Recording Live DJ Sets

[BumblesCrew]

Hi folks I'm new here & new to the Iriver H140 as i only got it today so please go easy on me

My sole reason for purchasing the IRiver H140 it to use it as a portable Hard Disc audio recorder to record live DJ sets at my club nite. We have used Laptops hooked up to the mixer but find it very hit or miss as the recordings often come out with skips & jumps due to the laptop lagging so i am looking for alternatives & i am hoping the IRiver will be what i am looking for.

I have a few questions which i hope you guys who are in the know can answer & help me out with.

1: I want to be able to record all sets in one large mp3 file from 9pm - 1.30am so thats 4 hours 30 mins solid recording i am looking to do,i have heard the IRiver cuts off or stops recording after 70 mins or so,is this true as it would be very annoying to have to keep stopping & starting it after each set & if this is the case is there a patch or firmware update available to combat this problem & if so could you link me to it?

2: A friend in the past tried to use a similar device to record sets but says if the DJ goes into the red atall [which in a club invironment nearly always happens] the recorder can't handle it & distorts badly. Is there a firmware update that you can set the recording levels yourself?

3: What type of optical lead do i need to connect the iriver to the mixer as the port on the Iriver just looks like a normal stereo jack to me not like the optical port im used to on CD players ect.

Any help you could give me on the above would be greatly appreciated & thanks in advance for your time

Cheers!

Ricky.

****UPDATE****

Ok i think iv answered a few questions for myself,i followed the instructions to install RockBox & i like it alot,it'll take me a while to get to grips with all the settings & get them optimized but the fact i have so many customizable sound & recording options is amazing

I see there is a file split setting for either time or file size,i take it if both these are set to off i will be able to record continuously for the whole nite no problem?

Do any fellow DJs who use the IRiver to record sets have any tips for the other settings like gain ect to help me optimize it a bit before putting it to the test at one of my nights. It will be recording very bassy hard dance music & hardcore if that makes a difference.

Again any help will be gladly received & i have to say this forum is a saviour as i would of been lost without it & the RockBox software.

Cheers!

Ricky.

[Domonoky]

Hey,

if you put Rockbox on your iriver h140 (which is all we are taking here about. We don't care about the original iriver firmware) all your worries are solved.

1. Rockbox will allow you to record as long as your battery and diskspace allows. You even can choose to record in lossless (wav or wavpack) instead of mp3.

2. Rockbox allows you to changes gains, so no problem. For your H140 i would recommend recording via optical if the DJ pult has a optical out.. (less noise).

3. I think the optical spdif plug on the h140 is called a "TOS-link", it shares the socket with the normal analog In. So this input is Dual-use :-)

cheers, and i would recommend reading the excellent rockbox manual..

[Chronon]

1) I think you will run into file size limitations if you record lossless for 4.5 hours.

2) If the signal is already clipped you can't "un"-clip it.  When doing analog recording you can adjust your gain levels so that you don't cause any additional clipping on your end.  With digital recording you are simply streaming an already digitized bitstream to disk (or encoding into another format).  I don't think you can adjust gain in this case.

3) Search for "mini TOSlink".

[Llorean]

The filesize limitations don't matter: Rockbox cuts files automatically. As long as you have enough storage on the device, it's not a concern.

[Chronon]

I forgot that bit.  Rockbox truly does rock!   

I will have replace my burned H120 at some point and really get acquainted with the recording features.

[BumblesCrew]

Thanks a million for all your replys & info it's very much appreciated

Yeah it's RockBox on an IRiver H140 & it's totally transformed it from the poor standard firmware,the amount of options i have now is amazing so thanks alot to the Admin of this site & it's members for your help.

One last thing is this the optical lead i need to connect the clubs mixer to the IRiver ---> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2M-ATLONA-MINI-OPTICAL-TO-TOSLINK-DIGITAL-AUDIO-CABLE_W0QQitemZ230227594190QQihZ013QQcategoryZ116850QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247

I take it if i am just doing analogue recording i will just use a standard Stereo Jack [IRiver] to Double Phono [Club Mixer]?

Thanks again folks.

Cheers!

Ricky.

[Llorean]

That optional tip shown in the picture is right for your H120, yes.