Topic: Korg MR-1

[guysonic]

OK, now I'm curious and seriously looking for MR-1 deck loan to do an MR-1 technical review. 

One of you guys may have a spare from double ordering, and everyone seems to agree somebody needs to do the gain, noise and frequency graphs on this puppy so we all like to know what is going on with the analog inputs.

I'll pay FedEx shipping both ways.

Already reviewed MT2496 and R-09 at:
www.sonicstudios.com/mt2496rv.htm
www.sonicstudios.com/r-09revw.htm

[SClassical]

How is the software that ships with it?  As Jeff mentioned, re-join and also 1-bit to pcm conversion..

Software is very basic...You cannot adjust the vol when one side (L or R) is overly low compared to the other side. So I guess I have to do all the fine adjustments with the SF8 program after converting it to PCM.

[Nick's Picks]

you can raise the gain, only via individual channels.
i'm testing right now.  I watched it roll an hour, just kept on going.
recording dsf 1bit/2.8gHz, i'm sure the file is larger than a gig, but i guess it splits everything at that mark any way.
internal battery, thus far 1:40 and 1 bar down (of 3, then two more stages from there).

I built myself a little 5v action w/a RS 7508 voltage regulator.  seems to work like a charm..it goes right into charge mode when plugged in, just like when on its AC feed.
fwiw, the power input on this is the same size as the sony D7/8 barrels.  I had an old D7 cable kicking around and when I plugged it in to test its size, it just fit so perfect I couldn't resist using it.  Dont know what tip size that is.  B perhaps?

[tim in jersey]

How are you handling the gain adjustments?

Manual mode on the MR-1, 0dB gain and adjust via the pre?

[Nick's Picks]

in my first tests here, i'm running -12db on the MR1 and then adjusting the preamp to my normal running levels.  Looks to be about right. 

[SClassical]

How are you handling the gain adjustments?

Manual mode on the MR-1, 0dB gain and adjust via the pre?

Yes, that's what I do...don't know if that is the best though...

(The vol knob on my MixPre is so sensitive even a small turn or touch will make the meter jump from no signal to big signal. The mixpre is so difficult to use. The V3 is much better.)

[mandoman]

I ended up getting about 5 hours from the small external battery and then about 2.5 hours on internal, but it shuts down and needs to be restarted after 6 hours, as advertised.  This seems weird, as at that point I had 14 or 15 1GB files and it shut in the middle of another file at the six hour mark.  What is the reason for this six hour limit (which seems to apply no matter what resolution you are recording at)?  Can it be defeated?  I think it parses DSD into 1 GB because if you convert to PCM 192/24 you will get 2 GB and if you divide your DSD files at 2GB you might exceed the Windows file limit in high resolution PCM.  Has anyone yet tried joining the bits together?  The manual is a little worrisomely unclear about whether you'll get a seamless join.
Jeff

I orignally heard the splits were going to be much smaller chunks. Might be worth checking the raw
files and file structures.  I would take two consective pieces, transfer them to PCM audio,
then view the chunks side by side in a waveform viewer to make sure the pieces are seamless.

Please add to the list of questions to check for is "How seamless are the splits"?

Thanks!

[Nick's Picks]

the splits are 1gb, and appear to be seamless (as far as looking / listening).  I'll do more to verify, but im pretty certain its good.  the conversion was quick (two file test from dsd>redbook), and the software is.., well, hokey.

one rant.....
when the unit is off, and you have it plugged into the AC / DC converter, it does not register as charging anywhere.  no little icon ...nadda.
If its on and plugged in, then you get status.

I tried building a 5v output off of a 9v battery using the 7805 VR chip, but when I plugged it in (and it did go over to 'charge" mode), it appeared to not have enough UMPH...(I think the current output was too low) and the unit shutdown (still got 9 gigs of recordings though).  I switched to the ol' PR2E power runner's 5v output and it works fine.  even will boot up off of it when the internal is totaly dead.

[WiFiJeff]

By ear I find the splits seamless, as well, but the break came at a point in what I was taping where it is harder to tell. For some reason I get 25 minutes before the autosplit rather than the 22 minutes/GB listed in the manual, maybe the 1GB data they give there is not the 1 GB where the split is executed. The result of converting the two files from DSD to 24/96 wav and joining them in Wavelab seems to be the same as using AudioGate's "combine" button on the DSD and then converting.  The files go over to my computer pretty fast (about 1 GB/minute on USB 2.0), but the conversion of DSD to wav is a bit slow, maybe twice realtime.  Any real world experience yet, Simon?

Jeff

[Jamos]

So how does the DSD sound compared to what you're used to hearing w/wav files?  Can you actually listen to it through headphones? 

[mandoman]

The files go over to my computer pretty fast (about 1 GB/minute on USB 2.0), but the conversion of DSD to wav is a bit slow, maybe twice realtime.

Zoinks Shaggy, 2x realtime DSD>WAV??? Are we back in the dark ages of dat>cd transfers or what?
Guess alot depends on your CPU. What you packin' there Jeff?

[SClassical]

Any real world experience yet, Simon?

Jeff

Yes, I recorded 2 concerts (one cello recital and the other a piano trio) both in a stealth way using MixPre/DPA4052 - 1st time using this gear in the field.  I was not very happy with the levels in both of the occasions because I underestimated the preamp and ended up with VERY low levels. When I got home I had to increase the vol on my MR-1 to max to hear what I recorded! Sounded muffled when I did that. I've gotten used to the Schoeps/V3 sound and now totally changing everything to SD/DPA sounds a bit strange (nothing against SD/DPA just not enough experience using the MixPre). Maybe I should do Schoeps/V3 to MR-1 in my next stealth occasion, which is this Saturday. So at the moment my 2 tests in the field weren’t perfect therefore difficult to conclude from them... This weekend I will record a piano recital also in a stealth way and I'll plan to use Schoeps/V3 to MT (digital from V3) and MR-1 (analog from V3), which should give me a better comparison. Also I know the V3 gain settings because I used it so many times.

[Colin Liston]

This is what I plan to do for MMW, Thursday night.  V3>digi out > JB3
                                                                         > analog out > MR-1

[timP]

a quick Korg/DSD question.
if you have to convert to PCM for playback/editing, then why is DSD better?


Is the DSD>24/96PCM final product some way better then regular 24/96

or is part of this that DSD is going to be the playback format of the future?

trying to see the benefits?

[eric.B]

a quick Korg/DSD question.
if you have to convert to PCM for playback/editing, then why is DSD better?


Is the DSD>24/96PCM final product some way better then regular 24/96

or is part of this that DSD is going to be the playback format of the future?

trying to see the benefits?

I *think* because all basis for pcm encoding in the future will be based on the 1 bit stream which these korg devices deliver.. hence the raw 1 bit stream for archiving.