I have a SONY PCM-M10 which is old but excellent and is still sold at $200.

If what you buy doesn't have USB then the only way to load or unload files would be a SD card, like you would a camera. I like the USB connections, though, so I can treat my recorder like another disk drive and just drag files around.

Recorders with an SD card usually have some built-in memory, but the SD card can expand that. It isn't always seamless, though. On mine, it is a different area in the menu system. Plus, you need to select the SD card first before starting a long recording (such as when recording a rehearsal) that might overflow the remaining built-in memory.


BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.