Gear Review: Roland R-26 Portable Recorder

Just arrived this week, a shiny new Roland R-26 portable recorder. This little device has the best and most complete feature list of anything on the market in this form factor. Compared with the ubiquitous Zoom H4n, the Roland R-26 is quite simply another level above, putting it close to devices in the 4+ channel recorder segment. In my five hours with the device since I got home from work, and then charged some AA batteries, I've only been impressed with how it performs. The depth and quality of features on show is quite astounding. I would put it right at the top of the pecking order of portable recorders available right now.

Roland say these are the key features:

- Two types of built-in stereo microphones (omnidirectional and directional) that can be used in various combinations
- Two XLR/TRS combo inputs with 48 V phantom power, plus an input for a stereo plug-in powered mic
- Supports up to six channels (three stereo channels) of simultaneous recording
- Large LCD touchscreen display for intuitive navigation
- Large input-level knobs for fine adjustment
- Built-in Hi-Speed USB interface for use as an audio interface or external storage
- Loop-Back function; combine this with the built-in or external mics for the optimum live video streaming setup (only with Audio Interface function)
- Bundled with SONAR LE software (PC) 

Not bad, huh... 

The first key feature here, for me, is the two front mounted and easily accessible input level controls. Every portable controller I've used has horrible software controlled levels, adjusted by crude buttons or notched wheels. It's not right... These two input level controls are both amazingly accessible and an obvious enhancement over other brands offerings in this form factor.

Another feature which beats the Zoom H4n is the fact it has true +4db line input handling on the two XLR inputs. This means, if I want to, I can bypass the built in pre-amps, and use an external mixer/pre-amp without being forced to use pads and input gain.

Lets keep going... The R-26 has both XY and omni mics built in, and you can record from both simultaneously. That is going to be great for quickly capturing ambients when you're out and about.

Recording six channels simultaneously is also pretty unheard of for this type of device. I can take a recording from the internal mics, the mics plugged into the XLR's and a stereo mic on the plug in mic feed. The plug in mic feed can also be used as another line input if your line feed is given a significant pad (In my quick test with an unbalanced line feed out of my Edirol FA-101 interface it seemed to need about -20db).

So lets start with those built in mics. They sound pretty decent. Nothing incredibly astounding about them, but they will certainly perform the function they're designed for with some competence. A decent operator could quite easily get some very usable straight recordings from them. When I come to reviewing this unit I'll get a few recording tests with them and see how they sound.

The two pre-amps, servicing the analog inputs, are reportedly the same as those used in the Edirol R-44 and Roland R-4. I'd have to have the two side by side to actually compare them, but my first impression is that they do have similar qualities to those in the Edirol R-44 (which I used exclusively on a couple of short films I've worked on). That unit impressed me, but for me the R-4 is the one to go for, just for timecode functionality... Anyway I digress, the preamps are clean and only really get noisy when you start pushing them way out past the three o'clock mark. That should be enough headroom for most mics, especially the typical Sennheiser mics I've used on most of my film work to date. Again I'll have to set up some field tests to see how they perform with a variety of mics.

The massive screen is a real joy too. The vast area gives a much more comfortable viewing area for menus and on screen data. The fact that it's a touch screen too, really takes it into it's own in terms of usability and general user friendliness. I would expect anyone interested in sound recording would be able to use the unit within about 10 minutes of picking it up. It's really astounding how simple these things can be when your used to having to wrap your head around the slightly obtuse menu systems I've seen in place on Sound Devices recorders. I can't knock those Sound Devices recorders too much because there are some amazing features in there and they do sound great, but the menus suck, big time.

The "feel" of the touch screen is actually pretty good too. It's no iPhone 5 or Galaxy S3, but it is perfectly functional and responsive. Being quite used to using touch screen devices in this day and age it seems a pretty obvious step to take to have a large touchable panel on a device with potentially a lot of complex menus. It makes navigating said menus far simpler than using wheels and directional pads to navigate massive lists.

Talking of menus, this one is just so simple to use. Every setting is exactly where you expect it to be. The menu items are well visualised and drag your eye to where it needs to go. The only other device with menus and controls as well organised was a Sonosax SX-R4 (but that is a dream-like device to use and costs more than ten times what this little unit does).

Also, it matches the Zoom in a lesser known or used side of it's operation. It also operates as a competent USB audio interface too. As an interface it only operates as a 2in - 2out mode, but the drivers are completely ASIO enabled and very tweakable. You can push it right down to 96 samples of latency, which allows pretty flawless performance and recording conditions if you are playing to backing tracks. I found it struggled a bit with some massive projects in a couple of quick tests in Ableton Live 8, but I would suggest that other DAW's might fair better, if only because of Live's current shortcomings.


Downsides?

Well, there is a lot of handling noise when your using the internal mics, but if you keep it still it should be fine and it's nothing to worry about if you're using external mics. Also, the enclosure for the internal XY and ambient mics is pretty ugly... Aside from that I can't actually find anything that I really dislike about it. Maybe, at a push, it would have been nice if the plug in mic input could take a proper line level input; as something you set in the software options. But, all in all, you can't expect a lot more from what is basically an entry level piece of kit.


The Final Word(s)

I think we can officially say goodbye to the Zoom H4n as the go to recorder for budget oriented film projects. The Roland R-26 is a little more expensive but it's worth every additional penny. I'll have more to say on reliability and other bits of long term-ism when I've given it some proper field testing.

(P.S. I also have it on good authority that Philip Bloom is using one for audio on his smaller projects, and has said some very positive things about it too)