Winter NAMM is right around the corner; last year, it seemed as if inexpensive Chinese-produced microphones were the biggest advancement in the cost-vs-quality department. This year, it's looking like the portable digital recorder will be the biggest advancement to come down in price and up in quality, and Marantz has already released a new unit -- the PMD661 -- that looks to have an incredible feature set for a low price.

The PMD661 features XLR line/mic inputs, built-in condensor mics, S/PDIF input, easily visible metering and up to 24 bit / 96 kHz recording resolution. Retail priced at $599, the PMD661 will be available in January 2009.

This Friday, we'll be sending out a special newsletter: the 2008 Gift Guide for home recording engineers. You'll see the best gifts available new this holiday season, regardless of your price range. There's some really great, low-cost (yet powerful!) pieces of recording gear this season!

If you don't already subscribe, sign up now to receive this special edition newsletter!

Of all the parts of a regular drum kit, I find that getting the toms to sound best on a recording is the hardest part! Recently, I've been in love with the Shure Beta 98D/S as a great mic on toms, but I'd love to hear your opinions!

Got a great mic you've used on toms? Leave a comment!

Digidesign has announced shipping on the next installment of it's Pro Tools LE hardware, announcing the availability of the Digi 003-R+.

The 003-R+ includes premium features including eight microphone preamps (enough to record a full drum kit!), as well as improved onboard monitoring and compatibility with Pro Tools 8. Also included is a valued-at-$3000 plug-ins package. The 003-R+is available now from authorized retailers for Digidesign; check www.digidesign.com for your local seller.