Topic: Tascam DR-70D 4-channel audio recorder (Part 6)

[Chomps]

Keith - 24/48 or 24/96 or something else?

24/48....I no longer record in 24/96 due to size and workflow time.

[ButchAlmberg]

So has anyone heard if Tascam is still assessing cards not yet on the list? I.e. Can we expect the list to grow? And if so, do our collective experiences with new cards have any influence towards this list expansion?

[johnmuge]

I'm #3.  I have a brand new unit that I have not used yet.  I am almost afraid to update the firmware.  I ordered a PNY elite card and I will go from there once it comes.

wild man. Ordering a card that's not on the list... WHY???

Everyone seems to be having good luck with the PNY elite cards so I figured I would give it a shot.  I tried a Sandisk card that was on the approved list and Voltronic and I both had issues with that card.  I trust Taperssection reports on cards more then Tascam's approved list right now.

[2manyrocks]

The pny elite 32g card appears to have a published write speed of up to 38mb/s.  I wonder if the write speed of the card has more to do with the card working in the 70d than anything else?  I'm still puzzled about what works and why? 

[morst]

So has anyone heard if Tascam is still assessing cards not yet on the list? I.e. Can we expect the list to grow? And if so, do our collective experiences with new cards have any influence towards this list expansion?

I wrote  to Custser@teac.com in september asking them to test the cards I had on hand, and they replied to check the list... but they did reply!!!?!

[Life In Rewind]

A little DR-70D good-ness...

https://soundcloud.com/eugene-beecher/sets/yoko-miwa-trio-12-19-2015-late-show

Nice jazz trio...

[morst]

BUSTED!

This just in: I had a problem with a brand new, fresh-out-of-the-package Panasonic RP-SDUC32GAK card FROM TASCAM'S OCTOBER LIST!
(SDHC UHS-I (CLASS 10)R:90MB/s W:45MB/s)

Firmware 1.11 0054 appears to be the most current. I put the card into the deck, it gave me the inevitable error message for having purchased a new card, and so I let it do what it needed to. Recorded two shows, deleted nothing. First set of the second show, I hear a problem. Wonder what else is wrong with these recordings??

https://archive.org/details/CVB2015-12-30

A brief glitch at 1:48 of t18 is entirely due to the defective Tascam DR-70D. It is in all 4 channels of the master files from the DR-70, but that sound does not appear at all on the masters made on my Sony recorders, including the one that was patched out of the Tascam's camera-out jack. Thus proving that the file glitching problem is confined to the card-writing part of the DR-70D, and not the audio signal path.

Discuss.

[jbell]

There is a 1.12 firmware and I don't think anyone has reported problems with the new firmware. 

[morst]

There is a 1.12 firmware and I don't think anyone has reported problems with the new firmware.

Did the 1.12 update do anything to fix the write error that's built-into the deck? OH - "OPERATION STABILITY HAS BEEN IMPROVED!" FUCKING D'OH!

t19 has a problem too... at 2:28.

[jbell]

I believe so!!  I haven't used mine much, but haven't had any problems recording shows or with home testing.  This isn't my main recorder so it doesn't get as much use. 

There is a 1.12 firmware and I don't think anyone has reported problems with the new firmware.

Did the 1.12 update do anything to fix the write error that's built-into the deck?

t19 has a problem too... at 2:28.

[jbell]

I'm not hearing the issue on either track!!

There is a 1.12 firmware and I don't think anyone has reported problems with the new firmware.

Did the 1.12 update do anything to fix the write error that's built-into the deck? OH - "OPERATION STABILITY HAS BEEN IMPROVED!" FUCKING D'OH!

t19 has a problem too... at 2:28.

[morst]

I'm not hearing the issue on either track!!

listen again. they are short. The second one is about 1/10 second long

[morst]

update on the Panasonic "approved card fail" from my 1.11 firmware...

it was 4 channels of 24/48 but NO PHANTOM POWER. All line in this time, and in fact, all unbalanced, not that it would matter. My previous issues all took place when I trusted the machine, so I was using its phantom, but now that this thing needs to prove itself more, it's back to the end of the line now!!

The Cracker set from Petaluma, (Camper played, that's my example posted above, then Cracker played afterwards) has little problems in 3 of the first 6 tracks I've listened to carefully...

[voltronic]

I'm not hearing the issue on either track!!

listen again. they are short. The second one is about 1/10 second long

I didn't hear anything either until I realized the LMA player wasn't displaying the correct time index.  The time it displays is not the actual time index of the file, it seems - I had to download the FLAC files to find the errors since that was the only way I could get to that exact time, and the errors are there, but not where those time indexes are saying on the LMA player.

1.12 firmware has been out for almost 2 months now.  I don't think anyone has reported any card issues with that version, and the vast majority of people who did have problems were on 1.11 (but as I've said that may just be coincidence).  I've used 1.12 for a while, and it's solid as far as I can tell.

FWIW, when I had the issue with my approved SanDisk SDSDXP-016G card I was on 1.11 firmware, and it happened after the second day of using that card.  Since it had suffered what appeared to be a catastrophic filesystem meltdown and would no longer even be recognized by the 70D, I had no choice but to format it in my PC with the SD Association formatter using the "full overwrite" option.  I also upgraded the 70D to 1.12 at the same time.  After that, no problems.  Is that because of using the SD Formatter or the 1.12 firmware, or both?  I have no idea, but everything's working fine now.

[morst]

FWIW, when I had the issue with my approved SanDisk SDSDXP-016G card I was on 1.11 firmware, and it happened after the second day of using that card.  Since it had suffered what appeared to be a catastrophic filesystem meltdown and would no longer even be recognized by the 70D, I had no choice but to format it in my PC with the SD Association formatter using the "full overwrite" option.  I also upgraded the 70D to 1.12 at the same time.  After that, no problems.  Is that because of using the SD Formatter or the 1.12 firmware, or both?  I have no idea, but everything's working fine now.

FWIW, that might be worth a lot, if they really fixed this with the 1.12 firmware, but are not willing to own up to the fact that it was a MAJOR bug, and now it may be resolved?!?

Let me quote the info file, linked from what's called the 1.11(!) version PDF on Tascam's site...
The site link is still right here, for the Downloads tab: http://tascam.com/product/dr-70d/downloads/
and the actual PDF that they call DR-70D firmware ver 1.11 release notes - 68.05 KB is here:
http://tascam.com/content/downloads/products/867/e_dr-70d_rn_ve.pdf

"Maintenance items V1.12 fixes
• The recording/playback level display now shows more precise level changes.
• Operation stability has been improved."
(font size and italics mine)

I'll keep using my same Panasonic card that failed on 1.11 when I have backup or don't care, and I'll try the Sandisk SDSDUP-016G when I need "reliability" haha.