Edirol has announced that the R-1 Portable Wave/MP3 Recorder is now shipping. The R-1 is a mobile, high-quality recording device offering direct storage to Compact Flash (CF) memory, 24-bit effect processing, and operation from 2 AA batteries.

At 4″x5.5″ and weighing in at 10 oz (including batteries and CF), the R-1 is designed for premium sound quality throughout the signal path.

The R-1 is equipped with two hi-grade electret mics, external line and mic inputs for quick and clean stereo capture. In addition, the R-1 contains a 24-bit internal effects processor which includes Mic Simulation through Roland’s COSM technology, Noise Reducer, Hum Cut, 10-band EQ, Reverb, Center Cancel and more. For music education applications it also includes a Metronome, Tuner, half-speed playback, and A-B repeat to loop one section of an audio file.

The R-1 stores files directly to Compact Flash allowing convenient access and memory capacity up to 4GB. It comes bundled with a 64MB CF card which allows a maximum record time of 130 (MP3, 64 kbps mode). A 2GB CF card will provide storage capacity for over 2 hours of 24-bit/44.1kHz WAV recordings or over 69 hours of MP3 storage at the R-1’s highest compression level of 64kbs. The R-1 also offers a USB2.0 port to quickly transfer files to and from the computer. At maximum resolution (24-bit/44.1kHz) the R-1 can transfer a 60 minute file (908 MB) to the computer in just three minutes. The R-1 includes a headphone jack that doubles as a S/PDIF Optical output, allowing the R-1 to stream digital audio directly to digital monitor speakers, such as the EDIROL MA-15D, MA-10D, MA-20D or DAT/CD/MD recorders.

Suggested retail price is $550, with immediate availability.