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Author Topic: New improved microtrack (MT II)  (Read 136659 times)

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Offline anhisr

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Re: New improved microtrack (MT II)
« Reply #285 on: December 27, 2007, 04:04:57 PM »
How would you go about testing the MTII to see if it is truly seamless from a data loss perspective
Audio: Neumann KM 100> 20, 30, 40, 43 or 50 > V3 > MT II (love that M/S)
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Offline willndmb

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Re: New improved microtrack (MT II)
« Reply #286 on: December 27, 2007, 08:58:03 PM »
i ran a small test today with a microtrack ONE

adata 16gb speedy card
formated fine, worked fine
line in via 1/4 at 24/48

so i would assume it will work fine in the mt2 as well
$80 at newegg
Mics - AKG ck61/ck63 (c480b & Naiant actives), SP-BMC-2
XLR Cables - Silver Path w/Darktrain stubbies
Interconnect Cables - Dogstar (XLR), Darktrain (RCA > 1/8) (1/8 > 1/8), and Kind Kables (1/8f > 1/4)
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Offline NOLAfishwater

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Re: New improved microtrack (MT II)
« Reply #287 on: December 27, 2007, 10:55:46 PM »
i ran a small test today with a microtrack ONE

adata 16gb speedy card
formated fine, worked fine
line in via 1/4 at 24/48

so i would assume it will work fine in the mt2 as well
$80 at newegg

Thanks for doing the research on that card b/c the description listed it as being able to handle 8-bit and 16-bit transfers. I will be buying one since I just bought an MTII. Should have it in my hands early part of next week. Will be running it behind the V3. As long as 24/48 works just fine, then I will be very happy. Once the firmware upgrade comes out I guess I will try 24/96.

Offline anhisr

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Re: New improved microtrack (MT II)
« Reply #288 on: January 05, 2008, 04:24:39 PM »
Did a battery check.  Using the MT as a bit bucket, light off, no output for headphones, managed to get 5 hours 45 minutes !  When it ran out of power, it wrote the file before shutting down. 
Audio: Neumann KM 100> 20, 30, 40, 43 or 50 > V3 > MT II (love that M/S)
Still Camera Body: Canon D5 Mark II
Canon Lenses:  16-35mm f2.8L II USM; 28-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM; 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM
Video Canon HF R30

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Offline Rick

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Re: New improved microtrack (MT II)
« Reply #289 on: January 05, 2008, 06:34:49 PM »
Did a battery check.  Using the MT as a bit bucket, light off, no output for headphones, managed to get 5 hours 45 minutes !  When it ran out of power, it wrote the file before shutting down. 

wow that's great.
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Offline anhisr

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Re: New improved microtrack (MT II)
« Reply #290 on: January 05, 2008, 06:51:57 PM »
remember,  that is with no back light or anything else that would drain power.
Audio: Neumann KM 100> 20, 30, 40, 43 or 50 > V3 > MT II (love that M/S)
Still Camera Body: Canon D5 Mark II
Canon Lenses:  16-35mm f2.8L II USM; 28-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM; 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM
Video Canon HF R30

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Offline guysonic

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Re: New improved microtrack (MT II)
« Reply #291 on: January 05, 2008, 08:21:00 PM »
Some preliminary bench tests showed UN-balanced 1/4" plagued with extreme noise, so this mode is useless, and likely NOT firmware fixable.  I held off releasing the graphic showing unbalanced mode noise as I thought maybe just a defective deck, but NOT, as a customer emailed with same result so this is a definite production design fault of the MT2.

Also 88.2K mode has wrong filter setting as the frequency bandwidth rolls off at 21.5K Hz.  96K mode seems to work with bandwidth out to 44.5K Hz.

Also others including myself have experienced deck lockup.  My experience is with first turn on all buttons were non functional, until reboot cleared the trouble and the deck operated as expected.




UN-balanced 1/4" input with external preamplifier has ~3 dB higher noise, but otherwise identical to balanced noise graphic.

I have yet to update to latest firmware, that might fix the 88.2K mode and lockup problems, but seems destined to NOT fix the input noise issues with this deck. 

It does seem M-audio has shipped us another UNTESTED deck with a multitude of shortcomings that should never have made it to production and shipped out to customers. 

WAY TO GO M-AUDIO!  I am a half step away from returning MT2 as fatally defective.

OK, I updated the to 1.0.1 firmware with NO CHANGE in faulty 88.2K bandwidth, or unbalanced input noise issues.  Filed a customer report with the noise graph attached to M-audio on-line support, and now waiting for a reply before I return for refund the MT2 deck. 

While the MT2 has faster bootup/button response, and easier input gain control with continuous rather than 'stepped' gain settings over MT1 version, at least for what I feel is important for analog input uses, I'm definitely holding on more tightly to my 'trusty' MT1 for the time being as I can see NO significant MT2 recording quality refinements or performance gains worth keeping over MT1 version, especially considering the MT2's input noise.

« Last Edit: January 06, 2008, 07:44:36 AM by guysonic »
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Offline jerryfreak

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Re: New improved microtrack (MT II)
« Reply #292 on: January 10, 2008, 09:48:55 PM »
is it just me, the noise doesnt look to bad from a graphical perspective (excluding the 1/4" unbalanced) for our purposes. Most audiences and microphones have a noise floor well above -90db
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Offline ullanta

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Re: New improved microtrack (MT II)
« Reply #293 on: January 13, 2008, 07:07:40 PM »
Guysonic - can you characterize the noise?

I just got a new MicroTrack II and the noise is extremely nasty whenever 1/4-inch input is selected.  The noise is sort of machinelike ratcheting at approximately 10Hz, with a periodic beeping.  The noise is there whether anything is plugged into the 1/4 inch input or not... and of course, it'as level is proportional to the gain applied.

Is your noise similar?

The 1/8 input has no such issues, my old MT has no such issues.  As you say, this makes using the MT II with 1/4 ins useless.  I hope they fix it soon!

Offline illconditioned

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Re: New improved microtrack (MT II)
« Reply #294 on: January 14, 2008, 12:10:34 AM »
It is incredible that a company can sell such a defective product.
I mean, if you bought a washing machine and it didn't work, you would take it back, right?
Is it really that hard to design a piece of audio gear?  Mechanical things, like minidisc, I can imagine are crazy hard.  But a digital recorder???

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Offline anhisr

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Re: New improved microtrack (MT II)
« Reply #295 on: January 14, 2008, 02:19:58 AM »
ullanta, I have the same noise out of the right track also.  Sounds like a lawn sprinkler.
Audio: Neumann KM 100> 20, 30, 40, 43 or 50 > V3 > MT II (love that M/S)
Still Camera Body: Canon D5 Mark II
Canon Lenses:  16-35mm f2.8L II USM; 28-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS USM; 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM
Video Canon HF R30

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Offline ullanta

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Re: New improved microtrack (MT II)
« Reply #296 on: January 14, 2008, 03:18:52 AM »
Interesting - just on the right track?  That actually gives me some hope that they can get this fixed fairly easily.

Yes, a ratcheting lawn-sprinkler sound... do you hear beeping, too?  The beeping seems less pronounced when in RECORD PAUSE, clearer in RECORD!

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Re: New improved microtrack (MT II)
« Reply #297 on: January 14, 2008, 07:03:05 AM »
It is incredible that a company can sell such a defective product.
I mean, if you bought a washing machine and it didn't work, you would take it back, right?
Is it really that hard to design a piece of audio gear?  Mechanical things, like minidisc, I can imagine are crazy hard.  But a digital recorder???

  Richard


What seems even more incredible is to revise a product - only to make it worse!?

Offline willndmb

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Re: New improved microtrack (MT II)
« Reply #298 on: January 14, 2008, 08:13:19 PM »
confused
was the 1/4 ins better before the firmware update???
Mics - AKG ck61/ck63 (c480b & Naiant actives), SP-BMC-2
XLR Cables - Silver Path w/Darktrain stubbies
Interconnect Cables - Dogstar (XLR), Darktrain (RCA > 1/8) (1/8 > 1/8), and Kind Kables (1/8f > 1/4)
Preamps - Naiant Littlebox & Tinybox
Recorders - PCM-M10 & DR-60D

Offline NOLAfishwater

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Re: New improved microtrack (MT II)
« Reply #299 on: January 14, 2008, 08:16:15 PM »
ullanta, I have the same noise out of the right track also.  Sounds like a lawn sprinkler.

Is that only with the 1/4 in?  or were you getting that with the SPDIF?

 

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