Topic: TEAM Marantz PMD 660 (Part II)

[newplanet7]

here is the situation where i most often encountered the problem...

recording stage lip

 
      b
C         g
      x

clarinet, bass and guitar x marks the mics.
with the -20db pad on, i was getting 1-2 orange lights with the gain to 10 (maybe thats enough, maybe not, i wanted more).  i flipped off the pad and turned down to 5 and the peaks were very close to clipping, clipping sometimes as well.
interested to hear others have not had that exp.

Gain to 10?
Ten O'clock?
That's the unity gain which is not much.

[spcyrfc]

TEN as in eleven in a british accent.

all the way up on the pmd660

[newplanet7]

TEN as in eleven in a british accent.

all the way up on the pmd660

Still really weird IMO, especially the fact you were at stage lip.
I wish I had an answer for that.
The one time I ran without the pad, my first time out, I bricked at 6db.

No on-stage monitors I take it?
Bad mod perhaps?

[indianajambash2006]

i too have had problems recording stage lip.... i ran with the pad and was not even getting past the green lights with the nob turned to about 12 - 1 'oclock turned the pad off and moved back to maybe  8 ' oclock or so and the peaks are close or do clip?  I might send an email over to chris and see if he has any suggestions!


Other than this problem with quiet sources... I LOVE MY BUSMAN MOD 660!

[Krispy D]

my stage lip tapes smoke.  even with acoustic music.  Mines not a busman mod though...  Good luck.  curious to see how this unfolds.

[newplanet7]

my stage lip tapes smoke.  even with acoustic music.  Mines not a busman mod though...  Good luck.  curious to see how this unfolds.

Maybe just a couple of troubled mods?

One was a Oade song catcher and one busman.

Love my busman mod never had a problem.

[Krispy D]

my stage lip tapes smoke.  even with acoustic music.  Mines not a busman mod though...  Good luck.  curious to see how this unfolds.

Maybe just a couple of troubled mods?

I hope so, I would hate to see a real problem with an otherwise great box!  I was not knocking the busmod btw, just pointing out that mine had no issues.  I have heard plenty of great busman mod 660 tapes to know better...

Hope this works out for everybody.

[newplanet7]

my stage lip tapes smoke.  even with acoustic music.  Mines not a busman mod though...  Good luck.  curious to see how this unfolds.

Maybe just a couple of troubled mods?

I hope so, I would hate to see a real problem with an otherwise great box!  I was not knocking the busmod btw, just pointing out that mine had no issues.  I have heard plenty of great busman mod 660 tapes to know better...

Hope this works out for everybody.

Definitely realized that you weren't knocking it.
Just weird in general.

[DATPAT]

Howdy all,
New to the Team. I just bought a stock 660 for stealth recording to augment my other recorder which is a R-4. After discovering so many issues with the mic pre I kind of wish I would have waited a couple of months for the 661 but I didn't. Does anyone know if Marantz has made any adjustments on the latest releases? The reason i ask is because I don't really want to spend the money on a Mod if I am going to get a 661 early next year.

[stevetoney]

Howdy all,
New to the Team. I just bought a stock 660 for stealth recording to augment my other recorder which is a R-4. After discovering so many issues with the mic pre I kind of wish I would have waited a couple of months for the 661 but I didn't. Does anyone know if Marantz has made any adjustments on the latest releases? The reason i ask is because I don't really want to spend the money on a Mod if I am going to get a 661 early next year.

Not sure what you mean by 'issues with the mic pre'.  It's pretty standard amongst music and nature recordists that a stock recorder gets a mod for lower noise, better sounding preamps, so the 660 is no exception there.  From personal experience, the Busman 660 mod is an excellent modification that makes the sound of that box significantly better than the stock version by a MILE...so for my own tastes, the mod was well worth $160.  I've already said it before, it's one of the best sounding recorder mods in the business, in my mind.

Also, I know the 661 is smaller than the 660, but I'm not sure why peeps consider the 660 all that unstealthable.  It's plenty small enough and with the 661 having the meter on the top instead of the side (not to mention the unrecessed volume control knob), I think that's gonna cause stealthing problems anyway that you wouldn't have with a stashed 660.  Taboot, the 661's probably gonna need a mod too.  No doubt 24 bit on the 661 is cool though.

Having said that, I can't say that I know if the 660 guts have been improved.  You'd probably be best judge anyway to run it for a show and see if your ears are satisfied with the results.

As usual, all my own opinions and just trying to provide some objectiveness based on those opinions...without try to bash anything or anyone.

[datbrad]

Howdy all,
New to the Team. I just bought a stock 660 for stealth recording to augment my other recorder which is a R-4. After discovering so many issues with the mic pre I kind of wish I would have waited a couple of months for the 661 but I didn't. Does anyone know if Marantz has made any adjustments on the latest releases? The reason i ask is because I don't really want to spend the money on a Mod if I am going to get a 661 early next year.

Not sure what you mean by 'issues with the mic pre'.  It's pretty standard amongst music and nature recordists that a stock recorder gets a mod for lower noise, better sounding preamps, so the 660 is no exception there.  From personal experience, the Busman 660 mod is an excellent modification that makes the sound of that box significantly better than the stock version by a MILE...so for my own tastes, the mod was well worth $160.  I've already said it before, it's one of the best sounding recorder mods in the business, in my mind.

Also, I know the 661 is smaller than the 660, but I'm not sure why peeps consider the 660 all that unstealthable.  It's plenty small enough and with the 661 having the meter on the top instead of the side (not to mention the unrecessed volume control knob), I think that's gonna cause stealthing problems anyway that you wouldn't have with a stashed 660.  Taboot, the 661's probably gonna need a mod too.  No doubt 24 bit on the 661 is cool though.

Having said that, I can't say that I know if the 660 guts have been improved.  You'd probably be best judge anyway to run it for a show and see if your ears are satisfied with the results.

As usual, all my own opinions and just trying to provide some objectiveness based on those opinions...without try to bash anything or anyone.

Steve, I read in the 661 thread where you describe the meters on the 660 vs 661 in terms of "top" and "side" and I think one could say they are both on the end, just with the 661 it's mostly on the top, but does have a slight pitch. From the photos, it seems that viewing the 661 from the end, with only a slight angle, the LED meters will still be visible from the end view. Can't wait to hear how this new unit sounds, regardless of the design changes.

[stevetoney]

Steve, I read in the 661 thread where you describe the meters on the 660 vs 661 in terms of "top" and "side" and I think one could say they are both on the end, just with the 661 it's mostly on the top, but does have a slight pitch. From the photos, it seems that viewing the 661 from the end, with only a slight angle, the LED meters will still be visible from the end view. Can't wait to hear how this new unit sounds, regardless of the design changes.

Could be Brad.  Maybe that pitch will be even better so you can see from both top and side...

[Javier Cinakowski]

Could be Brad.  Maybe that pitch will be even better so you can see from both top and side...

I am no product delvelopment guy, but this seems fairly obvious....

[stevetoney]

Could be Brad.  Maybe that pitch will be even better so you can see from both top and side...

I am no product delvelopment guy, but this seems fairly obvious....

Well Murph, if you can tell from these pictures that it's fairly obvious that you can read that meter from the end, then you're seeing more than I am!   

Really though, it's not an issue.  I just like the side meter a little better.

[Javier Cinakowski]

hmm,  you have a point..   my memory was pictuing more of  a 45degree angle to that meter panel.   now looking at the pictures it doesn't seem as "obvious" that you would be able to see it from the top......

I am with you on the level knob too...  it isn't as stealth freindly as the 660.

What is the deal with the 1/4" headphone jack too?  These little recorders don't have nearly enough juice to power a full sized headphone to proper levels...  The level output on these headphone amps is more suitable for ipod style earbuds, that always use a 1/8"....  The 1/4" might look more professional, but it isn't functional.  It is like putting a GT sticker on a stock mustang...