Topic: TASCAM DR-680 portable 8-track Part 2

[Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B)]

Looks like I'm about to pull the trigger on the DR-680 (I've been threatening to do this since it came out).

I just want to confirm I've got everything I need to get rolling and that everything I've picked out will work (minus cables and mics obviously)

1) DR-680 (another obvious item)
2) Kingston 32GB Secure Digital High-Capacity (SDHC) Flash Card Model SD4/32GB
3) Porta Brace AR-DR680 Audio Recorder Case
4) External Battery (need suggestions)

Couple of things to clear up:

Will the external pocket on the Porta-Brace bag hold a Pelican Micro Case 1010. The dimensions on this are: 5.4 x 4.1 x 2.1 inches (a little extra room would be nice).

If I can get an external battery that will also fit in the Porta-Brace bag that would be awesome. I'd like to keep everything self contained in/on the Porta-Brace. I'm running a FR2LE now with the Porta-Brace bag and I can keep everything either in or hanging from it. Very nice to have such a small setup.

The whole Porta-Brace may go out the window though, as I'm sure I will want to have more cables since I'll have the option to run up to 8 channels. Might just go with the LowePro camera bag route.

Thanks!

[H₂O]

It should hold your Pelican case - It easily fits my PSP-2 with alot of room to spare for the cables (similar size)

[Chuck]

Mike, this may be a viable option for a very small battery that will power the DR-680 for a while:

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=140788.msg1821225#new

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120649414373#ht_500wt_1156

I have not used one, but the specs look good. It might be best to wait until some of the more technically minded guys chime in on it though to be sure it'll work.

[Sockan]

Hi all.
My first post here... 
A small presentation...
I photograph mostly nature with a Canon 7D and I have always liked to record sounds. Now when it's possible to make HD film with the new cameras, sound has become more important. That's why I want better equipment for sound recording.
I'm about to order the dr-680, but I have a question first.
To Mike B I can say that I ordered this external battery. http://cgi.ebay.com/Portable-5V-9V-12V-DC-Rechargeable-CCTV-Li-ion-battery-/250556215504?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a565070d0
But I haven't got it yet so I don't know if it's any good.
I liked that I had 3 different voltages to choose from. 5v, 9v and 12v. It might be useful with other devices.

So my question about 680 is:
Is the 60db preamps in 680 enough for recording sounds in nature? Mostly they are very low so I wan't to know if I need a preamp as well?
Any advice is welcome.

[Chadfish]

Sockan, for nature you may want the Bussman Audio mod that I got. it's 300.00. You can buy a new unit from Bussman Audio that is already modded. It removes any noise the (already good) preamps have, which is essential for nature recordings. In nature recordings, many times the thing you are recording is far away, and the recording level is faint, so the added bonus of reduced noise will come in very handy when you need to turn up your clip in post.

[Sockan]

Ok ,thanks Chadfish.
That could be something to consider.
I think I looked at their site but I couldn't see any mod option or any new modded 680?
Is this the place? http://www.busmanaudio.com/mods.html

Yes the levels is really low... mostly there is only a line in the audio editor when I open the recorded soundfile...  using cheap gear of course.

What do you think of preamp gain? Do I need more than 60db?
This might be a stupid question...  If I connect a preamp with 60db of gain to the line in, will it be the same as using the built in preamps in 680? Or does it somehow add more gain?

[Chadfish]

Sockan

Yes that's the right place. I suggest you call Chris Johnsin, owner of bussman audio, or email him about availability. He is doing the mod and he does sell new units, but hasn't updated his site yet. Tell him Chad Johnson (no relation) sent you! chris@busmanaudio.com

I don't know if you NEED 6 analogue preamps and 2 digital. You could get a modified stereo unit like a Mirantz 661 too. I am stoked with my DR680 though. And yes a preamp like a MixPre would give you some nice clean gain. You would be going into the 680 at line level from the MixPre. However the 680 has a low gain and High Gain setting. In high gain you may be good to go recording at 24bit 96k, which would give you some nice headroom to allow for adding more gain in post with less noise than in 16bit. I don't know how much more gain you would have using a MixPre over using the mic straight into the DR680 though. Someone else here will I'm sure. All I can say is that for nature recordings using gear this inexpensive, modified pres will make a noticeable difference.

[Sockan]

Sockan

Yes that's the right place. I suggest you call Chris Johnsin, owner of bussman audio, or email him about availability. He is doing the mod and he does sell new units, but hasn't updated his site yet. Tell him Chad Johnson (no relation) sent you! chris@busmanaudio.com

I don't know if you NEED 6 analogue preamps and 2 digital. You could get a modified stereo unit like a Mirantz 661 too. I am stoked with my DR680 though. And yes a preamp like a MixPre would give you some nice clean gain. You would be going into the 680 at line level from the MixPre. However the 680 has a low gain and High Gain setting. In high gain you may be good to go recording at 24bit 96k, which would give you some nice headroom to allow for adding more gain in post with less noise than in 16bit. I don't know how much more gain you would have using a MixPre over using the mic straight into the DR680 though. Someone else here will I'm sure. All I can say is that for nature recordings using gear this inexpensive, modified pres will make a noticeable difference.

I sent busman a mail with a few questions.

I will probably do fine with 4 tracks, but it's nice to have the possibility to plug in a few more mics.
If adding a mixpre or usbpre2 is gonna make a big difference I might have to buy one of those too...
Is it worth it? Do I get that much more gain with a sd pre?
A UsbPre2 would be nice to connect to my laptop, so it have some additional value. Does 680 work with UsbPre2 now? I noticed that SD had a new firmware update for it.
I'm not rich so I have to be careful spending the money on the things I need the most.
I have pretty much decided that I'm gonna buy the dr-680 (with or without mod), but I'm not sure about adding an external preamp yet.
If someone have tried 680 with a MixPre or UsbPre2, it would be nice to hear their opinion about it.

[Chadfish]

I have the MixPre, and personally I like the sound better without it. I have a link to a video showing tests with different mics with & without the MixPre a few pages back. http://www.vimeo.com/16681934  But it would give you more gain if you find you need more. It's also great if you are doing audio for video, as it has great optical limiters on the input and output. It also has 2 levels of bass roll-off.

 If nature is your thing, you should get the mod. I suggest you get the modded recorder first. Then after you've lived with it for a while decide if you need a preamp. The USBPre looks cool, but a guy on this thread had trouble with it, and I can't remember if he resolved his issue. reat back to see. The USBPre would also open up tracks 7/8 as a stereo track giving you the ability to use 8 mics(the 680 has 4 xlr inputs, 2 TRS, and 1 stereo S/Pdif). I don't believe you can record dual mono on 7/8. I am pretty stoked on the recorder, and it's better (soundwise & functionwise), yet cheaper than the Edirol R-44, and with the mod, only a little more than the R-44. You really can't go wrong with that thing.

[Sockan]

Thanks for the video link Chad.
I haven't got a reply from busman yet, but you in US have had a holiday haven't you? Thanks giving?
I really want to order one now... :p Haven't decided if I'm gonna get the mod...
Does he have any numbers on how much lower the noise will be with or without the mod? How expensive mics do you need to hear the difference? If I use a AT BP4025 stereo mic that has 14dB self noise, will the noise from the mic be much higher than the preamps in 680 original and mod so I wont hear a difference?

Have anyone tested 680 with UsbPre2 with the new firmware yet?

I noticed that Coffey sound is selling UsbPre2 for $549? I thought that everybody had to sell SD stuff with the same price ($649)?

[Chadfish]

Sokan, those are questions best answered by Chris Johnson. But I would imagine that combining a mics self noise with noise from a preamp would result in more noise than if you used a quiet (modified) pre. And who knows if you will get a quieter mic in the future? But you can always get the mod later, though there will be the added shipping cost.

And yes it was thanksgiving on Thursday, and many people take Friday off as well.

[yltfan]

Ugh--had my first (mis)adventure with digi-in on my DR-680 this afternoon. I'm very confused.

I was trying to record the digital signal to channels 5/6, by switching to DIN on the I/O setting of the menu. That never seemed to work (all of my 5/6 tracks are blank). I did manage to get the digital signal to record on the 7/8 or ST channel, for a few tracks (of course, not for the headliner, grr...). The hardest part was how there were never levels showing for the digital signal--I was not expecting that, so thought something was wrong. Of course, this was the one time I did not have cans for monitoring...

Anyone out there with experience on this stuff able to walk me thru the steps for recording spdif in on these things? Can you monitor to make sure it's on? What did I do wrong for setting 5/6 for DIN? Is there any way to get it to show a level, even if you can't adjust it?

[kirk97132]

After I ran the latest firmware update on the 680 I had to go back into the menu and reset it to display levels for the digi input on 7 & 8.  That had me very confused.  I'll look at the thing later on today and get back in touch with you.

[kirk97132]

Have anyone tested 680 with UsbPre2 with the new firmware yet?

I noticed that Coffey sound is selling UsbPre2 for $549? I thought that everybody had to sell SD stuff with the same price ($649)?

I beta tested the firmware update and it worked flawlessly so I'd expect the same from the official release.    As for the pricing of the USBPre2, there was another company who had posted the same price as that......Now they are selling it for more than 650.  I would be wary of deals like that.  Sometimes when you try to order one at the lower price, all of sudden they can't supply you with the unit and want to charge you more.  You are correct that SD dealers are supposed to sell it for the same price. 

[jbell]

Edit:  .

Have anyone tested 680 with UsbPre2 with the new firmware yet?

I noticed that Coffey sound is selling UsbPre2 for $549? I thought that everybody had to sell SD stuff with the same price ($649)?

I beta tested the firmware update and it worked flawlessly so I'd expect the same from the official release.    As for the pricing of the USBPre2, there was another company who had posted the same price as that......Now they are selling it for more than 650.  I would be wary of deals like that.  Sometimes when you try to order one at the lower price, all of sudden they can't supply you with the unit and want to charge you more.  You are correct that SD dealers are supposed to sell it for the same price.