Taperssection.com
Gear / Technical Help => Recording Gear => Topic started by: John R on January 05, 2005, 07:30:12 PM
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Don't know if this has been discussed yet, but here it is. not for everybody, but might work for some
Professional Solid-State Recorder
PMD660
Preliminary Information
Key Features
- Smallest PMD yet-fits in your hand
- Records uncompressed 16-bit PCM .wav files at 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz.
- Records mono .mp3 files at 64 kbps
- Records stereo .mp3 files at 128 kbps
- Uses inexpensive, widely available Compact Flash media (CF)
- 1 GB CF card can hold over 1 hour of uncompressed stereo
- 1 GB CF card can hold over 17 hours (stereo) or 36 hours
(mono) .mp3
- Operates for four hours on four AA batteries
- Two XLR mic connections with +48v phantom power
- Two built-in condenser mics for easy, true stereo recordings
- Stereo line I/O
- Solid State Design
- No moving parts-no maintenance
- "Copy Segment" cut-and-paste editing to a new sound file
- 99 "Virtual Tracks" for EDL-style editing
- Built-in USB port for easy file transfer
- Optional wired remote control with peak indicator
Solid State Technology
The PMD660 is the newest generation of "Flash Recorders". By storing
audio data on Compact Flash (CF) media cards, all of the mechanical
hassles of tape recorders are gone forever-as are the costs of
servicing and maintaining them. Solid State Technology makes the
PMD660 less vulnerable to bumps, vibrations, and sonic deterioration
over the long haul. Not only that, but CF storage allows you to
choose from several recording formats, and makes transfer to
computers a snap.
Long Battery Life
Tired of lugging around six extra D-Cells just so you can interrupt
your recording to change batteries half-way through an event? The
PMD660 will run for four hours on four AA cells. You can carry an
extra set around and not even notice they're there-not that you'll
need them.
Long Record Times
No more flipping tapes! A single 1 GB flash card can hold up to 36
hours of uninterrupted audio (monaural .mp3 at 64 kbps). For music
recording, the same size card can hold more than 17 hours highquality
compressed stereo (.mp3 at 128 kbps). If you need the
unmatched quality of uncompressed audio, you can get about oneand-
a-half CDs worth of 16-bit linear PCM audio at 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz
on the same 1 GB card.
Professional I/O
Let's face it. Plugging professional-grade microphones into an 1/8"
jack is asking for trouble. The PMD660 offers two balanced XLR mic
inputs with +48v phantom power. And just in case you don't have the
time, space or budget to use external microphones, the PMD660
includes a stereo pair of condenser mics built right in.
Field recording means more than just "battery-operated." It takes
ruggedness, flexibility, specialized features, and the highest audio quality. It
also takes experience to really understand what happens in the field, and to
design the right tools for the job. Marantz Professional has that experience.
For more than 20 years, Marantz Professional has designed and built field
recorders that are up to the challenge, and the PMD660 is no exception.
Critical field applications like electronic journalism, technical
investigation, and documenting legal proceedings have been waiting for a
high-powered, high-quality, high-reliability solid-state recorder in a compact
package. Now Marantz Professional has answered-with the PMD660.
Our newest PMD recorder is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, but
it has features that make more expensive, full-sized field recorders green
with envy. It can run for hours on just four AA batteries. It records on
Compact Flash media cards which you can find in any discount store, and will
store more than 36 hours of mono on a single card. If audio
quality is your key requirement, you get over an hour of pristine,
uncompressed, 16-bit .wav files. Editing can be achieved right there in the
field using either of two editing modes, or you can use your favorite audio
editing application by transferring files to your PC-the PMD660 even has its
own USB port. XLR inputs, phantom power, built-in mics and
more-it's all there in the PMD660.
www.d-mpro.com
One last thing. Because the PMD660 is a solid-state recorder, it has no
moving parts to break or service. There-it just paid for itself. And it's only
from Marantz Professional.
Continue on next page
PLEASE NOTE: Specifications are based on measurement conditions and proper care for the
machine, and are subject to change without notice.
Editing and File Transfer
In the end, you'll probably want your audio to be used for broadcast,
or burned to a CD for evidence, documentation, or just for
convenient playback. You'll want to edit out dead air and
irrelevant information. You can do this right on the PMD660 with
cut-and-paste simplicity using the "Copy Segment" mode. You don't
need to worry about mistakes, because the PMD never erases your
original recording. Once you have it the way you like it (or if you
prefer to edit on your computer or DAW), you can transfer your
audio files to a PC for broadcast or CD burning through the
PMD660's built-in USB Port.
Exclusive-"Virtual Track" Mode
For more sophisticated editing jobs, the PMD660 features Marantz
Professional's exclusive "Virtual Track" mode. In this mode, you can
create up to 99 virtual tracks-internal playlists of audio segments.
You simply tell the PMD660 what segments of a file to play, and in
what order, and it does it-without altering the original file in any
way, and without using up more card memory. Need 5 and 10-second
sound bites and a two-minute interview segment, all from the
same file? It's easy with virtual tracks.
Optional Wired Remote
It would be great if every recording situation had a field engineer
running everything behind the scenes. Unfortunately, all to often
it's just you, wishing you had more hands. The RC600 wired
remote control enables you to start and stop recording, and to
mark new track-starts on the fly. It even has a peak meter right on
the remote, so you can keep an eye on your recording, without
taking your eye off the ball.
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Looks good, if you could find a cheap 3G or better CF card. Also, does this have any kind of digital connectivity other than the USB? I doubt it would take a signal from a UA5 over the USB without some kind of firmware update.
I would also guess that this thing goes for well over a thousand. Probably pretty good for news reporters, something like that, but I don't think it was built with the digital music archivist in mind. They refer to 128Kbps MP3 files as "high quality". ;)
They're getting closer, though. Interesting find.
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Don't know if this has been discussed yet, but here it is. not for everybody, but might work for some
Yep, got a thread going over here:
http://www.taperssection.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=30627.0
;D
Looks good, if you could find a cheap 3G or better CF card. Also, does this have any kind of digital connectivity other than the USB? I doubt it would take a signal from a UA5 over the USB without some kind of firmware update.
I would also guess that this thing goes for well over a thousand. Probably pretty good for news reporters, something like that, but I don't think it was built with the digital music archivist in mind. They refer to 128Kbps MP3 files as "high quality". ;)
They're getting closer, though. Interesting find.
USB can't work that way, it requires a host. A simple firmware update wouldn't be able to help that. And MSRP is €625,00, dunno what that is in US$ though.
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wonder if its usb 2.0 or 1.0 ???
whats the external power specs say, i cant read it?
looks nice, the remote looks cool too :)
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???
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I could be wrong but I think the question is....what language are you speaking? ;D
I'll translate for you:
WUT YER QUASTION ??!????!???! OMG H3R3S WUT I THINK U MIGHT M3AN .!!!1!!!!!!1111!1 OMG DONT US DA USB UPLOAD OF DA D3K(2 SLOW & ADS A STATIC 2 DA SIGNAL ) G3T A SAN-DISK CARD R3AEDR WIT A USB PORT INPUT.!!1111!!1!1 OMG ABOUT 70BUX!1!!1!!! WTF LOL AT BST BUY !11!!!!!! OMG WTF LOL WIL SHOW UP AS A EXTRA DRIEV ON UR COMPUTER UND3R MAH COMPUTAR(CLIK ON DA + ) IN WINDOWS EXPLOYER OPAN!!!1!! LOL TAHT FIEL WIL SAY LIEK DRIEV E OR F OR D !111! OMG WTF DRAG & DROP ON 2 YER DESK 2P & LET IT COPY & THAN (RENME DA FIEL AT TAHT POINT ) COPY AT WIL AT TAHT POINT .DRAG!!!!!!!!!1!1!! OMG WTF & DROP ON 2 A BURN3R & IT WIL BURN IT AS A RAW FIEL 2 A CD IN A WAVFIEL!111!! OMG LOL SAEV TAHT AS A MASTER TH3N GO BAK & MASTAR IT AS A THNG UR R WIL HANDLA SOUNDFORGA SI WUT MOST UES
$499 at B&H. But it looks like it's taking mic in only and can't take SPDF or USB in from a UA5. Too bad. This looks like one of the best "form factors" on the market right now.
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I could be wrong but I think the question is....what language are you speaking? ;D
I'll translate for you:
WUT YER QUASTION ??!????!???! OMG H3R3S WUT I THINK U MIGHT M3AN .!!!1!!!!!!1111!1 OMG DONT US DA USB UPLOAD OF DA D3K(2 SLOW & ADS A STATIC 2 DA SIGNAL ) G3T A SAN-DISK CARD R3AEDR WIT A USB PORT INPUT.!!1111!!1!1 OMG ABOUT 70BUX!1!!1!!! WTF LOL AT BST BUY !11!!!!!! OMG WTF LOL WIL SHOW UP AS A EXTRA DRIEV ON UR COMPUTER UND3R MAH COMPUTAR(CLIK ON DA + ) IN WINDOWS EXPLOYER OPAN!!!1!! LOL TAHT FIEL WIL SAY LIEK DRIEV E OR F OR D !111! OMG WTF DRAG & DROP ON 2 YER DESK 2P & LET IT COPY & THAN (RENME DA FIEL AT TAHT POINT ) COPY AT WIL AT TAHT POINT .DRAG!!!!!!!!!1!1!! OMG WTF & DROP ON 2 A BURN3R & IT WIL BURN IT AS A RAW FIEL 2 A CD IN A WAVFIEL!111!! OMG LOL SAEV TAHT AS A MASTER TH3N GO BAK & MASTAR IT AS A THNG UR R WIL HANDLA SOUNDFORGA SI WUT MOST UES
$499 at B&H. But it looks like it's taking mic in only and can't take SPDF or USB in from a UA5. Too bad. This looks like one of the best "form factors" on the market right now.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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km140>ACM PMD660 :)
SICK!
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=67575.0
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I did a quick search but couldn't find it... Do these things take 8GB Flash Cards?
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I did a quick search but couldn't find it... Do these things take 8GB Flash Cards?
Good question... anyone tried it yet? with a transcend card perhaps?
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Word from Doug is...
No Go on the 8GB for the 660.
He also says the larger cards use more power and introduce more noise.
Don't ask me how/why but I've learned to beleive him. I may be ordering 4 2GB Cards for my box.
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Word from Doug is...
No Go on the 8GB for the 660.
He also says the larger cards use more power and introduce more noise.
Don't ask me how/why but I've learned to beleive him. I may be ordering 4 2GB Cards for my box.
That's *only* true if they are microdrives. With CF cards the size doesn't factor into the power/noise at all.
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Word from Doug is...
No Go on the 8GB for the 660.
He also says the larger cards use more power and introduce more noise.
Don't ask me how/why but I've learned to beleive him. I may be ordering 4 2GB Cards for my box.
That's *only* true if they are microdrives. With CF cards the size doesn't factor into the power/noise at all.
Like I said I don't KNOW one way or another but the 8GB won't work in it anyway so it's a mute point to me. I didn't push for an explanation and history has taught me to pay attention to what he says. I appreciate the info though!
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I use 2gig cards. Each one holds 3 hours 13 minutes for .wav. Personally I prefer having several smaller instead of one big card. If the big card craps out I'm screwed. At least with the smaller ones I still have something even if one craps out. Just my opinion. I got my from Oade with the advanced concert mod (I think Oade only mods if they are purchased from them). This thing is the bomb! Check out nicks review
www.nickspicks.com (http://www.nickspicks.com)
paul
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I'm thinking a 2, a 4 and maybe one of these things....
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=1203
Anyone used one with success?? I've read that they won't do more than 4-6 gig on one charge but If I had an inverter It should be OK. My only concern is the larger file size.
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I'm thinking a 2, a 4 and maybe one of these things....
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=1203
Anyone used one with success?? I've read that they won't do more than 4-6 gig on one charge but If I had an inverter It should be OK. My only concern is the larger file size.
I have a 1 GB card and a 4 GB card. I did my first festival shows at HSMF and I used http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1335818&CatId=1203 and it works great but doesn't download fast enough (1 GB in ~13 minutes) from band to band (actually just fast enough with like five minutes to spare) so have to be ready as soon as the act is done and erase asap for the next act and yes I was only able to do ~5 GB before recharging. Luckily they had power at locations at High Sierra. Coffee in the morning and a recharge/download while showering.
In the future I will go with this one, which downloads 1 GB in 2 minutes and uses standard AA battieres. They say ~50 GB download with one battiery charge. I will use my 20GB Inoi for taking files to work or to a friends house on road trips as you can move from your pc harddrive to the portable drive!!!!
Here is my next purchase. ---------->>>> http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=52070.msg703550#msg703550
edit: download rates and battiery charge times.
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I'm thinking a 2, a 4 and maybe one of these things....
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=1203
Anyone used one with success?? I've read that they won't do more than 4-6 gig on one charge but If I had an inverter It should be OK. My only concern is the larger file size.
I have a 1 GB card and a 4 GB card. I did my first festival shows at HSMF and I used http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1335818&CatId=1203 and it works great but doesn't download fast enough (1 GB in ~13 minutes) from band to band (actually just fast enough with like five minutes to spare) so have to be ready as soon as the act is done and erase asap for the next act and yes I was only able to do ~5 GB before recharging. Luckily they had power at locations at High Sierra. Coffee in the morning and a recharge/download while showering.
In the future I will go with this one, which downloads 1 GB in 2 minutes and uses standard AA battieres. They say ~50 GB download with one battiery charge. I will use my 20GB Inoi for taking files to work or to a friends house on road trips as you can move from your pc harddrive to the portable drive!!!!
Here is my next purchase. ---------->>>> http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=52070.msg703550#msg703550
edit: download rates and battiery charge times.
Forgot to note that the download from the portable devise to your home pc is real fast. Therefore as I'm drive home I will download it to the portable unit and then I can listen right away at home rather than waiting for the download time from 660 to pc. I like to take pictures as well, so I have used my Inoi to download photos from digi camera as well when my card get full.
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Thanks! +T
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What's the consensus here on running the -20db pad on the 660?
I didn't run it when I taped GRAB last weekend, and i had great levels, but it wasn't an especially loud show. Does the 660 have better S/N ratio at higher gain levels? is that way it's suggested to run with the pad on?
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ran the pad my first show with the 660 and i regretted it. never again. you won't need it.
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I always have the -20db on!
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I always have the -20db on!
just goes to show...different strokes...what kind of music do you generally record monk?
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ran the pad my first show with the 660 and i regretted it. never again. you won't need it.
I gotta agree with you. I used the -20 once, it was overkill. All I use is the -10db on my mics and thats if its a loud small place.
paul
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We should do a little poll and see how many 660 users there are on the boards... i've only seen tapes seeded from 2 or 3 people, but there seems to be a handful of us now...
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Rock shows at small venues and outdoor shows. I taped Tea Leaf Green, Umphrey's, U-Melt, moe, Ben Harper, and David Gilmour (largets venue to date.
When I first strated taping I had no pad and got clippings
Recently taped Rose Hill Drive at CBGB and with the -20db they destroyed the pmd660 with the sheer volume.
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I recently got the CA-9100 so thinking when I see U-Melt tomorrow try without the -20db
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pmonk is yours modified?!?
With a +4dB overload limit on the ACM I would be shocked :o :o to see any microphone recording overload the box. I think running the -20dB pad was for running the box at a higer level on the record wheel. If it's a simple variable resistor this makes sense as you would have less effect (coloration) of that circuit at the higer points on the wheel. I would simply test to see if there's any noise intorduced by the pad with a non-input if not I can understand the recommendation.
I can't wait to get mine...
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pmonk is yours modified?!?
With a +4dB overload limit on the ACM I would be shocked :o :o to see any microphone recording overload the box. I think running the -20dB pad was for running the box at a higer level on the record wheel. If it's a simple variable resistor this makes sense as you would have less effect (coloration) of that circuit at the higer points on the wheel. I would simply test to see if there's any noise intorduced by the pad with a non-input if not I can understand the recommendation.
I can't wait to get mine...
Hey, what mics will you run in front of your new 660?
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pmonk is yours modified?!?
With a +4dB overload limit on the ACM I would be shocked :o :o to see any microphone recording overload the box. I think running the -20dB pad was for running the box at a higer level on the record wheel. If it's a simple variable resistor this makes sense as you would have less effect (coloration) of that circuit at the higer points on the wheel. I would simply test to see if there's any noise intorduced by the pad with a non-input if not I can understand the recommendation.
I can't wait to get mine...
I'm confused. Are there situations where you would want to run the pad so you can turn the record level up? I'm asking because I don't really understand. I was under the impression that you use the pad if you have to but if you don't need it don't use it. Can anyone clarify this for me?
thanks
Paul
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I've got 481/83's ;D I think you may have heard of them. ;)
pmonk is yours modified?!?
With a +4dB overload limit on the ACM I would be shocked :o :o to see any microphone recording overload the box. I think running the -20dB pad was for running the box at a higer level on the record wheel. If it's a simple variable resistor this makes sense as you would have less effect (coloration) of that circuit at the higer points on the wheel. I would simply test to see if there's any noise intorduced by the pad with a non-input if not I can understand the recommendation.
I can't wait to get mine...
Hey, what mics will you run in front of your new 660?
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pmonk is yours modified?!?
No - mine is stock. I have a pair of AT831. RHD was probably the loudest show I've been to in your. Rule of thumb is if your ears hurt during the show expect brickwalling!
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I'll check with Doug but I've read here that it's been recommened to run the -20dB Pad on louder sources to get a chance to run the box in the higher gain stages.
The first reason that this could be recommended that I know of (please keep in mind that at this time I'm only going by what I've seen here). Many record level knobs on electronic gear are not acutally gain controllers they are actually a variable resistor or attenuator, at the the lower levels of the gain wheel represent the thickest areas of of this attenuation. Therefore wide open would be nothing in the signal path and the lower numbers the most of the resistor that is "in the way" of the signal. Therefore it's cleaner at the higher gain stages. On some sytems you don't get the coloration of the particular gear that is it's trademarkl (see tubes for reference) unless the gear is really being pushed gain wise... I would be less likeley to believe that is the case here.
This is all conjecture and hearsay at this point until I or you learn more.
The reality is that Paying attention to Mic Placement and configuration matter much more so until it's really tested find the way that runs with your setup the best and stick with it until you're really ready to "fine tune" the system.
pmonk is yours modified?!?
With a +4dB overload limit on the ACM I would be shocked :o :o to see any microphone recording overload the box. I think running the -20dB pad was for running the box at a higer level on the record wheel. If it's a simple variable resistor this makes sense as you would have less effect (coloration) of that circuit at the higer points on the wheel. I would simply test to see if there's any noise intorduced by the pad with a non-input if not I can understand the recommendation.
I can't wait to get mine...
I'm confused. Are there situations where you would want to run the pad so you can turn the record level up? I'm asking because I don't really understand. I was under the impression that you use the pad if you have to but if you don't need it don't use it. Can anyone clarify this for me?
thanks
Paul
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pmonk is yours modified?!?
No - mine is stock. I have a pair of AT831. RHD was probably the loudest show I've been to in your. Rule of thumb is if your ears hurt during the show expect brickwalling!
OK in this case you've got exactly the right idea about the pad. For the modified units the gain stage is adjusted for louder shows.
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Just ordered my 40GB version of the second box thanks again for the tip.
I'm thinking a 2, a 4 and maybe one of these things....
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=1203
Anyone used one with success?? I've read that they won't do more than 4-6 gig on one charge but If I had an inverter It should be OK. My only concern is the larger file size.
I have a 1 GB card and a 4 GB card. I did my first festival shows at HSMF and I used http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1335818&CatId=1203 and it works great but doesn't download fast enough (1 GB in ~13 minutes) from band to band (actually just fast enough with like five minutes to spare) so have to be ready as soon as the act is done and erase asap for the next act and yes I was only able to do ~5 GB before recharging. Luckily they had power at locations at High Sierra. Coffee in the morning and a recharge/download while showering.
In the future I will go with this one, which downloads 1 GB in 2 minutes and uses standard AA battieres. They say ~50 GB download with one battiery charge. I will use my 20GB Inoi for taking files to work or to a friends house on road trips as you can move from your pc harddrive to the portable drive!!!!
Here is my next purchase. ---------->>>> http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=52070.msg703550#msg703550
edit: download rates and battiery charge times.
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For a portable OTG drive, I recommend the Hyperdrive HD80. hands down!
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For a portable OTG drive, I recommend the Hyperdrive HD80. hands down!
Whoops... too late ;)
What Brand CF Cards are you using with success?
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I've used a 4gb Kingston 45x Elite Pro brand once without issues.
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For a portable OTG drive, I recommend the Hyperdrive HD80. hands down!
Whoops... too late ;)
What Brand CF Cards are you using with success?
Sandisk...plain and ultra
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Run the pad (-20dB). I've got about twenty to thirty shows under the belt and even found at a Willie Nelson show (front row) that I ran the first set with pad and low levels (adjusted with SoundForge 7.0) sounds way better than the second set with no pad. I had to keep screwing with the levels with no pad and had some clipping. I recorded my last show WSP 7/8 (bt.etree) with the pad and contemplated running no pad after I was running the whole first set at max levels and was only getting -6 to -2dB on the meter. Glad I didn't because the end of the set and second set were close to if not at over levels and everything sounded great. I asked Doug awhile back about running the pad as apposed to running the pad on my km140s and he said don't bother with the mics and only run the 660 pad. I would think it might be advised to run the pad always. Of my first ten recordings I played with pad or no-pad and I had problems with clipping. After saying F-it and only running with pad I've never had a problem and at times I thought shit my levels are too high and adjusted down only to get home and think why the hell did I screw with it. If you download my WSP form etree listen to the last three songs. I had my recorder on peak only recording and I don't think my levels ever got below red (remember when you run peak only that it takes the highest level during each ~5 second interval) for those songs and I was certain that I would have clipping, but no clipping. If you are not running you levels at about 2 o'clock or 60-70% of the dial your not in the range. I've run SBD and run the pad with perfection at about 60-70% of dial. I usually tell the operator to adjust the levels to my levels at that setting. PLEASE LISTEN.......RUN THE PAD. Feedback is appreciated.
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Run the pad (-20dB). I've got about twenty to thirty shows under the belt and even found at a Willie Nelson show (front row) that I ran the first set with pad and low levels (adjusted with SoundForge 7.0) sounds way better than the second set with no pad. I had to keep screwing with the levels with no pad and had some clipping. I recorded my last show WSP 7/8 (bt.etree) with the pad and contemplated running no pad after I was running the whole first set at max levels and was only getting -6 to -2dB on the meter. Glad I didn't because the end of the set and second set were close to if not at over levels and everything sounded great. I asked Doug awhile back about running the pad as apposed to running the pad on my km140s and he said don't bother with the mics and only run the 660 pad. I would think it might be advised to run the pad always. Of my first ten recordings I played with pad or no-pad and I had problems with clipping. After saying F-it and only running with pad I've never had a problem and at times I thought shit my levels are too high and adjusted down only to get home and think why the hell did I screw with it. If you download my WSP form etree listen to the last three songs. I had my recorder on peak only recording and I don't think my levels ever got below red (remember when you run peak only that it takes the highest level during each ~5 second interval) for those songs and I was certain that I would have clipping, but no clipping. If you are not running you levels at about 2 o'clock or 60-70% of the dial your not in the range. I've run SBD and run the pad with perfection at about 60-70% of dial. I usually tell the operator to adjust the levels to my levels at that setting. PLEASE LISTEN.......RUN THE PAD. Feedback is appreciated.
One thing to note here though is that you're running Neumann's which from my experience are WAY hotter than other mics such as AKG's... in your case, running the pad is probably more crucial. I will experiment with it more when my 660 arrives.
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Run the pad (-20dB). I've got about twenty to thirty shows under the belt and even found at a Willie Nelson show (front row) that I ran the first set with pad and low levels (adjusted with SoundForge 7.0) sounds way better than the second set with no pad. I had to keep screwing with the levels with no pad and had some clipping. I recorded my last show WSP 7/8 (bt.etree) with the pad and contemplated running no pad after I was running the whole first set at max levels and was only getting -6 to -2dB on the meter. Glad I didn't because the end of the set and second set were close to if not at over levels and everything sounded great. I asked Doug awhile back about running the pad as apposed to running the pad on my km140s and he said don't bother with the mics and only run the 660 pad. I would think it might be advised to run the pad always. Of my first ten recordings I played with pad or no-pad and I had problems with clipping. After saying F-it and only running with pad I've never had a problem and at times I thought shit my levels are too high and adjusted down only to get home and think why the hell did I screw with it. If you download my WSP form etree listen to the last three songs. I had my recorder on peak only recording and I don't think my levels ever got below red (remember when you run peak only that it takes the highest level during each ~5 second interval) for those songs and I was certain that I would have clipping, but no clipping. If you are not running you levels at about 2 o'clock or 60-70% of the dial your not in the range. I've run SBD and run the pad with perfection at about 60-70% of dial. I usually tell the operator to adjust the levels to my levels at that setting. PLEASE LISTEN.......RUN THE PAD. Feedback is appreciated.
One thing to note here though is that you're running Neumann's which from my experience are WAY hotter than other mics such as AKG's... in your case, running the pad is probably more crucial. I will experiment with it more when my 660 arrives.
Found the same with mbho's...I think safe to run pad. I would rather no clipping with low levels than high levels and clipping.
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Yeah, I agree. I will most likely be running the pad too, but maybe just the -10dB pad on the mics instead of 20.... AKGs don't run too hot, so 10 is probably good enough.
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trust me guys, if you own an acm660 you need to run the pad, ALWAYS. some of us acm671 users have found out the hard way that it's not a good thing to run without it. (.wav's look like sticks of butter) if you aren't getting enough gain on rock shows, you aren't close enough.
also, the gain dial on the 660/671 is an attenuator so the closer you can get it to "10", the better it'll sound since you are getting "all of the mod" so to speak, and not the attenuation in the signal. I usually run my 671 ~8>9 and had it cranked this monday for ratcheese.
Hell yes...That's what I'm talkin' about. Run that pad.
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Run the pad (-20dB). I've got about twenty to thirty shows under the belt and even found at a Willie Nelson show (front row) that I ran the first set with pad and low levels (adjusted with SoundForge 7.0) sounds way better than the second set with no pad. I had to keep screwing with the levels with no pad and had some clipping. I recorded my last show WSP 7/8 (bt.etree) with the pad and contemplated running no pad after I was running the whole first set at max levels and was only getting -6 to -2dB on the meter. Glad I didn't because the end of the set and second set were close to if not at over levels and everything sounded great. I asked Doug awhile back about running the pad as apposed to running the pad on my km140s and he said don't bother with the mics and only run the 660 pad. I would think it might be advised to run the pad always. Of my first ten recordings I played with pad or no-pad and I had problems with clipping. After saying F-it and only running with pad I've never had a problem and at times I thought shit my levels are too high and adjusted down only to get home and think why the hell did I screw with it. If you download my WSP form etree listen to the last three songs. I had my recorder on peak only recording and I don't think my levels ever got below red (remember when you run peak only that it takes the highest level during each ~5 second interval) for those songs and I was certain that I would have clipping, but no clipping. If you are not running you levels at about 2 o'clock or 60-70% of the dial your not in the range. I've run SBD and run the pad with perfection at about 60-70% of dial. I usually tell the operator to adjust the levels to my levels at that setting. PLEASE LISTEN.......RUN THE PAD. Feedback is appreciated.
Well I think I'll try the pad a a few more time and see what happens. I usually run my levels at -6 and once in a while they peak in the red. Where are you running your levels with the pad? In the red the whole time? Thanks for the info y'all
paul
paul
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Run the pad (-20dB). I've got about twenty to thirty shows under the belt and even found at a Willie Nelson show (front row) that I ran the first set with pad and low levels (adjusted with SoundForge 7.0) sounds way better than the second set with no pad. I had to keep screwing with the levels with no pad and had some clipping. I recorded my last show WSP 7/8 (bt.etree) with the pad and contemplated running no pad after I was running the whole first set at max levels and was only getting -6 to -2dB on the meter. Glad I didn't because the end of the set and second set were close to if not at over levels and everything sounded great. I asked Doug awhile back about running the pad as apposed to running the pad on my km140s and he said don't bother with the mics and only run the 660 pad. I would think it might be advised to run the pad always. Of my first ten recordings I played with pad or no-pad and I had problems with clipping. After saying F-it and only running with pad I've never had a problem and at times I thought shit my levels are too high and adjusted down only to get home and think why the hell did I screw with it. If you download my WSP form etree listen to the last three songs. I had my recorder on peak only recording and I don't think my levels ever got below red (remember when you run peak only that it takes the highest level during each ~5 second interval) for those songs and I was certain that I would have clipping, but no clipping. If you are not running you levels at about 2 o'clock or 60-70% of the dial your not in the range. I've run SBD and run the pad with perfection at about 60-70% of dial. I usually tell the operator to adjust the levels to my levels at that setting. PLEASE LISTEN.......RUN THE PAD. Feedback is appreciated.
Well I think I'll try the pad a a few more time and see what happens. I usually run my levels at -6 and once in a while they peak in the red. Where are you running your levels with the pad? In the red the whole time? Thanks for the info y'all
paul
paul
Paul,
I usually start the show with my levels getting into the -6 approaching -2 dB and by the end it is getting to the red. Don't get me wrong. I wouldn't advise running in the red. I'm just saying there has been times when I can tell the house sound has gone up and I look over and sure enough my levels are almost staying on "over" and I haven't had a problem when the pad is on. I like to see the occasional red light and the levels riding around -2 to 0 dB.
Terence
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With the stock I like to set the levels at -20 and adjust vol using adobe acrobat (iI just listen to the first set of moe I taped and it has a nice sound to it)
This avoids any clipping - which is a problem with stock pmd660.
Now that I have a CA-9100, I might boost up the levels a bit when I tape U-Melt tonight to see how it sounds (or maybe not :P)
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cool... I just saw this thread. I have an unmodded 660. I have had a lot of problems with brickwalling. I have sucessfully recorded modest volume shows with my c-4's using the internal pad + the -10 pad on the mics. I did buy the unit from oade so I have been planning on sending it back for the bcm mod. Mostly I have used it as a backup on my multi rig and I am able to control the input and have had no real problems. I ran a pair of stealth mics for a couple of shows and made a -40 db attenuator cable to keep the levels down. In one case it wasn't enough and I still brickwalled, and on another case it was too much and I got tons of noise. This was using an unballanced line/attenuator however and the pad itself may have been the source of the noise but I suspect that being at the top end of the dial on an unmodded unit was the bigger culprit.
My plan was to build a ballanced variable attenuator until I could afford the oade mod, but after listening to the self-noise tests on the oade site I am thinking that the bcm is more than just a pad. This all being said, I was fairly pleased with the sound of the stock pre's using the internal and mic pads. This is a nice little box! I hope to get the bcm done soon.
As for the hdd backup... I bought an older compact drive. The model I have is a pd6a. The unit works pretty well but it is quirky. I bought just the shell for about $30 I think, and installed a hdd that I already had. The drive I have in it is a 60gb 7200rpm/8mb cache drive which is way overkill but it is what I had around. I think because this is a highspeed drive it affects the battery useage. With my unit rechargeables don't work. Alkalines will allow me to boot and dump about 3 times. The firmware on this unit only allows for fat16 allacation so a 4gb card won't work. I use a 2 gb card and it works wonderfully. I can drop a full 2 gb card in about 10 minutes. On wall power it works flawlessly and on alkalines, but rechargeable's just don't have enough juice. But... for $30 I can't complain!!!! That is a lot cheaper than another 2 gb card... or in this case 30 of them. I am using a 2gb Ridata card and it works very well.
Matt
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My plan was to build a ballanced variable attenuator until I could afford the oade mod, but after listening to the self-noise tests on the oade site I am thinking that the bcm is more than just a pad. This all being said, I was fairly pleased with the sound of the stock pre's using the internal and mic pads. This is a nice little box! I hope to get the bcm done soon.
Matt,
If you are just doing music, I think you only want the ACM, not the DCM. Make sure you talk to Doug about what is best for you. I called him not to long ago about the 671 mods and he said the DCM is for low noise recordings, like bird and animals...stuff like that. But not sure what your look for either.
T
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to the best of my knowlege there is a basic mod, an advance mod, a basic concert mod, and an advanced concert mod. I am planning on the basic concert mod.
Matt
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to the best of my knowlege there is a basic mod, an advance mod, a basic concert mod, and an advanced concert mod. I am planning on the basic concert mod.
Matt
Never mind, I was thinking of the Super mod. My bad.
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to the best of my knowlege there is a basic mod, an advance mod, a basic concert mod, and an advanced concert mod. I am planning on the basic concert mod.
Matt
Never mind, I was thinking of the Super mod. My bad.
I'm not even aware of that one... maybe it was a 671 thing...
Matt
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There's actually a new flavor that will first be tried out in my box... Warm ACM660!! PMD660's starting serial number 200106 xxxx xxxx have upped the voltage of the mainboard to 10V allowing the use of some different warmer chips. (They traded off by lowering the voltage available to the line out). This version will be closer to the sound of the 148 in character (no it's not a 148!). I've always been a fan of that Tube Like sound and it's always done something visceral to the soundstage that I just love. Fortunately for me he knows how much I like this and made the offer. It's now an official offering from Oade.
A little funny back and forth:
Me: So is this going to be Warmer than the WUA5+?
Doug: More Luscious!
So now instead of WACM660 I want to call it the Oade L660... Luscious 660!
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So is this a change to the standard ACM or is it a new option?
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So is this a change to the standard ACM or is it a new option?
New Option!
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that sucks ass for me! mine is 200006xxxx I just bought this fucker a month ago. >:(
Matt
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that sucks ass for me! mine is 200006xxxx I just bought this fucker a month ago. >:(
Matt
I just ordered mine the other day, but I'm hoping it's the regular ACM ... since I'm a big fan of it as is.
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Got mine from Doug about month or more ago & it's a ser#2001061 series acm 660 with a set of schoeps 41lg's & i'm sooo damn happy with it !! stealthy ,in the hat type of guy that i am .. it has a clean sound (in the room feel ) ran the pad only soo far 2 out door shows both came out great , till the wind came up at David Grisman . can only hear the wind roar during the song breaks .. but have that under control now with a home made fuzzy socks over the mics (the Dog's toy monkey that i cut the legs off 1/2 inch fake fur on the legs )was the just the rite size that just fit over the mics tight
so I guess instead of dead rats thoes are dead monkey legs. +T for inginuity.
matt
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Got mine from Doug about month or more ago & it's a ser#2001061 series acm 660 with a set of schoeps 41lg's & i'm sooo damn happy with it !! stealthy ,in the hat type of guy that i am .. it has a clean sound (in the room feel ) ran the pad only soo far 2 out door shows both came out great , till the wind came up at David Grisman . can only hear the wind roar during the song breaks .. but have that under control now with a home made fuzzy socks over the mics (the Dog's toy monkey that i cut the legs off 1/2 inch fake fur on the legs )was the just the rite size that just fit over the mics tight
I like the innovation there! :)
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Got mine from Doug about month or more ago & it's a ser#2001061 series acm 660 with a set of schoeps 41lg's & i'm sooo damn happy with it !! stealthy ,in the hat type of guy that i am .. it has a clean sound (in the room feel ) ran the pad only soo far 2 out door shows both came out great , till the wind came up at David Grisman . can only hear the wind roar during the song breaks .. but have that under control now with a home made fuzzy socks over the mics (the Dog's toy monkey that i cut the legs off 1/2 inch fake fur on the legs )was the just the rite size that just fit over the mics tight
hahaha - I ran into the same problem last night taping U-Melt on the Rocks Off Boat Cruise. Tape sounds very good but the last 20 minutes of set 1 was ruined by the wind when the boat hit the NY HArbor!
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Learned a few important things in my recent discussions with doug about the ACM660:
1. The level meters are attenuated for running with the pad enabled. If you turn off the pad you're getting a TOTALLY inaccurate reading of the meters which is why people are getting clipping. Without the pad you'd have be peaking WAYYY lower than 0db.
2. I've been having a ton of problems with noise in my unit related to my CF cards. Doug emailed me today to say that others are having the same problem and it's related to the new fast cards. I have no idea what the solution is, but be prepared to experiment with different cards. I'm on my 3rd now and am still dealing with more self-noise than I can tolerate. Will report if I get more findings. Here's the note from Doug though:
Blane, I am getting more reports of induced noise from other 660 users.
It seems it IS the card as when they go back to older, standard speed
cards, the noise goes away. It only happens with higher speed hi
capacity cards. Just thought I would pass it on as I doubt there will be
a fix for this...Doug
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I'm using Sandisc UltraII 2 gig cards. So far they seem fine in my 660 ACM.
paul
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More from Doug...
Kingston is emerging as a real problem card with Marantz and Tascam
units. Lexar and Sandisc seem to be not only the most reliable but also
the most quiet. It is looking like the issue is one of users buying
cards that are not recommended by the engineering team that built the
recorders and the result is poor performance. ...Doug
Mind you, I just noted in my previous email to him that my current card is a Sandisc and I'm still experiencing a lot of noise. Not sure what to make of it, other than he doesn't think it's resolveable.
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Shit, I thought Kingston cards were recommended.. that's what I have, and the one time I used it in the 660, it worked fine.....
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have you tried recording at maximum levels without mics plugged in (internal mics disabled) to test the self-noise Andrew? I get a loud ticking, particularly in one channel with the Kingston standard 2gb card. On the other hand, a lot of users here have good reports of using Kingston cards.
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have you tried recording at maximum levels without mics plugged in (internal mics disabled) to test the self-noise Andrew? I get a loud ticking, particularly in one channel with the Kingston standard 2gb card. On the other hand, a lot of users here have good reports of using Kingston cards.
what makes you think that is the card?
Matt
*edit* I just read up... seems odd. I get some of that with my ridata 80x 2gb but I thought that was normal for an unmodded unit.
Matt
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have you tried recording at maximum levels without mics plugged in (internal mics disabled) to test the self-noise Andrew? I get a loud ticking, particularly in one channel with the Kingston standard 2gb card. On the other hand, a lot of users here have good reports of using Kingston cards.
I'm still waiting on my unit. Will have it in 1.5 weeks... I will try it out then... I have a 45x 4gb Kingston ElitePro.. which I've heard many folks have used with success.
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Kingston 45X 4GB card here. I've recorded at least 30 times with no problems. I also have a Sandisc 1GB card and have seen no problems....................................except when I forgot to remove the caps from my mics. It sounded real muffled almost like you were in a jar. ;)
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Kingston 45X 4GB card here. I've recorded at least 30 times with no problems. I also have a Sandisc 1GB card and have seen no problems....................................except when I forgot to remove the caps from my mics. It sounded real muffled almost like you were in a jar. ;)
HAHA. Reminds me of my buddy who ran his 4060's for the first time a few years back and pointed them in the wrong direction!
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have you tried recording at maximum levels without mics plugged in (internal mics disabled) to test the self-noise Andrew? I get a loud ticking, particularly in one channel with the Kingston standard 2gb card. On the other hand, a lot of users here have good reports of using Kingston cards.
what makes you think that is the card?
Matt
*edit* I just read up... seems odd. I get some of that with my ridata 80x 2gb but I thought that was normal for an unmodded unit.
Matt
I should point out that my unit is unmodded, and I can only hear this jacking the knobs all up. I attached an mp3 sample to show what I'm getting... maybe it is worse or better than others... we should probably compare.
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the ticking is what I'm talking about. Audible in your sample as well. That's the sound attributed to your CF card. My Kingston card creates similar noise. On my SanDisc card there is quite a bit less (sample attached), but it's still enough to be audible on quiet segments of acoustic shows being recorded at high gain. I've had that problem fairly frequently. If you're strictly recording rock bands it's unlikely to be an issue, but unamplified jazz is a different story.
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Are we running a recorded file with no XLRs plugged in?...I will try it later when I get some feedback from all of you.
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Are we running a recorded file with no XLRs plugged in?...I will try it later when I get some feedback from all of you.
I should note I ran xlr in, no cables/mics, no pad, knobs full up.
Matt
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I'll have to check this out too when my unit arrives.
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Are we running a recorded file with no XLRs plugged in?...I will try it later when I get some feedback from all of you.
I should note I ran xlr in, no cables/mics, no pad, knobs full up.
Matt
matt, I ran with pad engaged, which might explain some of the noise level difference. Also, the ACM vs. standard model noise levels should be different.
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Are we running a recorded file with no XLRs plugged in?...I will try it later when I get some feedback from all of you.
I should note I ran xlr in, no cables/mics, no pad, knobs full up.
Matt
matt, I ran with pad engaged, which might explain some of the noise level difference. Also, the ACM vs. standard model noise levels should be different.
yes... I'm sure that made a difference. However, I stuck an old 128Mb flash card in there and the noise wasn't as apparent so I'm thinking my card is part culprit. Still seems odd though with no moving parts and all...
Matt
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Since it's a 16bit only recorder, maybe using slower cards is best... is 45x even too fast?
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Could it be the the card needs to be formatted? I format after everytime transfer my music, instead of just erasing.
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Could it be the the card needs to be formatted? I format after everytime transfer my music, instead of just erasing.
That's possible too. can you guys check that out?
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mine is always formatted. no difference.
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mine is always formatted. no difference.
Strange that Oade is aware of this problem but it's not listed on their website... or is it?
So slower Lexar and Sandisk are best?
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Would this be a good choice?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820171103
If so, I might sell by Kingston card...
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Learned a few important things in my recent discussions with doug about the ACM660:
1. The level meters are attenuated for running with the pad enabled. If you turn off the pad you're getting a TOTALLY inaccurate reading of the meters which is why people are getting clipping. Without the pad you'd have be peaking WAYYY lower than 0db.
2. I've been having a ton of problems with noise in my unit related to my CF cards. Doug emailed me today to say that others are having the same problem and it's related to the new fast cards. I have no idea what the solution is, but be prepared to experiment with different cards. I'm on my 3rd now and am still dealing with more self-noise than I can tolerate. Will report if I get more findings. Here's the note from Doug though:
Blane, I am getting more reports of induced noise from other 660 users.
It seems it IS the card as when they go back to older, standard speed
cards, the noise goes away. It only happens with higher speed hi
capacity cards. Just thought I would pass it on as I doubt there will be
a fix for this...Doug
Still seems odd though with no moving parts and all...
I can see where a higher speed card can introduce noise b/c of the way it writes the data (in bursts, instead of continuous) but this should be a moot point with the slower cards (non "ultra"). I'm at a loss as to what is really happening, but once a certain brand is id'ed as working with the 660 everyone should stick with it.
Would this be a good choice?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820171103
If so, I might sell by Kingston card...
I'll take the kingston card off you andrew if the price is right. :)
New, I've seen them for $150, and mine is in mint shape, so maybe $125 shipped?
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I'm planning to go down to future shop and see if I can actually try a few brands in my unit. THis is a really worrysome problem to me though, because a few years from now, today's "Ultra" cards will be considered slow (I'm guessing). We might well end up with another premium market on old slow CF cards just for units like ours.
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I'm planning to go down to future shop and see if I can actually try a few brands in my unit. THis is a really worrysome problem to me though, because a few years from now, today's "Ultra" cards will be considered slow (I'm guessing). We might well end up with another premium market on old slow CF cards just for units like ours.
Yeah, I wish I'd been made aware of this problem before putting down $750USD. Does Doug suggest running the gain real high then to minimize this issue? Mostly I tape louder groups.. rock and jambands.. maybe this won't matter to me.
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I'm planning to go down to future shop and see if I can actually try a few brands in my unit. THis is a really worrysome problem to me though, because a few years from now, today's "Ultra" cards will be considered slow (I'm guessing). We might well end up with another premium market on old slow CF cards just for units like ours.
Yeah, I wish I'd been made aware of this problem before putting down $750USD. Does Doug suggest running the gain real high then to minimize this issue? Mostly I tape louder groups.. rock and jambands.. maybe this won't matter to me.
For loud rock shows I doubt you'll even notice the issue. I tape a ton of quiet shows with a lot of dynamics which I then run through the L3 Ultramaximizer. If there's a significant noise floor, then it just gets amplified. Listen to the attached sample for what I mean.
I should stress that what I'm mentioning is my experience with MY unit. Your own units might not have the same trouble (though mmmatt's seems to have similar noise).
Andrew I'd suggest waiting for your unit to arrive and doing some tests before selling your card and buying a new one.
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I'm planning to go down to future shop and see if I can actually try a few brands in my unit. THis is a really worrysome problem to me though, because a few years from now, today's "Ultra" cards will be considered slow (I'm guessing). We might well end up with another premium market on old slow CF cards just for units like ours.
Yeah, I wish I'd been made aware of this problem before putting down $750USD. Does Doug suggest running the gain real high then to minimize this issue? Mostly I tape louder groups.. rock and jambands.. maybe this won't matter to me.
For loud rock shows I doubt you'll even notice the issue. I tape a ton of quiet shows with a lot of dynamics which I then run through the L3 Ultramaximizer. If there's a significant noise floor, then it just gets amplified. Listen to the attached sample for what I mean.
I should stress that what I'm mentioning is my experience with MY unit. Your own units might not have the same trouble (though mmmatt's seems to have similar noise).
Andrew I'd suggest waiting for your unit to arrive and doing some tests before selling your card and buying a new one.
Yeah Blane, not planning to dump it until I do some testing with my own box... thanks for bringing this issue to light though... matt has an unmodded unit right? That might explain the issue in his case...
On another note, how was jazz fest?
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one more update from Doug today:
Hi !
I use the standard speed Sandisc cards, the ultras can be a
problem...Doug
Jazzfest was lots of fun. Saw quite a few shows, and did a lot of taping. You should def. try to make it up for the fest next year.
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one more update from Doug today:
Hi !
I use the standard speed Sandisc cards, the ultras can be a
problem...Doug
Jazzfest was lots of fun. Saw quite a few shows, and did a lot of taping. You should def. try to make it up for the fest next year.
I really should have gone when I was living in Ottawa or Kingston. Now I'm in Kitchener and it's probably a 7 hour drive to Montreal... ugh.
Oh well... that's good to hear from Doug about the Sandisks. They've really dropped in price. I paid $200 for my Kingston about 9 months ago, and a brand new 4gb Sandisk is $125 at newegg... not bad!
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Here is a comp with the stock 64MB card.
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Well.... Got my notice that the Warm ACM 660 is shipping to me today! Excellent!!
Bad News I ordered one of the RiData's.... D'Oh!
OK... How to fudge funds around and get a Sandisc here on time.
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OK Sandisc is on it's way...
Anyone need a 4GB RiData... ;D
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have any of you ACM users recorded acoustic unamplified music? if so was there enough gain?
also voice recording? i posted a similar question in the 671 field and got a mixed response.
say if you were to speak directly into a microphone with a regular talking voice, where would the levels go without the pad and with the gain all the way up?
thanks
luke
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It's gonna depend on the Mic.
I'll do some testing when I get mine if you haven't been anwered by then.
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Here is a comp with the stock 64MB card.
Neither One of those make it sound fantastic but Without a Mic Connected you've got a very Unreal situation happening. Both of them are quite noisy, one just adds the little tick tick tick comparatively unannoying. Any difference recording something soft? If there's that much noise either one is useless in my book.
{edit}
After listening to the Sandisc it is by far quieter than any of the other samples, is this also with an open channel... ie infinite ipmedance load?
Keep in mind that if you're running the 853 that it's equivalent to running say a 480 with the -10dB switch on. Depending on the Microphone you wont have to worry about running it at such a high gain stage virutually eliminating this problem.
Unitmonster you may want to look into picking up a second set of Mics for use in for the more quiet recordings. The DPA microdots are about 10dB hotter.
Andrew I wouldn't sweat the investment in a new card until you test your rig in a real situation. You can always hit the +10 Swith on the 480's and never get close to needing this much gain.
I'll test both cards I've got coming and see which one I want to sell/take the 15% restocking hit on.
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Got the notice today too that my 660 was shipped today... arriving next wednesday! ;D
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Got the notice today too that my 660 was shipped today... arriving next wednesday! ;D
Fantastic!! He must've been working on them this week!
See above, don't stress your Card!
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Got the notice today too that my 660 was shipped today... arriving next wednesday! ;D
Fantastic!! He must've been working on them this week!
See above, don't stress your Card!
Hmmm, Kingston's are ok in it?
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Got the notice today too that my 660 was shipped today... arriving next wednesday! ;D
Fantastic!! He must've been working on them this week!
See above, don't stress your Card!
Hmmm, Kingston's are ok in it?
It seems that folks are using them sufficiently well. I don't care what recorder you use if you don't have anything connected to it an you crank the input stage to it's max you're going to get some noise. If you've got the cheese and feel better about getting something recommended Marantz says:
What types of CF cards are recommended?
The Marantz PMD660 is designed to work with standard type I or type II Compact Flash cards, or Microdrives. Because of the variety of different card formulations evolving on the market, it has been discovered that some CF manufacturers cards work better with the PMD660 than others. Current suggested manufacturers include; LEXAR, PNY, VIKING, IBM, and HITACHI. Please be aware that although cards by companies not listed above may work with the PMD660, they are not recommended.
Go ahead and make the swap if you feel like you should but I would test YOUR unit with YOUR gear to see what's going to be OK for You!
Every manufactuer is going to make some crap cards (some way more than others). It's a lot like PC Memory if you're upgrading a slew of machines you can always count on 1 or 2 sticks to fail. There have been good reports on using the Kingston Cards here but if you want to be safe...Lexar seems to be the top of the heap.
Like I said I'm going to reserve judgement until I test the cards I've got coming. The Higher Speed cards adding the ticking noise makes sense due to batch writing but that's only going to be an issue if it is constant throughout the gain stage with a normal load.
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Unitmonster you may want to look into picking up a second set of Mics for use in for the more quiet recordings. The DPA microdots are about 10dB hotter.
Not too keen on doing that. I ran my mics into a jb3 for almost 3 years and never had noise issues, so I can't see why seemingly "upgrading" my recorder should force me to buy a new set of mics.
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Unitmonster you may want to look into picking up a second set of Mics for use in for the more quiet recordings. The DPA microdots are about 10dB hotter.
Not too keen on doing that. I ran my mics into a jb3 for almost 3 years and never had noise issues, so I can't see why seemingly "upgrading" my recorder should force me to buy a new set of mics.
The ACM was specifically tailored to shine when recording PA systems unfortunatley part of that includes not being as tailored for quieter style recordings beacuase of the adjustments in the gain stage. I would love to get into some nature recordings but know that after the modification my 660 will be virtually useless for doing that, it's part of the decision process. I understand the frustration and was trying to offer a suggestion so that you could have a solution for a greater variety of recordings. Are you running the pad for the Jazz stuff?
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That's a good point... the ACM really is for louder concerts... luckily that's all I ever tape.
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my own deck's issues with the Kingston card were noticeable at such a level that I had to apply noise reduction to my recordings in 1,000+ person auditoriums (John Zorn and Bell Orchestre). To me that goes beyond the realm of inappropriate use.
Anyway, I'm a lot happier with my results since switching cards and will continue to play around for the best match. By no means do I think it makes the deck useless, just particular.
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Here is a comp with the stock 64MB card.
Neither One of those make it sound fantastic but Without a Mic Connected you've got a very Unreal situation happening. Both of them are quite noisy, one just adds the little tick tick tick comparatively unannoying. Any difference recording something soft? If there's that much noise either one is useless in my book.
{edit}
After listening to the Sandisc it is by far quieter than any of the other samples, is this also with an open channel... ie infinite ipmedance load?
Keep in mind that if you're running the 853 that it's equivalent to running say a 480 with the -10dB switch on. Depending on the Microphone you wont have to worry about running it at such a high gain stage virutually eliminating this problem.
Unitmonster you may want to look into picking up a second set of Mics for use in for the more quiet recordings. The DPA microdots are about 10dB hotter.
Andrew I wouldn't sweat the investment in a new card until you test your rig in a real situation. You can always hit the +10 Swith on the 480's and never get close to needing this much gain.
I'll test both cards I've got coming and see which one I want to sell/take the 15% restocking hit on.
I expect some noise... no question. My unit is unmodded and I know that a big part of the problem is there. However, I don't want to add noise! I'm assuming that the stock card is "normal" level of self noise for an unmodded 660. The sandisk is on an acm with the 20db pad on. mine is unmodded and without the pad engaged.
Not too keen on doing that. I ran my mics into a jb3 for almost 3 years and never had noise issues, so I can't see why seemingly "upgrading" my recorder should force me to buy a new set of mics.
I hear you here... the big + of the CF recorders was the lack of HDD noise!
I wrote Ridata and they are trying to track down one of their older 52x cards for me to try. it is a little bit scarry that some manufactures are only making the highspeed cards now. I don't think cf cards typically go bad though, so once you have one that works it isn't a big deal.
Matt
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Ok this is starting to make more sense. The Noise I'm hearing is the difference between in the self noise of the unit between modded and unmodded units, not that the Sandisc card is less noisy (as far as hiss) Then that would leave me to believe that the only noise being added by the card is the rhythmic ticking. I'm going to test with the unit jacked up, mics plugged in, recording silence. Tuesday IS the day.
I still think that the problem is that we want an all in one solution that will work in all situations at that price point and it's going to be very difficult to pull that off. The Super Mod was designed for doing higher gain work and I'm sure you won't hear anywhere close to that kind of noise in that box! Once again the ACM is designed for LOUD music being recorded with condenser microphones. If you need a device that will let you have that type of range you really need to look into devices like the V3 which have substantial amounts of clean gain AND can handle the type of signal that's produced at Rock Shows.
I'm OK with having to improvise for the occasional recording using different tools when I have to. I'm fortunate that the 480's allow me to do this with one microphone system (although I'm S.O.L. in the stealth department ;D) .
-
The ACW 660 Has Arrived!
I cannot freakin' believe that is going to be my footprint for recording shows. No external boxes, no external batteries... just THAT! Holy Cow! Now if only I got off work before 7PM...
Edit: Just looked at the invoice again. He's calling it a WCM 660.
Also when asked about the Pad...
Hmm, the WCM has a massive input overload point but then again, those
mics are ultra hot. I always suggest using it unless you cannot get
enough gain as that way it is impossible to overload the mic preamps. I
need to do more test before I can suggest you run with it off unless you
switch the 480s to -10dB, then you certainly can run it with MIC ATT set
to off.
I'm thinking that unless it's a really large PA or small room I'm going to run it in the Off Position.
-
I'm thinking that unless it's a really large PA or small room I'm going to run it in the Off Position.
But I would suggest trying it with the pad on the mics (-10dB). If you have questions I will help if needed.
Love my 660!
+T for the purchase
-
Edit: Just looked at the invoice again. He's calling it a WCM 660.
that must be the "warm" mod. Did you order the warm mod or the advanced concert mod?
Matt
-
The ACW 660 Has Arrived!
I cannot freakin' believe that is going to be my footprint for recording shows. No external boxes, no external batteries... just THAT! Holy Cow! Now if only I got off work before 7PM...
Edit: Just looked at the invoice again. He's calling it a WCM 660.
Also when asked about the Pad...
Hmm, the WCM has a massive input overload point but then again, those
mics are ultra hot. I always suggest using it unless you cannot get
enough gain as that way it is impossible to overload the mic preamps. I
need to do more test before I can suggest you run with it off unless you
switch the 480s to -10dB, then you certainly can run it with MIC ATT set
to off.
I'm thinking that unless it's a really large PA or small room I'm going to run it in the Off Position.
Did you specifically ask for the warm mod? I didn't, and hope I get the regular ACM as a result... don't want warmth right now.
-
He offered it to me...
We've done listening test after listening test at the HiFi and I've always gone for that Tube-Like Visceral tone time and time again. He knew that about me and made the suggestion. If you didn't ask for it you're gettng the ACM which is still a valid Flavor for the Box!
{Edit}
We'll have to try to get together for a show soon so we can do a comparison ACM/WCM since we're both running the AKG in front of it.
-
been reading up on this thread...looks like i might be in the market for one soon. thanks for all the info guys.
-
He offered it to me...
We've done listening test after listening test at the HiFi and I've always gone for that Tube-Like Visceral tone time and time again. He knew that about me and made the suggestion. If you didn't ask for it you're gettng the ACM which is still a valid Flavor for the Box!
{Edit}
We'll have to try to get together for a show soon so we can do a comparison ACM/WCM since we're both running the AKG in front of it.
Yeah, unfortunately Toronto is a long way from Georgia.. haha.
-
He offered it to me...
We've done listening test after listening test at the HiFi and I've always gone for that Tube-Like Visceral tone time and time again. He knew that about me and made the suggestion. If you didn't ask for it you're gettng the ACM which is still a valid Flavor for the Box!
{Edit}
We'll have to try to get together for a show soon so we can do a comparison ACM/WCM since we're both running the AKG in front of it.
Yeah, unfortunately Toronto is a long way from Georgia.. haha.
....ummm yep. Yikes! I'm in North Carolina Now.... that's sooo much closer! ::)
-
He offered it to me...
We've done listening test after listening test at the HiFi and I've always gone for that Tube-Like Visceral tone time and time again. He knew that about me and made the suggestion. If you didn't ask for it you're gettng the ACM which is still a valid Flavor for the Box!
{Edit}
We'll have to try to get together for a show soon so we can do a comparison ACM/WCM since we're both running the AKG in front of it.
Yeah, unfortunately Toronto is a long way from Georgia.. haha.
....ummm yep. Yikes! I'm in North Carolina Now.... that's sooo much closer! ::)
I drove from Miami to Ontario in about 24 hours straight.... from NC to ontario is like 12-13 hours drive..... 15 hours to Toronto... ouch!
-
Observation #1 on Flash Cards.
The slow Sandisc formats in the machine in a few seconds. The 80X RiData... over 2 minutes!
From checking format times on the included card I'm guessing that the Sandisc was initially formatted FAT16 while the RiData is FAT 32.
Try different formatting in your PC then do the format in the machine and see if you don't notice a difference!
{Edit}
After formatting the Sandisc in FAT32... I get a longer format time in the machine but nowhere NEAR what the RiData (and suppossedly faster) card takes!
-
Observation #1 on Flash Cards.
The slow Sandisc formats in the machine in a few seconds. The 80X RiData... over 2 minutes!
From checking format times on the included card I'm guessing that the Sandisc was initially formatted FAT16 while the RiData is FAT 32.
Try different formatting in your PC then do the format in the machine and see if you don't notice a difference!
{Edit}
After formatting the Sandisc in FAT32... I get a longer format time in the machine but nowhere NEAR what the RiData (and suppossedly faster) card takes!
That's really weird... hey while you're at it with the testing, can you try some recording with your cell phone (if you have one) near the phone.. maybe make some calls, send txt messages... see if it interferes at all...
-
Observation #1 on Flash Cards.
The slow Sandisc formats in the machine in a few seconds. The 80X RiData... over 2 minutes!
From checking format times on the included card I'm guessing that the Sandisc was initially formatted FAT16 while the RiData is FAT 32.
Try different formatting in your PC then do the format in the machine and see if you don't notice a difference!
{Edit}
After formatting the Sandisc in FAT32... I get a longer format time in the machine but nowhere NEAR what the RiData (and suppossedly faster) card takes!
That's really weird... hey while you're at it with the testing, can you try some recording with your cell phone (if you have one) near the phone.. maybe make some calls, send txt messages... see if it interferes at all...
I'll do that soon.... I've got a festival this weekend that is a priority!! : )
The RiData is going back to NewEgg... hopefully they'll take -15% towards another Sandisk!
Battery Testing is the current gig!
For Powerex 2500 maH.
-
Observation #1 on Flash Cards.
The slow Sandisc formats in the machine in a few seconds. The 80X RiData... over 2 minutes!
From checking format times on the included card I'm guessing that the Sandisc was initially formatted FAT16 while the RiData is FAT 32.
Try different formatting in your PC then do the format in the machine and see if you don't notice a difference!
{Edit}
After formatting the Sandisc in FAT32... I get a longer format time in the machine but nowhere NEAR what the RiData (and suppossedly faster) card takes!
Same size card? The 660 formats at fat16, and my 2gb 80x ridata takes less than a minute.
-
Observation #1 on Flash Cards.
The slow Sandisc formats in the machine in a few seconds. The 80X RiData... over 2 minutes!
From checking format times on the included card I'm guessing that the Sandisc was initially formatted FAT16 while the RiData is FAT 32.
Try different formatting in your PC then do the format in the machine and see if you don't notice a difference!
{Edit}
After formatting the Sandisc in FAT32... I get a longer format time in the machine but nowhere NEAR what the RiData (and suppossedly faster) card takes!
Same size card? The 660 formats at fat16, and my 2gb 80x ridata takes less than a minute.
I must have a bum card... the RiData 80X literally takes like 5 minutes. The SanDisk less than 30 seconds. I'm going to defrag and scandisc the RiData and see if that helps.
It really is odd!
They're both 4GB Cards!
I'm sooooooo glad I ordred a backup!
-
Observation #1 on Flash Cards.
The slow Sandisc formats in the machine in a few seconds. The 80X RiData... over 2 minutes!
From checking format times on the included card I'm guessing that the Sandisc was initially formatted FAT16 while the RiData is FAT 32.
Try different formatting in your PC then do the format in the machine and see if you don't notice a difference!
{Edit}
After formatting the Sandisc in FAT32... I get a longer format time in the machine but nowhere NEAR what the RiData (and suppossedly faster) card takes!
Same size card? The 660 formats at fat16, and my 2gb 80x ridata takes less than a minute.
I must have a bum card... the RiData 80X literally takes like 5 minutes. The SanDisk less than 30 seconds. I'm going to defrag and scandisc the RiData and see if that helps.
It really is odd!
They're both 4GB Cards!
I'm sooooooo glad I ordred a backup!
mine is a 2gb card... did you format again? Maybe the first format took longer?
Matt
-
Observation #1 on Flash Cards.
The slow Sandisc formats in the machine in a few seconds. The 80X RiData... over 2 minutes!
From checking format times on the included card I'm guessing that the Sandisc was initially formatted FAT16 while the RiData is FAT 32.
Try different formatting in your PC then do the format in the machine and see if you don't notice a difference!
{Edit}
After formatting the Sandisc in FAT32... I get a longer format time in the machine but nowhere NEAR what the RiData (and suppossedly faster) card takes!
Same size card? The 660 formats at fat16, and my 2gb 80x ridata takes less than a minute.
I must have a bum card... the RiData 80X literally takes like 5 minutes. The SanDisk less than 30 seconds. I'm going to defrag and scandisc the RiData and see if that helps.
It really is odd!
They're both 4GB Cards!
I'm sooooooo glad I ordred a backup!
mine is a 2gb card... did you format again? Maybe the first format took longer?
Matt
That's what I was hoping... It was formatted quickly because the first format was in the machine...
Nope!
SanDisk 30 seconds or less... RiData 5 minutes plus!
When the battery test is finished I'll try again. I've defraged and disc checked the card. We'll see!
-
BTW Newegg just dropped the price on the Sandisk to $106.99 just a day after I paid $124 >:(
-
what's newegg's price policy? Likely a simple phone call will get 'em to credit you the difference.
-
what's newegg's price policy? Likely a simple phone call will get 'em to credit you the difference.
Good Call!
I'll Check.
+T
-
BTW Newegg just dropped the price on the Sandisk to $106.99 just a day after I paid $124 >:(
106.99.. wow... at that price, having an OTG drive hardly seems worthwhile.
-
BTW Newegg just dropped the price on the Sandisk to $106.99 just a day after I paid $124 >:(
106.99.. wow... at that price, having an OTG drive hardly seems worthwhile.
...well I do have 40 Gig on the OTG : )
I was thinking about festivals like High Sierra you could walk around with the OTG and just dump data from other rigs from the shows you didn't see.
The Pack (Patch) Rat of the Future
-
I just made a really clean recording with the 660 this past weekend. Elvin Bishop. Its in the Kickdown if you're on the fence with this box. I'm quite impressed with the 660. Quite impressed. My third outing with it and my best recording so far. Used a Kingston 4GB 45x card and got no noise issues.
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=69116.msg926263#msg926263
-
I just made a really clean recording with the 660 this past weekend. Elvin Bishop. Its in the Kickdown if you're on the fence with this box. I'm quite impressed with the 660. Quite impressed. My third outing with it and my best recording so far. Used a Kingston 4GB 45x card and got no noise issues.
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=69116.msg926263#msg926263
I find mine sounding better and better....some might be location, venue and sound system related. My best recording so far. Widespread Panic Greek Berkeley 7/8/06. Enjoy!
http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=26990
BTW Newegg just dropped the price on the Sandisk to $106.99 just a day after I paid $124 >:(
106.99.. wow... at that price, having an OTG drive hardly seems worthwhile.
...well I do have 40 Gig on the OTG : )
I was thinking about festivals like High Sierra you could walk around with the OTG and just dump data from other rigs from the shows you didn't see.
The Pack (Patch) Rat of the Future
I brought my photohard drive to High Sierra this year(Inoi 20 GB)...though about asking for others recordings for CF download but figured I had 11 recordings to deal with of my own. I just want to buy a faster one/more memory in the future but I'm holding out for the US release of this unit....will play mp3 and uses AA batteries. http://www.compactdrive.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_29&products_id=29&model=specs_md80&model=feat_md80
-
for the record... transfer via a card reader vs using the 660 > USB doesn't seem to have any bearing on the noise (someone said it may) and doing the same test as I did with the xlr except using the line in resulted in almost -0- noise... absolutly no problems going line in.
matt
-
inaugural run with mine on Sunday for mule... can't wait! first run with the 480s too!
-
OK... well needless to say, this noise "issue" has been bugging the hell out of me. I tried one more test, and now I think this is all bunk. The testing I was doing, as stated by someonw else in this thread, was not a real test because no mics were connectd. I connected mics and low and behold the noise went away. Maybe it is some sort of a grounding issue, but the clicking completely goes away when I connect mics. Here is my whole comp set using my Ridata 80x 2gb card.
Matt
***EDIT*** 2 samples replaced.... I had normalized a couple of them for another test. Current fileset is correct. Also mic test was done with the 10db mic pads on, screens and both mics under a comforter and a couple pillows in my bed.
Matt
-
OK... well needless to say, this noise "issue" has been bugging the hell out of me. I tried one more test, and now I think this is all bunk. The testing I was doing, as stated by someonw else in this thread, was not a real test because no mics were connectd. I connected mics and low and behold the noise went away. Maybe it is some sort of a grounding issue, but the clicking completely goes away when I connect mics. Here is my whole comp set using my Ridata 80x 2gb card.
Matt
***EDIT*** 2 samples replaced.... I had normalized a couple of them for another test. Current fileset is correct. Also mic test was done with the 10db mic pads on, screens and both mics under a comforter and a couple pillows in my bed.
Matt
+T for the work.... :cheers:
-
OK... well needless to say, this noise "issue" has been bugging the hell out of me. I tried one more test, and now I think this is all bunk. The testing I was doing, as stated by someonw else in this thread, was not a real test because no mics were connectd. I connected mics and low and behold the noise went away. Maybe it is some sort of a grounding issue, but the clicking completely goes away when I connect mics. Here is my whole comp set using my Ridata 80x 2gb card.
Matt
Glad to hear it solved your issues. This was the test that Doug told me to run, so I'm not sure if it's "bunk" so much as not reflective of actual field situations. I guess my deck is just an anomily because it has the same noise mics or no mics.
-
OK... well needless to say, this noise "issue" has been bugging the hell out of me. I tried one more test, and now I think this is all bunk. The testing I was doing, as stated by someonw else in this thread, was not a real test because no mics were connectd. I connected mics and low and behold the noise went away. Maybe it is some sort of a grounding issue, but the clicking completely goes away when I connect mics. Here is my whole comp set using my Ridata 80x 2gb card.
Matt
Glad to hear it solved your issues. This was the test that Doug told me to run, so I'm not sure if it's "bunk" so much as not reflective of actual field situations. I guess my deck is just an anomily because it has the same noise mics or no mics.
no insult/hard feelings was intended with my "bunk" comment! I believe there is more to the issue than card speed/brand. It seems also from my last test that any issue is irrelevant in a real world situation.
Matt
-
This is such a weird issue... looking forward to trying to help you folks figure it out when I get my unit...
-
on my 660 acm ,the only time i ever got clicking was when i was uploading to the pc byway of the onboard USB cable port , switched to a sandisk "12 in one" flash card reader for the uploads no clicks ! end of problem. the "12 in one" uploads way,way faster than uploading from the deck , i've used the 2 g/b PNY cards so far no problems as it's one of the marantz reccommented cards .I am getting more. I don't like the idea of having all my eggs in same basket/flash card
-
Has anyone tried a 4gb PNY card? I did and it wouldn't work in my pmd 660 but worked in my PC. Was wondering if anyone else had a similar experience. I saw a previous post with like 50gig storage units take that compact flash cards. Anyone know anything about those? thanks.
paul
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Has anyone tried a 4gb PNY card? I did and it wouldn't work in my pmd 660 but worked in my PC. Was wondering if anyone else had a similar experience. I saw a previous post with like 50gig storage units take that compact flash cards. Anyone know anything about those? thanks.
paul
I have a 40gb Hyperdrive HD80. You can dump CF/SD/Microdrive and some other types right onto it. It uses 4xAA batteries and takes about 5-10min to copy a full 2 hour recording over with file verification turned on (compares the copied file and the source file to make sure they're identical, so it takes a bit longer). I've had no problems with it and they shipped it to me in under 24 hours to Canada even... great folks over at http://www.hyperdrive.com. It is slightly more expensive than some others I've seen, but you get what you pay for... it's rock solid!
-
Sweet! I'm on the Panic for sure!
I haven't gotten a chance to listen yet carefully to any from the weekend but from what little I've heard in the Car and on the PC speakers I have a feeling I"m going to be more than happy!
I have noticed that my box reports full battery for quite some time and doesn't give too much warning when it's getting ready to go. I had some issues over the weekend.
I'll try the "shim" trick and do some more testing.
But I'll tell you... tapeless recording with NO hard drive spinup or access time in an all in one footpirnt with a real record knob and meter.... ummmm... HELL YES!
I just made a really clean recording with the 660 this past weekend. Elvin Bishop. Its in the Kickdown if you're on the fence with this box. I'm quite impressed with the 660. Quite impressed. My third outing with it and my best recording so far. Used a Kingston 4GB 45x card and got no noise issues.
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=69116.msg926263#msg926263
I find mine sounding better and better....some might be location, venue and sound system related. My best recording so far. Widespread Panic Greek Berkeley 7/8/06. Enjoy!
http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=26990
BTW Newegg just dropped the price on the Sandisk to $106.99 just a day after I paid $124 >:(
106.99.. wow... at that price, having an OTG drive hardly seems worthwhile.
...well I do have 40 Gig on the OTG : )
I was thinking about festivals like High Sierra you could walk around with the OTG and just dump data from other rigs from the shows you didn't see.
The Pack (Patch) Rat of the Future
I brought my photohard drive to High Sierra this year(Inoi 20 GB)...though about asking for others recordings for CF download but figured I had 11 recordings to deal with of my own. I just want to buy a faster one/more memory in the future but I'm holding out for the US release of this unit....will play mp3 and uses AA batteries. http://www.compactdrive.com/product_info.php?cPath=22_29&products_id=29&model=specs_md80&model=feat_md80
-
First outing with the ACM 660 was a success late night for Mule in Buffalo... and the recording sounds GREAT! This box was made to run behind AKG's....
-
First outing with the ACM 660 was a success late night for Mule in Buffalo... and the recording sounds GREAT! This box was made to run behind AKG's....
Damn, I thought it was made for km140s! :laugh:
Jammin,
Don't forget about the ability to hot swap...but be very careful. I would suggest between songs and with few beers in ya. ;)
-
First outing with the ACM 660 was a success late night for Mule in Buffalo... and the recording sounds GREAT! This box was made to run behind AKG's....
Damn, I thought it was made for km140s! :laugh:
Jammin,
Don't forget about the ability to hot swap...but be very careful. I would suggest between songs and with few beers in ya. ;)
This WAS actually the problem. ;D I came to get the Breakfast and Moonshine Still... Which I did. The rig spent a lot of time unattended for the rest. I never really saw it start to get low. Every time I checked the battery indicator would be at full or the thing would be off. I'm not too worried due to the level of focus that I applied but I do want to do some more runtime tests under power.
-
seems that happened to me last nite at sweetwaters-saloon (delta nove ) was checking the battery level 1/2 the nite & showed full every time i looked , then deck went lites off ! With a set of brand new sony NiCads 2 hours in !(I think it's a bad cell) whipped them dead puppies out & replaced with a fresh set of duracells that i always keep in case of such BS .....60 seconds lost but that's why i go over at home a few times just to know what to do in case of failure . plan for failure at home a few times & then you know what & where the items are you need to quick fix in the feild .. Mike
-
I always tape with two sets of batteries and change and set break regardless of what the power meter says. I think the meter may give false readings if you change the battery type in the menu.
paul
-
I always tape with two sets of batteries and change and set break regardless of what the power meter says. I think the meter may give false readings if you change the battery type in the menu.
paul
the meter won't be acurate if you have the wrong type selected.
Matt
-
I always tape with two sets of batteries and change and set break regardless of what the power meter says. I think the meter may give false readings if you change the battery type in the menu.
paul
the meter won't be acurate if you have the wrong type selected.
Matt
Exactly. That happened to me once. I didn't realize what caused it until I was going through the presets.
-
I would be OK with that Theory if I were using "AA"'s and had it set to NiMH... but I was using NiMH batteries so if I had it set the wrong way shouldn't it have warned me more quickly!
I did go in and change all the Presets to NiMH before I left for the festival because I knew that would be all that would be used.
-
Happened once or twice. Now I look at the batteries and say to yourself NiMH or Alkaline, then set your 660. Some learn slower (myself)...It's just that we learn. 8)
No warnings available, I go through the whole Preset #1 each time I record usually 44.1, -20dB and I adjust battery type. Preset #2 is same but 0dB attenuation/NiMH. Preset #3 is mp3 for work stuff.
-
Happened once or twice. Now I look at the batteries and say to yourself NiMH or Alkaline, then set your 660. Some learn slower (myself)...It's just that we learn. 8)
No warnings available, I go through the whole Preset #1 each time I record usually 44.1, -20dB and I adjust battery type. Preset #2 is same but 0dB attenuation/NiMH. Preset #3 is mp3 for work stuff.
Oh that reminds me.... Pad Off All weekend and Nary a problem to be had on that front.
-
Here's my inaugural 660 experience:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=27724
Gov't Mule
Erie Basin Marina
Buffalo, NY
July 30, 2006
Source: AKG CK61|C480B (DIN) > Oade ACM Marantz PMD660 (16bit/44.1khz)
Location: FOB, DFC, 8' high
Transfer: CF > Adobe Audition 1.5 > CD Wave > FLAC Frontend > .flac16
Taped & Transferred by: Andrew Berg (aberg83@gmail.com)
Disc 1 ~ Set I
01. Blind Man In The Dark
02. Perfect Shelter
03. Bad Little Doggie
04. Bad Man Walking
05. Mr. High & Mighty
06. Larger Than Life
07. Sco-Mule
08. I'll Be The One
09. Thorazine Shuffle
Disc 2 ~ Set II
01. Time To Confess
02. Lola Leave Your Light On
03. Livin' Lovin' Maid
04. Streamline Woman >
05. Drums
06. Banks Of The Deep End
07. Mule
08. Soulshine
09. (encore break)
10. I'm A Ram >
11. Love Me Do >
12. I'm A Ram
gm2006-07-30d1t01.flac:44ea18c6a5ba313df7213266b1075407
gm2006-07-30d1t02.flac:726d0b24dcacda66ac1079ebf936558d
gm2006-07-30d1t03.flac:6eb1da4cb61a665a30f14c89e53e08b5
gm2006-07-30d1t04.flac:56d3418d937a3628d8dcade4fdf310ff
gm2006-07-30d1t05.flac:0ae8c7910fb944ac394aabbf27cf1d38
gm2006-07-30d1t06.flac:508edca370ff72ad8782a252d034db47
gm2006-07-30d1t07.flac:b73abc30accd474dd305728b69ffa22e
gm2006-07-30d1t08.flac:7f59f59c642cc0f670687b28bf57f54c
gm2006-07-30d1t09.flac:e98d831b3a9657faec70633b5954c87d
gm2006-07-30d2t01.flac:d2480e02e849345642a16ac1dbf0dffd
gm2006-07-30d2t02.flac:334a9efe8eeaa56942288818adc9ae65
gm2006-07-30d2t03.flac:e94c35efeb4357acbeb91b526622095f
gm2006-07-30d2t04.flac:cd6ccd591c04528ea209d82706f6414a
gm2006-07-30d2t05.flac:15adbe82d18851c234986a7368b7684d
gm2006-07-30d2t06.flac:e886b915882a6c37dba214991b727e0f
gm2006-07-30d2t07.flac:12579ea3fcb711000a88418a5da50723
gm2006-07-30d2t08.flac:d6e7a378d19ed5dca41e7e63d5e564d7
gm2006-07-30d2t09.flac:4223cb5d4db1666e8b2bd91d211cc97c
gm2006-07-30d2t10.flac:d742927e8c1dd81b9601f148de0ebbb7
gm2006-07-30d2t11.flac:7cae544c738a44a3033de1eef2d2c30a
gm2006-07-30d2t12.flac:b6d12ea5f20338f7864c211de1fbe0da
-
Awesome! Cant Wait to Check it out!
Here's my inaugural 660 experience:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=27724
Gov't Mule
Erie Basin Marina
Buffalo, NY
July 30, 2006
Source: AKG CK61|C480B (DIN) > Oade ACM Marantz PMD660 (16bit/44.1khz)
Location: FOB, DFC, 8' high
Transfer: CF > Adobe Audition 1.5 > CD Wave > FLAC Frontend > .flac16
Taped & Transferred by: Andrew Berg (aberg83@gmail.com)
Disc 1 ~ Set I
01. Blind Man In The Dark
02. Perfect Shelter
03. Bad Little Doggie
04. Bad Man Walking
05. Mr. High & Mighty
06. Larger Than Life
07. Sco-Mule
08. I'll Be The One
09. Thorazine Shuffle
Disc 2 ~ Set II
01. Time To Confess
02. Lola Leave Your Light On
03. Livin' Lovin' Maid
04. Streamline Woman >
05. Drums
06. Banks Of The Deep End
07. Mule
08. Soulshine
09. (encore break)
10. I'm A Ram >
11. Love Me Do >
12. I'm A Ram
gm2006-07-30d1t01.flac:44ea18c6a5ba313df7213266b1075407
gm2006-07-30d1t02.flac:726d0b24dcacda66ac1079ebf936558d
gm2006-07-30d1t03.flac:6eb1da4cb61a665a30f14c89e53e08b5
gm2006-07-30d1t04.flac:56d3418d937a3628d8dcade4fdf310ff
gm2006-07-30d1t05.flac:0ae8c7910fb944ac394aabbf27cf1d38
gm2006-07-30d1t06.flac:508edca370ff72ad8782a252d034db47
gm2006-07-30d1t07.flac:b73abc30accd474dd305728b69ffa22e
gm2006-07-30d1t08.flac:7f59f59c642cc0f670687b28bf57f54c
gm2006-07-30d1t09.flac:e98d831b3a9657faec70633b5954c87d
gm2006-07-30d2t01.flac:d2480e02e849345642a16ac1dbf0dffd
gm2006-07-30d2t02.flac:334a9efe8eeaa56942288818adc9ae65
gm2006-07-30d2t03.flac:e94c35efeb4357acbeb91b526622095f
gm2006-07-30d2t04.flac:cd6ccd591c04528ea209d82706f6414a
gm2006-07-30d2t05.flac:15adbe82d18851c234986a7368b7684d
gm2006-07-30d2t06.flac:e886b915882a6c37dba214991b727e0f
gm2006-07-30d2t07.flac:12579ea3fcb711000a88418a5da50723
gm2006-07-30d2t08.flac:d6e7a378d19ed5dca41e7e63d5e564d7
gm2006-07-30d2t09.flac:4223cb5d4db1666e8b2bd91d211cc97c
gm2006-07-30d2t10.flac:d742927e8c1dd81b9601f148de0ebbb7
gm2006-07-30d2t11.flac:7cae544c738a44a3033de1eef2d2c30a
gm2006-07-30d2t12.flac:b6d12ea5f20338f7864c211de1fbe0da
-
Awesome! Cant Wait to Check it out!
Here's my inaugural 660 experience:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=27724
Gov't Mule
Erie Basin Marina
Buffalo, NY
July 30, 2006
Source: AKG CK61|C480B (DIN) > Oade ACM Marantz PMD660 (16bit/44.1khz)
Location: FOB, DFC, 8' high
Transfer: CF > Adobe Audition 1.5 > CD Wave > FLAC Frontend > .flac16
Taped & Transferred by: Andrew Berg (aberg83@gmail.com)
Disc 1 ~ Set I
01. Blind Man In The Dark
02. Perfect Shelter
03. Bad Little Doggie
04. Bad Man Walking
05. Mr. High & Mighty
06. Larger Than Life
07. Sco-Mule
08. I'll Be The One
09. Thorazine Shuffle
Disc 2 ~ Set II
01. Time To Confess
02. Lola Leave Your Light On
03. Livin' Lovin' Maid
04. Streamline Woman >
05. Drums
06. Banks Of The Deep End
07. Mule
08. Soulshine
09. (encore break)
10. I'm A Ram >
11. Love Me Do >
12. I'm A Ram
gm2006-07-30d1t01.flac:44ea18c6a5ba313df7213266b1075407
gm2006-07-30d1t02.flac:726d0b24dcacda66ac1079ebf936558d
gm2006-07-30d1t03.flac:6eb1da4cb61a665a30f14c89e53e08b5
gm2006-07-30d1t04.flac:56d3418d937a3628d8dcade4fdf310ff
gm2006-07-30d1t05.flac:0ae8c7910fb944ac394aabbf27cf1d38
gm2006-07-30d1t06.flac:508edca370ff72ad8782a252d034db47
gm2006-07-30d1t07.flac:b73abc30accd474dd305728b69ffa22e
gm2006-07-30d1t08.flac:7f59f59c642cc0f670687b28bf57f54c
gm2006-07-30d1t09.flac:e98d831b3a9657faec70633b5954c87d
gm2006-07-30d2t01.flac:d2480e02e849345642a16ac1dbf0dffd
gm2006-07-30d2t02.flac:334a9efe8eeaa56942288818adc9ae65
gm2006-07-30d2t03.flac:e94c35efeb4357acbeb91b526622095f
gm2006-07-30d2t04.flac:cd6ccd591c04528ea209d82706f6414a
gm2006-07-30d2t05.flac:15adbe82d18851c234986a7368b7684d
gm2006-07-30d2t06.flac:e886b915882a6c37dba214991b727e0f
gm2006-07-30d2t07.flac:12579ea3fcb711000a88418a5da50723
gm2006-07-30d2t08.flac:d6e7a378d19ed5dca41e7e63d5e564d7
gm2006-07-30d2t09.flac:4223cb5d4db1666e8b2bd91d211cc97c
gm2006-07-30d2t10.flac:d742927e8c1dd81b9601f148de0ebbb7
gm2006-07-30d2t11.flac:7cae544c738a44a3033de1eef2d2c30a
gm2006-07-30d2t12.flac:b6d12ea5f20338f7864c211de1fbe0da
d/l 'ing as we speak should be great ! Mike
-
d/l 'ing as we speak should be great ! Mike
me too. I've never really checked out Mule so this will be a good oppertunity! Not to be a nitpickey bastard, but isn't GM to be used for garaj mahal? If not I've been doing thoes all wrong!
matt
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d/l 'ing as we speak should be great ! Mike
me too. I've never really checked out Mule so this will be a good oppertunity! Not to be a nitpickey bastard, but isn't GM to be used for garaj mahal? If not I've been doing thoes all wrong!
matt
lots of people use gm or mule for gov't mule.. I've seen both many times. Don't know much about garaj mahal so I guess I can't really answer.... would be good to know, though.
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Oh that reminds me.... Pad Off All weekend and Nary a problem to be had on that front.
Jammin' how do you set your levels with the pad off?
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Oh that reminds me.... Pad Off All weekend and Nary a problem to be had on that front.
Jammin' how do you set your levels with the pad off?
It was depending on the band but anywhere from the record level indicator notch to about the "opening" just to the top left of the record wheel inset to about 1'Oclock for this past festival.
Like others have mentioned it seems to be OK with both Orange Light's going at it fairly good (I forget what numbers those represent at the moment).
This is with a WCM unit! You would really have to work to overload it with mics in an average taping situation methinks.
-
Oh that reminds me.... Pad Off All weekend and Nary a problem to be had on that front.
Jammin' how do you set your levels with the pad off?
It was depending on the band but anywhere from the record level indicator notch to about the "opening" just to the top left of the record wheel inset to about 1'Oclock for this past festival.
Like others have mentioned it seems to be OK with both Orange Light's going at it fairly good (I forget what numbers those represent at the moment).
This is with a WCM unit! You would really have to work to overload it with mics in an average taping situation methinks.
Pad on and push the red! (OVER)
Orange -6dB and -2dB...I think...I'm at work, working hard as you can see. :)
-
just wondering about with pad off (since apparently the meters aren't accurate with the pad disabled)
-
Here's my inaugural 660 experience:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=27724
Gov't Mule
Erie Basin Marina
Buffalo, NY
July 30, 2006
Source: AKG CK61|C480B (DIN) > Oade ACM Marantz PMD660 (16bit/44.1khz)
Location: FOB, DFC, 8' high
Transfer: CF > Adobe Audition 1.5 > CD Wave > FLAC Frontend > .flac16
Taped & Transferred by: Andrew Berg (aberg83@gmail.com)
Disc 1 ~ Set I
01. Blind Man In The Dark
02. Perfect Shelter
03. Bad Little Doggie
04. Bad Man Walking
05. Mr. High & Mighty
06. Larger Than Life
07. Sco-Mule
08. I'll Be The One
09. Thorazine Shuffle
Disc 2 ~ Set II
01. Time To Confess
02. Lola Leave Your Light On
03. Livin' Lovin' Maid
04. Streamline Woman >
05. Drums
06. Banks Of The Deep End
07. Mule
08. Soulshine
09. (encore break)
10. I'm A Ram >
11. Love Me Do >
12. I'm A Ram
gm2006-07-30d1t01.flac:44ea18c6a5ba313df7213266b1075407
gm2006-07-30d1t02.flac:726d0b24dcacda66ac1079ebf936558d
gm2006-07-30d1t03.flac:6eb1da4cb61a665a30f14c89e53e08b5
gm2006-07-30d1t04.flac:56d3418d937a3628d8dcade4fdf310ff
gm2006-07-30d1t05.flac:0ae8c7910fb944ac394aabbf27cf1d38
gm2006-07-30d1t06.flac:508edca370ff72ad8782a252d034db47
gm2006-07-30d1t07.flac:b73abc30accd474dd305728b69ffa22e
gm2006-07-30d1t08.flac:7f59f59c642cc0f670687b28bf57f54c
gm2006-07-30d1t09.flac:e98d831b3a9657faec70633b5954c87d
gm2006-07-30d2t01.flac:d2480e02e849345642a16ac1dbf0dffd
gm2006-07-30d2t02.flac:334a9efe8eeaa56942288818adc9ae65
gm2006-07-30d2t03.flac:e94c35efeb4357acbeb91b526622095f
gm2006-07-30d2t04.flac:cd6ccd591c04528ea209d82706f6414a
gm2006-07-30d2t05.flac:15adbe82d18851c234986a7368b7684d
gm2006-07-30d2t06.flac:e886b915882a6c37dba214991b727e0f
gm2006-07-30d2t07.flac:12579ea3fcb711000a88418a5da50723
gm2006-07-30d2t08.flac:d6e7a378d19ed5dca41e7e63d5e564d7
gm2006-07-30d2t09.flac:4223cb5d4db1666e8b2bd91d211cc97c
gm2006-07-30d2t10.flac:d742927e8c1dd81b9601f148de0ebbb7
gm2006-07-30d2t11.flac:7cae544c738a44a3033de1eef2d2c30a
gm2006-07-30d2t12.flac:b6d12ea5f20338f7864c211de1fbe0da
In the infamous words of Frank Barone "Holy crap!"
Sounds great! cant wait till i can afford a pair of 480's!
-
Thanks dude! Yeah, I love them!
What mics are you running into your 660 now?
-
Nice pull Andrew!!! +T
Matt
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Nice pull Andrew!!! +T
Matt
Backatcha, Matt! +T
-
Thanks dude! Yeah, I love them!
What mics are you running into your 660 now?
Right now I have C4's. They sound good for the money.
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Thanks dude! Yeah, I love them!
What mics are you running into your 660 now?
Right now I have C4's. They sound good for the money.
Yeah man, they are good mics!
-
How does the ACM mod compare to the WCM mod on the 660? I'm planning on running C4's in front of it and I'm not sure which way to go?
and PaullySC, do you have any C4>660 shows up on etree or the archive? I'm curious to see what the combo sounds like.
Thanks
-
I have a couple on the archive but they weren't my best recordings. By best recording so far is still on my hard drive but a friend used the first two tracks of my source in his so you can hear atleast a couple songs until I can get it up. Here's the link.
http://www.archive.org/details/BGUG2006-06-16.GOTTROCKS.SBD
also have:
http://www.archive.org/details/bgug2006-06-16.C4.flac
http://www.archive.org/details/bigblue2006-03-17C4
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We have talked about this before.
Although it might not be the right place to ask this, but you guy know your shit. I'm looking for a storage devise to transfer from my CF card for festivals. I have a 20GB Ioni and know about the Compactdrives (which I might upgrade to because they are faster and more downloads per battery life than my Ioni).
I came across this which would be nice. I would have a radio, could store a movie or two, has a internal mic for recording voice items...or what ever, line in for recording TV, DVD. I have an email asking if I transfer my CF card onto it will I be able to listen to the WAV file (it supports WAV playback) or does it have to come from a PC download? I would think it would play from my CF download. I also asked if it would support viewing from a SD download from a Cannon other than the ones on their list. If anyone is interested I will let you know about the reply.
http://www.eastgear.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=17_27&products_id=575 (this is good discription but also available in the US)
http://www.mydigitaldiscount.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.765/.f
If you think I should move this, please let me know. Sorry if so.
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I can tell you for sure the less fancy PD70X rocks face!!
Uses standard NiMH "AA" Batteries, will transfer all weekend without a recharge, very fast transfer rates, and the case is designed quite well. Only thing at all I'm worried about on it is the Hinges on the front door flap, but we'll see...
-
We have talked about this before.
Although it might not be the right place to ask this, but you guy know your shit. I'm looking for a storage devise to transfer from my CF card for festivals. I have a 20GB Ioni and know about the Compactdrives (which I might upgrade to because they are faster and more downloads per battery life than my Ioni).
I came across this which would be nice. I would have a radio, could store a movie or two, has a internal mic for recording voice items...or what ever, line in for recording TV, DVD. I have an email asking if I transfer my CF card onto it will I be able to listen to the WAV file (it supports WAV playback) or does it have to come from a PC download? I would think it would play from my CF download. I also asked if it would support viewing from a SD download from a Cannon other than the ones on their list. If anyone is interested I will let you know about the reply.
http://www.eastgear.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=17_27&products_id=575 (this is good discription but also available in the US)
http://www.mydigitaldiscount.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.765/.f
If you think I should move this, please let me know. Sorry if so.
It looks to me like this would do everything you need plus allow you to connect a vid cam directly to it to record vid if you wanted, plus be usable as an entertainment peice for watching videos on the road, plus allow viewing of txt files, plus play your wav files. Seems like a peice that would do it all!
Matt
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I can tell you for sure the less fancy PD70X rocks face!!
Uses standard NiMH "AA" Batteries, will transfer all weekend without a recharge, very fast transfer rates, and the case is designed quite well. Only thing at all I'm worried about on it is the Hinges on the front door flap, but we'll see...
At least they sell replacement door flaps. Therefore, they must be weak.
+T to you and mmmatt
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How does the ACM mod compare to the WCM mod on the 660? I'm planning on running C4's in front of it and I'm not sure which way to go?
and PaullySC, do you have any C4>660 shows up on etree or the archive? I'm curious to see what the combo sounds like.
Thanks
You know what, I'll probably be putting up my source for the bgug show up today or tomorrow. I think the sound was effected by going 660 > jb3 (via headphone jack). The jb3 was a friends but I have my 660 source. I need to get it up and get more blueground undergrass spreading, these guys deserve to be heard. I'm extremely pleased with how this show turned out. The thing to know is this is far from the best sounding venue. The venue is ok soundwise but not really good.
-
How does the ACM mod compare to the WCM mod on the 660? I'm planning on running C4's in front of it and I'm not sure which way to go?
and PaullySC, do you have any C4>660 shows up on etree or the archive? I'm curious to see what the combo sounds like.
Thanks
You know what, I'll probably be putting up my source for the bgug show up today or tomorrow. I think the sound was effected by going 660 > jb3 (via headphone jack). The jb3 was a friends but I have my 660 source. I need to get it up and get more blueground undergrass spreading, these guys deserve to be heard.
ABSOLUTELY... the line out or headphone out of the 660 is NOT equivalent to what you're putting on your CF!
-
The headphone amp on the 660 is brutal unfortunately.. even in my car after the show with no ambient noise, I couldn't even hear the recording well with the volume turned up full... I think maybe Oade's mods affected it somehow? Or it just sucked to begin with...
-
The headphone amp on the 660 is brutal unfortunately.. even in my car after the show with no ambient noise, I couldn't even hear the recording well with the volume turned up full... I think maybe Oade's mods affected it somehow? Or it just sucked to begin with...
If you have a cassette deck in the car look at buying a mini>cassette for your ride home. I only use it on the line out (not headphone jack). Bought mine at Radio Shack. Not the best, but does the trick for only $10 until I get home.
-
The headphone amp on the 660 is brutal unfortunately.. it just sucked to begin with...
fyp
-
The headphone amp on the 660 is brutal unfortunately.. even in my car after the show with no ambient noise, I couldn't even hear the recording well with the volume turned up full... I think maybe Oade's mods affected it somehow? Or it just sucked to begin with...
If you have a cassette deck in the car look at buying a mini>cassette for your ride home. I only use it on the line out (not headphone jack). Bought mine at Radio Shack. Not the best, but does the trick for only $10 until I get home.
I'm in the process of rigging up something to the AUX in on my CD deck, so hopefully all will be well. I don't have a cassette deck in my car since I have no cassettes anymore hah.
-
The headphone amp on the 660 is brutal unfortunately.. even in my car after the show with no ambient noise, I couldn't even hear the recording well with the volume turned up full... I think maybe Oade's mods affected it somehow? Or it just sucked to begin with...
If you have a cassette deck in the car look at buying a mini>cassette for your ride home. I only use it on the line out (not headphone jack). Bought mine at Radio Shack. Not the best, but does the trick for only $10 until I get home.
I'm in the process of rigging up something to the AUX in on my CD deck, so hopefully all will be well. I don't have a cassette deck in my car since I have no cassettes anymore hah.
My Element has an 1/8" Jack in on the passenger side... waaay cool for this. The fact that the "line out" varies with the volume knob will be a case in point to the reality of the quality of this output.
Still it's fun to pop in the backup batts and listen on the ride home while the neurons are still keyed in on decoding that space.
-
is there anyway to track on the fly with the 660?
-
is there anyway to track on the fly with the 660?
yes... read the manual! Not sure what the feature is called but you can set it to track every 5 minutes or when you hit the >>| button (I think that is how it works... I don't use it)
matt
-
Yah, I think there's a t-mark feature... i wonder if it does it on sector boundaries.. guess there's always shntool.
-
i dont have the manual though im sure i could get it.
the record button is different than on the 67x box, hence the quesiton.
thanks.
-
It has both Index Mark Function and New Track on the fly functionality.
-
i dont have the manual though im sure i could get it.
the record button is different than on the 67x box, hence the quesiton.
thanks.
It is in there, but I don't use it...I kind of like the post show tracking.
http://www.d-mpro.com/users/getdownload.asp?DownloadID=293
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This is the show I just finished uploading.
http://www.archive.org/details/bgug2006-06-16C4gottrocks (http://www.archive.org/details/bgug2006-06-16C4gottrocks)
-
my pmd660 arrived today. pretty cool unit. cant wait to start using this thing. probably going to look into getting it modded in a few months or so.
-
my pmd660 arrived today. pretty cool unit. cant wait to start using this thing. probably going to look into getting it modded in a few months or so.
Nice man!
-
my pmd660 arrived today. pretty cool unit. cant wait to start using this thing. probably going to look into getting it modded in a few months or so.
Nice man!
-
Has anyone laid eyes on the PRC660 Case?
(http://www.proaudiosuperstore.com/media/marantz-prc660.jpg)
It looks like something worth while but I want to see the front of the thing. How easy is it to adjust the levels with the thing on?
-
Has anyone laid eyes on the PRC660 Case?
(http://www.proaudiosuperstore.com/media/marantz-prc660.jpg)
It looks like something worth while but I want to see the front of the thing. How easy is it to adjust the levels with the thing on?
Better than the pouch on my hoody. I carry it sideways, therefore I have to tilt my head and turn the recorder when I'm adjusting the levels.
Is there a link to buy one. I will search as well. +t
-
http://www.proaudiosuperstore.com/marantz-prc660.html (http://www.proaudiosuperstore.com/marantz-prc660.html)
-
Has anyone laid eyes on the PRC660 Case?
It looks like something worth while but I want to see the front of the thing. How easy is it to adjust the levels with the thing on?
i think dan (spyder9) owns one. toss a pm his way.
Actually Timbo, I don't have a PRC660 case. I keep my 660 in a Eddie Bauer waste bag, cause that's where I run it from.
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Has anyone laid eyes on the PRC660 Case?
It looks like something worth while but I want to see the front of the thing. How easy is it to adjust the levels with the thing on?
i think dan (spyder9) owns one. toss a pm his way.
Actually Timbo, I don't have a PRC660 case. I keep my 660 in a Eddie Bauer waste bag, cause that's where I run it from.
See I don't run from a bag which is why I'm thinking about it just for dust/dirt purposes. I now put a towel or t-Shirt over the gear once it's going with the front tucked under the lid of my Pelican just so I can see that it's still going... this just seems like a more form fitting/slick option.
-
I tried a little test last night while I was taping blueground undergrass. I taped the first set with the -20 db pad running on the PMD 660 and for the second set I ran the -10 db pad on my C4 mics (turned off the -20db). Mainly I just wanted to see if there is any difference between running the -10 and -20 db pads. The first set my record level was maxed out and my signal would peak at -12 db and ran a lot of the time at -20db. That was part of the reason I decided to change the pad. The second set with the -10db pad my record level was around 1 o clock and my levels ran at -6 db with occasion peaks hitting 0 db and hit the red a few times. I only got to listen to the recording briefly but I will post my findings and maybe make it available if others would like to hear the original.
paul
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hey folks,
im going to check out a show tonight and was thinking id try out my new 660, instead of using the jb3, with my sp-cmc-8 mic's. i had a few things i was thinking about and wanted to make sure before i try it.
1a) should i run spcmc8 > pmd660 (line-in) or b) spcmc8 > spsb8 > pmd660 (line-in)
if i go with 'a', would i then use the +48v for the mics?
thanks
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hey folks,
im going to check out a show tonight and was thinking id try out my new 660, instead of using the jb3, with my sp-cmc-8 mic's. i had a few things i was thinking about and wanted to make sure before i try it.
1a) should i run spcmc8 > pmd660 (line-in) or b) spcmc8 > spsb8 > pmd660 (line-in)
if i go with 'a', would i then use the +48v for the mics?
thanks
Option B 100%... definiteily don't use phantom with those mics as they'll get fried. Gettin' excited for the mics on friday?
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Option B 100%... definiteily don't use phantom with those mics as they'll get fried. Gettin' excited for the mics on friday?
yea, was thinking id blow something up with if i used that +48v power. thanks! i think ill just take the jb3 instead since it fits in my pocket better.
yea man, looking forward to it.
how'd you make out on saturday?
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Option B 100%... definiteily don't use phantom with those mics as they'll get fried. Gettin' excited for the mics on friday?
yea, was thinking id blow something up with if i used that +48v power. thanks! i think ill just take the jb3 instead since it fits in my pocket better.
yea man, looking forward to it.
how'd you make out on saturday?
Pretty good after all was said and done. I'll tell you the story about our dealings with the venue security on friday though. The recording came out okay.. but we were pretty far back and the wind + cold temperature resulted in a few phasing issues that were beyond our control. Oh well, was a fun night nonetheless.
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FWIW I haven't used the pad on the recorder yet and have been more than happy with the results.
Aside from the RiData Glitch... >:(
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I taped blueground undergrass one set with the -20 db pad and the second set with the -10db on mics only. The problem with the -20db pad was with the record level all the way up I could just barely hit -12db. I'd been using the -10db on mics and will stay with that.
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how do you set the levels with teh -20db pad disabled? Taped a show last night and levels were definately too low for parts.
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how do you set the levels with teh -20db pad disabled? Taped a show last night and levels were definately too low for parts.
For my setup I run the -10db on my C4's and never had an issue with low levels. I have to be careful because I can run it way to hot even with the -10db. Your levels were low with or without the -20db?
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Thanks to all that posted here about this new and exciting recorder. I ordered my ACM unit from Doug and will receive it within a week from this post. Users postings about the flash card noise saved alot of folks some cash I'm shure. I'm going to run my SP CMC 8 mics w/sampson 48v converters into the unit and hope for the best. Anyone else useing this setup and if so how soes it sound?
Planet Drum 06' PA > OH
RatDog Fall 06' OH > FL
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Thanks to all that posted here about this new and exciting recorder. I ordered my ACM unit from Doug and will receive it within a week from this post. Users postings about the flash card noise saved alot of folks some cash I'm shure. I'm going to run my SP CMC 8 mics w/sampson 48v converters into the unit and hope for the best. Anyone else useing this setup and if so how soes it sound?
Planet Drum 06' PA > OH
RatDog Fall 06' OH > FL
Welcome to the best 16 bit recording unit bar none.
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Thanks to all that posted here about this new and exciting recorder. I ordered my ACM unit from Doug and will receive it within a week from this post. Users postings about the flash card noise saved alot of folks some cash I'm shure. I'm going to run my SP CMC 8 mics w/sampson 48v converters into the unit and hope for the best. Anyone else useing this setup and if so how soes it sound?
Planet Drum 06' PA > OH
RatDog Fall 06' OH > FL
call Doug & trust what he say's he knows more about the rig & mic's into it than anyone right now !!
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Thanks to all that posted here about this new and exciting recorder. I ordered my ACM unit from Doug and will receive it within a week from this post. Users postings about the flash card noise saved alot of folks some cash I'm shure. I'm going to run my SP CMC 8 mics w/sampson 48v converters into the unit and hope for the best. Anyone else useing this setup and if so how soes it sound?
i've ran this exact same rig before (SP CMC 8 mics w/sampson 48v > acm660) and was extremely pleased.
no worries, you will love it!
edit: though it's the AT853rx, the shows below are similar enough for you to get an idea what this combo sounds like
http://www.archive.org/details/plf2006-07-02.spyder9.flac16
http://www.archive.org/details/duo2006-07-02.spyder9.flac16
http://www.archive.org/details/asmz2006-09-05.at853rx.flac
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Has anyone tried the following card in a 660 ACM?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820171103
Looking for confirmation if it works. The last 4 gig card I bought which was a PNY didnt work.
Thanks.
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Has anyone tried the following card in a 660 ACM?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820171103
Looking for confirmation if it works. The last 4 gig card I bought which was a PNY didnt work.
Thanks.
no worries with the SanDisk...used both the standard blue and the UltraII with no problems
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Has anyone tried the following card in a 660 ACM?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820171103
Looking for confirmation if it works. The last 4 gig card I bought which was a PNY didnt work.
Thanks.
Paul,
Grab a Kingston 4GB. Works w/ the 660 like a glove. ;)
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Has anyone tried the following card in a 660 ACM?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820171103
Looking for confirmation if it works. The last 4 gig card I bought which was a PNY didnt work.
Thanks.
Paul,
Grab a Kingston 4GB. Works w/ the 660 like a glove. ;)
I'll second that statement. Great unit!
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Good deal, thanks for the info. Maybe I should look at one of those storage units. I remember someone mentioning a couple different ones. Its like a 20gig unit and you can transfer compact flash to it. Anyone know about them or could reccomend one? Is it even worth it? I'm thinking festivals and stuff.
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Good deal, thanks for the info. Maybe I should look at one of those storage units. I remember someone mentioning a couple different ones. Its like a 20gig unit and you can transfer compact flash to it. Anyone know about them or could reccomend one? Is it even worth it? I'm thinking festivals and stuff.
www.hyperdrive.com -- the HD80. That's all you'll ever need.
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does the 660 charge NiMH batteries if you put them in and plug in the wall adapter?
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does the 660 charge NiMH batteries if you put them in and plug in the wall adapter?
NO
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I took my new ACM 660 out for a test run yesterday. I placed my mics in the sweet spot then moved them to a "super-clamp" right in from of a speeker. The over head of the unit is off the hook. When I got back home and listened to what I just recorded I was very pleased. Yea I cant go with a large memory card but this 16 bit recorder is just what any beginner or professional needs. Hands down this thing is small and powerful.. It gets er done I tell ya.....
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I love mine done about 12 stealth shows so far , no problems but one when i reached in to my coat to grab the deck(under my arm pit on the strap) to pull out to check levels i pressed the stop button by mistake :o , Sooo ... now i tape a dime on top of that button at the set up in the shitter ..... & can we say that's it's one rugged/tough little box with the XLR locking mic inputs , you don't have to worry about no Damn loose mini jack's with the dreaded Crackel/Pops or unplug's when moving the deck around
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I love mine done about 12 stealth shows so far , no problems but one when i reached in to my coat to grab the deck(under my arm pit on the strap) to pull out to check levels i pressed the stop button by mistake :o , Sooo ... now i tape a dime on top of that button at the set up in the shitter ..... & can we say that's it's one rugged/tough little box with the XLR locking mic inputs , you don't have to worry about no Damn loose mini jack's with the dreaded Crackel/Pops or unplug's when moving the deck around
Hey now... This is what the "hold" function is for! ;)
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Shift>Lock.
Different subject...I've been having problems with PowerEx NiMH batteries holding a charge. Energizers are fine.
I love mine done about 12 stealth shows so far , no problems but one when i reached in to my coat to grab the deck(under my arm pit on the strap) to pull out to check levels i pressed the stop button by mistake :o , Sooo ... now i tape a dime on top of that button at the set up in the shitter ..... & can we say that's it's one rugged/tough little box with the XLR locking mic inputs , you don't have to worry about no Damn loose mini jack's with the dreaded Crackel/Pops or unplug's when moving the deck around
Hey now... This is what the "hold" function is for! ;)
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Shift>Lock.
Different subject...I've been having problems with PowerEx NiMH batteries holding a charge. Energizers are fine.
I love mine done about 12 stealth shows so far , no problems but one when i reached in to my coat to grab the deck(under my arm pit on the strap) to pull out to check levels i pressed the stop button by mistake :o , Sooo ... now i tape a dime on top of that button at the set up in the shitter ..... & can we say that's it's one rugged/tough little box with the XLR locking mic inputs , you don't have to worry about no Damn loose mini jack's with the dreaded Crackel/Pops or unplug's when moving the deck around
soo yer saying i can hit shift lock & not have to worry about the mistake of hitting the stop button while i'm at a show on the 4th row i paid 259 $ foe ??? damn i wish i would read that manuel...
Hey now... This is what the "hold" function is for! ;)
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Yep. the Shift->Lock will lock everything on the top except the light.
You can still adjust the gains. Lock will also not protect you from turning the power off or turning the phantom power off.
Hit Shift->Lock again to unlock.
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The last two shows I've taped I've gotten some clipping, I hope its not a trend like when golfers get the yips. I usually run -6db but I'm gonna back it down to -12db, maybe I should go to the -20db pad instead of the -10db on my mics. There are situations where I would have to run -10db instead. I've never had this happen before, bummer.
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The last two shows I've taped I've gotten some clipping, I hope its not a trend like when golfers get the yips. I usually run -6db but I'm gonna back it down to -12db, maybe I should go to the -20db pad instead of the -10db on my mics. There are situations where I would have to run -10db instead. I've never had this happen before, bummer.
Love the -20 pad...especially for the Mule.
I had the pad on Thursday and patched into a friends rig. I couldn't put my levels over about 30% on the level dials. Hot Hot Hot
Neumann km54s>V2>ACM 660
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Tom Petty @ the greek with 20db pad on levels were half way setting HOT HOT HOT killer sound .. doug oade says trust the pad at any loud venue if you have a 660 acm mod 8)
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I used the -20db at the Pour house in charleston,sc and didnt get much of a signal. Guess I need to use it in smaller venues and the -10 in bigger ones.
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THE PAD 20db on the 660 ACM ... when to use & when not to use ............some of that depends on yer mics & how far back from the PA you are & on the sound pressure that's being put out by the PA ... weather to use the pad or not . i do 2 presets on the 660 # one with the pad on , # two without the pad on , soo i can quickly switch between the two . IE ; during sound check or the warm up band
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I'm going to tape Rythem Devils tonight in Harrisburg, PA. I will use the the -20 pad cause of the loud drumz and Kimocks high pitch guitar licks. I'll let everyone know what happends tomarro. So during accustic events I should turn the pad off? How much editing are you folks doing to the recording after you get it to you computer? Is the sound quality good enough to burn to CD? All questions will be answered within the next two shows!
Planet Drum Tour 06
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NO mastering AT ALL just Cd wave editor to split the tracks= presto yer done .. only mastering would be if you F*%ked up in some way... agin I M H O only ..... at least that's how my shows have came out !!
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THE PAD 20db on the 660 ACM ... when to use & when not to use ............some of that depends on yer mics & how far back from the PA you are & on the sound pressure that's being put out by the PA ... weather to use the pad or not . i do 2 presets on the 660 # one with the pad on , # two without the pad on , soo i can quickly switch between the two . IE ; during sound check or the warm up band
Ditto...I've even done between songs. Movin fast.
I'm going to tape Rythem Devils tonight in Harrisburg, PA. I will use the the -20 pad cause of the loud drumz and Kimocks high pitch guitar licks. I'll let everyone know what happends tomarro. So during accustic events I should turn the pad off? How much editing are you folks doing to the recording after you get it to you computer? Is the sound quality good enough to burn to CD? All questions will be answered within the next two shows!
Planet Drum Tour 06
Acoustic sets, pad/no pad still depends. I've run a pad at a few shows that were low volume and bumped them up with SoundForge with no issues. Running no pad has been the most inconsistent for me. The times I have run no pad I've had more issues with clipping then running pad and having low levels.
The sound quality diffentally is CD worthy...that why you bought a ACM 660. :)
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THE PAD 20db on the 660 ACM ... when to use & when not to use ............some of that depends on yer mics & how far back from the PA you are & on the sound pressure that's being put out by the PA ... weather to use the pad or not . i do 2 presets on the 660 # one with the pad on , # two without the pad on , soo i can quickly switch between the two . IE ; during sound check or the warm up band
Ditto...I've even done between songs. Movin fast.
I'm going to tape Rythem Devils tonight in Harrisburg, PA. I will use the the -20 pad cause of the loud drumz and Kimocks high pitch guitar licks. I'll let everyone know what happends tomarro. So during accustic events I should turn the pad off? How much editing are you folks doing to the recording after you get it to you computer? Is the sound quality good enough to burn to CD? All questions will be answered within the next two shows!
Planet Drum Tour 06
Acoustic sets, pad/no pad still depends. I've run a pad at a few shows that were low volume and bumped them up with SoundForge with no issues. Running no pad has been the most inconsistent for me. The times I have run no pad I've had more issues with clipping then running pad and having low levels.
The sound quality diffentally is CD worthy...that why you bought a ACM 660. :)
A Big +T for that spilt 7 burn that's what the 660 ACM is for I love that Box .. :realhappy: :realhappy: :realhappy:
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I remember reading that the levels are all screwy when the -20 dB pad is OFF. Does that mean that the -20dB spot on the meter becomes 0 dB when the pad is off?
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I remember reading that the levels are all screwy when the -20 dB pad is OFF. Does that mean that the -20dB spot on the meter becomes 0 dB when the pad is off?
I remember reading that also. I just find that with no pad I have to really watch my levels closely. If the house sound goes up it really affects the levels. When I hit over it willsometimes clip when I get home. With the pad on I can let it run and even when I think I'm clipping I listen to it and nothing. The more time I get on it the better it gets.
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I remember reading that the levels are all screwy when the -20 dB pad is OFF. Does that mean that the -20dB spot on the meter becomes 0 dB when the pad is off?
I remember reading that also. I just find that with no pad I have to really watch my levels closely. If the house sound goes up it really affects the levels. When I hit over it willsometimes clip when I get home. With the pad on I can let it run and even when I think I'm clipping I listen to it and nothing. The more time I get on it the better it gets.
Doag has said the levels on the acm mods run true with the pad on .. off yer on yer own ... remember that the preamps Doug put in are HOT unless yer doing acustic with no pa then run with the pad off ... OR if yer in the back of the hall with a shitty sound system
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i seemed to have faired better using the -10db pad on my mics and the -20db pad on the 660 than i did lastnight with just the -20db pad. the level meter lastnight would go up to approx -12db or -9db (4 green lights i think) but the recordings brickwalled abit and the wavform is almost flat when i look at it in audition.
i was wondering if that is typical for an unmodded pmd660 or did i just not adjust the levels properly?
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i seemed to have faired better using the -10db pad on my mics and the -20db pad on the 660 than i did lastnight with just the -20db pad. the level meter lastnight would go up to approx -12db or -9db (4 green lights i think) but the recordings brickwalled abit and the wavform is almost flat when i look at it in audition.
i was wondering if that is typical for an unmodded pmd660 or did i just not adjust the levels properly?
Can't comment on the unmodded. I have no idea, but if I'm not seeing orange and some red, I'm cranking that dial with no brickwalling.
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i seemed to have faired better using the -10db pad on my mics and the -20db pad on the 660 than i did lastnight with just the -20db pad. the level meter lastnight would go up to approx -12db or -9db (4 green lights i think) but the recordings brickwalled abit and the wavform is almost flat when i look at it in audition.
i was wondering if that is typical for an unmodded pmd660 or did i just not adjust the levels properly?
Can't comment on the unmodded. I have no idea, but if I'm not seeing orange and some red, I'm cranking that dial with no brickwalling.
same here !! with a ACM i like to see some orange & brief flash of red when open taping but when stealthing just some orange as i can't watch the levels constantly .... Doug has said brief red spikes will not clip it takes a full 2 seconds of full red then a clip will happen in the 660 acm
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The Planet Crum show last night tested the full range of this recorder. I'd like to say first that it is best to leave the pad on! Copied show to CDWave than saved it to hard drive after tracking. The sound is everything I could have asked for.... Reminded me of the p mod with the ua5 that Doug did. The sound is crip and clear with no cliping. The lights ran in the orange and hit red only when Micky became Thor the Thunder God. Oh maybe that was Billy....
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I have an non-oade pmd660 and recording with the -20db pad if you see orange or red on the levels you will no doubt get some clippings and brickwalling.
I taped Rose Hill Drive at CBGB and even with my levels way low and the levels always remained green the recording was distorted due to the sheer volume of the band.
With CA-9100 running even if the levels reach orange I get no clippings on the recording.
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I remember hearing about an Oade WCM (warm) mod for the 660 a couple weeks ago. I know the ACM mod is the preferred mod here but has anyone else heard about the WCM (or was it just an earlier name for the ACM mod)? I'm about to buy one and I just wanted to clarify my options..
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I remember hearing about an Oade WCM (warm) mod for the 660 a couple weeks ago. I know the ACM mod is the preferred mod here but has anyone else heard about the WCM (or was it just an earlier name for the ACM mod)? I'm about to buy one and I just wanted to clarify my options..
don't know what others think about it, but here's an example of a WCM, fwiw:
http://www.archive.org/details/breakfast2006-07-28.flac16
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I jumped on a WCM the moment Doug presented the opportunity - not having used ACM I don't have the frame of reference to compare, but I can say that I seriously love the sound of this box. Sounds better than real life! ;D
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this how i felt that this came about of the warm acm\wcm VS the acm units by watching this forum & talking to Doug >>> the acm is named for the 1st units that were modded for 660 with the full concert mod>> Doug then came out & said that the newer units with a serial # 200106xxxxxxxx were different from marantz than the 1st ones he had 1st modded & had a warmer feel/sound & hotter signal >> he called them a warm acm ,the forum started calling them wcm ; which is a acm with the higher serial #>> I think i was one of 1st to get a warm ACM as i had seen that others were not getting the higher serial #'s way after i got mine ( mine was sold as a package deal with a pair of matched ccm41lg Schoeps mics which Doug felt were the best suited match) in any case buy one !! acm is the only way to go with the PCM660 from Marantz & Doug Oade is the only person doing these mods by the way the Oade web site is saying they are closed till Doug is feeling better but he will be taking emails agin next week & i get the same message when i called his phone number .. I'm doing david grisman Q next week
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If you have a modded unit I can't figure out why anyone needs to run the pad... You guys must be going to some insanely loud shows. I run 480's which are extremely hot mics and not once have I needed the pad. Whatever you feel is necessary I guess ;D
The increased voltage allowed for the use of some different chips and hence the flavors became available.
The Breakfast Recording sounds very warm but a lot of that had to do with the band and the PA, they had that kind of sound there. I'll try to post some other things same rig so you can "hear" the difference. Now if I can just keep from working 7 days a week I'll have time to do that... >:(
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I understand what u mean some of the bands have had a great/high sound pressure coming off the the pa's . but i did a cletic fest show &' wake the dead' barely got 3 greenies & the Kottors got some what better with the pad on ... the whole time i was wishing i had the pad off till i got home put them on the h/d & listened to them on my PC altec/lansing 5.1 800$ system & they sounded great .. burn to a cd & put them on the home system w/ Klipish Cornwalls had the house shakin' ... ACM rules ... I M H O ...
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Sure some shows I asked myself pad/no pad but in general I've always used the pad. The ACM is made to run the pad as Doug has stated. The level dial is made to run close to 100% so if you're running about 30% (7 to 9 o'clock) your not getting it. I've run easily 50 shows with the ACM 660 and would say use the pad for full results. Just my $0.02.
One show where I changed from pad and no pad was Willie Nelson (not what I would call a loud show) front row and I found it was much easier to control the levels with the pad and I had some clipping without the pad.
To each his own I guess.
If you have a modded unit I can't figure out why anyone needs to run the pad... You guys must be going to some insanely loud shows. I run 480's which are extremely hot mics and not once have I needed the pad. Whatever you feel is necessary I guess ;D
The increased voltage allowed for the use of some different chips and hence the flavors became available.
The Breakfast Recording sounds very warm but a lot of that had to do with the band and the PA, they had that kind of sound there. I'll try to post some other things same rig so you can "hear" the difference. Now if I can just keep from working 7 days a week I'll have time to do that... >:(
This is what I've found!!!
I understand what u mean some of the bands have had a great/high sound pressure coming off the the pa's . but i did a cletic fest show &' wake the dead' barely got 3 greenies & the Kottors got some what better with the pad on ... the whole time i was wishing i had the pad off till i got home put them on the h/d & listened to them on my PC altec/lansing 5.1 800$ system & they sounded great .. burn to a cd & put them on the home system w/ Klipish Cornwalls had the house shakin' ... ACM rules ... I M H O ...
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OK I can understand the "easier to control" with the pad but not that you'll get clipping without it, it just means that you'll have to adjust for the recording situation appropriately. I don't see how running through another circuit or doing some type of math on the signal if it's software based is going to help the sound of the unit. In my conversations with him he seemed confused why folks needed to use it. On the stock box... yeah you're gonna need the pad.
As always.. it's your recording and your rig YMMV, do what feels right to you.
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If you have a modded unit I can't figure out why anyone needs to run the pad... You guys must be going to some insanely loud shows. I run 480's which are extremely hot mics and not once have I needed the pad. Whatever you feel is necessary I guess ;D
The increased voltage allowed for the use of some different chips and hence the flavors became available.
The Breakfast Recording sounds very warm but a lot of that had to do with the band and the PA, they had that kind of sound there. I'll try to post some other things same rig so you can "hear" the difference. Now if I can just keep from working 7 days a week I'll have time to do that... >:(
WHAT"S YOUR serial # on your amc660 ????? you might have the earlier units !! might explain the "D"
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If you have a modded unit I can't figure out why anyone needs to run the pad... You guys must be going to some insanely loud shows. I run 480's which are extremely hot mics and not once have I needed the pad. Whatever you feel is necessary I guess ;D
The increased voltage allowed for the use of some different chips and hence the flavors became available.
The Breakfast Recording sounds very warm but a lot of that had to do with the band and the PA, they had that kind of sound there. I'll try to post some other things same rig so you can "hear" the difference. Now if I can just keep from working 7 days a week I'll have time to do that... >:(
WHAT"S YOUR serial # on your amc660 ????? you might have the earlier units !! might explain the "D"
What's the D?
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the "D" that would be the difference between the newer Modded ACM units(higher serial #'s) verses the older Modded ACM units with the lower serial #'s . i ask this to try understand if there is such a marked diffrence bewteen the 2 modded units
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OK I now have four Rythem Devils show under my belt with this recorder. First and third shows tuned out sweet. The second I did not fare so well cause I forgot a 48v converter and the batteries died and I didn't get the encore during the forth. These shows were loud enough for me to check the recoder dynamics' out. Having a recorder with a serial number 2002xxxxxxxxxx and Oade moded, I can say that running with the -20 pad off isnt what this machine is for. My levels during recording were being pushed in the red over and over again and I did clip. But, I didn't want to push it to much so the recording was ruined. The "overhead" of this recorder enables for the loudest of shows to be recorded with confidence. I have produced some of my best recordings of S.Kimock hitting notes that sent DAT users checking levels. I have to push this unit to experience clipping. What ever mics your running into the unit I'm shure will effect performance. I'd say turn it up when the time is right and see what happens. You just might be supprised, as I was, when I found of what is possible. I can only speek for the Oade Mode! Sounds like the un modes are very sensitive to high preasure sound waves.
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OK I now have four Rythem Devils show under my belt with this recorder. First and third shows tuned out sweet. The second I did not fare so well cause I forgot a 48v converter and the batteries died and I didn't get the encore during the forth. These shows were loud enough for me to check the recoder dynamics' out. Having a recorder with a serial number 2002xxxxxxxxxx and Oade moded, I can say that running with the -20 pad off isnt what this machine is for. My levels during recording were being pushed in the red over and over again and I did clip. But, I didn't want to push it to much so the recording was ruined. The "overhead" of this recorder enables for the loudest of shows to be recorded with confidence. I have produced some of my best recordings of S.Kimock hitting notes that sent DAT users checking levels. I have to push this unit to experience clipping. What ever mics your running into the unit I'm shure will effect performance. I'd say turn it up when the time is right and see what happens. You just might be supprised, as I was, when I found of what is possible. I can only speek for the Oade Mode! Sounds like the un modes are very sensitive to high preasure sound waves.
you have a warm ACM !! sooo nice to be a proud Pappa huh !! the pad is yer freind !! ask doug about any thing you need, he's great with support ! it's great that this works for ya As i love my box !!! pm me about a copy & will' trade shows i've done
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so far i have found that out of the 4 shows i have taped with the 463>660 setup, the 2 shows that i used the -10db on the mics and -20db on the unit turned out way better than when i just used the -20db on the unit. all in all though, i like this recorder even more after every show.
the batteries seem to last along time in this thing too. im using 2650 duracell nimh batteries and have recorded around 5 hours of music the past 2 nights, level meter set to normal, and the battery meter still says full. the battery meter is accurate, right?
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so far i have found that out of the 4 shows i have taped with the 463>660 setup, the 2 shows that i used the -10db on the mics and -20db on the unit turned out way better than when i just used the -20db on the unit. all in all though, i like this recorder even more after every show.
the batteries seem to last along time in this thing too. im using 2650 duracell nimh batteries and have recorded around 5 hours of music the past 2 nights, level meter set to normal, and the battery meter still says full. the battery meter is accurate, right?
I've found the battery meter to be inaccurate (not sure if that is the right word). It will go from full to half to empty in what seems like minutes (~30 min.). But your correct, with fully charged 2500NiMH I've gotten about 6 to 7 hours but I run my meters at peak only to save battery life.
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so far i have found that out of the 4 shows i have taped with the 463>660 setup, the 2 shows that i used the -10db on the mics and -20db on the unit turned out way better than when i just used the -20db on the unit. all in all though, i like this recorder even more after every show.
the batteries seem to last along time in this thing too. im using 2650 duracell nimh batteries and have recorded around 5 hours of music the past 2 nights, level meter set to normal, and the battery meter still says full. the battery meter is accurate, right?
I've found the battery meter to be inaccurate (not sure if that is the right word). It will go from full to half to empty in what seems like minutes (~30 min.). But your correct, with fully charged 2500NiMH I've gotten about 6 to 7 hours but I run my meters at peak only to save battery life.
I had the 30 min. issue with enegizer e2, I changed the batt. format to alkaline and thirty minutes into the show it said I was at half power. When I use my rechargables and set the batt. to nimh I still show full power at the end of a normal 2-3 hour show.
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so far i have found that out of the 4 shows i have taped with the 463>660 setup, the 2 shows that i used the -10db on the mics and -20db on the unit turned out way better than when i just used the -20db on the unit. all in all though, i like this recorder even more after every show.
the batteries seem to last along time in this thing too. im using 2650 duracell nimh batteries and have recorded around 5 hours of music the past 2 nights, level meter set to normal, and the battery meter still says full. the battery meter is accurate, right?
I taped Blueground Undergrass at the Pour House in Charleston,SC in August. The first set I used the -20db pad and the second set I used just the -10db pad on my mics. I'll do a more thorough comparison this week and post what I heard different if anything between them. I know its not scientific and my setup probably has a good bit to do with the outcome but should be interesting none the less. If there is interest I may see about posting part of each set so others can hear it. Would be interested in hearing what other folks think.
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so far i have found that out of the 4 shows i have taped with the 463>660 setup, the 2 shows that i used the -10db on the mics and -20db on the unit turned out way better than when i just used the -20db on the unit. all in all though, i like this recorder even more after every show.
the batteries seem to last along time in this thing too. im using 2650 duracell nimh batteries and have recorded around 5 hours of music the past 2 nights, level meter set to normal, and the battery meter still says full. the battery meter is accurate, right?
I taped Blueground Undergrass at the Pour House in Charleston,SC in August. The first set I used the -20db pad and the second set I used just the -10db pad on my mics. I'll do a more thorough comparison this week and post what I heard different if anything between them. I know its not scientific and my setup probably has a good bit to do with the outcome but should be interesting none the less. If there is interest I may see about posting part of each set so others can hear it. Would be interested in hearing what other folks think.
Yo sounds good ... 8).....that's what team effort is all about . were all here with our 660's to pull sick recordings & any comments & comparisons just helps us all out
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gosh I love this little box.
I do know that I wanna run a clipping test with the pad OFF. While recording, I plan to slowly crank up my stereo in intervals, noting where each interval reads on the meter. After transferring I will listen to where distortion becomes audible and use that as my 0 dB mark.
Shouldn't this work?
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YES go for it !! BUT remember that all of us have different mics SSOOOO do a dual test one with pad / one with out have mics at the same location to yer speakers & note the levels with a track note on the deck for each test ie '; each time u turn the volume up a notch make a track note on the deck till you get brickwalling AND then do the same with the pad on & compair .. use a loud rock source ,the same for each test , even if you have to use the same track over & over agin.. do you have a acm oade mod & what serial # do u have thanx Mike
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gosh I love this little box.
I do know that I wanna run a clipping test with the pad OFF. While recording, I plan to slowly crank up my stereo in intervals, noting where each interval reads on the meter. After transferring I will listen to where distortion becomes audible and use that as my 0 dB mark.
Shouldn't this work?
Unless you have some sort of mega system at home it will be extremely difficult to re-create the SPL that you experience at a concert. The reality is that the box will begin to distort/clip when the 0dB lights start to light up whether the pad is on or not. All the above test would show is if the meters are accurate with the pad on and off. What is being argued here is what sounds "better" a much more elusive term to capture in any way shape or form. Personally I think my 480's sound "better" than many mics out there. You'll find a few folks that disagree more than a little with that statement. ;)
Does the Pad allow you to turn the knob further with the same SPL in the room? Absolutely. Does this result in a better recording? YMMV
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gosh I love this little box.
I do know that I wanna run a clipping test with the pad OFF. While recording, I plan to slowly crank up my stereo in intervals, noting where each interval reads on the meter. After transferring I will listen to where distortion becomes audible and use that as my 0 dB mark.
Shouldn't this work?
The reality is that the box will begin to distort/clip when the 0dB lights start to light up whether the pad is on or not.
I'm not sure this is correct. All most every show I run with the pad on. I'm at or around 0dB and in reality I try to get OVER to at least light up from time to time. I run peak only on the meters which it holds the highest peak for about 3 to 5 seconds so when I hit the red (OVER) it appears to be clipping. When you get it home it's sweet music. I remember Doug telling me crank that thing and don't fear the red. That is why I've been argueing for the pad to be on. Well not argueing really...advocating.
It's funny because I have some people watch my gear while I leave for a beer or a walk through the venue and when I come back they will say your levels appear too high. I've even adjusted them down a little. But they usually look at me funny when I say no they're fine.
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YES go for it !! BUT remember that all of us have different mics SSOOOO do a dual test one with pad / one with out have mics at the same location to yer speakers & note the levels with a track note on the deck for each test ie '; each time u turn the volume up a notch make a track note on the deck till you get brickwalling AND then do the same with the pad on & compair .. use a loud rock source ,the same for each test , even if you have to use the same track over & over agin.. do you have a acm oade mod & what serial # do u have thanx Mike
I have an ACM, I'll post the serial when I post my results.
I already have a good feel for my meter boundaries with the pad ON (seeing how they are accurate). Like tfs8271 said, when the pad is on I am pushing the levels and fearing no red, and I have yet to get audible distortion. But you are right, I should test it anyway.
I am really running this test because the meters are innacurate with the pad OFF (or at least that is what I've read on this board) and I would like to know how to set my levels with the pad off. I tape some classical music and even with the pad off I didn't get enough gain.
Unless you have some sort of mega system at home it will be extremely difficult to re-create the SPL that you experience at a concert. The reality is that the box will begin to distort/clip when the 0dB lights start to light up whether the pad is on or not. All the above test would show is if the meters are accurate with the pad on and off. What is being argued here is what sounds "better" a much more elusive term to capture in any way shape or form. Personally I think my 480's sound "better" than many mics out there. You'll find a few folks that disagree more than a little with that statement.
Does the Pad allow you to turn the knob further with the same SPL in the room? Absolutely. Does this result in a better recording? YMMV
As I said above, what I'm trying to find out here is, plain and simple, if the meters are accurate with the pad OFF. I know that the direction of the thread was kinda based on which sounds better (pad on or off), so sorry for getting a little off topic.
I'll probably use a pair of Fender Princetons coming out of a Boss ME-50, I am pretty sure I can reach concert levels if I put the mic right up to the cone. We'll see though.
The 480's are consistently winning my listening comparisons with other mics. And after hearing some of the 480 > ACM 660, I am pretty sure those are my next mic upgrade. :)
I guess I haven't done any direct comparisons with the pad on or off, but after running my 660 with the pad on and cranking the levels (with just a little red), I really like the results.
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gosh I love this little box.
I do know that I wanna run a clipping test with the pad OFF. While recording, I plan to slowly crank up my stereo in intervals, noting where each interval reads on the meter. After transferring I will listen to where distortion becomes audible and use that as my 0 dB mark.
Shouldn't this work?
The reality is that the box will begin to distort/clip when the 0dB lights start to light up whether the pad is on or not.
I'm not sure this is correct. All most every show I run with the pad on. I'm at or around 0dB and in reality I try to get OVER to at least light up from time to time. I run peak only on the meters which it holds the highest peak for about 3 to 5 seconds so when I hit the red (OVER) it appears to be clipping. When you get it home it's sweet music. I remember Doug telling me crank that thing and don't fear the red. That is why I've been argueing for the pad to be on. Well not argueing really...advocating.
It's funny because I have some people watch my gear while I leave for a beer or a walk through the venue and when I come back they will say your levels appear too high. I've even adjusted them down a little. But they usually look at me funny when I say no they're fine.
Does the -20 effect the headroom? Do the meters always run true? So if it shows you're at 0db you're really at 0db regardless of any pads? I've been wondering about this.
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Does the -20 effect the headroom? Do the meters always run true? So if it shows you're at 0db you're really at 0db regardless of any pads? I've been wondering about this.
All I know is that I read that the levels are not accurate with the pad OFF. I need to know if this is true or not, so I plan on testing. Details can be found above.
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Just an update on the fall tour and my recordings. The battery issues I had @ the House of Blues during the Rythem Devils show still has me stumped. I purchased some more energizer rechargables and going to try those out tomarro in Columbus, OH for Ratdog. Has anyone else had card reading problems? I had some trouble with the card being read properly it stated err card 03 or something like that. My laptop wouldnt read the card or dowload untill I reset. The manual says to resent by removing batteries and unplug. No power = reset 660... So I went out and bought a $20 external flash card read from sandisk to eliminate and USB issues with the 660. Anyhow on to the next issue.... My 2GB Sandisk flash card read it had 12 min left to record but recording stopped and it said it was full... Needless to say I didnt get the encore. Piss me off it did..... So anyone taping Ratdog make shure you have 4 GB of card space to ge through the night. It stopped at just about exactly 3 hrs of music. Just some gliches I have come accoss but the recording are very good in deed....
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Just an update on the fall tour and my recordings. The battery issues I had @ the House of Blues during the Rythem Devils show still has me stumped. I purchased some more energizer rechargables and going to try those out tomarro in Columbus, OH for Ratdog. Has anyone else had card reading problems? I had some trouble with the card being read properly it stated err card 03 or something like that. My laptop wouldnt read the card or dowload untill I reset. The manual says to resent by removing batteries and unplug. No power = reset 660... So I went out and bought a $20 external flash card read from sandisk to eliminate and USB issues with the 660. Anyhow on to the next issue.... My 2GB Sandisk flash card read it had 12 min left to record but recording stopped and it said it was full... Needless to say I didnt get the encore. Piss me off it did..... So anyone taping Ratdog make shure you have 4 GB of card space to ge through the night. It stopped at just about exactly 3 hrs of music. Just some gliches I have come accoss but the recording are very good in deed....
What kind of battery issues are you having? I have rechargable Energizers ( I think they are 2500 mah) and on a full charge they still read full at the end of a 2.5 to 3 hour show. I've never pushed it to see how long the would really last. The only cards I've used are sandisk 2 gig ultra II and have had no issues. I tried a 4gig PNY card but it didn't work.
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Just an update on the fall tour and my recordings. The battery issues I had @ the House of Blues during the Rythem Devils show still has me stumped. I purchased some more energizer rechargables and going to try those out tomarro in Columbus, OH for Ratdog. Has anyone else had card reading problems? I had some trouble with the card being read properly it stated err card 03 or something like that. My laptop wouldnt read the card or dowload untill I reset. The manual says to resent by removing batteries and unplug. No power = reset 660... So I went out and bought a $20 external flash card read from sandisk to eliminate and USB issues with the 660. Anyhow on to the next issue.... My 2GB Sandisk flash card read it had 12 min left to record but recording stopped and it said it was full... Needless to say I didnt get the encore. Piss me off it did..... So anyone taping Ratdog make shure you have 4 GB of card space to ge through the night. It stopped at just about exactly 3 hrs of music. Just some gliches I have come accoss but the recording are very good in deed....
many on this board have performed a battery sled mod that solved recording length issues. There are descriptions and pictures somewhere on this board, possibly this thread. It had to do with improper contacts, the fix is rather simple.
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I was using energizer 1850mAb and I think they didnt charge all the way. I have bought new energizer 2500mAb and will see if they last the three plus hr shows. Last night when I turned the unit on after the first set I received an error message. I received this message once before when I first got the 660 and put in uncharged batteries. The one glich that bothered me the most is not being able to download USB to my lap top. The 2GB flash card was completely full and I kept getting an error message even with the AC pluged in. The first set downloaded fine last night when I first got to the hotel. In morning when I tried to download the 2nd track(set) I received the error message again. So, I reset the 660 and then no problems. I'm going to us two 2GB cards and switch them out beteen sets. Can't understand why it told me I had 12min left and then stop because of a full card.
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Wish I could help but I haven't received this happening but I run a 4 GB and haven't come close to filling it. Just bought at 2gb and will test it when I get it in the mail. I have filled a 1GB card and it ran all the way through the full card (1 hr. and something).
As far as the USB. Are you plugging the power cord in then the usb from 660>laptop then hit the power switch on the 660 as your pressing down the USB button? Just wondered if this might cause an error.
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OK I just read the thread that was sugested ...My batteries fit real tight ... I followed the manual instructions on how to download and had no problems untill last night.. I'm going to pay attention to more detail and see what happens tomarro. With new batteries I think it will be ok.
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i use the energizer high energy 2500 mAh's & the new recharger they came out with the model # CHCAR1 (got it at BESTBUY) it's a dual use charger that has a regular wall transformer & a ciggerete plug in for use in a car lighter plugin... will charge both ways .. i charge just before the show & just after & get 5 hours out of them the energizer 2500 mAh's fit real tight in the box had a set of sony's that didn't fit that tight & had problems & the sony charger took 8 hours to charge a set .. the energizer charger takes way way less time & turns it's self off when the batts are fully charged .. get a card reader to down load the files to yer computer the usb port takes to long & i was getting pops/crackel when i used it Mike
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^^ I also have the energizer 2500 mAh batts and new charger, works great so far. never had that pop/crackle problem though w/ USB.
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...never had that pop/crackle problem though w/ USB.
I bought a Sandisk reader when I bought my 4 gig Sandisk CF card because the reader was less than 15 bucks. I figured at that price I would just go ahead and get the card reader and only have to pay shipping on one box.
The card reader is still in the box. I've never been able to reproduce any crackling from the built in USB.
Maybe the built in USB is sketchy and some units have problems and others don't?
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the card readers are just better to use anyway as in they d'l faster . delete files faster ,easy to find the files that need deleting without deleting ones that u want by mistake , no need to keep pluging in the a/c OR burn batt's . anytime that u don't have to use the small plugs on yer deck the longer they last & less wear & tear on the deck Now this is all I M H O only 8) mike
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As I stated before. Portable card reader/writer on the drive home d/l and it makes for a quick transfer.
I have a mini jack>cassette for listening on the drive home but I'm thinking of getting a new stereo for the car and was wondering if the new car stereos that have the mini inputs for mp3 palyers will work with a mini>mini from the 660.
I guess I should just take the 660 into the store.
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My old Dell laptop does not support the hi speed USB, but it's a good reliable machine. When I replace my laptop with something from the 21st century I'll start using the card reader. ;)
In the mean time the built in USB on my Marantz works fine.
As far as the whole CF brand issue:
I did base noise level comparisons by recording with pad off, no input to the XLR, gain wide open.
Sandisk 4GB Type 1 has a baseline noise level that is identical to the 256MB Lexar CF that came with the unit, and I have had no issues with using the Sandisk 4GB CF card.
EDIT - I have now seen some Card Errors with the Sandisk 4GB CF and am switching to Lexar 2GB CF.
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I listened to some of the blueground undergrass show I taped (1st set -20db, 2nd set -10db). The levels for the -10db were -6db with a few hits in the red and the 1st set with the -20db pad running the levels hardly got over -20db. I'll have to listen again but the -20db recorded at a lower level actually sounds a little better than running -10db in the orange all night. I'm going to try and figure out a way to get this out so other PMD660 users can have a listen. I'm interested in what others think, I may just be going crazy.
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My phantom power is not working now. Maybe this unit was screwed somehow... Its going back to Doug and fortunatly its within the 30 day warrenty. Any one know how he's (Doug Oade) doing? I have to send this unit back but the shop is closed. Being on Ratdog Tour for the next two and half weeks sucks without a recording devise... O well there always next tour....that road goes on forever
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Doug is doing better and will be back at the bench on the 7th i believe.
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Well I tried the Pad last night at Derek Trucks... Just wasn't enough ooomph to give me the kind of levels I wanted.
I've also come to the distinct conclusion that the Battery indicator is absolutely useless in the NiMH mode. From absolutely full to dead within one song... that's just no type of warning for the hot swap. Changing more often is going to be the key.
Also got an initial card error that caused me to miss the first tune. After pulling the batteries twice because of the lockup two formats got me rolling again.
I guess everything has it's idiosyncrasies.
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As far as the batteries. What kind of chargers are people using for the NiMH? I ask this because the only times I have had problems with batteries (after learning about the contacts) failing was with a group of that had one low charged battery.
I use a LaCrosse charger and it can tell you how much charge you get on each battery. The last two times I had the 660 shut down was when I had one battery that only charged about 1200 mAh and I figured it is only one battery if should matter.....wrong. >:(
http://www.thomas-distributing.com/la_crosse_bc-900_battery_charger.php
After each use I set the charger to discharge the whole battery and then recharge it...usually achiving 2.5 Ah each. I just bought 16 Energizers on Ebay and with that I set the charger to Refresh Mode (- discharges and recharges up to 20 cycles or until rechargeable battery is refreshed to full capacity. User Selectable. ) and it will take about a week to get them into shape. I did run the discharge mode with the brand new batteries and it said it only charged each battery to 1.2 to 1.4 Ah each and still said they were full, so I put them in the Refresh mode and now they say full and all four are about 2.5 Ah each. In addition I always set my charge time to the lowest setting of 200mA/h and get good results.
Yes, don't trust the battery indicator on the 660....just have freshly charge batteries and you should be good.
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As far as the batteries. What kind of chargers are people using for the NiMH? I ask this because the only times I have had problems with batteries (after learning about the contacts) failing was with a group of that had one low charged battery.
I use a LaCrosse charger and it can tell you how much charge you get on each battery. The last two times I had the 660 shut down was when I had one battery that only charged about 1200 mAh and I figured it is only one battery if should matter.....wrong. >:(
http://www.thomas-distributing.com/la_crosse_bc-900_battery_charger.php
After each use I set the charger to discharge the whole battery and then recharge it...usually achiving 2.5 Ah each. I just bought 16 Energizers on Ebay and with that I set the charger to Refresh Mode (- discharges and recharges up to 20 cycles or until rechargeable battery is refreshed to full capacity. User Selectable. ) and it will take about a week to get them into shape. I did run the discharge mode with the brand new batteries and it said it only charged each battery to 1.2 to 1.4 Ah each and still said they were full, so I put them in the Refresh mode and now they say full and all four are about 2.5 Ah each. In addition I always set my charge time to the lowest setting of 200mA/h and get good results.
Yes, don't trust the battery indicator on the 660....just have freshly charge batteries and you should be good.
I have the 90 min. charger that Oade sells. Only discharged my batteries once we I bought them other than that I charge them after every use. I have two sets so I swap out at the set break of the band is playing two sets. It's probably not necessary but heck I got em so I might as well use them. The biggest problem I've had is with alkaline. I used some energize e2's and the indicator went down to half after just 30 minutes. I have never gotten any consitency out of alkaline.
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I fully charge my energizers 2500 aHm just after a show & then fully recharge them agin just before i leave for a show .. have 3 sets that i do this with & all sets come to the shows .. with a brand new set of alky's as the last chance backup .. that has stopped all my batt problems ... i use the new Energizer charger that is home & car usable
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I had another set go down on me last night. I'm re-thinking the shim thing. Is that what you folks are doing to get longer times? Just wedge a buisness card in there somehow? I should be able to get three hours out of a set even with the meters on. The Sandisk has now suddenly decided to give me Card Errors as well. WTF? Everything was on cruise for a while now I feel like I'm back to using an M1 with an iffy transport. >:( :'( :lol:
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what batteries are u using??
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what batteries are u using??
I'm using 2500maH Powerex Batteries and one of thier chargers. Now I did use the fast charge last instead of the slow charge so that may have something to do with it. I've got to really get to the bottom of this CF card thing. I actually tried to start the show using "peak only" but I kept getting the card error, when I reset everything I was back to regular meters.
I'm going to see if a scandisc pulls up anything on the card.
I'll probably get the New Lacrosse when it comes out later this month.
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switch to the energizers they fit really really tight in the 660 .. i had a set of sony batt's that doug sent me & they fit very loose & would fail after 2 hours soo all batts are not made the same.. as for the card do a reformat on your pc with a reader , i have only used a reader & delete files with the pc never have used the 660 for any of that as i find it's quick & easy for me on the pc instead .. on the road i use my laptop for the same & use the laptop ahrd drive for a bit bucket & delete the cards .. then i'm ready for the next nites show
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I've got to really get to the bottom of this CF card thing. I actually tried to start the show using "peak only" but I kept getting the card error, when I reset everything I was back to regular meters.
I'm going to see if a scandisc pulls up anything on the card.
Have you reformatted your card lately instead of just erasing tracks?
Shims are easy, just a tiny section of business card about the size of a small hit of acid does the trick. I also tweek my contacts every few times I use the recorder.
+T for the troubles.
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Well after having problems with this unit I'm shipping it back tomarro. I too had the card err problem! I think it has to do with the batteries. My expereience with the 660 and down loading the files tell me that a card reader is the best. Just like it was said above "less wear and tear on the unit." Maybe just maybe I can get the unit back befor tour ends please please please Mr. Oade
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i'm happy to say that i'll be re-joining team 660 wednesday(thanks Doug!!!). it's been a tough couple of months since my first 660 was stolen but i'll be back in action soon ;D. if it arrives wednesday, i'll be taking it on it's virgin run that night for RAQ. if not, Mule this saturday will be the first run. glad to be back 8).
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I have had Card Errors with only Sandisc, both 2g and 4g cards. Sandisc has replaced the cards (6 cards) twice now and they still give me the Card Err warning. I have been staying away from Sandisc becauce of the Card Err and because of lost shows where the card looked to be working fine but was not. I'm using Lexar 2g 133x, Kingston Elite 2g 80x, PNY 2g and Ridata 2g 80x without any issues at all.
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I have had Card Errors with only Sandisc, both 2g and 4g cards. Sandisc has replaced the cards (6 cards) twice now and they still give me the Card Err warning. I have been staying away from Sandisc becauce of the Card Err and because of lost shows where the card looked to be working fine but was not. I'm using Lexar 2g 133x, Kingston Elite 2g 80x, PNY 2g and Ridata 2g 80x without any issues at all.
So is this stuff contagious or something? I ran my Sandisk 4 gig card both nights at the Mule this weekend with no problems. Now all of a sudden I am seeing card errors. Sometimes everything loads up fine. Other times it errors out.
WTF?
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I got a 1GB Sandisk and have no problems. Although I haven't used it but about 4 times. Everything else is on a 4GB Kingston which has never given me problems. I got a 2GB Kingston coming soon.
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I think it is a Sandisk issue, sometimes the work, sometimes they don't...
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I just ordered 2 Lexar Platinum II 2 gig 80x cards. Hope they work - I need to get something other than the Sandisk before Ratdog on Monday, and it was what B&H had in stock that is a Marantz recommended brand. Keeping my fingers crossed.
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is there any way to save a recording on my flash card when the 660 is saying that it cant be copied because it is corrupt and unreadable? the file plays back on the 660 fine...this sucks.
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Now explain how everyone who is having card problems ... DO you delete the whole card at once or do you just delete the files that are in the folder that says MPGLANG1(as those are the wav files that you recorded ).. the other 2 folders that say PMD660.CPY folder and the one that says PMD660.EDL folder................. I DO NOT delete any of the folders or even open the other 2 ,i just delete the seperate wav files in the MPGLANG1 folder & never touch the other folders on the card ... Mike
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I've never had a card error.
I use a 1GB Sandisk, 4GB Kingston...just purchased a 2GB Kingston.
I delete tracks and occassionally reformat only using the 660. I have a 20GB photo card reader harddrive but it only reads, so you can't erase the files on the card. No computer card reader here.
Sorry, I can't help as I've never had this problem....now if your having battery issues.
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I reformat the card in the PMD660 before each use.
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I delete the tracks through the menu of the pmd660. I have 2 2gig sandisc ultra II cards that have been working perfeclty since March of this year. Although after reading these responses I'm hoping that doesn't change when I tape this weekend!
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Lexar Platinum II 2 gig 80x
Cards arrived today.
Noise level checked out fine.
Sound checks in the living room look good.
Runs fine on battery power.
Boot up is where I was seeing the occasional card error with the Sandisk Blue 4 gig card. Put the unit through about 30-40 on off cycles with the Lexar and no errors so far.
Looking good on all the preliminary tests.
Will report from the field after Ratdog on Monday.
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get a card reader & do on the computer ..don't use the deck .. is all i can say no probelo working with the cards on the pc Or mac .. just stay away from the the preset files on the card & only delete the wav files & never delete a folder Stones & van killer pull PM me
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I typically delete files when the card is in the card reader on my computer. Occasionally I "reformat" in the 660. Very rarely I delete tracks through the 660 menu. I've never had a card or file related problem. I have 512MB and 1GB SanDisc cards, regular and Ultra.
I have my doubts that the 660 "reformat" truly rebuilds the filesystem or just deletes everything. At one time I put a card with a linux filesystem (ext2 probably, maybe ext3) in the 660, and it would not reformat the card.
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I tend to doubt that most formats actually "zero" the entire card. I feel pretty certain the PMD660 does not because I really doubt it could do a complete "zero" in the time it takes to format the card.
But I don't really see why that would matter.
I am a lot more inclined to think that what people are seeing is differences between controllers.
If that is true then it becomes very hard to generalize what "works" and what does not. A Sandisk 1 gig card and a Sandisk 4 gig card are almost certain to have different controllers.
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Good enough for Lisa G ;D
(http://www.howardstern.com/dtcms/tsimg/11_76943.jpg)
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If this has already been posted I'm sorry for the repeat. I was shopping Doug's site and bumped into this addition. I read this thread pretty often and know quite a few of you bought stock machines from someone else before you discovered Doug Oade's mods.
From Doug's 660 page:
We are now offering our Basic MOD for any machine. This cost 125.00 for each machine with a serial number starting with 200206 (these are the latest rev of 660s) and 100.00 for older, 3 volt rail machines (sold prior to July/August of 2006) plus 25.00 for return shipping and insurance via FedEx ground. Quantity discounts are available. You must obtain an RMA to send in a machine for this service. Our 90 day limited warranty applies only to the parts we install, not for the entire machine. Please understand our MOD voids the warranty from Marantz so we prefer to upgrade machines that are out of warranty.
Please e-mail the Doug Oade. to obtain an RMA number. Turn around time is approximately 10 business days plus shipping time.
All other 660 MODS are available only on machines we sell, sorry but no exceptions
Once again, sorry if this is a repeat. This thread has gotten a little long to look for things. You type "Oade mod" into search and you can read a looong time.
Jeff
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I'm using the red & blue san disk 4 GB and it has the little toggle switch for 2gb or 4 gb. I suppose this was for backward compatibility. anyways... i had problems with my 1st card just about anytime i went above 2gb of record time. I sent the card back for a replacement about a year ago and the new card has work good ever since.
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I'm using the red & blue san disk 4 GB and it has the little toggle switch for 2gb or 4 gb. I suppose this was for backward compatibility. anyways... i had problems with my 1st card just about anytime i went above 2gb of record time. I sent the card back for a replacement about a year ago and the new card has work good ever since.
That's interesting, first time I noticed the toggle! Looks like you can break it down into 2 separate 2GB parts. Interesting.
Those that are returning cards to Sandisk... What's the procedure?
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That's interesting, first time I noticed the toggle! Looks like you can break it down into 2 separate 2GB parts. Interesting.
That's exactly what it does. I believe it's for backward compatibility for devices that don't support greater than 2 GB
Those that are returning cards to Sandisk... What's the procedure?
To replace it with another, you have to get a return number. Call their customer service, they were very (surprisingly) helpful.
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Not only is this moded unit everything you need in a feild recorder but it has outstanding customer support from Oade Brothers. Anyone looking to get into recording shows this is your best bet. Whats my 2 cents worth?
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Hello all,I'm new to this site and new to field recording.I got turned on to this great site from a thread I started on Wilco's forum site.Anodyne33 sent me to the dark side,thanks again buddy.I've been here every day for about three weeks now trying to get as much info as I could before posting,newbie questions can be anoying I'm sure!So I'm pretty damn sure the 660 is the direction I wan't to go in,depending the answers I get.First of all I wan't an oade mod,which one,I'm not sure.My question is which mod should I go with to avoid purchasing a pre amp?I'm going with an open rig but still wan't to keep things rather simple and light weight.Is this a good choice for a newbie?
Thanks yal,Ryan
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Hello all,I'm new to this site and new to field recording.I got turned on to this great site from a thread I started on Wilco's forum site.Anodyne33 sent me to the dark side,thanks again buddy.I've been here every day for about three weeks now trying to get as much info as I could before posting,newbie questions can be anoying I'm sure!So I'm pretty damn sure the 660 is the direction I wan't to go in,depending the answers I get.First of all I wan't an oade mod,which one,I'm not sure.My question is which mod should I go with to avoid purchasing a pre amp?I'm going with an open rig but still wan't to keep things rather simple and light weight.Is this a good choice for a newbie?
Thanks yal,Ryan
if you are taping loud music, the Advanced Concert Mod is worth every penny.
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Does the advanced mod still need a mic pre infront of it ,or can it handle on it's own?
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Does the advanced mod still need a mic pre infront of it ,or can it handle on it's own?
It's an all-in-one unit... great sounding pres in that box... I couldn't recommend it more.
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Hey berg,not to be nosey but I think I saw your yard sale deal,which was a steal,but why did you sell yours?
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Hey berg,not to be nosey but I think I saw your yard sale deal,which was a steal,but why did you sell yours?
I wanted a macbook since I don't tape that often. Figured I could still afford a decent rig and have the macbook as well so I downgraded a little bit. I love the acm 660 though, and if I get a windfall in the future, I will probably get back into the game, maybe with an acm 671 or something -- or optimod v3... who knows. In any case, you can't go wrong with the acm 660. I made nothing but great recordings with it.
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.... Lexar + WCM660 = :headphones:
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about to purchase some batteries for my 660...
I was thinking about picking up Energizers and just wanted to ask if anyone had any trouble with this brand? I know the 660 can be a bit fickle about the battery contacts...
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about to purchase some batteries for my 660...
I was thinking about picking up Energizers and just wanted to ask if anyone had any trouble with this brand? I know the 660 can be a bit fickle about the battery contacts...
i use energizer e2 lithiums. never had an issue with them.
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about to purchase some batteries for my 660...
I was thinking about picking up Energizers and just wanted to ask if anyone had any trouble with this brand? I know the 660 can be a bit fickle about the battery contacts...
The new 660's don't have any battery contact issue problems. Mine didn't have any problem at all.
I used energizer e2 lithium and Powerex 2500mah NiMH rechargeables in it with good success.
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I had some battery issues until I carved the plastic back where it had been preventing the positive battery end from touching the metal contact on the 660. Since then energizers and powerex's have both been fine.
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Thanks guys
I might get a 4 energizer e2 lithiums as a backup set of batteries...How long do they last in a 660?
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OK, so is anyone having issues with batteries that are not freshly recharged? The third time I've used batteries that have been charged to ~2700mAh each about two to four weeks before using and the 660 lost power before the 3.5 hour mark.
I'm sure it is not the 660 but the power supply.
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a fresh set of lithium e2s will run a 660 for a freakin' long time. longer than you'll need outside of a festival.
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OK, so is anyone having issues with batteries that are not freshly recharged? The third time I've used batteries that have been charged to ~2700mAh each about two to four weeks before using and the 660 lost power before the 3.5 hour mark.
I'm sure it is not the 660 but the power supply.
I have had this problem as well, but well before 3.5 hour mark. The shitty part too was that when it died, I lost the recording. This is the only time I had lost power, and it could have been a one time event in terms of losing the recording. But I always re-charge the night before the show now.
a fresh set of lithium e2s will run a 660 for a freakin' long time. longer than you'll need outside of a festival.
Agreed....I started out running these before I got my rechargables, and I remember adding up the sets and I think it came out to around 8-10 hours but I am not sure. Since having the power issue above, I like to rely on the e2's for shows that I can't live without.
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.... Lexar + WCM660 = :headphones:
what is the speed of the card? i noticed some noise when i used an 80X 1gb lexar a few weeks ago.
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OK, so is anyone having issues with batteries that are not freshly recharged? The third time I've used batteries that have been charged to ~2700mAh each about two to four weeks before using and the 660 lost power before the 3.5 hour mark.
I'm sure it is not the 660 but the power supply.
That sounds like what was happening with me - eventually realized I was only running on two batteries.
When I carved the plastic back on the 660 to allow the positive battery end to actually touch the 660's contact, been fine since.
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OK, so is anyone having issues with batteries that are not freshly recharged? The third time I've used batteries that have been charged to ~2700mAh each about two to four weeks before using and the 660 lost power before the 3.5 hour mark.
I'm sure it is not the 660 but the power supply.
That sounds like what was happening with me - eventually realized I was only running on two batteries.
When I carved the plastic back on the 660 to allow the positive battery end to actually touch the 660's contact, been fine since.
Do you have pics of this?
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.... Lexar + WCM660 = :headphones:
what is the speed of the card? i noticed some noise when i used an 80X 1gb lexar a few weeks ago.
I am running Lexar 2GB 80X Platinum II cards and have not had any noise problems so far.
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OK, so is anyone having issues with batteries that are not freshly recharged? The third time I've used batteries that have been charged to ~2700mAh each about two to four weeks before using and the 660 lost power before the 3.5 hour mark.
I'm sure it is not the 660 but the power supply.
That sounds like what was happening with me - eventually realized I was only running on two batteries.
When I carved the plastic back on the 660 to allow the positive battery end to actually touch the 660's contact, been fine since.
Do you have pics of this?
I've shimmed but I haven't carved yet. Looks like might the next thing I do. I have put the set of batteries on the charger but I will look to discharge them first and then charge to see if two of them are full and the other pair is dead.
There are picture somewhere on this, so I will try to find the link.
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=55029.msg735407#msg735407
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That sounds like what was happening with me - eventually realized I was only running on two batteries.
When I carved the plastic back on the 660 to allow the positive battery end to actually touch the 660's contact, been fine since.
Do you have pics of this?
I don't have a pic, but here's kind of what I mean:
660 body
------- ++ -------------------------------
| |
------
| |
--------------
| |
| |
Battery compartment
The positive end of the battery (with the little nub sticking out) has to go between those two little thingies sticking out into the 660's battery compartment. I found that those little plastic thingies were barely preventing the battery's little nub from touching the 660's metal positive battery contact (shown with ++ ). In my case it made the 660 run on only two batteries - which meant I barely got the whole show on a full charge.... Since I whittled the plastic back a bit everything's been fine :)
Clear as mud? ::)
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Aaaaahhhh....ASCII CAD....voted best drawing tool of 1994!
Flintstone
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^^ Nice. +T for the help. I am fairly sure I need to do that paper shim trick, a few times I put batts in and only got half meters, I thought it was the battery charging issue but it is most likely this. ts.com is the best. :)
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Disregard my above posts about my batteries going dead...I'm sure I'm just an idiot.
Used a set of charged batteries at Gregg Allman (90 min show). Then the next night I was thinking of going to Primus (never did) so I pulled those and saved them for back up while putting a fresh set in. Forgot all that last night and pulled the fresh batteries out (thinking they had been used for Gregg Allman) and replaced them with the actual batteries from the Gregg Allman show. :iamwithstupid: :banging head:
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.... Lexar + WCM660 = :headphones:
what is the speed of the card? i noticed some noise when i used an 80X 1gb lexar a few weeks ago.
(http://images.tigerdirect.com/SKUimages/medium/L61-3538.jpg)
133x I'll listen again on Cans but didn't hear any noise through the monitors.
I had been having card errors with SanDisk. I went through about 30 format, 30 power on, and 30 record cycles with no problems and the first recordings were a relief after the last two events.
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fwiw folks, as this is a 16bit recorder there is absolutely no need to buy a "performance" card like this 133x.
a plain ol POS 40x or slower will do the trick just fine.
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I'm just as happy as good O Saint Nick this time of year with my ACM 660
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ditto. im extremely happy with this recorder. though im to keep watching this fostex fr-2le. as for cf card, on my 660 ive only used a 2gb ridata 80x, 1gb lexar 80x, and a 4gb kingston 45x. so far, i think, the best results have been with the kingston card.
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fwiw folks, as this is a 16bit recorder there is absolutely no need to buy a "performance" card like this 133x.
a plain ol POS 40x or slower will do the trick just fine.
Understood. The reason I went with it... Marantz wants you to use lexar, it's thier stock tech support answer. I wanted to have that base covered and I wanted a card that would be reliable in the machine. Searching for a 4GB Lexar card from a retailer... guess which ones are available. Only High speed. Of those the 133x was the best price I could find in 4GB Size. I know that there is no increased performance, companies just don't seem to be making slower cards due to trends in the technology in general. The only single speed cards I found were PNY, Crucial, SanDisk and some knock offs. PNY was on the list but after speaking with the folks that supposedly know the technology I wanted the most compatible with the machine.
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fwiw folks, as this is a 16bit recorder there is absolutely no need to buy a "performance" card like this 133x.
a plain ol POS 40x or slower will do the trick just fine.
Understood. The reason I went with it... Marantz wants you to use lexar, it's thier stock tech support answer. I wanted to have that base covered and I wanted a card that would be reliable in the machine. Searching for a 4GB Lexar card from a retailer... guess which ones are available. Only High speed. Of those the 133x was the best price I could find in 4GB Size. I know that there is no increased performance, companies just don't seem to be making slower cards due to trends in the technology in general. The only single speed cards I found were PNY, Crucial, SanDisk and some knock offs. PNY was on the list but after speaking with the folks that supposedly know the technology I wanted the most compatible with the machine.
good point, Marantz service is really good, but if you have an issue with memory compatibility, then it really does cut through a lot of nonsense to be using one of the Marantz recommended cards.
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that'll work.
also, the card will be around for other recorders and higher resolution.
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that'll work.
also, the card will be around for other recorders and higher resolution.
the reason i mention this is that i had issues with Sandisk 4 GB card. it's not one of the Marantz recommended cards. I was back and forth with both Marantz and Sandisk tech support and in the end, it was an issue with the Sandisk card. Sandisk was more than willing to provide a replacement, but it took some effort talking to one, then tech support areas other over this. Individually, they were both great, but having to play go-between wasn't without frustration.
BTW, the replacement Sandisk has been flawless (knock on wood) for about a year now.
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I used sandisk cards w/my 660 w/o issue. only card that puked on me was a transend, I believe. something...I guess I dont recall. actualy, I think it was some no name POS.
never be afraid to buy the best, you're seldom disappointed...someone once said to me. I'm still cheap
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if i run line-in via the xlrs, as opposed to mic-in, am i "bypassing" the ACMod? i tried Doug yesterday but haven't heard back yet so i thought i'd tap the knowledge base here. what i'm really getting at is this...if i run an NBox+ in front of the ACM660 will i be "messing" with the ACM sound. thanks for any input!!
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if i run line-in via the xlrs, as opposed to mic-in, am i "bypassing" the ACMod? i tried Doug yesterday but haven't heard back yet so i thought i'd tap the knowledge base here. what i'm really getting at is this...if i run an NBox+ in front of the ACM660 will i be "messing" with the ACM sound. thanks for any input!!
The XLR's are technically the mic inputs. The gain stage is set so that you can run into that input with up to a +4dB signal which is the line out level of most boards. The line in is actually disabled on the ACM to my knowledge.
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if i run line-in via the xlrs, as opposed to mic-in, am i "bypassing" the ACMod? i tried Doug yesterday but haven't heard back yet so i thought i'd tap the knowledge base here. what i'm really getting at is this...if i run an NBox+ in front of the ACM660 will i be "messing" with the ACM sound. thanks for any input!!
The XLR's are technically the mic inputs. The gain stage is set so that you can run into that input with up to a +4dB signal which is the line out level of most boards. The line in is actually disabled on the ACM to my knowledge.
thanks Jammin'!! +T
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Has anyone used the line out for patching? I'm wondering what kind of results one could get!
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Has anyone used the line out for patching? I'm wondering what kind of results one could get!
the line out is disabled on the acm660 but you may be able to patch out of the headphone jack.
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Has anyone used the line out for patching? I'm wondering what kind of results one could get!
the line out is disabled on the acm660 but you may be able to patch out of the headphone jack.
Wait, I think you're talking line in is disabled. I've had people patch to my line out but I haven't heard their recordings. They do get levels. I know you have to have line out selected on your preset menu.
I actually recorded a show not to long ago where I had the speaker selected for output and I started hearing a noise and found that it was the speaker that was playing the recording.
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Has anyone used the line out for patching? I'm wondering what kind of results one could get!
the line out is disabled on the acm660 but you may be able to patch out of the headphone jack.
Wait, I think you're talking line in is disabled. I've had people patch to my line out but I haven't heard their recordings. They do get levels. I know you have to have line out selected on your preset menu.
I actually recorded a show not to long ago where I had the speaker selected for output and I started hearing a noise and found that it was the speaker that was playing the recording.
you're right, my bad, line in is disabled. +T for correct info
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I have one Kington 4GB CF card for my 660 but it looks like I'm going to have to buy another one sooner that I thought. I'm a Canadian living in Korea so my options are a bit more limited than most..I would prefer to get Kingston cards because after reading through all the 660 threads they seem to be the most problem-free.
Unfortunately, I don't think Kingston sells cards in Korea. But I would be able to get (2) 2GB Sandisk cards here for a relatively good price. I just remember a couple weeks or months ago, it seemed that more and more people were having some trouble with their Sandisk cards..So I'm just wondering, is it the consensus of most of the people in this thread that Sandisk cards are okay to use in a 660?
Thanks,
Adam
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I have one Kington 4GB CF card for my 660 but it looks like I'm going to have to buy another one sooner that I thought. I'm a Canadian living in Korea so my options are a bit more limited than most..I would prefer to get Kingston cards because after reading through all the 660 threads they seem to be the most problem-free.
Unfortunately, I don't think Kingston sells cards in Korea. But I would be able to get (2) 2GB Sandisk cards here for a relatively good price. I just remember a couple weeks or months ago, it seemed that more and more people were having some trouble with their Sandisk cards..So I'm just wondering, is it the consensus of most of the people in this thread that Sandisk cards are okay to use in a 660?
Thanks,
Adam
Buy a portable card reader with hard drive instead?
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I have one Kington 4GB CF card for my 660 but it looks like I'm going to have to buy another one sooner that I thought. I'm a Canadian living in Korea so my options are a bit more limited than most..I would prefer to get Kingston cards because after reading through all the 660 threads they seem to be the most problem-free.
Unfortunately, I don't think Kingston sells cards in Korea. But I would be able to get (2) 2GB Sandisk cards here for a relatively good price. I just remember a couple weeks or months ago, it seemed that more and more people were having some trouble with their Sandisk cards..So I'm just wondering, is it the consensus of most of the people in this thread that Sandisk cards are okay to use in a 660?
Thanks,
Adam
Buy a portable card reader with hard drive instead?
i second that!
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I recently switched from one 4 GB Sandisk card to two 2GB Lexar Platinum II 80X cards and I am a lot more confident in the Lexars than I was in the Sandisk.
The Sandisk never let me down in the field but I saw a lotta card errors when I would power up.
Can you get Lexar there?
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did the van morrison @ the SF grand & my 660 was bad from the start of the show had wild level differences r to l .. stopped the deck twice checked every thing started agin and still had a low drop on the right side .. adjusted the r to l level manully till they looked as if they were the same (at the end of the show they were a 1/4 turn difference ).. it was a Killer show one of those rare moments ... the Man Van was way on .. got home checked the card pull on the PC all i got was static / some audio for the 1st 34 minutes then all is fine the rest of the show '' i think'' , couldn't T/S much as i was flyin to VeGas in 6 hours .. get to VeGas check in to the room ,looking at 5 hours till the next show .. soo i do a full T /S of everything as best i can do in a hotel room .. power up the deck hook the schoeps up side by side do the blow on the mic's thing ..right side low on levels ... do that with the tv on fully .. same thing right Right low .. adjust the r/l levels soo they look the same .. listen to the play back (had forgot to pack the head phones ) on the deck speaker .. hear a ticking /slight static .. think lets try another card than the one used the nite before .. do the T/ S all over agin . this time the static/ ticking is gone but still have a difference on the L / R right still low but seems slight.I adjust to bring them together .. Not feeling very sure about tonites show but do the pull anyway Another Killer Van show.. 2 in a row WoW ! ..listen to the pull after the show on the deck's speaker all seems fine .. but knowing i only have 1 card with Van on it I now have to pass on the Prince NYE show (wasn't gonna take a taxi to the bestbuy to get one )as the tkts were 300$ to Prince & there was a dought about the deck anyway ... get home after the weekend check the VeGas Van pull slight differences on the right to left fix with software the pull is Sick it's soo good ... BUT one fuck*p got one loud pop/crackle for a second on the right side agin ... but that's was all ! the pull is stellar but that brief pop ... Soo here i am thinking WTF is up Deck,Mic's,actives .. Called Doug . He says send him everything & i do right down to both cards .. FedEx the next day .. he emails this morning saying it's the deck but no details ,says he'll fix by the end of the day & wants to burn it in for a few days to make sure using my mic's ... will advise you'll what's up when i know more ... the SF Grand show was static fully on right side for 34 minutes then DEAD !! & a great sound on the left ... am soo lucky it worked the next night ...........
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did the van morrison @ the SF grand & my 660 was bad from the start of the show had wild level differences r to l .. stopped the deck twice checked every thing started agin and still had a low drop on the right side .. adjusted the r to l level manully till they looked as if they were the same (at the end of the show they were a 1/4 turn difference ).. it was a Killer show one of those rare moments ... the Man Van was way on .. got home checked the card pull on the PC all i got was static / some audio for the 1st 34 minutes then all is fine the rest of the show '' i think'' , couldn't T/S much as i was flyin to VeGas in 6 hours .. get to VeGas check in to the room ,looking at 5 hours till the next show .. soo i do a full T /S of everything as best i can do in a hotel room .. power up the deck hook the schoeps up side by side do the blow on the mic's thing ..right side low on levels ... do that with the tv on fully .. same thing right Right low .. adjust the r/l levels soo they look the same .. listen to the play back (had forgot to pack the head phones ) on the deck speaker .. hear a ticking /slight static .. think lets try another card than the one used the nite before .. do the T/ S all over agin . this time the static/ ticking is gone but still have a difference on the L / R right still low but seems slight.I adjust to bring them together .. Not feeling very sure about tonites show but do the pull anyway Another Killer Van show.. 2 in a row WoW ! ..listen to the pull after the show on the deck's speaker all seems fine .. but knowing i only have 1 card with Van on it I now have to pass on the Prince NYE show (wasn't gonna take a taxi to the bestbuy to get one )as the tkts were 300$ to Prince & there was a dought about the deck anyway ... get home after the weekend check the VeGas Van pull slight differences on the right to left fix with software the pull is Sick it's soo good ... BUT one fuck*p got one loud pop/crackle for a second on the right side agin ... but that's was all ! the pull is stellar but that brief pop ... Soo here i am thinking WTF is up Deck,Mic's,actives .. Called Doug . He says send him everything & i do right down to both cards .. FedEx the next day .. he emails this morning saying it's the deck but no details ,says he'll fix by the end of the day & wants to burn it in for a few days to make sure using my mic's ... will advise you'll what's up when i know more ... the SF Grand show was static fully on right side for 34 minutes then DEAD !! & a great sound on the left ... am soo lucky it worked the next night ...........
OUCH sorry to hear about this. Would have loved to hear the Price show as well.
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I FINALLY got around to performing a meters test on my ACM 660. This was in response to the claim that the meters on the 660 were innacurate, especially with the pad off.
-I looped a chord on my guitar pedal. (I could have just used a pure tone, but that's no fun.) I ran XLR out of my amp head into the 660 (mono).
-I would start a new track then SLOWLY crank the gain until the next light on the meter came on. I was sure to carefully write down which tracks were associated with which reading on the meter. Repeat until I reached the "over" light.
-I opened the tracks in Cool Edit Pro and compared the 660 meter readings to what CEP was telling me.
CONCLUSION
First I ran the test with the pad off. The with the pad on. I am happy to say that the meters were very accurate using both settings. The track where the 660 first showed clipping was the first track that CEP showed clipping.
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I FINALLY got around to performing a meters test on my ACM 660. This was in response to the claim that the meters on the 660 were innacurate, especially with the pad off.
-I looped a chord on my guitar pedal. (I could have just used a pure tone, but that's no fun.) I ran XLR out of my amp head into the 660 (mono).
-I would start a new track then SLOWLY crank the gain until the next light on the meter came on. I was sure to carefully write down which tracks were associated with which reading on the meter. Repeat until I reached the "over" light.
-I opened the tracks in Cool Edit Pro and compared the 660 meter readings to what CEP was telling me.
CONCLUSION
First I ran the test with the pad off. The with the pad on. I am happy to say that the meters were very accurate using both settings. The track where the 660 first showed clipping was the first track that CEP showed clipping.
cool, thanks!! +T
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I talked in length to Doug Oade about when to pad & when not to pad ....as he said if the crowds clapping & roar between songs is louder than the music it's self is , then it's NO pad on the recording of the show ,, if the music is loud ennuf that you really have to raise your voice to be heard by the person standing next to you then the pad is to be ON recording of that show .. he called it his basic rule of thumb ,,
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just got a stock 660, will pop it's live cherry this weekend.
then in a year I'll probably go for the Oade Basic cause I like inputs, but wouldn't mind getting a mod that takes out internal mics and leaves the inputs. *note to self, ask DO about it*
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neato!
touchy as far as levels but this thing is a pleasure to roll with.
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Is anyone running Pelusos cemc6 or a SP lsd2 with there pmd660 ACM? Interested in hearing the results. Thanks.
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paullySC,
I'm returning to Canada from South Korea in one week..I have an LSD2 and an ACM 660 both waiting at my house for me. I'll be taping 5-10 shows in March but I won't have high speed internet until May (only dialup). If you want me to mail you a couple shows, PM me with your addy. And the LSD2 I have is not the current updated model.
Adam
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Oade Bros. have some interesting Upgrade additions to this unit... http://www.oade.com/digital_recorders/hard_disc_recorders/PMD-660MODS.html (http://www.oade.com/digital_recorders/hard_disc_recorders/PMD-660MODS.html)
Performance Enhancements Available :
Comming Soon !
ENG 660 The Marantz PMD 660 optimized for Electronic News Gathering Applications. This MOD removes the internal mics and replaces the stock preamps with a low noise, high speed preamp for optimum voice intelligibility. It also upgrades the line in signal path.
Song Catcher 660 The Marantz PMD 660 optimized for field recordings of un amplified voice and music with condenser microphones. This MOD removes the internal mics and replaces the stock preamps with a low noise, high speed FET preamp selected by ear for musical properties. It also upgrades the line in signal path.
Ambient 660 The Marantz PMD 660 optimized for field recordings of natural sounds, in the wilderness or in the city ! This MOD removes the internal mics as well as the Mic PAD and replaces the stock preamps with an ultra low noise, high speed FET preamp selected by ear for accurate sampling of 3D space and high frequency detail. Ideal for ambient artists and birders. It also upgrades the line in signal path.
My needs would be a mix of sources...I would often tape a nice dynamic PA show such as Wilco; as well as small acoustic type shows with a minimal PA system (Pete Seeger, The Mammals)...I'm thinking something in between the Song Catcher MOD and the Advanced Concert MOD would be my best bet...
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anyone know what the going rate on the acm mod is?
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anyone know what the going rate on the acm mod is?
Mine was $750 last year. I'm sure that's still pretty close.
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Still $750.
http://www.oade.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=OBA&Category_Code=PMD660AM
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sorry, i meant the mod alone. ive got an oade purchased 660 already. my guess is around $300 for the acm mod?
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Last night I ran the -20db pad and still got levels peaking up around -6 to -3, came out great. I have seen the light.
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just bought one of these last week. haven't gotten to a concert butt fiddling around at home with it seems like its going to work really well for me. small and compact, all-in-one rig practically.
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just bought one of these last week. haven't gotten to a concert butt fiddling around at home with it seems like its going to work really well for me. small and compact, all-in-one rig practically.
Is yours modded?
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I loved my Marantz ... until this weekend. Thursday at Beacon ratdog it worked fine first set. Then it just spazzed after I changed batteries. All the lights come on - top light and all the LEDs then it stays like that. Removing batteries and using AC it does not come on at all. >:(
I bought an SD722 so I could tape the rest of the weekend so I guess I'll send it back to Doug and put it in the yard sale in a few weeks. :'(
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I loved my Marantz ... until this weekend. Thursday at Beacon ratdog it worked fine first set. Then it just spazzed after I changed batteries. All the lights come on - top light and all the LEDs then it stays like that. Removing batteries and using AC it does not come on at all. >:(
I bought an SD722 so I could tape the rest of the weekend so I guess I'll send it back to Doug and put it in the yard sale in a few weeks. :'(
Mine Did that with SanDisk cards ever since I switched to Lexar it's been working like a dream!
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Bad contacts and bad cards seem to be the only draw backs. ;D ;D ;D
Except, when you forget to charge your batteries. ::)
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just bought one of these last week. haven't gotten to a concert butt fiddling around at home with it seems like its going to work really well for me. small and compact, all-in-one rig practically.
Is yours modded?
hasn't been mod'd yet. i didn't buy from doug, he told me he could only do a basic mod since it wasn't his deck. its not the concert mod either... have to find something out
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What kind of battery life do you get running phantom power?
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What kind of battery life do you get running phantom power?
5+ hours using 2500 rechargeable
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I checked one of these out from school (stock model) and taped sister hazel using sm81's. Of course I learned the hard way that I need to use the 20db pad. My question is why did the meters show -6db throughout the show if it was clipping?
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overloading the front end. "brickwalling"
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Took mine out for the first time (twice) this weekend.
First night, didn't engage the -20dB Mic Attenuator, and ended up with too much brickwalling.
A couple of helpful members of this board pointed me towards the likely problem.
Second night, engaged the -20dB for the first time and the recording is outstanding.
Just a few observations:
Battery meter. Using rechargeable LaCrosse (charged with the LaCrosse charger). The meter went down to half-level within a short period of time (maybe 1/2 hour), but stayed at half for the rest of the recording, and was still at half after a 2-hour recording (including phantom powering the dpa's).
Level Meters. Certainly easy to read, but seem to be a little static in their response. I would prefer a little more reaction. Took a look at the wav files in Soundforge and the levels are not even close to as flatlined as the meter indicated.
Overall, though, this is a really easy deck to use. After having spent 1 1/2 years with the Microtrack, including a couple of months in the early days puzzling over its features, the 660 is much more intuitive piece of equipment.
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Just sent my PMD660 to busman for a modification - looking forward to hearing the difference!
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Level Meters. Certainly easy to read, but seem to be a little static in their response. I would prefer a little more reaction. Took a look at the wav files in Soundforge and the levels are not even close to as flatlined as the meter indicated.
It holds the top level for 3 to 5 seconds on the meter. I've seen my deck stay on red (peak) for extended times and haven't had a problem.
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Battery meter. Using rechargeable LaCrosse (charged with the LaCrosse charger). The meter went down to half-level within a short period of time (maybe 1/2 hour), but stayed at half for the rest of the recording, and was still at half after a 2-hour recording (including phantom powering the dpa's).
I'm guessing the battery type was set to akaline. Alkaline drain differantly than NiMH rechargables, so having the battery type set wrong won't effect the runtime, but it will effect the way meter display because of a wrong interpretation.
Level Meters. Certainly easy to read, but seem to be a little static in their response. I would prefer a little more reaction. Took a look at the wav files in Soundforge and the levels are not even close to as flatlined as the meter indicated.
Agreed, not a lot of action ...-20 to -12 db is a big gap. I assume the levels were originally designed by marantz for voice (used by reporters), not music.
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Battery meter. Using rechargeable LaCrosse (charged with the LaCrosse charger). The meter went down to half-level within a short period of time (maybe 1/2 hour), but stayed at half for the rest of the recording, and was still at half after a 2-hour recording (including phantom powering the dpa's).
I'm guessing the battery type was set to akaline. Alkaline drain differantly than NiMH rechargables, so having the battery type set wrong won't effect the runtime, but it will effect the way meter display because of a wrong interpretation.
Bingo. Good call. I've reset them for NiMH.
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Where's Part II?
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Where's Part II?
??
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Where's Part II?
??
I think he meant that there should be a part two of this thread cause its 26 pages.
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Ok then.
Taking it out again tonight. I guess I could relay my experiences in the new topic. ;)