[UPDATED AUG. 07]
I have recently started using my Edirol R-09 digital recorder and find it easier to use than the Sony Mini-Disc. The Edirol comes with built-in stereo mics, or you can use an external mic or a line input. It has a recording sensitivity control and can use either automatic or manual recording level control. The recordings are captured on standard SD cards (such as digital cameras use). You can record in 44.1 or 48kHz sample rates as WAV (full digital), or in various compression levels of MP3 (to save storage space). Most modern computers can accept the SD cards, so you can plug your recording right into your PC and grab the recording as though it were just another file. If your computer doesn't read SD cards, the recorder comes with a USB cable you can use to transfer files. Here is a photo:
The recorder is only a bit larger than a standard cassette flip-box. Combined with the all-in-one Sony microphone, it makes for a very portable outfit.
I have also used it to record LP's into digital format. I just hook up the Edirol to my line output and record away. This recorder and the larger Sony mic listed below are what I used to record Till There Was You, which is found in the Downloads for Members Only section of this forum.
Edirol Digital Stereo Recorder]
Sony makes 2 very nice stereo mics. The first is about the size of a very small hand-held vocal mic and is about $70:
Sony Stereo Mic, small size
The other mic is more like the size of a large hand-held vocal mic (it is shown in the photo above). It features a rotating capsule so you can use it easily at 2 different angles and has a wide-or-narrow angle stereo setting. The mic uses a matrix system of figure-8-plus-mono to capture the stereo sound, which is the same system I used to use with the U.S. Coast Guard Band in a very expensive Neumann mic:
Larger Stereo Mic