PMD561

Handheld Solid-State Recorder
(Discontinued Product)


The PMD561 is a compact handheld professional-grade audio recorder that records directly onto SD/SDHC flash media. It’s compact and lightweight, yet it delivers audio recording quality of the very highest caliber, thanks to its sensitive stereo microphone arrangement and superior solid-state recording process. The PMD561 is intended for reporters, safety personnel, researchers, anyone who needs accurate, detailed, reliable in-field recordings. It’s ideal for situations where no-compromise recordings are required, but bulky equipment and separate microphones are not possible or appropriate.

Its hardware feature set includes an integrated high-quality stereo condenser microphone array for ‘point and shoot’ operation, switchable balanced mic/XLR line inputs, as well as unbalanced line outputs on RCA connectors and a  secondary unbalanced line input on 3.5 mm mini jack connector.

Measuring just 6.7” x 4.1” x 1.6” (170 x 105 x 40mm) with a highly visible 128 x 64 dots matrix OLED (organic LED) display ensures ease of use wherever recording, playback or setup may be taking place.  A high-resolution 24-bit / 96 kHz recording option means quality is never an issue when recording to the supplied SD flash card.  Compatibility with SDHC media means cards up to 32 GB in size can be used. In addition, the new built in ‘SD Card Check’ makes it easy and convenient to insert any SD card and check compatibility. High capacity media storage is matched by seven hours recording time from four AA Alkaline / Ni-MH batteries. Drag-and-drop file transfer is supported via the USB port.

The new ‘Retake’ feature allows a simple button press to take you back though the previously recorded audio and create a drop-in point to overdub.  This enables easy re-recording part way through unwanted takes ideal for dictation and electronic note gathering applications.

Applications include broadcast, electronic news gathering/journalism, DSLR video, sound effects capture, law enforcement, municipal and court recording, government and surveillance, musicians, dictation for law, medical, education, and meeting recording.

  • Record directly to stable and reliable SD/SDHC flash media
  • Handheld portability, compact rugged design
  • Built-in studio-grade stereo condenser microphone array
  • 44.1, 48, 96kHz sample rates (WAV)
  • Six selectable sampling rates from 192 kbps to 32 kbps (MP3)
  • S/PDIF Digital Input for connection to other audio equipment
  • (2) Balanced XLR Mic inputs with +48v phantom power
  • Dictation Functions including Pitch control and Skip Back
  • Card check compatibility feature
  • Passcode protection for the device
  • Linear style Retake record function
  • Large OLED (organic LED) Display
  • Built-in playback speaker and headphone jack
  • Selectable 16- and 24-bit recording depths
  • Unbalanced line-in and line-out
  • USB 2.0 for fast file transfer
  • Runs on AC power or 4 AA batteries
  • Up to 7 hours of continuous recording time from a set of batteries
  • Includes DMP Editor software for advanced features and functionality
  • Media
    • Storage: SD or SDHC card (max. size 64 GB)

  • Recording Formats
    • MP3 (MPEG Layer III compression 320, 256, 192, 128, 64, or 32 kbps)
    • WAV (16- or 24-bit linear PCM)

  • Audio System
    • Sampling Rate: 44.1, 48, or 96 KHz
    • Channels 2 (stereo) or 1 (mono)
    • Frequency Response 20 Hz – 24 kHz (+1 dB)
    • Signal-to-Noise Ratio 65 dB (Mic); 85 dB (Line); IEC-A-weighted
    • THD (@ 0 VU) 0.08% (Mic); 0.02% (Line)
    • Dynamic Range 85 dB

  • Microphone Array
    • Maximum SPL: 110 dB
    • Frequency range: 50Hz-20kHz
    • Total Harmonic Distortion (THD): 0.30%
    • Signal-To-Noise Ratio (SNR): 60 dB (A-Weighted Curve @ 1kHz)

  • Inputs
    • Microphone (XLR) - Sensitivity: 1.2 mVrms / 4.2kΩ
    • Line (1/4” / 6.35 mm) - Sensitivity: 0 dbu / 4.2kΩ
    • Line 2 (1/8” / 3.5 mm) - Sensitivity: 500 mVrms / 20kΩ

  • Outputs
    • Line (RCA stereo) - Standard Level: 2.0V / 10kΩ
    • Headphone (1/4” / 6.35 mm) - Standard Level: 16 mW / 32Ω
    • Speaker (internal) - Standard Level: 450 mW / 8Ω

  • Environmental
    • Operating Temperature: 32 to 104°F / 0 to 40°C
    • Storage Temperature: -4 to 158°F / -20 to 70°C
    • Operating Humidity: 30–80%

  • General
    • Power Adapter: 5 V DC, 1.5 A, center-positive
    • Batteries: (4) AA batteries; approx. 7 hours of battery life
    • Phantom Power: +48 V, 10 mA (maximum)
    • Consumption: 4.2 W (DC, recording & playback)
    • Dimensions (HWD): 6.7” x 4.1” x 1.6” (170 x 105 x 40mm)
    • Weight (without batteries): 12.5 oz. (353g)

  • PMD561
  • Power adapter
  • SD card
  • RCA-to-1/8-inch (3.5 mm) audio cable
  • USB cable
  • Quickstart guide
  • Safety and warranty manual