Topic: Marantz PMD-706 Six Channel Recorder?

[ycoop]

I just used mine yesterday and everything was solid. Ran Nbox XLR in on 3/4 and a stereo board feed TRS into 1/2.

Ycoop - I wonder if you got one that's been abused then dumped? I haven't had any problems with mine other than the firmware problems that everyone had and I don't particularly baby my gear. I don't beat it up on purpose but it takes the kind of treatment that field gear usually takes. How were you powering it? What was your gain setup? Weird that you are getting good results at home but problems in the field...

I guess that is possible. If so the seller did do a great job keeping the box and all the components/packaging in good condition. I’m thinking of finding another set of SDCs to borrow to give it another test run in the field while I run my DR-60d as well.

[goodcooker]

I just used mine yesterday and everything was solid. Ran Nbox XLR in on 3/4 and a stereo board feed TRS into 1/2.

Ycoop - I wonder if you got one that's been abused then dumped? I haven't had any problems with mine other than the firmware problems that everyone had and I don't particularly baby my gear. I don't beat it up on purpose but it takes the kind of treatment that field gear usually takes. How were you powering it? What was your gain setup? Weird that you are getting good results at home but problems in the field...

I guess that is possible. If so the seller did do a great job keeping the box and all the components/packaging in good condition. I’m thinking of finding another set of SDCs to borrow to give it another test run in the field while I run my DR-60d as well.

Sometimes with used gear in the past it was possible that it was powered by an incorrect voltage that could play havoc with the circuitry but nowadays these recorders being powered of 5V USB it's unlikely.

Next time out make sure you have your gain settings on low to start out. I have only ever used low - I think once I may have used medium but it was when my Aerco was acting up from dead batteries so that one was screwed from the get go....

[billydee]

My buddy Richard Skaggs is having all kinds of trouble with noise before and after the firmware update. He said going to see if Doug can resolve the issues.

Just got back from my first outing with the 706 and...

Popping and clicking from my Avantones into channels 1+2 using phantom power from the deck and super-noisy unusable sound from the CA-14 > CA9100 into ext in 1/2.

Major disappointment.

edit: here's pictures of the waveform for the Avantones. The CA-14 waveform looked totally normal.
edit 2: tried replicating at home. Recording my stereo sounds fine even when cranked up so that I’m getting peaks at similar levels to what I was getting at the show. Both the Avantones and the CA-14s sound just fine. Will try recording my crew’s jam session tomorrow nigh and see how it goes.

Those wave forms look a lot like the ones Richard Skaggs got on a couple occasions recently, his were on the channels getting a board feed and using a 128gb card. His channels running mics always looked fine. Weird stuff for sure.

I believe he was advised that it was a card issue and he's had better results with a 32gb card.

[ycoop]

My buddy Richard Skaggs is having all kinds of trouble with noise before and after the firmware update. He said going to see if Doug can resolve the issues.

Just got back from my first outing with the 706 and...

Popping and clicking from my Avantones into channels 1+2 using phantom power from the deck and super-noisy unusable sound from the CA-14 > CA9100 into ext in 1/2.

Major disappointment.

edit: here's pictures of the waveform for the Avantones. The CA-14 waveform looked totally normal.
edit 2: tried replicating at home. Recording my stereo sounds fine even when cranked up so that I’m getting peaks at similar levels to what I was getting at the show. Both the Avantones and the CA-14s sound just fine. Will try recording my crew’s jam session tomorrow nigh and see how it goes.

Those wave forms look a lot like the ones Richard Skaggs got on a couple occasions recently, his were on the channels getting a board feed and using a 128gb card. His channels running mics always looked fine. Weird stuff for sure.

I believe he was advised that it was a card issue and he's had better results with a 32gb card.

Hmm. I’ll  buy a new card. What cards have you all used successfully?

I also realized that I had ganged channels, which I didn’t do when trying to replicate.

[MakersMarc]

My buddy Richard Skaggs is having all kinds of trouble with noise before and after the firmware update. He said going to see if Doug can resolve the issues.

Ricky Skaggs is your buddy? 

20 years now. 😀

[ycoop]

Recorded a jam session tonight. No issues whatsoever.

[capnhook]

Recorded a jam session tonight. No issues whatsoever.

New card?

[ycoop]

Recorded a jam session tonight. No issues whatsoever.

New card?

Same card

Edit: Thankfully RX7 de-click did an excellent job with the clicks, salvaging what I thought was a lost effort.

[skaggs]

My buddy Richard Skaggs is having all kinds of trouble with noise before and after the firmware update. He said going to see if Doug can resolve the issues.

Ricky Skaggs is your buddy? 

This is very familiar.  I have had several (3 or more) of similar failures. They have mostly looked like this.   However I had a couple in the ambient channels that didn't look weird, but had audible noise issues. 

I have updated the firmware and switched from a 128 gig sdxc card to a 32 gig sdhc card.  I purchased my unit from Oade Brothers.  I am sending this into Doug to see if he can figure something out.

I can't depend on this device, and usually I do 4 channel for some promoter or festival or such.  My Tascam dr60 has been rock solid.  I will be utilizing this until I get something sorted out, even though I think this unit sounds better with the mods. 

Richard

[ycoop]

Ran the 706 again tonight, switched the card this time. No issues.

I noticed that the prior outing my CA-9100's battery had run low, perhaps that contributed to the issue?

edit: what I thought was a clean go around actually had the same issues as the first time, just not at the spots I checked last night.

I suspect fault lies with the deck's (in)ability to write to cards, as I sent the deck's line out to my phone to stream via mixlr with no clicks present. That said, it is still befuddling to me why when I record at home I don't have any problems but in a show setting I encounter this issue. I had the levels set in both circumstances to peak well under -6 dB and the waveform doesn't look like brickwalling is the culprit.

ah well, back to the DR60d for me as well for the time being. Shame as I like the form factor and 6 channels.

[goodcooker]

Did you update the firmware and format the card in the deck?

I had some static on one recording last summer but it really sounded like it was coming from the PA so I never really gave it much thought.

[ycoop]

^yes to both.

[ycoop]

Marantz has agreed to replace the deck. Now I just need to coax a copy of the receipt out of the Craigslist seller.

[ycoop]

Came home today to an amazing surprise. They shipped me a replacement unit before I even sent mine in to them. Im totally shocked and pleasently surprised!

[ycoop]

Sorry for all the posts but...

I have a suspicion that what I’m seeing is the the circuitry between overloaded from transients. That would explain why the clipping  doesn’t show visibly on the meters, but does show in the final waveform.

My CK-1s have a sensitivity of 15 mV/Pa and the 706 has a max input of -8 dBu when set to mic in. I figure the max SPL of a show is somewhere around 105 dB. The spec sheet also says that the minimum gain is +28 dB. When does that gain get applied? Would it potentially result in a clipping?

I turned on the built in 10 dB pad on my mics. I think that may help address the issue.