software hacked there generally needs to be a reason at least a few > people want to do so. Some extra functionality that is obvious (the smart > phone has so much locked functionality it is frustrating so there are lots > of hacks). The dr already seems to me to anything I would think of using > it for, As to why, I can think of a few things: - triggering recording at fixed time intervals, or based on some audio event like raised volume, or based on some external event, e. g. for syncing to a video camera - implementing USB audio so the device can be used as an external microphone. The recorders I've seen only output an analog signal. - changing recording parameters like custom sampling rates or different encodings. Commercial ones mostly do uncompressed WAV or MP3, but no lossless compression like FLAC for example. Other people probably have other ideas... Last not least, I simply like the idea of being in control of hardware I buy. As to price: the DSO nano is a free/open source oscilloscope which isn't expensive at all, so building free and inexpensive hardware is possible. Actually, using the DSO nano as a base could be a good start for a recorder, it has A/D converters, mass storage and everything... Just no mics. _______________________________________________ Linux-audio-user mailing list Linux-audio-user(a)lists.linuxaudio.org http://lists.linuxaudio.org/listinfo/linux-audio-user

On Tue, 08 Jan 2013 15:36:16 -0600 wes schreiner <wes(a)infosink.com> wrote: Slightly diverging, does any portable recorder have a RT clock so you can stop and start it as you please but still know exactly when a sound occurred. I'm particularly thinking of field recordings of wildlife and spoken commentary. -- Will J Godfrey http://www.musically.me.uk Say you have a poem and I have a tune. Exchange them and we can both have a poem, a tune, and a song.

On Tue, 08 Jan 2013 16:10:33 -0600 wes schreiner <wes(a)infosink.com> wrote: That sounds *exactly* like what I want. Funny, I've never heard it mentions as a feature before. -- Will J Godfrey http://www.musically.me.uk Say you have a poem and I have a tune. Exchange them and we can both have a poem, a tune, and a song.

On Mon, January 7, 2013 9:42 am, Johannes Kroll wrote: If you really want to hack from scratch... here is a starting point: http://compulab.co.il/products/computer-on-modules/cm-itc/?gclid=CJ3q9tmv2r… The size is right... but it does not come with a display though the driving stuff is there. The price is a little higher though $98... if you buy 1000. double for 1 only :P This one might be better, Cheaper for one: http://compulab.co.il/products/sbcs/sbc-x300/#overview They are $40 each for 1000... triple for one. It has a touch screen interface, but I would guess you could do with out. It has key interface and all you need are a few LEDs for some of the uses you mentioned. I has mic in and headphones out (1-ip, 2-op), USB both ways, host and slave, ethernet, com ports, wifi (some of this stuff may cost extra :) etc. Both of these modules say the run linux, but the top is atom based and I think you could just load something like ubuntu (for example) off of a USB stick. The second one you may need to buy the loader because it is not an x86 type cpu. It looks like the linux package is a free download as are all the docs... you could look through the docs on a number and decide if they are any good before you buy one. May even be able to test it on a virtual machine. The gumstix I mentioned before are definitely more costly as they start at $130 without interfaces. (from what I can tell) They do have some plug and play systems though. Speaking of plug and play: http://compulab.co.il/products/computer-on-modules/cm-t3730/ plus this: http://compulab.co.il/products/handheld-computers/em-t3730/ Gives you the whole unit minus case, touch screen and everything. I think it is basically a smart phone. -- Len Ovens www.OvenWerks.net

On Wed, January 9, 2013 9:39 am, Alf Haakon Lund wrote: ... ... Similar price point, but no Audio in. On the other hand, The "mic" in on the other boards is probably pretty noisy anyway and almost any cheap USB1.1 audio IF would have stereo in and better noise floor. No display... I don't think it would suit the purpose to lug a monitor, keyboard and mouse around... So there may be some extra costs for that too. -- Len Ovens www.OvenWerks.net