Topic: HiMD as a D8 replacement?

[dmaster]

DAT ain't gonna live forever, and my D8 probably won't last nearly as long as I want it to...   I've got a while between tours that I really want to tape, so I'm pondering replacing my D8 with a HiMD recorder. 

Is this going to be a viable recording solution as a replacement for a DAT?  I'm VERY reluctant to give up taping with a format that lets me keep a hard copy of the recording, so I'm not interested in going the JB3/laptop/PDA route at the moment regardless of the benefits.  My mics are only SP-CMC-4's so it's not like I need to record in 24/96 yet.   

So, are there any particular models that are better suited towards live taping, and what sort of changes would I have to make from the normal mics -> battery box -> DAT setup I have right now if I did get a HiMD unit in the future?

[Brian Skalinder]

what sort of changes would I have to make from the normal mics -> battery box -> DAT setup I have right now if I did get a HiMD unit in the future?

I think none.  And if you're recording analog-in, I believe you can transfer digitally from HiMD to your PC.

Edited to say:  I'll let others harangue you for not considering a JB3. 

[hexyjones]

I'm VERY reluctant to give up taping with a format that lets me keep a hard copy of the recording...

Huh?  I dont understand your apprehensions about the JB3...unless I'm missing something......
 
FLAC it and burn it to disc...that is a de facto HARD COPY......and one that isnt going to wear out and have constantly increasing error rate...bits are bits no mater what the "hard copy" format is...

[Tim]

bits are bits no mater what the "hard copy" format is...

ehhhhhhh

I believe the national archives still use magnetic tape instead of optical media. Point being that's a pretty big generalization you're making, one that I'm not real comfortable with.

however I understand the point you're trying to make in this case, and I agree... go with a jb3.

[marc0789]

..ditto that. all I know is that I have that are 10 years old, and they're all perfect...all of them are. no drops.

yet I have shows I put on disc, that have rarely if ever played. drops galore. I can't speak to dvd-r, minidisc, but cdr is a crap archival format.

[Ed.]

i wouldn't go hiMD, i'd keep the DAT if you didn't want to go jb3...but thats just me.

[jesse]

i wouldn't go hiMD, i'd keep the DAT if you didn't want to go jb3...but thats just me.

I'm with ed on this one.  Plus last time I checked the media for HI-MD was 7 bucks for a 2gig disc. 

[nihilistic0]

i wouldn't go hiMD, i'd keep the DAT if you didn't want to go jb3...but thats just me.

I'm with ed on this one.  Plus last time I checked the media for HI-MD was 7 bucks for a 2gig disc. 

eh, Its a new format, so of course the price is going to be high. With time, as with all media, the price will drop to more reasonable levels. Kind of like where dual layer dvd's are now.

[John Kelly]

i wouldn't go hiMD, i'd keep the DAT if you didn't want to go jb3...but thats just me.

I'm with ed on this one.  Plus last time I checked the media for HI-MD was 7 bucks for a 2gig disc. 

HiMDs are only 1 gig. 

eh, Its a new format, so of course the price is going to be high. With time, as with all media, the price will drop to more reasonable levels. Kind of like where dual layer dvd's are now.

I wouldn't bet on that.  $7 per gig isn't bad for removable media, and is much better than current compact flash pricing (and other media like that).  It would shock me if prices for HiMDs dropped at all over the next year.

[jpschust]

isn't hiMD a lossy format through it's ATRAC or similar compression scheme, thereby not making it a replacement for a D8 since a D8 is a lossless recorder?

[John Kelly]

isn't hiMD a lossy format through it's ATRAC or similar compression scheme, thereby not making it a replacement for a D8 since a D8 is a lossless recorder?

Nah, it'll record uncompressed.  Only 1 gig tho...

[jpschust]

so to be safe one would need two discs at a show, totally 14 bucks.  so let me get this straight, i do get the benefit of transferring more easily to my computer, but in order to do so i need to buy a form of media that hasn't been super thoroughly field tested, i need to pay more for it, and there is little to no resale market for it?  i think ill pass.

[hexyjones]

bits are bits no mater what the "hard copy" format is...

ehhhhhhh

I believe the national archives still use magnetic tape instead of optical media. Point being that's a pretty big generalization you're making, one that I'm not real comfortable with.

however I understand the point you're trying to make in this case, and I agree... go with a jb3.

Well - I dont consider DAT an archival format...unless you are using a DDS drive and archiving in shn/flac...that's an archive...The masters you make at the show are subject to all sorts of pressures and flaws that make them less suitable as "archives" - We know for a fact that the alignment will begin to drift on the sony portables...by the time you notice it...you may have recorded 100 shows on misaligned deck...I dont have a deck that will reveal error rates...but I would have to think the error rate would be affected by the tapes age...the number of times it was played (remember there was a LOT of DAT recording before the CD-R was widely available...) and the alingment of the mastering of the recording deck.

I guess what I'm getting at is - the best DAT archive would be...

Record show...Rewind...go home...Transfer show...Archive in the format and media of your choice. But dont consider your master an "archive" - it will decay from that moment on.

Not trying to talk up optical here...but as far as Audio DAT and magnetic tape goes...it would seem like a DDS archive would be even better...the way computers read and transfer data is much more reliable than the on the fly Audio DAT data.

And for sure...just burning an audio disc is not an archive...the only way to get the files back is by extraction...