Some folks have asked us about the lowest cost PDAudio system needed for recording from a digital audio daisychain at a concert. For this kind of recording you take a digital audio feed from someone else and don't need mics or a mic pre-amp/A-to-D.

If you're recording in a chain with DAT and MD recorders, you'll usually be recording at 16/44.1 ("CD quality").

A very compact system would be an HP iPAQ h2210/h2215 PDA (around $100 on eBay), PDAudio-CF ($199) and , Gidluck Mastering's Live2496 (around $50). Total cost (without memory cards) would be be under $400 and gives you the most compact high-resolution digital recorder available today! This setup can be used for recording all the way to 24/96, subject only to limitations in the size of the SD flash memory cards currently available. A 4 GB SD card (around $50) will record at 16/44.1 for around 6 hours, 24/48 for 4 hours, or at 24/96 for 2 hours.

If you don't mind being the last recorder in the chain, all you need is what we mentioned above. If you need to pass the digital audio signal on to others, pick up an M-Audio CO2 and a 9 Volt battery cable for it (both for under $90). The CO2 takes a digital audio signal and splits it into two signals, one of which you can use and the other you can pass on to others.

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