Topic: Best 24 bit "bit bucket?"

[meatling]

i seriously doubt that tim never looked at the wavs in an editor. again, thats 3 units between us that have had NO issues.

That's quite insignificant, statistically. Anyway, I tried Google ("PMD671 bugs") -- lo and behold -- here's from transom.org:

24-bit PCM files created by the PMD671 are unreadable on my PC or - at best - exhibit an abnormal (e.g. very loud) hiss (kind of what you get when most significant bits are messed up with the least significant ones...)
...
Same problem here. I'm using Wavelab 4 and Cubase SL2.....both cannot correctly read a PMD761 24/96k file. Hmmmmmmmm, a trend here??
I've google searched, and THIS seems the first forum to report this problem.
....
Marantz reply:

(reply from an email I sent to Marantz):

Hi Randy,
We are aware of the issue. It is currently being researched by our
engineers in Japan.

Just what I said 

m

[sygdwm]

i seriously doubt that tim never looked at the wavs in an editor. again, thats 3 units between us that have had NO issues.

That's quite insignificant, statistically. Anyway, I tried Google ("PMD671 bugs") -- lo and behold: 24-bit PCM files created by the PMD671 are unreadable on my PC or - at best - exhibit an abnormal (e.g. very loud) hiss (kind of what you get when most significant bits are messed up with the least significant ones...)

Just what I said 

m

i got through about half of that and saw this:

Alan Stockdale - 09:20am May 26, 2005 EST (#20 of 78) Reply

Solution?

According to a post on the Oade Recording forum it is a Microsoft-related issue. Apparently a solution is to "...open the Marantz 24/96 files in CD Wave, and then save them choosing "No conversion" and "alternate 24 bit format""

CD Wave is here (costs $15): http://www.milosoftware.com/cdwave/
More information in the CD Wave FAQ section.

also, wavelab5 has no problems w/ 24bit files from the 671. maybe tim and i are the only ones. here is a recording of mine in 24bit:

http://digitalpanic.org/bittorrent/showthread.php?p=119731

still going strong. see attachment.

[JasonSobel]

when the PMD-671 was first released, the 24-bit files it wrote were not standard, typical WAV files.  Marantz then offered a firmware fix (which you had to send it back in) to record to standard format 24-bit WAV files.  this problem and fix have been discussed here on taperssection, although it was quite a while ago.  Marantz fixed the problem to everyone's satisfaction, and many people are very happy with it.  The "loud hiss" is due to the less than great stock pre-amps.  if you use the recorder as a bit-bucket only, it's a non issue.  that's why most people who run mics directly into the unit choose to get the pre-amps modded, to lower the noise floor and to sound better.

[sygdwm]

there are so many variables to "my computer wont open 671 24bit files". are they computer/software literate? are they using shitty microdrives/cf cards?


edit: i never sent either of my units in for firmware updates.

[JasonSobel]

edit: i never sent either of my units in for firmware updates.

you probably bought them after the fix was released, and hence, the update was already on your unit.
it's discussed a bit here:
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,51243.0.html

[sygdwm]

its possible that the acm box has the latest firmware, but i got the stock one right out of the gate.

[JasonSobel]

its possible that the acm box has the latest firmware, but i got the stock one right out of the gate.

meatling, the symptoms you had with the 671 are because at introduction marantz used a new (at the time) microsoft protocol when the files were saved, called "e24".  it's not a *bug* with the recorder.  the majority of editing software available during that time period couldn't read the files properly.  there's nothing wrong with the files, you just couldn't edit them with whatever software you were using.  you can tell if your firmware has been updated b/c if it has then the "e24" option isn't available in the settings menu.

some discussion here:
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,38508.msg673840.html#msg673840
http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,64570.msg904727.html#msg904727

yup, Tim summed it up there....

my only point in posting was that any info regarding unreadable 24 bit files is very much out of date, as that potential issue was resolved a long time ago.

[sygdwm]

my point exactly.

[meatling]

when the PMD-671 was first released, the 24-bit files it wrote were not standard, typical WAV files. 

Thank you for vindicating my description.

Marantz fixed the problem to everyone's satisfaction, and many people are very happy with it.  The "loud hiss" is due to the less than great stock pre-amps.

These two sentences in direct succession are quite hilarious.

M

[meatling]

my only point in posting was that any info regarding unreadable 24 bit files is very much out of date, as that potential issue was resolved a long time ago.

I have no way of knowing since I returned that recorder in 2005. However, my original post to this thread was a reaction to the claim that the 671 [...] had zero problems since release.

Now that's a claim that I find highly misleading. Of course it's true the 671 had zero problems since release. Its users had problems, however.

m

[live2496]

What's my favorite pocket pc? Well, I have tested a few of them. The X51v, the hp hx2795, and the H2210 in that order. The X51v has the nicest display of all and 2200mAh battery option.

The X50v works the same for recording, it has half the space for programs and the gfx are a little less awesome but the core processor is the same. Batteries and stuff are interchangeable between the 2 as well.


+t for good software.

Thanks! Yes, the X50v is on par with the X51v. Pretty much the same machine with a newer OS.

[meatling]

you wrote in the above post that the files have atrocious noise in them.

Yup. And unfortunately, your screenshot shows or proves absolutely nothing in this respect, because it is not evident what it should show. But look at this:
 


That's supposed to be silence, in other words, a flat line. And if that doesn't qualify as atrocious noise, I don't know what does.

m

[sygdwm]

are you using the stock pre-amps?

[Nick's Picks]

even the problems at launch were just a minor software glitch in how it reported a particular files...something that you could even fix/defeat w/a different setting if I recall.  I had one of those early units w/this bug.  I swear, maybe 4 day turn around shipping to and fro to D&M, and it fixed and 100% reliable.

there is a nice first hand report to add to the list.

[jerryfreak]

actually x50v is 520 mhz, x51v is 624 mhz

gordon, would that make a difference?

What's my favorite pocket pc? Well, I have tested a few of them. The X51v, the hp hx2795, and the H2210 in that order. The X51v has the nicest display of all and 2200mAh battery option.

The X50v works the same for recording, it has half the space for programs and the gfx are a little less awesome but the core processor is the same. Batteries and stuff are interchangeable between the 2 as well.


+t for good software.