With the advances in digital audio, capturing high-quality audio in the field seems like child's play. But the recording interface is still an important consideration.

There has been a boom in portable recorders over the past few years. There are a plethora of handheld stereo units, and nearly as many multitrack units. Still, the need to accurately capture audio with minimal effort is the important concern. New units from Tascam, Edirol and Zoom add to the ranks of available units.

At this year's convention, Yellowtec introduced the IXM, a handheld recorder mic. Yellowtec has combined the best features of several recorders and packaged them into a recognizable form factor.

And since so many people carry an Iphone now, you knew there was going to be an app for professional audio recording. Audiofile Engineering introduced Fire, an Iphone app that presents a familiar and practical audio recording interface.

One possibly unexpected pairing of technology adds portable recording to the familiar audio codec. The same device used to transmit high-quality audio from the field to the studio in some cases offers a way to record the audio as well. In addition, wireless mic systems, like the Zaxcom TRX900 series, have added recording capability.