Topic: Tascam DR-70D 4-channel audio recorder (Part 6)

[Fried Chicken Boy]

Another flawless 4 channel recording last night, perhaps I haven't had any problems because I'm using an approved card?

http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=583704

The recording that's connected to your link appears to have the signal chain of  "Schoeps mk22 (NOS)> Nbob KCY> Naiant Littlebox> Sony PCM-M10 @ 24/96"
I might not be the brightest bulb but I'm pretty sure there's no DR-70D listed.  Am I missing something? 

[johnfitz]

I posted this in the Tascam gripe thread but figured I'd put it here in case anybody cares and doesn't see it over there.

I have nothing to gripe about.

I've got a $200 4-channel recorder that performs much better than any $200 4-channel recorder has any business to.

For more than 6 months I've been using it almost weekly to record 4-channels and have used it as a straight 2-channel recorder (with the 2-channel back up tracks enabled, so I guess even those instances are still using all 4 channels) probably half a dozen times on top of that and fortunately I've never had any negative issues. I'm recording everything at 24/48.

I'm using a Sandisk Ultra Plus 64gb Microsdxc Class 10 Uhs-1 Memory Card (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NPJBYD0?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00) and have installed all of the firmware updates when they've become available.

I formatted the card in the recorder several times the only way possible via the older firmware version and did the new full format that's available with the latest version before I last used it. (Even the full format option only took a minute or so to complete).

I never put any of that into your spread sheet, but there you have it. I may be in the minority but so far I've had nothing but good luck with my DR-70D.

[capnhook]

I posted this in the Tascam gripe thread but figured I'd put it here in case anybody cares and doesn't see it over there.

I have nothing to gripe about.

I've got a $200 4-channel recorder that performs much better than any $200 4-channel recorder has any business to.

For more than 6 months I've been using it almost weekly to record 4-channels and have used it as a straight 2-channel recorder (with the 2-channel back up tracks enabled, so I guess even those instances are still using all 4 channels) probably half a dozen times on top of that and fortunately I've never had any negative issues. I'm recording everything at 24/48.

I'm using a Sandisk Ultra Plus 64gb Microsdxc Class 10 Uhs-1 Memory Card (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NPJBYD0?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00) and have installed all of the firmware updates when they've become available.

I formatted the card in the recorder several times the only way possible via the older firmware version and did the new full format that's available with the latest version before I last used it. (Even the full format option only took a minute or so to complete).

I never put any of that into your spread sheet, but there you have it. I may be in the minority but so far I've had nothing but good luck with my DR-70D.

Please consider altering or deleting your other similar post, in the GRIPE thread.

Thank you.

[2manyrocks]

I posted this in the Tascam gripe thread but figured I'd put it here in case anybody cares and doesn't see it over there.

I have nothing to gripe about.

I've got a $200 4-channel recorder that performs much better than any $200 4-channel recorder has any business to.

For more than 6 months I've been using it almost weekly to record 4-channels and have used it as a straight 2-channel recorder (with the 2-channel back up tracks enabled, so I guess even those instances are still using all 4 channels) probably half a dozen times on top of that and fortunately I've never had any negative issues. I'm recording everything at 24/48.

I'm using a Sandisk Ultra Plus 64gb Microsdxc Class 10 Uhs-1 Memory Card (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NPJBYD0?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00) and have installed all of the firmware updates when they've become available.

I formatted the card in the recorder several times the only way possible via the older firmware version and did the new full format that's available with the latest version before I last used it. (Even the full format option only took a minute or so to complete).

I never put any of that into your spread sheet, but there you have it. I may be in the minority but so far I've had nothing but good luck with my DR-70D.

The product name at that link is a sdsup-064g-a which does not appear on the "approved" list of cards, fwiw.

[DecomposingCadaver]

The product name at that link is a sdsup-064g-a which does not appear on the "approved" list of cards, fwiw.

It would be strange if only approved cards worked - after all, they can't test all cards out there, there's got to be thousands. So it's a pretty good bet that many cards not on that "approved" list will work perfectly well, just you don't have the "guarantee" that you get with a tested card. So the question is: do you feel lucky  ?

[johnfitz]

The product name at that link is a sdsup-064g-a which does not appear on the "approved" list of cards, fwiw.

It would be strange if only approved cards worked - after all, they can't test all cards out there, there's got to be thousands. So it's a pretty good bet that many cards not on that "approved" list will work perfectly well, just you don't have the "guarantee" that you get with a tested card. So the question is: do you feel lucky  ?

Yeah maybe, I don't know.

There was initially some to do because some people were experiencing "write timeout" errors with some higher capacity, slower writing cards if I recall correctly.

I bought that particular card around that time (not long at all after buying the recorder so it's the only one I've ever used) because somebody on here reported running it without those particular issues...

[2manyrocks]

Voltronic posted that he had trouble with an approved card SanDisk SDSDUP-16G here:  http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=174900.msg2165885#msg2165885, but it's on the approved list. 

The approved list shows SDSDUP- 32G as NG. 

If there's a rhyme or reason why one card or the other works out of this SDSDUP series in the Sandisk line and the others don't, it eludes me. You'd think all the cards in a series would be good in the 70d?   

[voltronic]

Look at the media lists for other Tascam recorders, like my earlier post about the 22-WL, 44WL, and 680mkII for just 3 examples.  You'll see that all the cards tested in a series rarely if ever pass.  I have no idea why different sizes in the same model series would perform so differently, but apparently they do.

[johnfitz]

There was initially some to do because some people were experiencing "write timeout" errors with some higher capacity, slower writing cards if I recall correctly.

I bought that particular card around that time (not long at all after buying the recorder so it's the only one I've ever used) because somebody on here reported running it without those particular issues...

It was on this page of part 2 that user CheeseCadet reported using the above card successfully...
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=172109.180

[2manyrocks]

Look at the media lists for other Tascam recorders, like my earlier post about the 22-WL, 44WL, and 680mkII for just 3 examples.  You'll see that all the cards tested in a series rarely if ever pass.  I have no idea why different sizes in the same model series would perform so differently, but apparently they do.

It's also puzzling when a particular card is reported to work in one Tascam, but fails to work in another Tascam.  You'd think that a card that works in one Tascam should work in all Tascam recorders, but evidently not so. 

And you had trouble with a 16g from the approved list, yet johnfitz reports being able to use a 64g card which you'd think would be more problematic since it's a larger card that isn't even on the approved list?

[voltronic]

Look at the media lists for other Tascam recorders, like my earlier post about the 22-WL, 44WL, and 680mkII for just 3 examples.  You'll see that all the cards tested in a series rarely if ever pass.  I have no idea why different sizes in the same model series would perform so differently, but apparently they do.

It's also puzzling when a particular card is reported to work in one Tascam, but fails to work in another Tascam.  You'd think that a card that works in one Tascam should work in all Tascam recorders, but evidently not so. 

And you had trouble with a 16g from the approved list, yet johnfitz reports being able to use a 64g card which you'd think would be more problematic since it's a larger card that isn't even on the approved list?

Neither thing is that surprising.  Different models from a different brand are going to have different hardware and software, and I think that would certainly affect how those different units read and write to the storage media, among many other things.

About your second point: I think they are just testing a handful of cards from popular brands, as others have already suggested.  In this case, johnfitz is using a microSD card with an adapter.  I don't think they would ever test any microSD cards, as this unit is designed for regular SD cards.  That doesn't mean that none of them will work, as this one seems to.

[noahbickart]

Another flawless 4 channel recording last night, perhaps I haven't had any problems because I'm using an approved card?

http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=583704

The recording that's connected to your link appears to have the signal chain of  "Schoeps mk22 (NOS)> Nbob KCY> Naiant Littlebox> Sony PCM-M10 @ 24/96"
I might not be the brightest bulb but I'm pretty sure there's no DR-70D listed.  Am I missing something?

You're totally right, my bad. Wrong link, here's the matrix from the DR-70D: http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=583755

[Fried Chicken Boy]

Thanks, Noah.

[voltronic]

Another flawless 4 channel recording last night, perhaps I haven't had any problems because I'm using an approved card?

http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=583704

The recording that's connected to your link appears to have the signal chain of  "Schoeps mk22 (NOS)> Nbob KCY> Naiant Littlebox> Sony PCM-M10 @ 24/96"
I might not be the brightest bulb but I'm pretty sure there's no DR-70D listed.  Am I missing something?

You're totally right, my bad. Wrong link, here's the matrix from the DR-70D: http://bt.etree.org/details.php?id=583755

I haven't listened to your show yet, but what do you think of your Busman mod?  I have the JW mod and to my ears it's an improvement.  Maybe you'd post your impressions in the mod discussion thread?
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=174046.0

[noahbickart]

I've only ever heard my deck. I doubt I could hear a difference, I got the mod for my audiophile ego.