Yamaha Pocketrak CX is designed for live music recording

By Ben Rogerson
published

The bootlegger's best friend?

Pocketrak CX: soon to be confiscated at gigs everywhere.
Pocketrak CX: soon to be confiscated at gigs everywhere.

Yamaha seems to getting a taste for the portable recorder market. Having launched the diminutive Pocketrak 2G earlier this year, the company has now released a more music-friendly version in the shape of the Pocketrak CX.

The new model shares many features with the Pocketrak 2G - it's very small and weighs next to nothing, for example - but benefits from the addition of a high-sensitivity 90-degree X/Y microphone. This promises to make it suitable for recording live music.

Also new is the option to expand the Pocketrak CX's memory allowance via microSD cards. A 2GB card comes included.

The device can record at 16-bit/44.1kHz quality and store files in WAV and MP3 formats. There's a mic/line input, while files can be transferred to your computer over USB. These can then be edited in the supplied Cubase AI4 software.

The Pocketrak CX costs $499 and is available now.

Ben Rogerson
Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.