Topic: R-09 Performance Prob???

[stevetoney]

Just picked up an R-09 not long ago off the Yard Sale and have played around with it here and there, but haven't recorded a complete show with it until Friday night.  Started mastering up the recording and all was going well when about 55 minutes into the second set, mid way through a song, the recording goes jittery and although I can kinda hear the music, the show was lost from that point on and the jitter never stopped for the final 40 minutes of the show.  The sound was pretty much like digi-noise, but not really. 

Anybody had any experiences like this with their R-09?  Any ideas what might have caused this?

FWIW, I used a 4GB Transcend TS4GSDC Card. 

Is this what it sounds like when the card can't keep up or isn't fast enough?  Strange though that if that's true, it didn't start until two hours into a show.

Hmmmm.

[Arni99]

I use a 4GB SD-HC SANDISK card with firmware 1.20 and never had your problem.
Maybe you should try a different SD card?

[Nick's Picks]

bad cable?

[stevetoney]

bad cable?

Not a cable problem because of the consistency of the issue...once it started it continued unabated for 40 mins through the rest of the show.  Seems that if it was a cable issue it would have been here and there...besides, the second set wasn't very crowded and the was just sitting there so nobody tripped over the cables or anything like that. 

[udovdh]

Did you format the card before the show?
Can you reproduce?
Even with reformatting?

[tenesejedd]

Similar, but not the same experience:

I typically use a Sandisk CF for my R-1, but recently I got a Transcend. With the transcend card in, like clockwork about 45 minutes into each recording, I get a segmant of about 10 seconds where I get some noise. It pretty much sounds like the music really slows down coupled with some digi noise. After 10 seconds it kicks in again and records fine. If I record straight for another 45 minutes or so, it happens again. Never had this problem with my Sandisk. I have retired my trancend from my recorder and only use the Sandisk. I guess the difference here is that in my experience, the recording recovers after a few seconds where yours does not.

I would try it again and see if it repeats itself. My initial guess is that the card may be at fault. Transcend cards are nice because they are inexpensive, but sometimes you get what you pay for.

[datgirl333]

Hey tonedeaf,
Sorry to read you're having problems recording to a 4 gb card on your "new" r-09.  I wonder if the speed of the card you're using may be at fault.

Is this like your card?  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820208086.  I don't see any kind of speed rating on the photo of #TS4GSDC card itself. 

Take a look at the Transcend card I've used (#TS4GSD150) with good results (so far, knock on wood) but it's rated at 150x: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820163159

HTH.

Peace, Debra

[guysonic]

I guess a card 'with some kind of speed rating' is better than one with NO SPEED rating of any kind like the one giving problems.  Transcend's web site has a PDF specification file for the problem card that HAS NO SPEED RATING OF ANY KIND within its 7 pages!  So buyer beware I'd guess.

  Problem with 150x rating is this is a BURST rating that may or may not actually work for certain cameras OR readers in actual use.

Cards with CONTINUOUS READ-WRITE speed specifications are being way more HONEST in stating card performance YOU CAN EXPECT TO WORK FOR AUDIO THAT DOES NOT USE BURST MODES, only continuous modes in writing to the card.  Sandisk is one make that usually gives the more honest continuous read-write speed rating of their products.

[SmokinJoe]

A couple of thoughts... and more questions really.... What version of firmware?  What size were the files when it started going nuts?  What recording rate?   

Here is where I'm heading with this... if you were recording at 24/48 you will hit 2gb at about 1hour, 52 minutes or something like that, which might be about 55 minutes into the second set. Yes, it's not all one file, but you filled the filesystem to the 2gb mark.  If you have an older firmware, that will probably not like using more than 2gb on a 4gb chip and wierd and wonderful behaviors may occur.  On 16/44 that 2gb mark comes at about 3hours,15 minutes.

Just a thought...

[maestrosteve]

FWIW, I used a 4GB Transcend TS4GSDC Card. 

Based on my experience, it's the card.

I bought the same one, have the latest firmware in my R-09, format the card in the R-09 just fine, and the card doesn't work.  By that, I mean it appears to record and everything looks normal, but the files won't play back, and I have trouble mounting the card on my computer either from the R-09 or a SD card reader.
Those problems exist only using this card with the R-09.  The card works perfectly now that I formatted it in my computer, and I use it in an SD card reader to move files between computers, and it mounts fine.

It works perfectly, just not in the R-09.

All my other SD cards of 2GB and lower work perfectly all the time, so I know there's no problem with the R-09.

[stevetoney]

A couple of thoughts... and more questions really.... What version of firmware?  What size were the files when it started going nuts?  What recording rate?   

Here is where I'm heading with this... if you were recording at 24/48 you will hit 2gb at about 1hour, 52 minutes or something like that, which might be about 55 minutes into the second set. Yes, it's not all one file, but you filled the filesystem to the 2gb mark.  If you have an older firmware, that will probably not like using more than 2gb on a 4gb chip and wierd and wonderful behaviors may occur.  On 16/44 that 2gb mark comes at about 3hours,15 minutes.

Just a thought...

Nope...I should have mentioned that in the initial post.  Not the problem because I was in 16/44 at the 55 minute point. 

To answer some of the questions though...I'm updated on firmware and the card recently formatted directly in the R-09. 

Thanks for everyone's response...+T to everyone.  I really think the issue is the card, so I'm gonna stick to using my 2GB Sandisc card and then for the festivals this summer, I'll pick up a bigger card and probably bring my laptop along and download files daily and clear the card so I'm able to record the whole festival.

Thanks again all.

Steve

[bluntforcetrauma]

I was using a transcend 4gb card, and practicing at thomw with the r-09, And BAM the r-09 froze up, It would not turn off.  I had to take the batteries out to shut it down. I tried to re boot and it would not turn on--then i used a transcend 150x 4gb card, formatted it and so far it has worked, i am still just recording at home using DPA mics.  I am running for the full 4 hours at 16/44.  So far the 150x transcend has worked.

but the 4gb transcend appeard to be at fault.  I am trying to stay away from the 4gb transcend cards, that's 2 that went bad.

but the 150x transcend has worked well once so far, with practice some more.

this is the first time i have had trouble with memory card either for r-1 or the r09

[bluntforcetrauma]

Please advise

which is better, the trascend 150x 4gb card or the SDHC 4gb cards?

2,4,6 SDHC cards? does the number matter in audio recording?

[guysonic]

Please advise

which is better, the trascend 150x 4gb card or the SDHC 4gb cards?

2,4,6 SDHC cards? does the number matter in audio recording?

4Gig SD is NOT within standard 2 gig SD specifications, so 4+ Gig SDHC should be more reliable in devices supporting the newer format.  Seems a 2 speed rating is plenty fast for 2 channel audio recording to at least 24/96. 

So not expecting faster SDHC cards ratings to work any better, but shouldn't hurt to have extra speed margins either, and faster cards might be more useful for the newer HD camcorders also using SDHC.