Powerful Yamaha recording in a genuinely portable, shirt-pocket-friendly design.

A lot of recorders claim to be pocket-sized, but you've got to have really big pockets to hold 'em. Weighing in at under 2 ounces and being smaller than a palm-sized remote control, Yamaha's Pocketrak 2G is light and compact enough to easily slip in a pocket. The Yamaha recorder features 2GB of built-in memory, long battery life, easy USB file transfer, and Steinberg Cubase AI DAW software, it will become your constant companion in recording sound. Use the portable recorder for making field recordings, capturing voice and song ideas, recording practices, and making audio memos.

The Yamaha Pocketrak builds upon a successful lineage of recording technology and features two tracks of CD quality recording in PCM, MP3, and Windows Media Audio (WMA) formats. It's perfect for podcasting, field and location recording, audio for video, and more.

Its small size, long battery life, and large built-in memory provide Yamaha quality audio recording anywhere and at anytime. The Pocketrak comes with Cubase AI for a complete music production solution and is ready to capture audio wherever and whenever it happens.

The Pocketrak recorder includes a rechargeable AAA nickel-hydrogen battery capable of providing 19 hours of MP3 recording to its 2GB of internal memory. Plugging its sliding USB connector into a powered USB bus simultaneously recharges the battery and transfers files to a PC or Mac.

Furthermore, it's the only portable recorder to house an on-board speaker in addition to a headphone jack, making it a handy portable music player that supports MP3 and WMA files with DRM10 support.

Included in the box with the Pocketrak is a USB extension cable, stereo earphones, a leather carrying case, a stand adapter, and Cubase AI-an "Advanced Integration" version of Steinberg's legendary digital audio workstation software specially built to seamlessly integrate with Yamaha hardware.

Yamaha POCKETRAK 2G Pocket Recorder Features:

• Only 1.7 Ounces and 1/2 Inch Thick -Take it Everywhere!
• 2 GB Memory for High Audio Quality and Extended Recording Times
• High-sensitivity Tilt-up Microphone
• Level Meters and ALC for Optimum Record levels
• Long-lasting Rechargeable Battery
• Direct USB 2.0 Computer Connection
• DRM10 Playback Support and Comprehensive Playback Functions
  
  CUBASE AI Digital Audio Workstation Software Included
• CUBASE AI Features:
• CUBASE 4 audio engine.
• 48 audio tracks and up to 64 MIDI tracks.
• 25 VST effect plug-ins, including 15 new VST3 plug-in effects.
• HALionOne software sample player with selected MOTIF waves.
• Plug and Play VST/MIDI setup.
• Studio Connections Integration.
• File Interchange between Steinberg software and Yamaha hardware.
• 20 MIDI music styles and 480 audio drum loops included.
  
  

Finally, a portable digital recorder with high-quality sound that you can really take everywhere with you without a big pocket lump.

Yamaha POCKETRAK 2G Pocket Recorder Specifications:

• Dimensions: 1 1/4" W (34.2 mm) x 4 5/8" H (119.5 mm) x 1/2" D (13 mm)
• Weight: 1.7 oz (49 g) including battery
• eneloop Battery: Yes
• eneloop Recharge: 90 minutes
  
  Battery Life:
• - AAA Alkali: MP3: 25 hours; PCM: 9 hours
• - AAA Ni-MH: MP3: 19 hours; PCM: 8 hours, 30 min
• -
• Playback Battery Life:
• - AAA Alkali: MP3: 22 hours; PCM: 9 hours, 30 min (Earphone); MP3: 14 hours; PCM: 6 hours (Speaker)
• - AAA Ni-MH: MP3: 17 hours; PCM: 9 hours, 30 min (Earphone); MP3: 11 hours, PCM: 6 hours (Speaker)
  
  Dot matrix, backlit LCD display
• Internal Stereo Microphone
• Internal Speaker
• Ext. Mic. Input (stereo recording available),
• LINE IN Recording (microphone input switchable)
• Recording Format: Linear PCM, MP3
• Recording Configuration: Internal microphone, ext. mic input, line in (automatic song divide available)
• Recording time/Frequency Response/Sampling Frequency/Bit Rate:
• - PCM stereo: 3 hours, 10 min; 40 20kHz; 44.1kHz; 16 bit; 1411kbps
• - XHQ stereo: 35 hours, 20 min; 40 15kHz; 44.1kHz; 128kbps
• - HQ stereo: 71 hours; 40 7.5kHz, 22.05kHz, 64kbps
• - SP stereo: 142 h, 40 3.5kHz, 11.025kHz, 32kbps
• - LP mono: 284 hours; 40 3.5kHz; 16kHz; 16kbps
• Voice Automatic Recording System
• ALC (Auto Level Control) ON/OFF
• ALC sensitivity select (High/Middle/Low)
• Level meter display (ALC OFF 31steps/peak hold/LED peak)
• Security function
• Timer record
• Time stamp
• Record monitor
• File delete confirmation
• Payback format: MP3, WMA, WAVE, DRM10-WMA
• Clear voice function: yes
• Repeat: ONE, ALL, Random, Count down (five seconds)
• Musical function: EQ (NOR/POP/ROCK/JAZZ), BASS
• Playback speed: Slow PB (75%), normal (100%), Fast PB (120%)
• Other Functions: Title display (ID3 Tag), Play list (m3u format), Alarm PB (Beep/FOLDER)
  
  Data transfer:
• - Connection: USB direct (slide connector)
• - Transfer speed: USB 2.0 High Speed, 1500 kbps
• Connection:
• - Mass storage class: yes
• Accessories: USB cable (for PC connection), AAA eneloop rechargeable battery, stereo earphone (inner ear type), leather carrying case, DVD-ROM
  
  

Yamaha POCKETRAK 2G Pocket Recorder

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Average of 6 User Ratings

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Customer Reviews

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Not user friendly

Posted by JazzDude from Whitefish, Montana on Sep 18, 2009

Experience w/product: I own it

Reviewer's Background: working musician

Reviewer's Play Style: jazz

The mics that are built in do not do credit to the recording capabilit of this unit. I was disappointed in the frequency response until I used the Sony stereo mic that came with my Pro Walkman in the external input. Then the recordings were truly CD quality. It's a great unit for size, capacity, rechargability and quality. The down side is the tiny screen and complicated menu system that makes it a pain to use in real life situations. I use it primarily at jam sessions and have failed to get a recording because of the filing system. It would serve my purpose better if it just had an ON and Off recording buttons that recorded to the memory without the folder system. Yamaha has tried to make this a tool for Mp3 joggers, office use for data and recording music. If I had realized the difficulty of dealing with the tiny screen and filing system before the 30 days were up I would have returned it and got something more user friendly.

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Just what I was looking for

Posted by AllINeedIsMyGuitar from Lewisburg PA on Aug 29, 2009

Experience w/product: I own it

Reviewer's Background: Hobbyist

Reviewer's Play Style: Jam Rock, Ska, Reggae, Classic Rock, Indie

I wanted a compact, simple, quality audio recorder. I found that and more in this product. The recording quality is great, and it's remarkably easy to use. Just turn it on and record. My favorite features are the case, the built in speaker, and the built in usb drive. It's perfect for recording jam sessions. This tiny unit does exactly what I need it to.

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Great buy!

Posted by bbmatheny from Shepherdsville,Ky. on Jul 22, 2009

Experience w/product: I have heard about it

Reviewer's Background: active musician

Reviewer's Play Style: Gospel/ Praise team

The Pocketrak is everything I was wanting and more! I set it on my music stand at rehearsal and just turn it on. It's simple to operate!I plug it into external speakers and the sound is amazing. It picks up everything! I'm seldom totally satisfied with electronic devices these days, but this is the best purchase I've made in a long time.

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Potent little unit

Posted by Jazzdude from Montana on Apr 9, 2009

Experience w/product: I have used it

Reviewer's Background: active musician

Reviewer's Play Style: jazz

This replaced a Sony Pro Walkman cassette recorder that I've used for several years. It was smaller than I expected. Even so, it offers three hours of recording time at CD quality. The menu system is unnecessarily difficult and the tiny screen doesn't help. But if you take the time to read the pdf manual that is stored in memory it gets easier. In order to read the manual you have to plug it into a USB port on your computer. It is very easy to use on the computer, however, and comes up like any USB thumb drive. I was disappointed in the recordings made with the two on-board mics. Frequency response seemed like AM radio. I was about to return it. I hooked up the tiny stereo mic that came with my Sony and there was an amazing difference. So it does record very well with decent mics. It can also serve as an Ipod. You can add Mp3 files to the memory. All in all, this would be better for a musician if it didn't include all the extras that make it handy for jogging, dictation, etc. It is not simple to delete a recording because of the folder system that is used. I miss the simplicity of my old Sony. Record-Play-Rewind. Oh well, it always ran out of tape in the middle of the best part of the gig. Technology marches on.

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How professional are you using it?

Posted by Brimaxian from Costa Mesa, CA on Mar 10, 2009

Experience w/product: I own it

Reviewer's Background: Hobbyist, studio musician, recording

Reviewer's Play Style: Rock, hard rock, folky

The only thing actually wrong with this unit is the phasing problems you get, recording live with its built-in microphones. The user-interface is slightly convoluted, since I could come up with button and menu schemes much simpler which do the same simple things this unit does. As a line-in device, given a good source, just turn the volume down in MIC mode and record as PCM wav, and you'll get an excellent "rip". Any "LINE-IN" source you choose, it will only record as MP3, presumably as a copyright measure.

But, in general, like the "Hands on" review indicates, if you just set this thing down on a table and play a few feet away, the recording is excellent! That is, again, unless you want to use it in any capacity in which stereo-to-mono compatibility is important. I imagine the newer version of the Pocketrak, with the angled microphones, deals with this. Since it looks like the button configurations have been rethought, that would be my better choice.

But, for the price, this does what it says. The Cubase software that comes with it, however, is MORE than worth the price!

Had I known I was paying to own some excellent recording software, with a pocket WAV recorder thrown in, I would have bought this sooner! It's not the latest or full-featured version of Cubase, but it beats the software I WAS using out of the water!

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Yamaha POCKETRAK 2G Pocket Recorder

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