Topic: PT: 2 - New Marantz PMD661

[su6oxone]

Here's a pic I took to compare the relative sizes of the 661, 702, and R-09HR:

[JasonSobel]

So I did a battery test at home with my unmodded 661:

Schoeps CCM4 > 661 (backlight on continuously at lowest setting, LED on, 24bit/44.1) using 2700mAh Sanyos.  Lasted about 4 hours before it died.  The 661 was set to "NiMH" but the battery meter was showing only half power left at the 2 hour mark, but it kept on recording for another two hours.  A bit disconcerting.

Why is that "a bit disconcerting"?  The batteries lasted about 4 hours, and at 2 hours, the battery meter showed half power.  That seems like the battery meter is very accurate, yes?

Problem is, the 661 does not seem to have written the long file prior to shutting down when the batteries died. Is this generally an issue with the 661?  Do I have to worry about turning it off before the battery power runs out or else risk having the file not properly closed/saved?

In all the tests that I have done (and my battery tests, with a set of 4 NiMH AA's, also yield about 4 hours of runtime with phantom power on), the last file was properly closed every time.  I've done many tests, and I've never had the experience you describe (i.e. last file not properly closed/saved).

I also always have the autosplit feature set to start a new file either every 30 minutes (if I'm running 24/96), or every hour (if I'm running at 24/48 or 24/44.1).  I don't think the autosplit settings would have an impact on the behavior of the deck when it senses that the batteries are low, but it might be worth looking into.

[su6oxone]

Why is that "a bit disconcerting"?  The batteries lasted about 4 hours, and at 2 hours, the battery meter showed half power.  That seems like the battery meter is very accurate, yes?

True, that does make sense.   What I meant to write was actually that after 2 hours there was only one bar left but then it did end up lasting another two hours or so. 

In all the tests that I have done (and my battery tests, with a set of 4 NiMH AA's, also yield about 4 hours of runtime with phantom power on), the last file was properly closed every time.  I've done many tests, and I've never had the experience you describe (i.e. last file not properly closed/saved).

Well I did another battery test this morning and this time I came home to find that the file properly closed and saved upon the battery becoming empty.  Yay. 

Total time (if anyone wants to add it to the battery run times list) was 4 hours 45 minutes recording 24bit/44.1khz, using four 2700mAh Sanyos.  This is with CCM4 > 661 with phantom on, LEDs on, and backlight at '1' but on auto off for most of the test.  Not too bad, I was really hoping for at least 4 hours so anything more is just a bonus. 

[su6oxone]

Just taped my first show with the 661, and transferring the file now and noticed that it is over 2gb in size.  I don't remember any way to choose the file size before splitting in any of the menus, besides automatically splitting by variable interval, so not sure if I can even open up this file in Soundforge to edit.

[JasonSobel]

Just taped my first show with the 661, and transferring the file now and noticed that it is over 2gb in size.  I don't remember any way to choose the file size before splitting in any of the menus, besides automatically splitting by variable interval, so not sure if I can even open up this file in Soundforge to edit.

I thought that the deck would autosplit at 2gb regardless of what time interval you chose for autosplit.  However, I've never run a file for 2gb, because I prefer working with smaller files.  so when I run 24/96, I set autosplit to 30 min, and when I run 24/48, I set autosplit to 1 hour, so eiether way, my files are about 1 gig in size.  Anyway, if you're file size really is over two gig, CD Wave should open it just fine, it can handle files up to 4gb.

that said, if you're basing this on windows explorer, and it's telling you that it's 2048mb (or something like that), keep in mind that that is 2gb, because of the whole 1024mb=1gb, not 1000mb.  So Soundforge might open the file just fine.

Why is that "a bit disconcerting"?  The batteries lasted about 4 hours, and at 2 hours, the battery meter showed half power.  That seems like the battery meter is very accurate, yes?

True, that does make sense.   What I meant to write was actually that after 2 hours there was only one bar left but then it did end up lasting another two hours or so. 

ahh, yes, I see what you mean.  I guess I never noticed that before, because on my battery tests, I would just let it run until it's dead, and then figure out how long it ran based on the files that were on the card.  but during my tests, I never really looked down at the battery meter to see what it was doing at what interval during the tests.  With just one bar showing, I can see how you might be nervous at a show.  To ease your mind, don't look at the battery meter at a show  Just keep mental track of how long it's been, and know that you've got ~4.5 hours, or even a little more.

[su6oxone]

To ease your mind, don't look at the battery meter at a show 

That's good advice. 

So the file size was 2.6gb for about 2.5 hours recorded, and since Soundforge couldn't open it, I opened it in Cool Edit Pro and divided it into two smaller files.  Odd thing about CE though, was that I couldn't just cut and paste part of the big file into a new file because it would only give me the option of 8bit, 16bit or 32bit, but no 24bit which is how it was recorded.  So I ended deleting a chunk (the opener hehe) and then just hit 'save' and it saved it as a 24bit file. 

Incidentally, the same batteries with the same mics and recording settings gave me 2.5 hours with a full battery bar left.    I didn't complete the battery test but in the next week or so I'll do a  couple to see just how long it will run for. 

[JasonSobel]

To ease your mind, don't look at the battery meter at a show 

That's good advice. 

So the file size was 2.6gb for about 2.5 hours recorded, and since Soundforge couldn't open it, I opened it in Cool Edit Pro and divided it into two smaller files.

I just looked at the manual again.  On page 26 it says:
New audio file starts automatically when the recorded file size reaches 4GB.

So it's an autosplit at 4gb, not 2gb, which is how you ended up with a 2.6gb file.  And from your description, it seems like Cool Edit Pro is kind of clunky for splitting files larger than 2gb.  Again, I would recommend using CD Wave to split up files larger than 2gb, because CD Wave can handle up to 4gb.

[su6oxone]

Again, I would recommend using CD Wave to split up files larger than 2gb, because CD Wave can handle up to 4gb.

That's a great idea, especially since I use CD Wave for tracking files anyway, thanks!

edit: here's the Cranberries show I taped last night with CCM4 > 661 (stock).  Sounds pretty good to me, let me know what you guys think (send space mp3s link coming after work).

http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=276061

[datbrad]

Again, I would recommend using CD Wave to split up files larger than 2gb, because CD Wave can handle up to 4gb.

That's a great idea, especially since I use CD Wave for tracking files anyway, thanks!

edit: here's the Cranberries show I taped last night with CCM4 > 661 (stock).  Sounds pretty good to me, let me know what you guys think (send space mp3s link coming after work).

http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=276061

Any chance you could seed this also on Traders Den?

I don't have a Dime account, and I have zero interest in getting one.

Thanks!!!

[su6oxone]

Any chance you could seed this also on Traders Den?

I don't have a Dime account, and I have zero interest in getting one.

Thanks!!!

Sorry but I'd rather not due to bandwidth issues, but here's a 192kbps mp3 version:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/9iqhfz

[GDfan]

http://www.archive.org/details/SKB2009-11-05.AKG-C214
here is a Steve Kimock show I recorded a week and a half ago with the 661
used my new mics (AKG C214's) into some darktrain cables into the Concert mod 661.


Edit: nice pull Su6oxone, cranberries sounds nice =D

[su6oxone]

http://www.archive.org/details/SKB2009-11-05.AKG-C214
here is a Steve Kimock show I recorded a week and a half ago with the 661
used my new mics (AKG C214's) into some darktrain cables into the Concert mod 661.

Edit: nice pull Su6oxone, cranberries sounds nice =D

Thanks GDfan, I'm really pleased so far with the performance of my stock 661.  Here's my latest recording with CCM4 > 661 at the Grace Potter show last night in Baltimore on LMA:

http://www.archive.org/details/gpn2009-11-16.ccm4.flac16

[stevetoney]

Hi everyone.  It's time to bump the PMD661 thread to the top with a quick question.

I just got a stock model a few days ago and I was wondering if anyone knows how much quicker the battery drain is when you leave the LEDs on vs choosing the selection to turn them off?  The LEDs seem to be handy to leave on during a show when the 661 is sitting vertically in the bag, but not if they drain the batteries alot quicker.

[datbrad]

Hi everyone.  It's time to bump the PMD661 thread to the top with a quick question.

I just got a stock model a few days ago and I was wondering if anyone knows how much quicker the battery drain is when you leave the LEDs on vs choosing the selection to turn them off?  The LEDs seem to be handy to leave on during a show when the 661 is sitting vertically in the bag, but not if they drain the batteries alot quicker.

Steve, I leave the LEDs lit, but I also dial the brightness of the OLED display down to it's most dim setting (still plenty bright in the dark).

Running 2650 Duracells, I am getting way over 5 hours running the unit line in. I would think for your purposes running the 661 digital in, you should not have to worry about the drain from the LEDs.

[Massive Dynamic]

Where would the Oade concert mod PMD661 AD/ Pre, fit in this list?

V3
V2
UA5
AD-20

It would not really fit at all into your list, since none of these are all-in-one recorders.

That being said, there are still some comparisons you can make to help you decide on getting a modded 661. According to Doug, and as I mentioned earlier in this thread, the concert mod shares the sound quality of his M248 preamp, and the warm mod shares the sound quality of his M148 preamp. If you collect recordings, you must certainly have tapes where each of these preamps are used and that can be your preamp reference.

Most of the flash recorder brands share the same 24 bit AD chipset within their model line, so that portion in the 661 is likely exactly the same as the one in the PMD671, which is a really good A/D, and there are a ton of recordings in circulation to listen to how that A/D sounds.

Technically, the V3 is the only 24 bit preamp A/D combo on your list, and still a great way to go, paired with any 24 bit recorder with a digital input, that can be used as a bit bucket.

Good Luck!!

I have an Oade T+mod UA-5 and a stock FR2-le, but I've been looking to go smaller. Is an OCM 661 as quiet as a stock FR2-le?

Is either the stock or OCM 661 better sounding than my UA-5? In other words, would I be taking a step backwards sonically feeding a digi signal from my T+UA-5 > 661?  Also, I don't think I have read anywhere that digi resampling had been tested on the 661. Thanks for any info.