We've been using our Edirol R-1 in high-quality MP3 mode to record, and I'm pretty sure I've gotten over 4 hours on a set of rechargeable batteries, and I know you can put over 11 hours of music on a 1 GB card. I'm not sure about card speed (some of them say, others don't), but I did buy one that was recommended by the manufacturer and it's worked great!

The built-in mics work very well if you're facing the recorder, and do a credible job of picking up people off to a side and a little behind - I was surprised.

We're not looking for CD-quality (though I think it could do that in WAV format - but I'd want something easier to use with my big mics and board - it's more prosumer than pro) - our goal was easy to use and good enough that we'd get the words and tune clearly.

I put the R-1 at the edge of the circle, turn it on and forget it for the next 3-4 hours. When we get home, I use a card reader to transfer the file to my computer (just takes a couple of minutes), then use CoolEdit Pro to find and copy any parts we want to pull out. Piece of cake!

Let me know if you have any specific questions - I'll see if I have some answers.

JudyB