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Panasonic RR-US360 Digital Voice Recorder | 
 enlarge | Brand: Panasonic
Category: CE
This item is no longer available
Rating:  35 reviews
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 3.9 x 1.3 x 0.9
MPN: RRUS360
Model: RRUS360
UPC: 037988251414
EAN: 0037988251414
ASIN: B0001MKTUS
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| Features:
| • | Hold 99 files in each of 5 recording folders | | • | Records in 3 quality levels | | • | Built-in speaker and microphone | | • | Records up to 8 hours of audio | | • | Can be linked to you PC via USB |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The RR-US360 records longer in SP Mode than Panasonic's previous models and does not require LP (Long Play) Mode to record up to eight hours. In the past, LP (Long Play) Mode was necessary to maximize recording time, but this often meant sacrificing sound quality. Now you no longer have to choose between sound quality and recording time. You can save and edit the sound files you record on the RR-US360 with the included software. The included USB Cable connects your IC Recorder to a compatible PC for easy file transfers. Thanks to the Digital Voice Activated System on the RR-US360, recording begins as soon as sound is detected. This helps eliminate wasted tape space. At less than 4" tall and less than 1" deep, the RR-US360 is easy to carry and fits conveniently in just about any pocket.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 30 more reviews...
 Unsupported and proprietary September 6, 2008
If audio quality and features were the only aspects that mattered, this product would probably be worth a rating of 4. It's relatively easy to use and records at a reasonably good quality.
Unfortunately, it suffers from several HUGE flaws that would have been dealbreakers had I realized it at the time. First, although it uses a standard USB mini plug, for whatever reason they opted to go with a proprietary way of interacting with the computer, and to add insult, a proprietary audio file format. Finally, Panasonic has chosen to orphan anyone who doesn't stay with an old operating system.
The first is just stupidly fatal. Unlike most modern devices that appear to be a standard mass storage device, this one can only be accessed using the proprietary software after the proprietary drivers have been installed. If you lose that software as I did, good luck finding a replacement. I found a third party driver site that was generous enough to let me download it by watching 12 pages of ads first in lieu of paying a download fee. The fact that I even need proprietary software to access the files on the device is just ridiculous. Once you do get to those files, they're in some silly format that must go through a conversion using the same silly proprietary software. At least the ability to have it convert to WAV is some mitigation of one really bad design element.
Let me gripe about the inexcusable decision not to support this beyond the operating systems that existed when it was created. I will repeat, this is INEXCUSABLE. This isn't a printer or scanner that can be expected to wear out in a few years or be substantially obsoleted in a short time. It's a recording device that conceivably could last for many years. I guess this gripe could be viewed as a subset of the above gripes, because had they made it work as a standard USB mass storage device and stored the files in some sort of standard audio format, this wouldn't matter at all. As it is, that I *NEED* the software to get at the recordings is another FATAL problem when that software doesn't work on Vista, and every system in my house is now running Vista. My modest investment in this device has just been tossed in the trash, as it is now useless. Panasonic has no intention of updating the software.
My advice, therefore, is to avoid this model like the plague. I'm so annoyed at having to trash an otherwise perfectly good device, and more so at Panasonic's complete unwillingness to continue to support their own product, that I doubt I'll be eager to buy another Panasonic product any time soon. How many other products will they so readily abandon? I don't intend to find out. Should you need a voice recorder, go with a company that has a reputation for supporting its products, and more importantly, find one that doesn't need proprietary software and that records in a standard format. This isn't the recorder you're looking for!
Doesn't work with Vista!!! June 6, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
My friend bought this RR-US360 recorder about a year ago. Now she got a new laptop with Vista on it, and the Voice Studio software that came with the recorder (so you can use Panasonic's proprietary audio format) didn't install right. Turns out Panasonic has decided specifically not to support this device on Vista, so if you bought the RR-US360 recorder and now have a Vista computer, you are out of luck! You can't copy new recordings to your Vista computer, and you can't listen to old ones! Thanks, Panasonic, for selling a product and not supporting it!
"mystery files" are extremely annoying March 26, 2007
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
As others have noted, this device records not on MP3, but on Panasonic's own proprietary system. What they haven't noted is that the files are quirky and invisible! They can only be seen -- sort of -- by Panasonic's own software.
I've run Panasonic's Voice Studio software on Windows XP, both Pro and Home Edition. No problem running Voice Studio. No problem with the USB connection.
But while Windows can run Voice Studio, it can't display the sound files. These files are so well Hidden, that even clicking Windows to display Hidden files will not reveal them. This means that I can't drag & drop the sound files to create backup files.
Nor does Voice Studio seem to recognize any folders other than the four folder that it creates to mirror those in the recorder. It can convert its proprietary files to .WAVE format, and save those anywhere, but not while the files in proprietary form.
I can also browse via Voice Studio, and create new folders, but if I save its proprietary sound files in those new folders, Voice Studio seems not to recognize those sound files while they're in that new folder. Neither can Windows. So maybe the sound files are not there, despite Voice Studio assuring me that they were indeed saved in there?
However, it gets weirder. These proprietary sound files are real quirky. I think I made some of the proprietary files visible in Windows. But new files remain Hidden, only the older ones are visible. But I'm not sure if those are the sound files.
I've just now used Voice Studio to back up all sound files on an external hard drive, but Windows doesn't see them.
I've used this voice recorder for several years. I don't use it much. I've created a total of 22 files with it. It's a decent recorder, in terms of its sound quality. I especially like the external speaker, which you don't find on all recorders.
But the invisibility factor of the proprietary sound files are most annoying. If you drag & drop the entire Voice Studio folder onto the backup hard drive, you can be mostly certain that the proprietary sound files are there too. Although Voice Studio doesn't always see them, just sometimes. You'd best both drag & drop the entire folder, AND copy the sound files via Voice Studio, to be certain that you've copied the proprietary sound files. Or as certain as you can ever be.
It's too bad Panasonic has this weird system instead of using standard MPs. Yes, you can convert them to WAVE files, and Windows has no problem seeing those. But WAVE files are much fatter, so they take up much hard drive space.
 Don't Lose the Software!!! September 21, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
As was stated earlier, the recorder only works with the included software because it records in a proprietary format. After upgrading our network and having to create new user accounts, the software no longer worked and said it needed to be reinstalled and I have since lost the CD. Again, as stated earlier, there is nothing on the panasonic site that helps. I call and they want $25 for the CD, plus $8 shipping on a device that costs $70. Terrible, terrible customer service.
The Propriatory Audio Format is BS May 21, 2006
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
That's really all that needs to be said. I bought it assuming it recorded in MP3 format, like most recorders do these days. I bought it specifically for recording ambient samples to be used in my music. Because there is no way to convert it to mp3, and Panasonic refuses to write software that allows that conversion, the product is entirely useless to me.
However, if you just use it for class notes or something and don't mind the crappy software that does come with the recorder, you'll be fine.
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