Edirol R-09 Recorder Goes 8 Gigabyte

We were impressed with Edirol's R-09 handheld digital recorder when we reviewed it, and thanks to a free firmware update, it just got better. OS 1.30 adds support for 8GB SDHC memory cards, which by my quick calculation should boost the recording capacity to eight hours in 24-bit, 44.1kHz WAV format or more than 132 hours in 128kbps MP3.

The new firmware also adds a splitting function that lets you start a new file with a single button press while recording. That could make it easier to zoom in on specific parts of an interview or concert later.

In other upgrade news, Edirol has released a windscreen for the R-09, addressing one of the main shortcomings we found in our review.