Topic: M Audio Flash Tracker Recorder Update

[Unitmonster]

the Archos GMini 400 is also able to act as an onthego drive. Mp3 player, storage, movies and games.  Sounds decent.

[keepongoin]

Does anyone know if this will have a remote to control recording?

i hope not.  last thing i need is someone pausing my recorder and unpausing his with a remote at the same time.

[it-goes-to-eleven]

just spoke to M-Audio and here is the latest:

BTW, thanks for the update.  Any additional confirmation of past feature rumors?

Will it really:

Support 24/96 digi in
Provide 48v mic power
Have "decent" (?) mic pre-amps
Have "decent" (?) A/D

Knowing the specifics of the connector types would be helpful.

[spreetaper]

I think the answer to the storage dilemma is a portable USB OTG ("on-the-go") drive.  I just picked up this one.

funny...the 30gig version is less expensive than the 20gig version

it does look like a good solution for cf space limitations.

yes looks very good but what about if you need to reformat the card in the field which is a good idea when working with CF cards...
I looked through the info for this device and it didnt seem to say either way if that is possible.. maybe i missed it..
anyone know?

[Tim]

Will it really:

Support 24/96 digi in
Provide 48v mic power
Have "decent" (?) mic pre-amps
Have "decent" (?) A/D

Knowing the specifics of the connector types would be helpful.

I suggest you read the other thread as some of your questions about digi-in and 48v phantom are answered pretty clearly in there, as well as the type of connectors

as for how it sounds, no one has used one yet so no one can answer those questions

[Todd R]

yes looks very good but what about if you need to reformat the card in the field which is a good idea when working with CF cards...
I looked through the info for this device and it didnt seem to say either way if that is possible.. maybe i missed it..
anyone know?

As was noted above, I would strongly suspect that the Flash Tracker itself will be able to format the CF cards.  I would really be surprised if it couldn't.  It would mean that you'd need enough time between sets to swap CF cards, format the one you just put in, and start recording once the music starts.  This should be the case in most instances, even festivals unless they have 'tweener acts and run the music literally straight through.  I don't know about the Flash Tracker, but formatting a 1GB card in my Canon Digital Rebel only takes a few seconds.

[nic]

just spoke to M-Audio and here is the latest:

BTW, thanks for the update.  Any additional confirmation of past feature rumors?

Will it really:

Support 24/96 digi in
Provide 48v mic power
Have "decent" (?) mic pre-amps
Have "decent" (?) A/D

Knowing the specifics of the connector types would be helpful.

s/pdif is via coax
mic in I belive is 1/4" TRS
specs say it provides 48V phantom and records up to 24/96
guess we'll find out definatively in about 2 months...

[keepongoin]

well, I am on the waiting list for one of these now!   

[it-goes-to-eleven]

I suggest you read the other thread as some of your questions about digi-in and 48v phantom are answered pretty clearly in there, as well as the type of connectors

Oh, I read it all..  Lapped it up.  I was just wondered if M-Audio had confirmed anything beyond the 'rumors' because it sounded too good to be true (with NJB's going for $200 on ebay with one battery!).

[chitaper]

Good deal on the update, looking forward to this!

I think the answer to the storage dilemma is a portable USB OTG ("on-the-go") drive.  I just picked up this one.

Oh yeah! That's even better! 80 GB will do a whole festival.

[Colin Liston]

Okay so I emailed M-Audio to ask some questions about the Flash Tracker, and this is what I got back.
>
Unfortunately, we do not have any information regarding the Flash
Tracker at this time.  It has not been released yet and we do not have a
release date.
>

Now I have no idea if this guy has any idea of what I am talking about, I sure hope he doesn't

colin

[Todd R]

That's not surprising.  It is a bit unsettling to me that they don't yet have an official release date if they are planning on having it out in a little over a month.  But given that nothing is official at this point, of course they're going to blow off some random caller.  I'd assume that a dealer like Frank who is going to move dozens of units for them the moment they are released would be able to get them to open their lips up a bit.  So I'd go with the input Frank got over the input you got.

That said, I hope they come close to hitting this release date.  As it is, it'll be too late for pretty much all the Red Rocks shows I'm hitting.  M-Audio has way more resources available given their size compared to SD, so hopefully this won't leave us all waiting for months and years like the 722 did.

[spreetaper]

yes looks very good but what about if you need to reformat the card in the field which is a good idea when working with CF cards...
I looked through the info for this device and it didnt seem to say either way if that is possible.. maybe i missed it..
anyone know?

As was noted above, I would strongly suspect that the Flash Tracker itself will be able to format the CF cards.  I would really be surprised if it couldn't.  It would mean that you'd need enough time between sets to swap CF cards, format the one you just put in, and start recording once the music starts.  This should be the case in most instances, even festivals unless they have 'tweener acts and run the music literally straight through.  I don't know about the Flash Tracker, but formatting a 1GB card in my Canon Digital Rebel only takes a few seconds.

I wouldnt suspect that myself... the marantz pmd-670 i have wont format cards for you..
and i'm pretty sure the 671 wont either.. unless i missed something but i checked all over the unit and read the manauls cover to cover

guess we will see though

[Todd R]

Wow, incredible!  So those units have no way of deleting the files the recorder itself created?  To me that seems like unbelievably bad, lazy, and shoddy design work.  Could be just me, but it seems totally ridiculous that a manufacturer would say, hey, if you want to use our product, you'll need a pc handy to accomplish basic, necessary operating features that we failed to incorporate.  That does take the wind out of my sails, but as you say, we shall see.

If M-Audio doesn't allow any way of deleting files off CF cards, maybe I could just bring along a digital camera to do the task.  Not sure if that would work correctly, but I'd hate to need all those CF cards for a festival (if the OTG drive works for transfers), simply because there was no way to delete files or re-format.

[keepongoin]

we'll see what happens in the very near future in this regard.  To me, the difference is bringing one of those little boxes like todd recommends and bringing my laptop, which, for all intents and purposes is a big difference!

i will have my one for rockygrass, so we can all check it out there, though my JB3 will still be my primary recorder there.