Portable Digital Audio Recorders
aldo.ca...@gmail.com
I'm not all that happy with it and wonder if anyone might recommend a
better portable digital audio recorder in the sub $1,500.00 range? A
model that supports removable media CF/SD cards would be preferrable.
Thanks for any help!
Oleg Kaizerman
--
Oleg Kaizerman (gebe) Hollyland
<aldo.ca...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1142438350.0...@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
aldo.ca...@gmail.com
definitely a neophyte regarding audio recording).
You all will probably cringe when you/if you listen to this example but
here it is anyway as I think it describes the issue better than I can
via text:
http://thestoryofdigitalidentity.com/AudioArchives/theSTORYofDigitalIdentity-BenAdida-3-06.mp3
I really appreciate any help!
John Blankenship
Jeff Wexler
"aldo.ca...@gmail.com" <aldo.ca...@gmail.com> wrote:
Forget the Marantz. If you have a Mac, one of the absolute easiest ways
to produce a really good professional sounding podcast is to use Garage
Band 2 and a suitable low cost box (hardware interface). M-Audio makes a
whole line of low cost boxes with one or two mic inputs and a Firewire
or USB connection to the Mac.
Go to the Apple website for lots of good info:
http://www.apple.com/support/garageband/podcasts/
http://www.apple.com/support/garageband/podcasts/recording/
Regards, Jeff Wexler
Jeff Wexler
Jeff Wexler <j...@jwsound.net> wrote:
> Forget the Marantz. If you have a Mac, one of the absolute easiest ways
> to produce a really good professional sounding podcast is to use Garage
> Band 2 and a suitable low cost box (hardware interface). M-Audio makes a
> whole line of low cost boxes with one or two mic inputs and a Firewire
> or USB connection to the Mac.
>
> Go to the Apple website for lots of good info:
> http://www.apple.com/support/garageband/podcasts/
> http://www.apple.com/support/garageband/podcasts/recording/
>
> Regards, Jeff Wexler
Before anyone starts to get critical about my suggestion to use a Mac
for Podcasting, please go to the link below (at Apple's website) and
look at the tour of GarageBand's Podcast capabilities.
http://www.apple.com/ilife/quicktour/garageband/
After that I would be pleased to hear from our experienced Windows users
if there is an equivalent on the Windows PC platform that is as easy and
intuitive.
Also, there is a reason why they are called Podcasts... would it not
make sense to look first to the source, Apple Computer, for a solution
to creating a Podcast.
Regards, Jeff Wexler
Charles Tomaras
"major" upgrade to Acid Pro. They have added lots of new recording features
to an already state of the art loop based system.
http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/products/acidpro6_brochure.pdf
"Jeff Wexler" <j...@jwsound.net> wrote in message
news:jw-D3C4C0.10...@news.verizon.net...
Jeff Wexler
"Charles Tomaras" <tom...@tomaras.com> wrote:
> I don't think this is as dumbed down as Garage Band but here's the latest
> "major" upgrade to Acid Pro. They have added lots of new recording features
> to an already state of the art loop based system.
>
> http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/products/acidpro6_brochure.pdf
Thanks, Charlie. Of course I am only in a position to suggest Mac based
products (since, as you know, I don't know a lot about what is available
for newbie sound person who has a PC) so I will check Acid Pro out so
that I will be more informed.
Regards, Jeff Wexler
Jeff Wexler
Jeff Wexler <j...@jwsound.net> wrote:
> In article <3IidndJdWp4h-4XZ...@comcast.com>,
> "Charles Tomaras" <tom...@tomaras.com> wrote:
>
> > I don't think this is as dumbed down as Garage Band but here's the latest
> > "major" upgrade to Acid Pro. They have added lots of new recording features
> > to an already state of the art loop based system.
> >
> > http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/products/acidpro6_brochure.pdf
I just read up on Sony's Acid Pro 6 and it certainly isn't as "dumbed
down" as GarageBand 2, and it has a $399.95 list price! I think before
either you or I compare these things (in an effort to help out a person
who is already reeling from the cost of his Marantz recorder) we both
need to know what we are talking about. The $399 program from Sony could
more aptly be compared to Reason, ProTools LE, Live or even Nuendo. Acid
Pro 6 (and also v. 5 before) is such a feature rich product but does not
have built in the easy routines for producing Podcasts that the "dumbed
down" GarageBand 2 has. If you haven't done so already, Charlie, do
yourself a favor and view the Quicktime tour of GarageBand 2 --- I
really think you will be impressed how fully capable this dumbed down
software really is... and by the way, rather than $399. GarageBand 2 is
FREE.
Regards, Jeff Wexler
AVPro
designed specifically for location sound use with a street price under
$1000. Bonus: It also has timecode capabilities.
Best regards,
Mark Calice
Marc Wielage
> I
> really think you will be impressed how fully capable this dumbed down
> software really is... and by the way, rather than $399. GarageBand 2 is
> FREE.
>------------------------------snip>------------------------------<
Is GarageBand 2 still up on Apple's website? I don't see it at all. As far
as I know, it was replaced with GarageBand 3 about three months ago.
Also, a small correction: GarageBand is not exactly free. It's part of the
5 programs that make up iLife '06, which is $79 (but is free if you purchase
a new Mac).
Now, that having been said, iLife is a tremendous, incredible bargain given
that you get a pretty damned good video editing program (iMovie HD), a
DVD-creation program (iDVD), and an audio recording/mixing program
(GarageBand), plus a bunch of other stuff. There are many who feel each of
these programs is better than comparable Windows programs costing many times
as much.
--MFW
Jeff Wexler
Marc Wielage <m...@musictrax.com> wrote:
> On Mar 15, 2006, Jeff Wexler <j...@jwsound.net> commented:
>
> > I
> > really think you will be impressed how fully capable this dumbed down
> > software really is... and by the way, rather than $399. GarageBand 2 is
> > FREE.
> >------------------------------snip>------------------------------<
>
> Is GarageBand 2 still up on Apple's website? I don't see it at all. As far
> as I know, it was replaced with GarageBand 3 about three months ago.
I stand corrected... sorry about that, I'm sure I meant GarageBand 3
>
> Also, a small correction: GarageBand is not exactly free. It's part of the
> 5 programs that make up iLife '06, which is $79 (but is free if you purchase
> a new Mac).
Again, I apologize for that mistake. You are right, it is FREE as it is
bundled with all new Macs (but otherwise, is $79.00 as part of the
iLife 06 package).
>
> Now, that having been said, iLife is a tremendous, incredible bargain given
> that you get a pretty damned good video editing program (iMovie HD), a
> DVD-creation program (iDVD), and an audio recording/mixing program
> (GarageBand), plus a bunch of other stuff. There are many who feel each of
> these programs is better than comparable Windows programs costing many times
> as much.
>
> --MFW
Regards, Jeff Wexler
Charles Tomaras
> In article <jw-1B4339.11...@news.verizon.net>,
> Jeff Wexler <j...@jwsound.net> wrote:
>
>> In article <3IidndJdWp4h-4XZ...@comcast.com>,
>> "Charles Tomaras" <tom...@tomaras.com> wrote:
>>
>> > I don't think this is as dumbed down as Garage Band but here's the
>> > latest
>> > "major" upgrade to Acid Pro. They have added lots of new recording
>> > features
>> > to an already state of the art loop based system.
>> >
>> > http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/products/acidpro6_brochure.pdf
>
> I just read up on Sony's Acid Pro 6 and it certainly isn't as "dumbed
> down" as GarageBand 2, and it has a $399.95 list price!
Actually, a better program to compare would be the $69 Acid Music Studio.
http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/products/showproduct.asp?PID=971&FeatureID=8329
>I think before
> either you or I compare these things (in an effort to help out a person
> who is already reeling from the cost of his Marantz recorder) we both
> need to know what we are talking about. The $399 program from Sony could
> more aptly be compared to Reason, ProTools LE, Live or even Nuendo. Acid
> Pro 6 (and also v. 5 before) is such a feature rich product but does not
> have built in the easy routines for producing Podcasts that the "dumbed
> down" GarageBand 2 has. If you haven't done so already, Charlie, do
> yourself a favor and view the Quicktime tour of GarageBand 2 --- I
> really think you will be impressed how fully capable this dumbed down
> software really is.
I'm fully aware of Garage Band and have farted around with it as well.
. and by the way, rather than $399. GarageBand 2 is
> FREE.
"almost" free...I'd still have to buy that Mac! :)
°R¼ ¤*¦*b€rt°•
<aldo.ca...@gmail.com> schreef:
Fostex FR2. Thats a recorder, not a laptop, by the way.
R
John Coffey
they can do so much for such a low price. The only negative is that
while it will accept external time code, it does not generate it. It
even has a good size, tilted screen. I see this as being the DAP-1
replacement for non-linear apps.
John Coffey C.A.S.
http://www.coffeysound.com
G. John Garrett, C.A.S
John
gregh...@gmail.com
aldo.ca...@gmail.com wrote:
> I'm currently using a Marantz PMD670 recorder for producing a podcast.
> I'm not all that happy with it
This is something new on the market, the Edirol R09. Very portable:
http://www.rolandus.com/products/productdetails.aspx?ObjectId=757&ParentId=114
Greg Hannas
Ty Ford
(in article <jw-A66B54.09...@news.verizon.net>):
And if you're reasonably careful with a Mac that has an unbalanced analog in,
you can go right in to GB that way.
Ty Ford
-- Ty Ford's equipment reviews, audio samples, rates and other audiocentric
stuff are at www.tyford.com
aldo.ca...@gmail.com
I am recording uncompressed in .WAV at 44100.0.
But your comment got me thinking about the JK Audio digital phone tap
that I'm using and I think I'm onto the problem. I was connecting my
mic Electovoice RE20 (which I believe needs phantom power...right?) to
the JK audio box directly. What I'm on to is that I have to connect the
mic to my mixer first (for power). I spoke to the JK Audio folks
(Denise Lockridge over there has been tremendously helpful - even
created a diagram for my setup in pdf) and I think I'm figuring it out.
Bottom-line I don't think the problem was the PMD but rather the way I
had my setup configured.
Thanks to everyone for all the feedback.
aldo.ca...@gmail.com
was I moved away from recording on the Mac because of noise associated
with the computer (fan mostly). How do you guys deal with computer
noise issues?
aldo.ca...@gmail.com
I think my problem was actually related to my phone "tap" (JK Audio
innkeeper 1x). I had it setup incorrectly and I think that was causing
the problem. I'll test at length today to figure it out for sure. If it
does turn out to be the PMD I'll have a look at the Tascam device you
suggest.
Steve King
news:1142516028.9...@v46g2000cwv.googlegroups.com...
Your RE-20 is a dynamic mic that does NOT require phantom power. Great
all-around narration mic, though.
Steve King
Philip Perkins
The Tascam HD P2 DOES generate TC. You can even set it's start time
and offset it from incoming TC if you want. You can jam sync it to
external TC, and clock the recorder from internal. LTC, SPDIF, Word
Clock, video or tri-level sync. What it does not have is a TC output.
Philip Perkins CAS
Charles Tomaras
"Philip Perkins" <spam...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1142529520.0...@u72g2000cwu.googlegroups.com...
Makes one wonder how much they saved by leaving off the output? You'd think
that for just a few more bucks it could have been there.
Jay Rose
<aldo.ca...@gmail.com> said:
> ...wonder if anyone might recommend a
> better portable digital audio recorder in the sub $1,500.00 range?
John Garrett and I just ran a bunch of lab tests / field trials on the
new Tascam. It's got the best mic pres / digitizer I've found in a
low-cost recorder: flat response, and decent s/n even with -50 dBu
mics. Not a Deva or SD 7xx, but darned good at 16 bit recording.
Full details and field eval coming up in DV Magazine (DV.com).
--
Jay Rose CAS
tutorials and other sound goodies at dplay.com
email is "jay@" with the domain above.
aldo.ca...@gmail.com
Thanks for putting that misconception to rest. As I'm sure is blatantly
obvious to you all I'm definitely in the early learning phase!
I will say exposing my ignorance here is definitely a quick way incline
the learning curve!
-Aldo
aldo.ca...@gmail.com
The "new Tascam" you are referring to is the Tascam HD P2?
thanks,
-aldo
Philip Perkins
Charles Tomaras wrote:
>
> Makes one wonder how much they saved by leaving off the output? You'd think
> that for just a few more bucks it could have been there.
Me too. The guy I spoken to @ tascam had no answers, except that they
had to cut some things to make the recorder as cheap as it is.
Philip Perkins
Ty Ford
(in article <1142516120.9...@z34g2000cwc.googlegroups.com>):
On location, my laptop never gets hot enough to engage the fan, YMMV.
In the studio, it's sequestered away in a closet or another room.
Phil Talsky
That's great to hear. And glad you ran it through it's paces. Makes
me feel like it's not always a bad thing to be an early adopter. ;-)
Phil
Phil Talsky
the R4? Supposedly they are adding TC and other big enhancements at
roughly the same price as the current R4...(at least this is what I
heard at DV Expo).
Thanks!
Phil
Jay Rose
> That's great to hear. And glad you ran it through it's paces. Makes
> me feel like it's not always a bad thing to be an early adopter. ;-)
I'm not saying there aren't other issues for field operations - John
did that part of the test - but at least the sound quality is competant
at normal mic levels. That's something I haven't seen in other boxes
around that price point.
Jay
Rory
Tascam is good or, to use Jay Rose's word, competent, for its price.
Is the Tascam HD-P2 equal in sound quality to the Sound Devices 722 or
744T and, if not, in what respect? In particular, is it equal or
inferior for recording dialogue?
I'm not talking about build quality or time code issues. I'm just
asking about sound quality.
Thanks.
Charles Tomaras
"Rory" <rory...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1142640652....@u72g2000cwu.googlegroups.com...
What mic are you planning on using?
AVPro
The weakest sound quality link in any digital recorder are its mic
preamps and I will let others speak on that issue. I use the mic
preamps in my SD 442 mixer and run line level into the Tascam bypassing
its preamps so the sound is as good as digital gets. The nice thing
about the HD-P2 is that it actually takes advantage of its higher
sampling rates by changing its anti-aliasing filters to match the
actual recording sample rate, something many digital recorders don't
do. Assuming Tascam's published specs are true, this is evidenced in
its relative frequency responses:
20Hz to 20kHz @ 44.1kHz/48kHz
20Hz to 40kHz @ 88.2kHz/96kHz
20Hz to 80kHz @ 176.4kHz/192kHz
Many digital converter designs cheap out by dumbing down their filters
for worst case anti-aliasing resulting in a frequency response of 20Hz
to 20kHz regardless of the higher sampling rates. Considering their
cost, I would assume that the SD 744 and 722 also change their filters
at higher sampling rates. Once you are past the A/D converters and in
the digital domain, digits are pretty much digits. Of course, any
manipulation of those digits like changing gain or adding EQ is a whole
other discussion.
Mark Calice
Ardenwood Sound & DVD
http://www.ardenwoodsnd-dvd.com
Philip Perkins
I like the sound of the P2 very well, but I wouldn't claim that its
convertors are "as good as digital gets". They are great for the
price, but don't compare to high end convertors like Lavry or Apogee.
Whether they compare to SD's or Zaxcom's or Aaton's is probably a
matter of taste-- someday I hope to get all 4 machines together and
listen for the differences. I know that these days many manufacturers
use the same convertors, OEMed.
Philip Perkins
Jay Rose
> I'd like to ask a question, given that I see suggestions that the
> Tascam is good or, to use Jay Rose's word, competent, for its price.
>
> Is the Tascam HD-P2 equal in sound quality to the Sound Devices 722 or
> 744T and, if not, in what respect? In particular, is it equal or
> inferior for recording dialogue?
At 16b, the SD and the P2 measurements are so similar that it doesn't
make any difference.
At 24b with analog inputs, the SD is MUCH better.
Do you need 24b for production dialog? That's another question
entirely, and good for a l-o-n-g thread.
(Do you need 24b for post? It's a big advantage, but there's certainly
been plenty of good-sounding stuff created in a 16b world. And there's
nothing wrong with converting 16b production tracks on edited OMFs to
24b for post.)
Rory
Schoeps CMC541 and maybe the CMIT, without a mixer. I'm principally
interested in knowing how this recorder compares, in sound quality, to
the SD722.
Thanks to everyone for the replies. I'll be looking for Mr. Rose's
review. As a relative neophyte, could Mr. Rose or someone else
elaborate on what is much better about the SD722 and 744T at 24 bits?
Rory
I need a recorder that is time code capable. I'm on the verge of buying
the Tascam. However, I don't absolutley have to make a decision for
three months, during which there is a chance that Sound Devices will
produce a time code enabled 722. If the Tascam's sound is demonstrably
and audibly inferior to that of the 722, I may wait a little to see
whether a time code 722 emerges.
Charles Tomaras
> perhaps I should elaborate a little on why I'm asking.
>
> I need a recorder that is time code capable. I'm on the verge of buying
> the Tascam. However, I don't absolutley have to make a decision for
> three months, during which there is a chance that Sound Devices will
> produce a time code enabled 722.
Have you read or heard ANYTHING anywhere about a a TC 722? I certainly
haven't.
Jeff Wexler
"Rory" <rory...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> perhaps I should elaborate a little on why I'm asking.
>
> I need a recorder that is time code capable. I'm on the verge of buying
> the Tascam. However, I don't absolutley have to make a decision for
> three months
It would be wise to wait, at least until after NAB (where several
companies have already stated publicly that they will be announcing new
things), this would always be a good idea. Sound Devices has said they
will be making some significant announcements at NAB but I do not
believe anybody has tried to predict what they will be. NAB is after all
coming up in April.
I think the focus on sound "quality", although fundamentally very
important, when comparing the Tascam HD-P2 and the Sound Devices 7
series recorders, misses some of the real issues that need to be
considered. My advice would be to wait, continue to investigate and
inquire, you will then be unquestionably more well prepared to make an
informed decision.
Regards, Jeff Wexler
Philip Perkins
until we see what shakes out at the show. Many of the manufacturers
involved, particularly Sound Devices, like to surpise everyone with
new products at the show that they haven't talked much about. If you
need a recorder for a job tomorrow or next week I can tell you that any
of the recorders talked about here, from the Cantar to the Tascam P2,
will work for you one way or another depending on what your clients
demand from you. If your job is a ways off, then wait and see what the
chatter is after NAB. I'd like to replace my last TCDAT machine this
year, and this is what I'm doing, while using the P2 in the meantime
Philip Perkins CAS
Richard Crowley
> Forget the Marantz. If you have a Mac, one of the absolute
> easiest ways to produce a really good professional sounding
> podcast is to use Garage Band 2 and a suitable low cost box
> (hardware interface). M-Audio makes a whole line of low
> cost boxes with one or two mic inputs and a Firewire or
> USB connection to the Mac.
Of course, a major reason why people use things like the
PMD670, etc. is for portable use: interviews, actualities,
etc. It is awkward and cumbersome to set up both the laptop
and the requisite preamp, etc. to do this out in the field.
Richard Crowley
> But your comment got me thinking about the JK Audio digital
> phone tap that I'm using and I think I'm onto the problem.
Just to be clear, are you talking about dissatisfaction with
the audio from the far end (telephone), or from your local
microphone? I listened to a few minutes (I'm on dialup)
and your local content sounded as good as most local radio
stations in town. The telephone signal was typical lousy
telephone quality, but quite intelligible and not too badly
distorted for a random telephone at the far end.
AVPro
converters are as good as they come. Indeed many companies like
Benchmark, Mytek, Grace and others make extremely high quality
converters but in general these units are not used regularly in
production sound work.
The Tascam DA-88 8-track digital recorder was said to have less than
ideal A/D converters, but for the most part, with some due diligence in
setting levels, proper microphone and preamp selection, I have heard
some pretty amazing sound tracks from that machine. Mic preamps will
adversely affect sound quality (adding distortion, noise etc.) to a
much higher degree than most modern A/D converter designs. The Tascam
DAP-1 portable DAT was pretty universally accepted in production sound
as having usable sound quality so the converters in the HD-P2 can't be
any worse I would think. My original point was that Tascam has been
making A/D converters for a good 20 years now. You would think that
they might by now have even a slight idea on how to design an
acceptable sounding A/D converter.
Philip Perkins
quirte good for the money as well ("Tango" etc).
Philip Perkins
aldo.ca...@gmail.com
little closer to NPR but maybe that's a ridiculous expectation given my
equipment/skills.
Richard Crowley
Can you describe the qualities you think are lacking?
Can you post short (1-2 minutes) clips of your product,
and something (from NPR or wherever) you would like
to emulate? The only criticism I would have of what I
heard (the first 2-3 minutes of your podcast), were the
material preparation, pacing, and delivery, and not
particularly with anything technical. It sounded much
better than some podcasts I've heard, and technically
equivalent to a good mid-market radio produciton value,
at least to my ears and the Tannoy 6.5 speakers on my
computer here. Can we assume that you are evaluating
your recordings on decent speakers, and not on any kind
of "computer speakers"?
aldo.ca...@gmail.com
You are forcing me (I appreciate the feedback don't get me wrong) to
re-evaluate my issues with my podcast. I have to say that I do more or
less "slap together" the material and I'm not even sure what I'm
shooting for with regard to "pacing and delivery".
So perhaps my real question isn't about equipment but about the
performance itself. Any good resources you might suggest on that topic?
Dollar for dollar I'll probaby improve my podcast a lot more by
focusing on my performance rather than on getting new equipment!
I do appreciate your feedback. And I'll gladly take your comments "off
line" as I think we're way off topic now.
My email is: Aldo.Ca...@gmail.com
-Aldo
-Aldo
Steve King
news:1142870802.8...@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
Don't worry about it. Just keep doing it. Stay mildly critical about what
you do and fix what you find uncomfortable. Edit to take out the worst
gaffs. That process will help you to eliminate those gaffs next time.
It'll get better each time.
Steve King
aldo.ca...@gmail.com
Thanks, that's helpful! I'll keep on plugin'. I have to say that the
intimidation factor seems to be diminishing as I do more and more
interviews.
This list is an absolutely incredible resource. My sincere thanks to
EVERYONE that's provided their input!
-Aldo