"Superscope PSD300 CD Recording System Offers Easy, Great Results. It is essentially a miniature recording studio in a box the size of a small briefcase. It's as easy to use as a portable tape recorder and is designed for recording live directly to blank CD-R or CD-RW discs. It boasts a second CD-player drive with unprecedented real-time CD-playback controls.Just plug a pair of microphones directly into the unit to record CD-quality digital stereo. You won't need a mixer or any other equipment. Automatic level control provides "worry-free" recording. Best of all, this first-of-a-kind CD recording system can go anywhere inside and outside your school. You can record daily practice sessions in your music room. You can record concerts, musicals, competitions, and other "live" events. And, almost instantly, you can make and duplicate CDs that students can use at home for practice.Because these recorders also have a built-in microphone, speaker and amplifier, they are great for recording meetings and lectures. And the unit can connect to external speakers for playback in a large rehearsal room.Transcribing is especially common in jazz. It often requires playing a piece of music back at slower speeds. With the Superscope PSD300, you can slow the CD tempo down to 33% without affecting the original key or increase it up to 50% -- all on the fly. You can also change the key of any recording in half-step increments without affecting the original tempo - or change the key and tempo simultaneously. This means you can take any song and play it back at a speed and in a key more suitable for student practice. For example, guitar solos can commonly be found in a guitarist's favourite key of E major (4 sharps). But this means a B flat instrument player will have to play the same solo in the key of F sharp major (6 sharps). Why not transpose the solo a half-step higher to the key of F major (1 flat) so the B flat players can play in an easier key.The Superscope PSD300's built-in CD player offers instructional benefits as well. You can remove a lead vocal from a song at the touch of a button (depending on how the recording was made), aiding practice sessions for vocal pieces.You can also select a segment of music to continuously repeat using the A-B practice loop button. This feature works with key and tempo control and lead vocal reduction. Take a favourite recording, manipulate it in the CD player drive, and burn a practice CD using the CD recorder drive. You can also use special accompaniment recordings, create loops, and make CDs in which the student can practice particular measures in the tune over and over again without stopping to rewind the recording.For live recording, you won't find an easier-to-use stand-alone solution than the PSD300. It provides two XLR and two 1/4 " microphone connectors for stereo recording without the need for a separate preamp or mixer. It also has a built-in microphone that delivers remarkably good results. The ¼" microphone connectors are particularly good for high-impedance microphones, while the XLR connectors are best for low-impedance microphones without any special adjustment. You literally connect the mikes and start recording."Dr John Kuzmich Jr, Senior Columnist / IAJE Column / Jazz Education Journal
