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Author Topic: am i missing something? / digital in hacks to a recorder  (Read 5451 times)

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Offline 90meterInAD8

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am i missing something? / digital in hacks to a recorder
« on: October 01, 2008, 04:27:26 PM »
hey guys

i just wanted to make 100% sure, after all my research, that i'm right about this:

it's time to go solid state, and i need something that can do 24/96 and take a digital in, in the most compact form possible.  i love the feature set of the microtrack, but from reports here it sounds like a train wreck waiting to happen.  i won't buy core sound products.  what does that leave?

i don't want to have to buy a hand held recorder for stealth and a big box for open taping when i use the apogee... but it looks like the smallest box fitting the requirements above, while conforming with my caveats above, is the pmd671.  is that true?  i'd love something like a pmd660 or a fr2le...but neither have a digi in... is there any to mod them to slap one on there?  i can't believe it's that tough to get this. 

i'm a happy member of the "bits are bits" church; that once you A/D, as long as you're on solid media and the thing doesn't break, it's all the same. 

anyways, i'm aware of the sonosax minir82, but i'm not willing to spend that, so i'll set a $2000 budget for everything; recorder + mod (if necessary).  anyone have any ideas?  do i suck it up and lug a 671?  or roll the dice with a MT?

thanks, as always.
« Last Edit: October 01, 2008, 04:29:53 PM by 90meterInAD8 »

Offline stantheman1976

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Re: am i missing something? / digital in hacks to a recorder
« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2008, 04:39:13 PM »
What about the Sony D50?  It's not tiny but not enormous either.  It has optical in/out and does 24/94.  It has a good quality preamp and good internal mics to boot.

Offline Craig T

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Re: am i missing something? / digital in hacks to a recorder
« Reply #2 on: October 01, 2008, 04:39:53 PM »
Sound Devices 702 or 722?  Should be able to buy used within your budget.
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Offline 90meterInAD8

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Re: am i missing something? / digital in hacks to a recorder
« Reply #3 on: October 01, 2008, 04:50:09 PM »
i'm trying to remember what i didn't like about the pcmd50, besides how i'd disconnect those mics, but i think that's it!  thanks so much for pointing that out, i feel like a fool but glad that i got an answer at least.  i'll start searching for reliability readings on it.

craig, thanks so much for the vote on the SD...but since i wouldn't be able to use it stealth, and i always use the apogee in allowed situations, i don't see the need to pay the $$ for that over one of the <$1000 bit buckets

thanks much guys!

Offline Will_S

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Re: am i missing something? / digital in hacks to a recorder
« Reply #4 on: October 01, 2008, 07:30:53 PM »
A potential issue with the D50 could be that it takes an optical in rather than coaxial.  You can get a converter box, but then that's more to lug around.

I'd also consider an Edirol R44.  Has coaxial digital in, smaller than the PMD 671 (R44: 6-3/16(W) x 7-1/4(D) x 2-7/16(H) vs PMD 671: 10.4 x 2.16 x 7.3"), and you have an extra two channels available should you want to grab a board patch.

Only drawback from my perspective on the R44 is the limited run time when using internal batteries and providing phantom power to mics, but if patched into a preamp digitally it should probably suffice, or you could add an external battery.

Offline 90meterInAD8

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Re: am i missing something? / digital in hacks to a recorder
« Reply #5 on: October 01, 2008, 10:40:33 PM »
Will;

you're absolutely correct about the digital format conversion box, i guess i'd rather lug another little box when i go legit rather than a big box like the edirol when i'm undercover.

damn it, why cant they make a microtrack that works...

Offline Will_S

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Re: am i missing something? / digital in hacks to a recorder
« Reply #6 on: October 01, 2008, 10:49:05 PM »
Well, there is also the Archos Jukebox Recorder, which with the stock firmware only records in MP3 but with Rockbox it has the ability to record in wav, and takes a coax in, although the interface leaves something to be desired.  You might check with heyitsmejess to see how it's working out for himL

http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,96503.0.html

I don't know if I'd count on it being any more reliable than a Microtracker though.

Offline datbrad

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Re: am i missing something? / digital in hacks to a recorder
« Reply #7 on: October 02, 2008, 10:22:52 AM »
I would go with an Oade modded R44, since you can use that easily as an all-in-one for stealth, and also as a bit bucket with your Apogee, and still take an analog signal into the other 2 channels with another mic pair, or a SBD patch. After handling one a couple of weeks ago, I know this would be my first choice.

Oh, and Doug Oade told me a couple of years back that there is no way to add a digital input modification to recorders lacking them stock. It's a completely separate circuit that allows a recorder to lock on to another digital clock and take the input PCM digital audio stream and write it to memory as a wave file.

Good luck with your quest!

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Offline 90meterInAD8

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Re: am i missing something? / digital in hacks to a recorder
« Reply #8 on: October 02, 2008, 02:21:14 PM »
Will - i'm with you, and that's my hesitation.

DAT - thanks for the tidbit re the coax circuit... i knew it couldn't be that easy.  i'm thinking i'll end up on the r44/pmd671 route, despite the sony r50 which really looks like the total package; i'll have to bring my lemosax, so phantom power doesn't interest me.  but ill keep going through the MT2 posts and see if it's something i can live with.

considering the coax circuit is small enough to be in these tiny products, it's surprising they didn't put it in the fr2le.

Offline Əkoostikal

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Re: am i missing something? / digital in hacks to a recorder
« Reply #9 on: October 08, 2008, 07:47:23 PM »

craig, thanks so much for the vote on the SD...but since i wouldn't be able to use it stealth, and i always use the apogee in allowed situations, i don't see the need to pay the $$ for that over one of the <$1000 bit buckets

thanks much guys!

Why couldn't you use a 7xx stealth??  People do it all the time...... I don't know if you have actually seen one in person, but it is pretty small.  I was amazed the first time I actually saw one how small they really are. I mean, nothing like the D50 but IMO the quality is well worth it.

Just my $0.02 though.
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Offline sunjan

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Re: am i missing something? / digital in hacks to a recorder
« Reply #10 on: October 16, 2008, 04:06:09 PM »
Well, there is also the Archos Jukebox Recorder, which with the stock firmware only records in MP3 but with Rockbox it has the ability to record in wav, and takes a coax in...

Last time I checked, Archos was 16/44 only, so it fails the requirements of the OP.
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Offline popskull

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Re: am i missing something? / digital in hacks to a recorder
« Reply #11 on: October 28, 2008, 09:03:36 PM »
I'm pretty happy with my MT and MTII as bit buckets behind my apogee ad500 and Minime

Even the AD stage is adequate when running a good pre in front of it

I ran the MTII with an aiwa cm30 mini stereo mic the other night at a jazz club 24/48 and it turned out rather well

Its the same story as the small dat decks.......its hard to stuff a world class mic pre and ad in a package that small

Some like the all in one box for convenience. I perfer the modular approach so I can upgrade components to my taste when new technology emerges

« Last Edit: October 28, 2008, 09:06:23 PM by popskull »

Offline boojum

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Re: am i missing something? / digital in hacks to a recorder
« Reply #12 on: October 28, 2008, 09:45:07 PM »
i'm trying to remember what i didn't like about the pcmd50, besides how i'd disconnect those mics, but i think that's it!  thanks so much for pointing that out, i feel like a fool but glad that i got an answer at least.  i'll start searching for reliability readings on it.

craig, thanks so much for the vote on the SD...but since i wouldn't be able to use it stealth, and i always use the apogee in allowed situations, i don't see the need to pay the $$ for that over one of the <$1000 bit buckets

thanks much guys!

Not too surprisingly, not all "bit buckets" are the same.  What SD has going for it is that it is rugged and reliable.  That is part of why it costs.  When you push "record" that is what you get; every time.  If there were not some inherent value in SD and other more expensive boxes, we would all be buying the cheapest, because they would all be the same.  They ain't.

Yes, I do have SD.  Because I looked at a lot of recorders and decided these were the best for my needs, not everybody's needs.  But for quality rugged reliable, they are contenders.

Good luck with whatever you decide on.

Cheers
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Offline 90meterInAD8

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Re: am i missing something? / digital in hacks to a recorder
« Reply #13 on: November 03, 2008, 03:46:36 PM »
i agree with what everyone says, which is tough to do in these times.

i hear the votes that the MT has performed flawlessly, and those experiences are valid.  i also respect build quality, and i hear what's being said about the reliability of the SD's.

my disbelief in the market comes from how much easier it is to make a solid state recorder than it was to make recorders with moving parts (cass, dat, etc).  there's much fewer things to go wrong.  that's all i'm saying.  also in that it can't be tough to put a digi in to these units, so wtf fostex, put one on your LE. 

i'm not criticizing the price of a 722, it's just more than i need.  i'm also not criticizing the MT too much, at that price point, it does a tremendous amount.

Offline halleyscomet8

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Re: am i missing something? / digital in hacks to a recorder
« Reply #14 on: November 03, 2008, 05:28:25 PM »
why not get both an r44 and a mtII. you can power the r44 externally for really long periods of time and stealth those not to difficult shows. then buy the mtII later for those more difficult situations.  i would say this could be done for <1200. just watch the YS for the mtII. the r44 is a great little box for sure.
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