Alan Turner wrote in 110602 MMDigest:

> Does anyone on MMD know of any more modern systems (read "direct
> to digital") that have an audio AGC that can be disabled or is
> non-existent?

There are several digital recorders available with built-in
microphones.  I use a Tascam DR-07 recorder.  It has AGC on/off and
several low frequency roll-off settings.  It also has a few options for
dealing with over-range recording mistakes, but these should be minimal
as there are easy to use recording level controls.

The level display is a very nice digital VU dual channel meter.  In
fact the display is well thought out with many indicators visible on
the main screen.  My unit is stereo and has relatively high quality
microphones.  It also has a tripod screw thread and an effective foam
wind shield.

It can record in MP3 at various bit rates or WAV in 16- or 24-bit
sample sizes.  It really is quite versatile and runs on AA rechargeable
batteries or alkaline cells.  Recordings are transferred to a computer
by USB or by taking the SD chip out of the recorder to put in the
computer chip slot.  There are independent audio line-in and microphone
jacks (for external microphones) and a line-out/headphone jack, but no
built-in speaker.  It cost about $150.

There is a later model DR-07 MkII which includes a speaker and many
improvements to the design.  There are several other models and
manufacturers with prices starting at less than $100.  I got mine
several years ago at Guitar Center (a nation-wide chain in USA).
In Canada you might try Long & McQuade.

Using such a simple recorder, which is no larger than a hand-held
calculator, beats using a small USB studio front end on a notebook
computer with separate microphones and cables.  But I have that setup
too and occasionally it is justified.  For one thing you cannot touch
the simple all-in-one recorder or your fingers will be recorded,
sometimes with bass drum effect.

Adding your own audio to the video recording is relatively easy using
Windows Movie Maker on XP or Windows Live Movie Maker on Vista and 7.
I recommend doing all the audio cleanup with Audacity rather than using
Movie Maker.

Regards,
Don Shenbarger