Topic: Tascam DR-60D - 4 Channel recorder

[willndmb]

I just did another home test with some audio from iTunes & results are sad for video

SP BMC 2 mics > TB > splitter >
1) M10 (line out w/Attenuator cable)> Canon r300
2) DR-60D (camera out at "5") > Canon r300
levels where as close as I could get them and all cables where the exact make ran into two r300 at once
clips of 2 songs randomly selected by clicking the mouse wherever it happened to be and a bit of silence at the end

you can clearly hear how bad the dr-60d noise is
the audio samples themselves sound far better

https://www.dropbox.com/s/798pvxg7gq6rkie/dr60dSamples.zip
if you need dropbox you get get it here and that will also give me some free space https://db.tt/QQ9E0bL

[hoppedup]

I think this sucks for users who buy it just run the audio into a camera. Personally, I plan to use the bundled Plural Eyes to help sync audio from external sources. Maybe that's why it was bundled to begin with?

[willndmb]

I think this sucks for users who buy it just run the audio into a camera. Personally, I plan to use the bundled Plural Eyes to help sync audio from external sources. Maybe that's why it was bundled to begin with?

if you are going to mix in post anyway its fine but for me I wanted to have one box vs two and save mix in post time
Not happening with good results

[adrianf74]

I think this sucks for users who buy it just run the audio into a camera. Personally, I plan to use the bundled Plural Eyes to help sync audio from external sources. Maybe that's why it was bundled to begin with?

The bundled software, AFAIK, was only available from B&H so I wouldn't say that's why. 

[hoppedup]

I will test mine this weekend running audio into the camera from the DR-60D and see if I have the same results.

[obaaron]

^^ ditto

[tedyun]

I'm not sure if the hiss is that much of a concern. Isn't the main point of this package that you want to capture the high quality audio on the DR-60D, then sync it to the video in post? The ADCs on the Tascam are hopefully better than going line out, preamps on the camera, then ADC on the camera. I assume that is why they are including PluralEyes in the deal too.

I was assuming that the line out to the camera is just for easier sync'ing purposes (hence the slate button).

[Ozpeter]

I'd like to be able to mount it so I can tilt the viewing screen to however I'm sitting. 

Maybe attach it to one of those cheap mini tripods, the ones that are only a few inches high?

http://www.binglee.com.au/inca-535291-mini-tripod?gclid=CID-sOTt77wCFRRufgodNSQABg

As for power, if you know you are going to running for an extended period, one of those rechargeable  power packs intended for recharging mobile phones should work.

[adrianf74]

As for power, if you know you are going to running for an extended period, one of those rechargeable  power packs intended for recharging mobile phones should work.

Indeed... the Anker branded 10000mAh battery works well with the 60D.  I've said it previously, and I'll say it again, anybody looking to run this device should run one of these.  Period.  You should be able to run a full day at a festival without needing to worry if you're 60D's gonna last.  For those looking for the link...

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009USAJCC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=ak9600-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=B009USAJCC

[willndmb]

I'm not sure if the hiss is that much of a concern. Isn't the main point of this package that you want to capture the high quality audio on the DR-60D, then sync it to the video in post? The ADCs on the Tascam are hopefully better than going line out, preamps on the camera, then ADC on the camera. I assume that is why they are including PluralEyes in the deal too.

I was assuming that the line out to the camera is just for easier sync'ing purposes (hence the slate button).

did you listen to the samples?
imo the m10 is better then the dr60d anyway so unless you want 4 channels or a small 48v all in one there is no advantage of using this over the m10
plus if you are on a mac tcp has a built in synch feature that does exactly what pe3 is meant for anyway
curious to see others test results before i send mine back i suppose its possible that I got a bum unit but i don't think so

edit, maybe i'll do a straight silence sample
i'll record using the cameras built in mic then plug in the out from the dr60d and see if/how it changes

[tedyun]

Not yet! I'm on a PC and it doesn't like your file names (I think the ">" is illegal in Windows). I'll give it a listen when I get home on my Mac.

I'm just thinking that the audio you feed into the camera will get replaced by the audio that you record onto the DR-60D. In other words, the audio on the video track is just a "rough" version. The audio that you record on the DR-60D can be 24 bit where you can dial in the gain and add any eq you like in post. Whereas on the camera (at least on MY cameras) the audio is 16-bit, so I wouldn't be able to modify it as much as the 24-bit version.

Anyway, that is the way I'm thinking of using it. I normally go from my PSP2 > camera, but the deal is still the same -- I usually end up replacing the audio with a processed version. The 4-channel and the slate feature appealed to me.

I'm just videoing my kids anyway, so it's probably overkill. But then again, isn't that the fun of taping? (obaaron knows -- he's seen my rig)

Did you mean FCP (you wrote tcp)? I didn't know it had a sync feature. I'll look into how to do it! Thanks!

I'm not sure if the hiss is that much of a concern. Isn't the main point of this package that you want to capture the high quality audio on the DR-60D, then sync it to the video in post? The ADCs on the Tascam are hopefully better than going line out, preamps on the camera, then ADC on the camera. I assume that is why they are including PluralEyes in the deal too.

I was assuming that the line out to the camera is just for easier sync'ing purposes (hence the slate button).

did you listen to the samples?
imo the m10 is better then the dr60d anyway so unless you want 4 channels or a small 48v all in one there is no advantage of using this over the m10
plus if you are on a mac tcp has a built in synch feature that does exactly what pe3 is meant for anyway
curious to see others test results before i send mine back i suppose its possible that I got a bum unit but i don't think so

edit, maybe i'll do a straight silence sample
i'll record using the cameras built in mic then plug in the out from the dr60d and see if/how it changes

[willndmb]

Fcp yes, damn ipad and me never get along
What I do is tell it to make a multi cam clip and it synchs everything then you can select what cam angle and/or audio to use

[2manyrocks]

Well...I think the normal expectation would be that feeding audio into a camera from the 60d would produce a better recording on the theory that the mics are better and the preamp in the 60d would be better than in the camera.  However, the camera audio I got yesterday was hissy to my ears.  signal chain Line audio CM3s>60d>Canon HF M500. 

In the comparison that willndmd posted, the M10 has better audio, IMO, and that's what really counts. 

[tedyun]

Thanks for the samples guys. I agree, there is a lot of hiss and it's pretty disappointing. All of the outs produce this, such as the line out and headphone out?

willndmb -- there seems to also be a high pitch sound that is absent from 2manyrocks' recording.

Anyway, I don't think I'll return it when I get it. I never planned to use the camera out for anything other than an audio track that would be replaced. Still, it's pretty disappointing from the standpoint that from a company like Tascam, if you do something, you should do it right.

Well...I think the normal expectation would be that feeding audio into a camera from the 60d would produce a better recording on the theory that the mics are better and the preamp in the 60d would be better than in the camera.  However, the camera audio I got yesterday was hissy to my ears.  signal chain Line audio CM3s>60d>Canon HF M500. 

In the comparison that willndmd posted, the M10 has better audio, IMO, and that's what really counts.

[Ozpeter]

I'd be a bit cautious about drawing too much of a general conclusion re the quality of the output to camera.  There's a lot of variables here (eg how the gain structure was set up, possible impedance mismatch, how the camera audio input was set up, etc.   Perhaps a good test would be to try running the output from the Tascam into the input of a "known quality" device such as the M10, and see whether the result is something significantly hissy or not.  And perhaps it needs to be borne in mind that the output to the camera is chiefly for sync purposes rather than something intended to be heard.

I'm not saying there's no problem, I'm just saying there's possibly a problem - or possibly not.