Topic: [PT 2] M-Audio MicroTrack 2496 - *actual* real-life experiences thread

[silentmark]

Took my mt out on halloween.  1st real test, living room and radio shows don't count.

Local band at The Eldo.  Running 24/48 spdif v-3 > mt w/ Hitachi 6 gig microdrive  using Todd's Juicebox & jb3 truncated backup.
1st set 1:19 ran flawlessly
2nd set 1:52 ran flawlessly.

i have been trying to figure out how to use the s/pdif in and a usb for power on the mt. the cables on mine dont seem to fit as the inputs for each are too close. i thought about shaving down the rubber on the mini usb cable. can you, or someone else, shed some light on this?

Just shave some of the plastic housing off, I have done it for two usb cables already and they fit like a glove now with a spdif ccable in place ...

[JasonSobel]

Just shave some of the plastic housing off, I have done it for two usb cables already and they fit like a glove now with a spdif ccable in place ...

yup, I did the same thing with a couple of USB cables.  you don't have to take off much from the mini-USB connecter, and you can easily get it so that they two connectors (mini-USB and S/PDIF) don't touch at all...

[Chris K]

just shave the usb cable right...not the coax

[JasonSobel]

just shave the usb cable right...not the coax

exactly.  I think it would be pretty tough to shave an RCA connector anyway.  the mini-USB has a lot of extra plastic on the connector, very easy to shave off with a swiss army knife or something similar.

[Chris K]

thanks

regarding the 0 bit files for the "failed" recordings. has anyone tried to transfer and see if there is any data (physical file size), perhaps the header is incorrect. i recall this happening on a different device...possibly the 722/744

[rodeen]

Used my MT for the first time in the field last night.  It pretty much worked well.  I was using it as a bitbucket with a signal coming out of my M1, 16/44.1..  I used a 2GB Kingston CF card with no problems.  Plenty of battery left after about a 2h40m show. 

I experienced the flakey meters that others have reported when using SPDIF.  After about 20 mins they meters were completely useless and stayed pegged for the rest of the show.  The other questionable thing that happened that I haven't seen reported is that CDWave reported that the file size reported in the .way header differed from the actual file size.  Easy enough to fix but I'm not sure what that was all about. 

All-in-all a pretty successful first run but I'm not ready to dump my DAT or JB3 just yet. 
Looking forward to future firmware updates.

[Brian Skalinder]

I thought the WAV header discussion deserved its own thread, so I split it out.  Here's the new thread:

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=53348.0

[alienbobz]

Took my mt out on halloween.  1st real test, living room and radio shows don't count.

Local band at The Eldo.  Running 24/48 spdif v-3 > mt w/ Hitachi 6 gig microdrive  using Todd's Juicebox & jb3 truncated backup.
1st set 1:19 ran flawlessly
2nd set 1:52 ran flawlessly.

i have been trying to figure out how to use the s/pdif in and a usb for power on the mt. the cables on mine dont seem to fit as the inputs for each are too close. i thought about shaving down the rubber on the mini usb cable. can you, or someone else, shed some light on this?

You can also get the right-angle mono-to-mono gold plated plug from radioshack. Didn't have to shave anything, though I may. Seems on way it to have it pointed up or down.

[nelsorp]

got this in my mailbox today.  if only it were the real thing. i appreciate everyones comments, opinions, both good and bad. i am looking to purchase a rig, on a tight budget, to upgrade from a minidisc. all of this discussion has been incredibly helpful. keep up the good work. maybe santa will bring me one for christmas...

[coloartist]

All went well tonight. 2 sets 24/48. 

[anhisr]

I run my V3 into the MT and have done 4 shows with no problem.  I have run 24/48  coax with a Kingston 45x card.  I have not had to use an external battery yet but, I do have one in my bag just in case.  I use the V3 for my levels so I don't use the display levels on the MT.  I have gotten use the the overs on the MT.  They seem to hit right at 0 as the V3s levels don't hold an over when the MTs reds lights up.  I am learning how to use the two together now to set my levels as high as I can with out going over. If they solve the 2GB problem the machine will do all I need it too. 

[it-goes-to-eleven]

As reported in the levels thread, the clip light on the MT comes on at -1 dB.

[deadheaded]

I am using a right angle spdif cable that i make.
it fits real nice and doesn't put too much pressure on the Todd R usb power cable.  I will probably use the dremel to cut away a little bit of the usb connector just to be safe.

[Brian Skalinder]

something to keep in mind is that with 24bit recording you are not gaining anything by running your levels so hot and you risk damaging overloads which can be hard/impossible to fix/cleanly...that being said i love the OVR lights on the MT, but if you see them hitting at all its time to turn things down...its not something you want to be "slightly" engaging

with current 24bit devices, anything in the -12dB -- 0dB range is gonna be equally detailed

you can always kick up the levels in post

the ability to run more conservative levels and capture a wider dynamic range with much less risk are some of my favorite aspects of 24bit recording

I've heard and seen plenty of other tapers advocate running levels very conservatively in 24-bit, i.e. not seeking to approach as closely as possible 0 dBFS, and I just don't get it.  It does not matter whether we're in 16- or 24-bit, the goal is the same:  maximize resolution.  Therefore, we should always seek to run our levels as hot as possible so that we approach - but do not hit - 0 dBFS.  Perhaps this is what you're advocating and I'm reading you wrong?

[fuzn]

To sorta keep on topic here, where do you guys think I should set my levels using DPA 4061s straight into the microtrack with the dongle? I'm thinking the switch to L and just push the levels button one notch up from the lowest setting. Anyone have experience using 4061s on this thing? I'm just looking to not clip so I can go from there. I'll probably check the clipping indicator, but i'd rather not. I'd like to just set it and forget it, and just add gain in post. I have two stealth situations for this weeked in sf. Any help is appreciated, thanks!