The pocket-sized LS-10 provides an affordable (if not cheap) way to make professional-quality recordings on the move.
Noise-reduction technology and zoom-mic settings enable good sound capture in a variety of conditions. For outdoor use, the LS-10 even comes with a couple of wind mufflers that fit on its twin mics, which peep from the top of the device like a couple of ears. The LS-10 is the size of a largish mobile phone.
On the front, below its 3x3.5cm display, are a navigation pad and buttons for stop, record, erase, file listing, and menu access. There is also a configurable quick-access button, and one for marking a passage for repeated playback. On the back is a socket that fits any standard camera stand a useful touch.
Arrayed around the edges are line-in, mic, earphone, and DC power sockets, a mini-USB port, volume and recording-level controls, sensitivity and low-cut-filter toggles, and a hold switch that doubles as an on-off.
There is also a high-capacity SD slot taking cards of up to 32GB capacity enough for hours of recording, even days in a compressed format. There is also 2GB of internal memory.
The twin AA batteries last between 10 and 12 hours. You can set recording levels manually, or let the LS-10 do it automatically. Noise-reduction technology and a choice of mic settings enable good recording in a variety of conditions. Formats supported include MP3, WMA, and (for best quality) uncompressed linear PCM. A built-in speaker is loud enough only to identify tracks.
Olympus aptly describes the LS-10 as a pocket studio. Musicians will love it for making quick recordings and getting ideas down it comes with the Lite version of Cubase production software. The downside, from Olympus’ point of view, is that it is also good for making bootleg recordings.
