Topic: Drum Roll....WOOOHOOO......Sound Devices 788T

[mmedley.]

You will see headphone gain changes in the upcoming "Wildcat" 788T beta firmware. We'll have more information on this in the coming week. Other new items in Wildcat include AES42 support, extensive file viewer/take viewer changes, metadata handling changes, and limiter tunings.

[John Willett]

You will see headphone gain changes in the upcoming "Wildcat" 788T beta firmware. We'll have more information on this in the coming week. Other new items in Wildcat include AES42 support, extensive file viewer/take viewer changes, metadata handling changes, and limiter tunings.

Yup - knew AES42 support was coming.  But the Schoeps are mode-1 and the Neumann and Sennheiser are mode-2.

Mode-1 run asynchronously and need a sample rate converter to lock them.  Mode-2 are locked via the AES42.

So it interested me that SD had a sample rate converter on the input of the 788T to lock mode-1 microphones.
 

[jerryfreak]

any possibility of enabling this feature on 722/744 with firmware update?

Rumor has it that SD/Schoeps will be showing off the 788T powering a set of Schoeps CMD's  directly at AES.

[boojum]

any possibility of enabling this feature on 722/744 with firmware update?

Rumor has it that SD/Schoeps will be showing off the 788T powering a set of Schoeps CMD's  directly at AES.

Ask Jon Tatooles at SD.  he would know.    ;o)

[H₂O]

any possibility of enabling this feature on 722/744 with firmware update?

From what I heard - this is doubtful as the 788T was designed with this feature in mind and the 722/744T was not.  But who knows.

It is important to note that when using AES42 one mic uses one AES42/AES connection so on a 788T you would only be able to use 4 Digital mics.  This does not mean SD has setup the routing in a way to  record 8 channels (i.e. 4 digital and 4 analog) to all 8 channels to be recorded - we will have to see.  But with this logic for the 722 you would only be able to connect one digital mic and for the 744T two digital mics.

[John Willett]

It is important to note that when using AES42 one mic uses one AES42/AES connection so on a 788T you would only be able to use 4 Digital mics. 

This is only true for the Neumann and Schoeps AES42 mics.

The new Sennheiser MZD 8000, AES42 module for the MKH 8000 series, is 2-channel.  So you can connect two heads via a Y-cable into the MZD 8000 and use just one AES42 input - so this would double the number of mics you can use.

I am just about to do this with my NAGRA VI - but I will have to use the Neumann AES connection kit to do it - powered from the Nagra and fed to the AES3 input.

I *do* hope Nagra will be able to enable AES42 on the NAGRA VI at some time.

[H₂O]

Thats nice about the Sennheisers.

[mmedley.]

Not to get too far off topic, but how do you like your Nagra VI? It looks like a beautiful machine. I have been looking for a ballpark price on them and cannot find too much. I am planning to stop into their Franklin, TN office before too long and play with one for a little while. I am thinking of going for one of these in the next 1-2 years.

[John Willett]

Not to get too far off topic, but how do you like your Nagra VI? It looks like a beautiful machine. I have been looking for a ballpark price on them and cannot find too much. I am planning to stop into their Franklin, TN office before too long and play with one for a little while. I am thinking of going for one of these in the next 1-2 years.

My own unit will not arrive until next week (I got the confirmation this afternoon) - but I had an early one for review which you can read HERE.

Having used it in anger when I did the review I found it so good I had to by one - I only record part time but it was so good I had to find the money for it, and I did.

[BayTaynt3d]

I assume everyone in this thread has seen this bad boy add on, eh?

Let me introduce the CL8...

[boojum]

There is a free hardware update on the 788T for those who bought prior to September.  Seems there have been some hardware upgrades and SD wants to fix the old ones, because they need to.   

I am sending mine in in a day or two.  The peak LED's have a emitter or two that failed and the FireWire port has failed.  The two failures are hardware supplier problems.  Neither was major and now that I have a good reason I will send it in.

So far this machine has always made me look good.  And that is not always easy.   

Cheers

[John Willett]

Yes, I heard that the 788Ts had been recalled - Timecode problem I heard.

I like SD stuff, but without the add-on I found the 788T very fiddly (and hot).  I just wish they had made it 30% larger (and 96kHz).

The Nagra VI has the perfect ergonomics and 96kHz (which is why I went for the Nagra) - I wish it was 30% smaller, though.

Ahhh well 

[boojum]

Yes, I heard that the 788Ts had been recalled - Timecode problem I heard.

I like SD stuff, but without the add-on I found the 788T very fiddly (and hot).  I just wish they had made it 30% larger (and 96kHz).

The Nagra VI has the perfect ergonomics and 96kHz (which is why I went for the Nagra) - I wish it was 30% smaller, though.

Ahhh well 

The info on the mods is available on the SD site in full if you are interested.

[John Willett]

The info on the mods is available on the SD site in full if you are interested.

Thanks very much - very interesting.

I also looked at the new firmware and have just sent them an e-mail regarding the new AES42 support on the 788T - VERY interesting. 

[mmedley.]

The jury is still out for me on the 788t. While I think it is sexy as hell and looks like it will be capable of running a small country, I think in that price range for me I would check some other offerings for a small change (just to change things up!)....most notably the Nagra VI. I am gonna do what I can to take on some extracurricular jobs to get the cash I need to purchase one and pick it up at the TN US headquarters. I think that would be fun. Yes, I am a nerd. What I have heard from Callery's Schoeps > Nagra V I am VERY impressed when it comes to recordings for my recording conditions. I am a bit leary of their software too. I haven't heard too many issues, but then again I have done 0 research on their technical issues (if any). I also love the fact that your can enable/disable transformers on the machine. Again, I digress from the topic. My apologies.