Thanks to Morris from Hapi-Skratch records, I was picked to be one of the first people to try out the brand new Xacti Sound Recorder from Sanyo.

As a song-writer blessed (or cursed) with a short memory I jumped at the chance. For years I have tried several ways of capturing my song ideas, from sending myself phone messages, to small four track recorders to a series of office quality hand held voice recorders.

What's different or better about the Xacti is both the sound quality and the ease with which files can be transferred from the unit itself to the PC. Being something of a Luddite myself, easy use is essential.

The unit is tiny: about 3.5 inches x 1.5 inches and less that half an inch thick, which makes it great for portability. It has two external mics which offer great recording quality and, with the headphone jack, you can monitor yourself while recording. I am so used to the studio setting that I find I am more comfortable hearing the recording process through headphones as it takes place. I used Logitech noise canceling headphones as opposed to the provided ear buds.  The only problem I found, when recording, was the mic sensitivity setting was a little limited, high setting meant that you got distortion when playing moderately loud, the low setting lost a lot of the nuances I wanted to keep. To remedy this, I used an extension cable for the headphones and simply placed the Xacti further away. Hey presto! I was able to make good recordings on the go, simply plug in the USB to the PC, drag and drop and you have instant mp3s at your disposal.

I have not explored some of this unit's potential in that I have used it simply as an ideas machine, as much as I'm addicted to multi-track recording I need a way of capturing as much of my inital ideas as quickly as possible, and I have to say this has been the best way so far, and no-one's behind me twisting my arm to say it either. About half of the songs shortlisted for the new KFAD album have been written directly onto the Xacti

Simon Levene, August 2010