Taperssection.com
Gear / Technical Help => Recording Gear => Topic started by: mwz on March 03, 2006, 11:28:27 PM
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:D
http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=support.drivers
Major new Features and Improvements
- Auto split added. If the 2GB file size limit is reached during a recording, the MicroTrack will automatically start a new file for recording. This will continue until either the MicroTrack battery runs out of sufficient charge or the media runs out of space (at which time the currently recording file will be saved and recording will stop). NOTE: There will be a gap between files ranging from 5-9 seconds, depending on the recording resolution and size/speed of the media being used.
- Mono Recording added. When recording mono from the analog inputs, the inputs are monitored directly. This means that when monitoring, you will still hear whatever source is on the right channel even though it is not being recorded. Only the left channel will be recorded. For MP3 format recordings, a Stereo MP3 file will be created but both left and right tracks will contain whatever was recorded into the left channel. For WAV recordings a true mono WAV file is created. Note that when recording from S/PDIF, input monitoring (whether mono or stereo) is not supported.
- Increased record buffer size to increase compatibility with media when recording 24-bit/96kHz.
- S/PDIF is now enabled to record at sample rates up to 24-bit/96kHz.
New UI Items:
- Adjusted the response of the NAV control to better prevent navigation double entries.
- Recorder menus now pin at top and bottom.
- French, German, and Italian languages added.
- Added warning at boot-up with the option of reformatting if the CF card is not formatted properly.
- Added automatic reboot after formatting media.
- Standardized the buttons to boot up the Application when in Card Reader mode or AC Power mode and to exit the ‘sleep’ screen. Previously, the DEL key launched the application from card reader or AC power modes and the POWER button exited from the ‘sleep’ screen. Both buttons will now work in either situation.
- Removed boot loader version display on power-up. Boot loader and firmware versions are now both displayed in MENU > SYSTEM > VERSION.
General Fixes:
- Changed the behavior of the MicroTrack when powered up with hold button engaged. MicroTrack will now display “Hold Key is Active” message and then power off unless it is plugged into power or USB in which case it will go into either Card Reader mode if connected to a computer or AC Power mode if plugged into the power supply. To boot up into the ‘Application’, turn off the hold switch and then press either the DEL button or the POWER button. If you remove power from the MicroTrack while the hold switch is on and while still in Card Reader mode or AC Power mode, the MicroTrack will power off.
- Fixed the time available counter so it displays properly on cards over 4GB in size.
- Turned off the backlight when in Card Reader mode or AC Power mode.
- Fixed issue of not always allowing 2GB recordings on media larger than 4GB.
- Fixed problem where files sometimes wouldn't save properly when volume filled to capacity.
- Fixed problem of certain CF media not being recognized as inserted.
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M-Audio just released this today! 2006.03.03 ;D
Get it here:
http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=support.drivers
Looks like some of the big fixes did happen...
The auto-start a new file after 2GB's are reached (w/a 5-9 second delay), S/PDIF @ 24/96, and correct display for remaining time w/cards >4GB were all implemented.
*Thanks to whomever moved my thread into this thread*
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Great, now they feel they fixed the 2gb limit but there will be 5-9 second gap. That will not work.
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5-9 second gap is not a fix
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yea - but it's still vers. 1.x. Given the price and the size of the unit - i'll give 'em a few more rev's of firmware to get it right(or at least as good as my jb3). If I didn't love my v3 - I'd buy a 722 tomorrow.
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I feel the same way. I love my V3 and I would like a bit dump that can handle the 2gb split (with no loss of time).
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I just hope that they don't feel they have fixed the problem and that is all they are going to do on that point.
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It's already been reported by users in this group that the previous firmware (1.2.3) allowed 24/96 recording via S/PDIF.
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I agree. The 5-9 split will not work, but I can't help but agree with Tim. This upgrade addresses several of the pending issues, and is likely a step in the right direction. M-Audio is bound to have someone consulting this forum- in other words, I am pretty confident that they are aware of what this is being used for and what the ramifications of their ignorance would be...i.e. tapers (at least the serious ones) wouldn't every buy M-Audio again. I'm gonna wait this out and see what comes...I'm confident that it will play out. :guitarist:
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Fixed issue of not always allowing 2GB recordings on media larger than 4GB.
Fucking shit yes. Yes yes y-e-s yes.
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Why are you guys paying so much for a device whose s/w operates
like though its an open-source s/w proj, where the users
are constantly hanging on for big updates to serious problems?
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Why are you guys paying so much for a device whose s/w operates
like though its an open-source s/w proj, where the users
are constantly hanging on for big updates to serious problems?
Because even with its problems it still does more than any other current device at its price point and size.
Craig
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Why are you guys paying so much for a device whose s/w operates
like though its an open-source s/w proj, where the users
are constantly hanging on for big updates to serious problems?
Because even with its problems it still does more than any other current device at its price point and size.
Craig
I dun think so... given its pre-mature release to the market...
There are too many 'potentials' that are not realised...
Look at it this way... Companies such as Roland has core businesses in
music recording and has been doing so for ages.. M-audio in this case
is getting lost over their new product, and I think spiralling continual
post-devmt support is going to get it killed.
I'm sure many will agree with me.
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Why are you guys paying so much for a device whose s/w operates
like though its an open-source s/w proj, where the users
are constantly hanging on for big updates to serious problems?
Because even with its problems it still does more than any other current device at its price point and size.
Craig
I dun think so... given its pre-mature release to the market...
I'm sure many will agree with me.
Okay, tell me ANY other product that retails for less than $400 that does 24/96 via S/PDIF, uses CF media, and has a decent A/D?
Waiting....
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Better question: why are you trolling a thread for a piece of equipment you obviously don't own and don't intend to buy?
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I dun think so... given its pre-mature release to the market...
I'm sure many will agree with me.
AFAIK, there are no competitors at the same (or even close) price point. It does everything I need it to do reliably - capture 0s and 1s from my V3 at minimum resolution of 24-bit, 48kHz - since firmware 1.2.3.
Okay, tell me ANY other product that retails for less than $400 that does 24/96 via S/PDIF, uses CF media, and has a decent A/D?
Waiting....
Same here, but please adjust the price point to $300.
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I dun think so... given its pre-mature release to the market...
I'm sure many will agree with me.
AFAIK, there are no competitors at the same (or even close) price point. It does everything I need it to do reliably - capture 0s and 1s from my V3 at minimum resolution of 24-bit, 48kHz - since firmware 1.2.3.
Okay, tell me ANY other product that retails for less than $400 that does 24/96 via S/PDIF, uses CF media, and has a decent A/D?
Waiting....
Same here, but please adjust the price point to $300.
Well, retail is $399...
:)
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Well, retail is $399...
Yeah, I know - but since when does anyone pay full retail for anything? And I got mine for $300, so...if corsair comes up with another option with the functionality I need, at that price point, I'll consider it. NFW there's competition at this feature / price point, though...but maybe he'll prove me wrong.
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I may have spoken too soon...as much as I love the MT when it works I just downloaded and installed the Mac version of the 1.3.3 upgrade and I now have a completely dead MT. Aargh!
Be warned.
Craig
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I may have spoken too soon...as much as I love the MT when it works I just downloaded and installed the Mac version of the 1.3.3 upgrade and I now have a completely dead MT. Aargh!
Be warned.
Craig
oh crap! run windows version I guess, I ran the first firmware from a mac, and havnt used the second firmware at all . I was ab00t to use the mac 1.3.3 :o
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as others have mentioned, the auto-split featute doesn't really meet our needs. it only took 5-9 seconds to stop a file and start a new one anyway, so nothing has changed. myself, I'm never going to let it autosplit, because it might happen during a song. I'm going to continue to do it manually, so that I know the split will happen between songs. I guess it's a step in the right direction, but it really does need to be seamless...
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oh crap! run windows version I guess, I ran the first firmware from a mac, and havnt used the second firmware at all . I was ab00t to use the mac 1.3.3 :o
There aren't really different "firmware" versions for mac or windows are there? Isn't is the same thing packaged in an appropriate container for the different platforms?
The "Windows" version worked well for me.
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nice! this is just in time for my first usage of the MT on monday for Banyan.
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Great to see the new release and the fixes! Nice saturday morning surprise. Sounds like it will be a huge improvement for those who have had microdrive issues.
I agree with Jason that the autosplit is only a minor extension of what we've already had. It sure would have been nice if they'd given us dual channel mono as a work-around (bumping 24/96 to 2 hours and 24/44 to about 4).
Everyone should nicely contact support and repeat the request for seamless splits and dual mono file recording.
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oh crap! run windows version I guess, I ran the first firmware from a mac, and havnt used the second firmware at all . I was ab00t to use the mac 1.3.3 :o
There aren't really different "firmware" versions for mac or windows are there? Isn't is the same thing packaged in an appropriate container for the different platforms?
The "Windows" version worked well for me.
Worked well for me two....
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Everyone should nicely contact support and repeat the request for seamless splits and dual mono file recording.
Agreed 100% and would add the request for input monitoring when recording from spdif. I had been sending them reminders about different things every 2 or 3 weeks and they acknowledged that many others users had been requesting the same items, so it certainly doesn't hurt.
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who have you guys been emailing at M-Audio? if I can get an email address, I'll shoot them an email.
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Go here:
http://m-audio.com/index.php?do=support.contact
And select whatever country you live in. You'll then need to setup an account and once that is complete, submit an new technical support incident. Submit new indcidents for each issue-so one for the 2gig split, one for the dual mono file recording etc.
The whole thing is a little clunky, but it seems to work. I've also found that when they first respond to your incident, you'll get the standard "We always appreciate interest in our product. Thanks." which isn't very helpful. Respond to that with more questions and you'll normally get more details.
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yeah, we need to keep banging M-Audio w/ emails about the auto split and not let them think it is really fixed..
I sent one of thanking them for their efforts so far etc, but that we need seemless for any real live situations
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How comes they choose the left channel to be recorded at mono setting?
My MTs left channels noise is somewhere about -69 dB whereas the right is -91 dB.
???
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Well...
Thanks M-Audio, for releasing this version 1.3.3 (non- beta?).
Nice fixes.
The 2GB 'fix', though, is NOT a fix but a bad workaround for manually starting a new file.
We need seamless 2GB splits!
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How comes they choose the left channel to be recorded at mono setting?
My MTs left channels noise is somewhere about -69 dB whereas the right is -91 dB.
???
Please return your MT. This difference is a defect.
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After I updated my tracker to 1.3.3 it fucked up the recordings completely.
Take a listen: http://onebear.net/images/m-audio.mp3
After I went back to 1.2.0 the recordings was fine again.
WFT happened?
Anybody had some issues with the update?
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After I updated my tracker to 1.3.3 it fucked up the recordings completely.
Take a listen: http://onebear.net/images/m-audio.mp3
After I went back to 1.2.0 the recordings was fine again.
WFT happened?
Anybody had some issues with the update?
Wow (and bummer) What brand / model media are you using and what are your record settings. Things are fine with mine so far.
J.T.
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I may have spoken too soon...as much as I love the MT when it works I just downloaded and installed the Mac version of the 1.3.3 upgrade and I now have a completely dead MT. Aargh!
Be warned.
Craig
How 'dead' is it? Will it turn on at all? Any messages?
J.T.
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Wow (and bummer) What brand / model media are you using and what are your record settings. Things are fine with mine so far.
I'm running 24/96 with a SanDisk Ultra II 8 GB card
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I may have spoken too soon...as much as I love the MT when it works I just downloaded and installed the Mac version of the 1.3.3 upgrade and I now have a completely dead MT. Aargh!
Be warned.
Craig
How 'dead' is it? Will it turn on at all? Any messages?
J.T.
It won't turn on at all.
Craig
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Why are you guys paying so much for a device whose s/w operates
like though its an open-source s/w proj, where the users
are constantly hanging on for big updates to serious problems?
Don't you mean closed-source? If not that was the worst troll against open source software I've ever seen.
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Why are you guys paying so much for a device whose s/w operates
like though its an open-source s/w proj, where the users
are constantly hanging on for big updates to serious problems?
Don't you mean closed-source? If not that was the worst troll against open source software I've ever seen.
If only it were open source!!! You'd probably have this stuff fixed by now...!
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I may have spoken too soon...as much as I love the MT when it works I just downloaded and installed the Mac version of the 1.3.3 upgrade and I now have a completely dead MT. Aargh!
Be warned.
Craig
How 'dead' is it? Will it turn on at all? Any messages?
J.T.
It won't turn on at all.
Craig
Try inserting a flash disc with a working firmware and then powering on while pressing the menu button.
The MT should then try to do another firmware update from flash.
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No problem with the mac version here (which is exactly the same as the PC version, just a different distribution method - dmg instead of zip).
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I'm doing a show tonight, but I think I'm going to wait to update to 1.3.3.. I'd like the fixes/issues it addresses, but don't want to chance any of the issues mentioned. Keep the feedback coming folks!
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Wow (and bummer) What brand / model media are you using and what are your record settings. Things are fine with mine so far.
I'm running 24/96 with a SanDisk Ultra II 8 GB card
Sounds to me like the record buffer change they made disagrees with your model of card. Anyone else have this card that can confirm this? (I don't). I'd contact M-Audio with your findings though and sit tight with 1.2.3 I guess. Does it work at 24/48 ok?
J.T.
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Does it work at 24/48 ok?
Nope it's the same with 24/48. I also have a show to tape tonight but I'll try later tomorrow to play with the tracker and the 1.3.3 update...
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Well...
Thanks M-Audio, for releasing this version 1.3.3 (non- beta?).
Nice fixes.
The 2GB 'fix', though, is NOT a fix but a bad workaround for manually starting a new file.
We need seamless 2GB splits!
If only it doesn't have auto splits at all...with continuous recording until you fill up the CF...
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The 2GB file size limit is not a limitation of the Microtrack, but a limitation of uncompressed wav.
Well...
Thanks M-Audio, for releasing this version 1.3.3 (non- beta?).
Nice fixes.
The 2GB 'fix', though, is NOT a fix but a bad workaround for manually starting a new file.
We need seamless 2GB splits!
If only it doesn't have auto splits at all...with continuous recording until you fill up the CF...
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Try inserting a flash disc with a working firmware and then powering on while pressing the menu button.
The MT should then try to do another firmware update from flash.
Thanks but no go...powering on while pressing the menu button does nothing. This thing is dead.
Craig
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Then it seems to be dead, the power+menu thing should work even if there is no firmware installed or if firmware is corrupt.
It normally says "booting rescue disk" and shows a screen asking whether a firmware update should be done from the cf card.
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is anyone else having a problem with the file?? after i save the zip file to my computer, and then try to extract the files, it says there are no files to extract???
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i don't know??? i've never had any problems with the other updates, but when it saves the zip file to my computer, the folder is empty????
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my firmware updated flawlessly, using a win xp sp2 machine.
mine too, the only thing different i noticed on mine now is when i format a cf card after the format is done it reboots the mt, thats the only visible difference to me so far...
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does the new version still flip channels when taking SPDIF in at 24 bit?
IMHO, that 5-9 sec gap is weak, I might as well stop and restart manually.
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is anyone else having a problem with the file?? after i save the zip file to my computer, and then try to extract the files, it says there are no files to extract???
I had the same thing when I tried to download it in firefox, it came up as a 0 byte zip file. Had to switch to IE before it would actually download the whole file.
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well i don't know what the hell is going on, because i am using IE and evertime i download it, it shows up as a 0 kb file????????????
can anybody help me with this................
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okay, figured out my own problem. turn off virus protection. duh!! (although i've never had to do that for any other updates??)
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IMHO, that 5-9 sec gap is weak, I might as well stop and restart manually.
Atleast you can walk away from the recorder and know it will start a new file when you hit the 2GB mark. It's not perfect, but atleast you don't have to turn all your attention to how much time is left before you need to stop. At a concert, I would probably want to start a new file between songs if I knew I was close to the that point though.
My firmware update went fine on a powerbook running OS X...haven't had a chance to try out the new features though...one thing I do notice is that the menus load a little more nicely now...
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IMHO, that 5-9 sec gap is weak, I might as well stop and restart manually.
Atleast you can walk away from the recorder and know it will start a new file when you hit the 2GB mark. It's not perfect, but atleast you don't have to turn all your attention to how much time is left before you need to stop. At a concert, I would probably want to start a new file between songs if I knew I was close to the that point though.
My firmware update went fine on a powerbook running OS X...haven't had a chance to try out the new features though...one thing I do notice is that the menus load a little more nicely now...
Yeah and the nav wheel doesn't breeze through the menus anymore. It got annoying trying to navigate before...
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I have tried to locate the problem I had with the new 1.3.3 update and sadly It's my expensive 8 GB card that has some problems with the 1.3.3 update :(
When using the Kodak Digital Film 64 MB card that came with the tracker there's no problems recording from mp3 96/32 to wav at 24/96 quality.
When I use the SanDisk Ultra II 8 GB card here's what happens when I record with the following settings:
MP3 (96/44.1 to 320/48) = no problems
WAV (16/44.1 to 16/96) = constant popping > http://onebear.net/sound/16_88.2.mp3
WAV (24/44.1 to 24/48) = constant noise/clipping > http://onebear.net/sound/24_44.1.mp3
WAV (24/88.2 to 24/96) = constant noise/clipping faster > http://onebear.net/sound/24_88.2.mp3
I really hope M-Audio can fix this problem otherwise I need to buy smaller flashcards :(
I have sent this in an email to M-Audio and I'll post when I get an answer from their tech people.
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Can anyone confirm or disconfirm this problem I'm having with the MT? Maybe it's not a problem at all but it's certainly "an issue".
When I record via S/PDIF the MT sets the sample rate to auto which I understand because the ADC should supply the sample rate and the MT will use whatever it gets. My problem is that the MT seems to always assume that the ADC will send it 96kHz so my estimated recording time is always very short. I use a 6GB Hitachi microdrive and when recording at 16/44.1kHz via S/PDIF, I only get about four hours of recording time. If I switch to the 1/4" TRS inputs it will give me nine hours of recording time.
What is going on?
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I think everyone has that "problem" with the available recording time. I think either way (s/pdif or trs) you should be able to get 9 hours at 16/44.1 even if the available recording time screen says 4 hours. When you are recording, does it say 3 hours? That should be the right time for 16/44.1 (3 hours @ 16/44.1 = 2 GB).
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I think everyone has that "problem" with the available recording time. I think either way (s/pdif or trs) you should be able to get 9 hours at 16/44.1 even if the available recording time screen says 4 hours. When you are recording, does it say 3 hours? That should be the right time for 16/44.1 (3 hours @ 16/44.1 = 2 GB).
Ok I just wanted to make sure it wasn't an isolated problem (sorry... i try to keep up on all the quirks but I miss a few).
So the time remaining on the recording screen is the time remaining for that file and if you start a new file, that counter will reset?
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The zero-byte corrupted WAV, full card bug on 1GB CF seems to have been fixed as well. ;D This alone makes it much more useful for me. As for the 2GB split, all they did was automate the process of flushing the buffers, then close the file, and then open a new one, all in sequence. Before that one had to do it manually, which took longer. So that is convenient too. But please don't expect too much from the Portal Player platform. As I mentioned before, I seriously doubt the CPU has nearly enough power to seamlessly flush the buffers, close the file, open a new file, and write to the new buffer all at the same time... Also, the playback meters are
still useless, so maybe they should be deleted. not so bad now.
But this is great news nonetheless.
Now I'm off to see if they fixed the dodgy battery charging software yet.
Edit: Typo fixed, etc.
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I think everyone has that "problem" with the available recording time. I think either way (s/pdif or trs) you should be able to get 9 hours at 16/44.1 even if the available recording time screen says 4 hours. When you are recording, does it say 3 hours? That should be the right time for 16/44.1 (3 hours @ 16/44.1 = 2 GB).
Ok I just wanted to make sure it wasn't an isolated problem (sorry... i try to keep up on all the quirks but I miss a few).
So the time remaining on the recording screen is the time remaining for that file and if you start a new file, that counter will reset?
Yeah the time is for that one file. If you stop the recording and start a new one, the time should reset itself. Either it will be another 2GB or if will be the space left (if you have less than 2GB left on your card, it will show the time remaining for the bit/sample rate you are using).
Edit: Did you use the new firmware last night? How did it go? I plan on using it on Thursday.
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Can anyone confirm or disconfirm this problem I'm having with the MT? Maybe it's not a problem at all but it's certainly "an issue".
When I record via S/PDIF the MT sets the sample rate to auto which I understand because the ADC should supply the sample rate and the MT will use whatever it gets. My problem is that the MT seems to always assume that the ADC will send it 96kHz so my estimated recording time is always very short. I use a 6GB Hitachi microdrive and when recording at 16/44.1kHz via S/PDIF, I only get about four hours of recording time. If I switch to the 1/4" TRS inputs it will give me nine hours of recording time.
What is going on?
I have had this problem. When you format the media, the microtracker sets the available time to the bit depth and sample rate in your settings when the input source is analog. To get it to calculate correctly, change your input to one of the analog inputs, then set the bit depth and sample rate to what you will be receiving digitally, then reformat the card, then set the input back to SPDIF.
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No clue what it means. I have the same problem too with 24/48 files. I usually just press "No" and track out my wav. Doesn't seem to be a problem.
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This has happened since the MT came out. The header is correct, just some zeros or garbage after the end of the data.
Trust the header.
I don't know if this is necessarily a microTrack issue, but I've gotten it with both 1.2.3 and 1.3.3 firmwares.
when I try to open a 24/48 wav file with cd wave I get this warning message:
File header reports a size that is different than the system reports. Do you want to adjust the size? (Yes to override header, No to trust header, Cancel to abort)
What the hell does this mean?
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I don't know if this is necessarily a microTrack issue, but I've gotten it with both 1.2.3 and 1.3.3 firmwares.
when I try to open a 24/48 wav file with cd wave I get this warning message:
File header reports a size that is different than the system reports. Do you want to adjust the size? (Yes to override header, No to trust header, Cancel to abort)
What the hell does this mean?
I got this on my last recording, and Im still running the first firmware update
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as others have mentioned, the auto-split featute doesn't really meet our needs. it only took 5-9 seconds to stop a file and start a new one anyway, so nothing has changed. myself, I'm never going to let it autosplit, because it might happen during a song. I'm going to continue to do it manually, so that I know the split will happen between songs. I guess it's a step in the right direction, but it really does need to be seamless...
no doubt, they fix that seamless split and i might be tempted to buy one :)
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I think everyone has that "problem" with the available recording time. I think either way (s/pdif or trs) you should be able to get 9 hours at 16/44.1 even if the available recording time screen says 4 hours. When you are recording, does it say 3 hours? That should be the right time for 16/44.1 (3 hours @ 16/44.1 = 2 GB).
Ok I just wanted to make sure it wasn't an isolated problem (sorry... i try to keep up on all the quirks but I miss a few).
So the time remaining on the recording screen is the time remaining for that file and if you start a new file, that counter will reset?
Yeah the time is for that one file. If you stop the recording and start a new one, the time should reset itself. Either it will be another 2GB or if will be the space left (if you have less than 2GB left on your card, it will show the time remaining for the bit/sample rate you are using).
Edit: Did you use the new firmware last night? How did it go? I plan on using it on Thursday.
I did use the new firmware and it worked great. Didn't run at 24/48 like I wanted to just because I didn't want to fuck up and miss some of the headliner's set.
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This has happened since the MT came out. The header is correct, just some zeros or garbage after the end of the data.
Trust the header.
I don't know if this is necessarily a microTrack issue, but I've gotten it with both 1.2.3 and 1.3.3 firmwares.
when I try to open a 24/48 wav file with cd wave I get this warning message:
File header reports a size that is different than the system reports. Do you want to adjust the size? (Yes to override header, No to trust header, Cancel to abort)
What the hell does this mean?
FWIW - the JB3 files do the same thing in CDWave...dont think its the MT - something in CDWave
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I don't know if this is necessarily a microTrack issue, but I've gotten it with both 1.2.3 and 1.3.3 firmwares.
when I try to open a 24/48 wav file with cd wave I get this warning message:
File header reports a size that is different than the system reports. Do you want to adjust the size? (Yes to override header, No to trust header, Cancel to abort)
What the hell does this mean?
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=53348.0 (http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=53348.0)
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FWIW - the JB3 files do the same thing in CDWave...dont think its the MT - something in CDWave
Guess I am lucky... never had this with either the JB3 or the Microtrack... Hoping I did not just jinx myself.
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FWIW - the JB3 files do the same thing in CDWave...dont think its the MT - something in CDWave
Guess I am lucky... never had this with either the JB3 or the Microtrack... Hoping I did not just jinx myself.
I hadn't had that error either. Until just now. I think if you just transfer a file straight from the MT to CD Wave without editing it in a separate app (like Audacity or Wavelab) then it will throw this error at you. That's my theory at least.
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FWIW - the JB3 files do the same thing in CDWave...dont think its the MT - something in CDWave
Guess I am lucky... never had this with either the JB3 or the Microtrack... Hoping I did not just jinx myself.
I hadn't had that error either. Until just now. I think if you just transfer a file straight from the MT to CD Wave without editing it in a separate app (like Audacity or Wavelab) then it will throw this error at you. That's my theory at least.
That could be.... I always transfer then open in Audition or whatever else to do levels,etc before splitting. Think you hit the nail on the head.
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FWIW - the JB3 files do the same thing in CDWave...dont think its the MT - something in CDWave
Guess I am lucky... never had this with either the JB3 or the Microtrack... Hoping I did not just jinx myself.
I hadn't had that error either. Until just now. I think if you just transfer a file straight from the MT to CD Wave without editing it in a separate app (like Audacity or Wavelab) then it will throw this error at you. That's my theory at least.
That could be.... I always transfer then open in Audition or whatever else to do levels,etc before splitting. Think you hit the nail on the head.
I coule be wrong, but when I try renaming a file that I transferred direct from the Mictotrack, without opening any other processing software, I get a 'read-only' message. When I transfer, open with an application, then rename, there are no issues. Either way, it's a simple workaround.
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I think everyone has that "problem" with the available recording time. I think either way (s/pdif or trs) you should be able to get 9 hours at 16/44.1 even if the available recording time screen says 4 hours. When you are recording, does it say 3 hours? That should be the right time for 16/44.1 (3 hours @ 16/44.1 = 2 GB).
Ok I just wanted to make sure it wasn't an isolated problem (sorry... i try to keep up on all the quirks but I miss a few).
So the time remaining on the recording screen is the time remaining for that file and if you start a new file, that counter will reset?
Yeah the time is for that one file. If you stop the recording and start a new one, the time should reset itself. Either it will be another 2GB or if will be the space left (if you have less than 2GB left on your card, it will show the time remaining for the bit/sample rate you are using).
Edit: Did you use the new firmware last night? How did it go? I plan on using it on Thursday.
I did use the new firmware and it worked great. Didn't run at 24/48 like I wanted to just because I didn't want to fuck up and miss some of the headliner's set.
That is good to know. Did you have a dummy.wav file on your card? I have had a dummy file since December just so I don't have that timing issue. I know that it said it is fixed now via the firmware, but I haven't deleted it yet.
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I think everyone has that "problem" with the available recording time. I think either way (s/pdif or trs) you should be able to get 9 hours at 16/44.1 even if the available recording time screen says 4 hours. When you are recording, does it say 3 hours? That should be the right time for 16/44.1 (3 hours @ 16/44.1 = 2 GB).
Ok I just wanted to make sure it wasn't an isolated problem (sorry... i try to keep up on all the quirks but I miss a few).
So the time remaining on the recording screen is the time remaining for that file and if you start a new file, that counter will reset?
Yeah the time is for that one file. If you stop the recording and start a new one, the time should reset itself. Either it will be another 2GB or if will be the space left (if you have less than 2GB left on your card, it will show the time remaining for the bit/sample rate you are using).
Edit: Did you use the new firmware last night? How did it go? I plan on using it on Thursday.
I did use the new firmware and it worked great. Didn't run at 24/48 like I wanted to just because I didn't want to fuck up and miss some of the headliner's set.
That is good to know. Did you have a dummy.wav file on your card? I have had a dummy file since December just so I don't have that timing issue. I know that it said it is fixed now via the firmware, but I haven't deleted it yet.
I didn't have a dummy file on the drive. I think you should be ok without one with this firmware.
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as others have mentioned, the auto-split featute doesn't really meet our needs. it only took 5-9 seconds to stop a file and start a new one anyway, so nothing has changed. myself, I'm never going to let it autosplit, because it might happen during a song. I'm going to continue to do it manually, so that I know the split will happen between songs. I guess it's a step in the right direction, but it really does need to be seamless...
Amen! This is exactly what I mean.
So everybody, please contact M-Audio to tell them we need seamless 2GB splits.
What good are teh 2GB/4GB+/SPDIF fixes if we loose a few seconds of audio every 2GB?
It is like the electricity company, they get paid for avoiding breaks in the power. No blackouts.
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Did you observe any changes of the noise due to the new firmware?
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But please don't expect too much from the Portal Player platform. As I mentioned before, I seriously doubt the CPU has nearly enough power to seamlessly flush the buffers, close the file, open a new file, and write to the new buffer all at the same time...
I couldn't agree more. I would not expect seemless splits either. This is after all a playform designed around playing MP3 files essentially.
J.T.
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is this thing doing 24/96 via spdif reliably yet? Or is everyone still using it 24/48 only?
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is this thing doing 24/96 via spdif reliably yet? Or is everyone still using it 24/48 only?
in my testing (admittingly limited testing), the 24/96 is just as reliable as the 24/48 via S/PDIF. However, the reasons that I'm still running 24/48 are the following:
I don't own an 8 gig CF card yet. On my 4 gig card, that's only 2 hours at 24/96, not enough for a whole show. but with the 4 gig card, the 4 hours I get when running 24/48 is enough for a whole show. sometime in the fairly near future, I'll probably get an 8 gig card, as those prices are dropping. on the other hand, the longer I wait, the cheaper the 8 gig cards will be :)
the second issue is the non-seamless 2 GB file size limit. at 24/96, that's every hour. when running at 24/48, I've got 2 hours of continuous record time. sometime in the 2 hours, I can usually find a good place to break and only miss crowd between songs. but I might not have that option every hour. so until that issue is resolved, I'm going to continue to run at 24/48. another great thing would be the ability to run dual-mono files. that would basically double the time before the 2 gig file size limit is reached.
so to sum up, I'm pretty sure that 24/96 is reliable over S/PDIF, it's just not practical yet, due to the 2 gig file size limit.
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So has anyone tested the auto-split yet? Is it cutting out that 5-10 seconds for sure or does it possibly buffer those seconds?
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I wonder if the mono recording feature is the first step
toward a dual mono implimentation, since there is the gap
with the autosplit. Or hopefully they'll just be able to do
seemless autosplitting in the next firmware update...
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late to this thread, just putting in a comment so i can follow along.
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I'm new here, too, and just bought a micro track today. The place I bought it from was adamant that I cannot use a CF card bigger than 2gb. I see mentioned here that people are using a 4gb+ card....is that true? I need to be able to record for 3 hours continuously in wav format.
Also, once the file gets to 2gb, it stops recording then restarts after 7 seconds? Is this true? If so, should I stop taping at a crowd break after a set period? Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!
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I'm new here, too, and just bought a micro track today. The place I bought it from was adamant that I cannot use a CF card bigger than 2gb. I see mentioned here that people are using a 4gb card....is that true? I need to be able to record for 3 hours continuously in wav format.
Also, once the file gets to 2gb, it stops recording then retsarts after 7 seconds? Is this true? If so, should I stop taping at a crowd break after a set period? Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!
most people on here use 4g cards or higher. I use a kingston 4g 45x card. I hear of people using 6g microdrives as well. and definately, if youre coming up on the 2 g limit, and there is a pause in the music, or setbreak, start a new track.
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is there a recommended way to reset the mt when it hangs like this? pulling the drive is definitely not good for it or the mt.
if you just hold the power button, for maybe 15 or 20 seconds, it'll shut off.
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I'm new here, too, and just bought a micro track today. The place I bought it from was adamant that I cannot use a CF card bigger than 2gb. I see mentioned here that people are using a 4gb card....is that true? I need to be able to record for 3 hours continuously in wav format.
Also, once the file gets to 2gb, it stops recording then retsarts after 7 seconds? Is this true? If so, should I stop taping at a crowd break after a set period? Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!
most people on here use 4g cards or higher. I use a kingston 4g 45x card. I hear of people using 6g microdrives as well. and definately, if youre coming up on the 2 g limit, and there is a pause in the music, or setbreak, start a new track.
Again...I just bought the thing, and it hasn't been delivered yet so if my questions seem stupid, I don't even have the unit to try!!!
Will the screen tell me when I am approaching the 2gb limit? Does the microdrive work like the CF? And if so, on average, how long can I record at the maximum wav quality settings on a 6 gb microdrive? Thanks again!!!
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alrighty everybody, I ran 1.3.3 on Saturday and Sunday night, here's my experience. :P I used two empty 6gb hitachi/apple microdives over the course of the weekend, recording spdif in @ 24/48. m20>jk labs>psp2>v3>mt. all three bands I recorded came out fine, no issues whatsoever. the mt read the drives as 6 gb's available on both cards and time remaining was correct also. i started a new file via the double click of the record button and the time remaining updated accordingly then also. (~1:55).
the only issue I found with the firmware was during playback, but I think this was due to user error. hell, it may have been covered already, I dunno. on the way home saturday I was listening to the show and hit the record button, trying to stop the recording, since I don't know how to stop a file from playing back. the input was set to spdif in and it started recording, but the timer never started since there was no spdif signal present. i then tried to save the recording, and the mt hung up at the "writing file" screen. i could navigate through the menus, but when I tried to shut down it would give me an error message saying that "shutdown cannot occur until file is written" (paraphrasing). Since I was tired and not really with it, and didn't want to lose the files already on the microdrive by fucking with the box, I just put it in my bag and let it shut down by itself when the battery died. the next day I woke up and plugged it in, all the files were there, plus the 0 byte file I "recorded" the night before. I re-enacted the same thing and when the mt hung up I just removed the microdrive. this immediately shut the unit off. is there a recommended way to reset the mt when it hangs like this? pulling the drive is definitely not good for it or the mt.
Tim, did you use the autosplit feature? Did it leave a 5-10 gap in music or did it buffer that transition time?
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the only issue I found with the firmware was during playback, but I think this was due to user error. hell, it may have been covered already, I dunno. on the way home saturday I was listening to the show and hit the record button, trying to stop the recording, since I don't know how to stop a file from playing back. the input was set to spdif in and it started recording, but the timer never started since there was no spdif signal present. i then tried to save the recording, and the mt hung up at the "writing file" screen. i could navigate through the menus, but when I tried to shut down it would give me an error message saying that "shutdown cannot occur until file is written" (paraphrasing).
Yeah I've had this problem too. It happens whenever the MT tries to write a super short (or in your case, 0 seconds long) recording. I've seen it by double pumping the record button on accident when recording analog. I think the file headers or something is not even set up when it goes to save and then gets confused. As someone else wrote, holding down the power button for about 12 seconds forces a power off of the MT so that's how to get out of the situation. If for some reason you were recording S/PDIF and hadn't yet pressed the REC button to save the file and it was just sitting on 0 seconds, in theory you could start the S/PDIF stream to get the MT to start recording, then after a sec or two hit record to stop the recording thereby averting the problem before it happened. I haven't tried this myself, I just happen to think it would work.
J.T.
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I have tried to locate the problem I had with the new 1.3.3 update and sadly It's my expensive 8 GB card that has some problems with the 1.3.3 update :(
When using the Kodak Digital Film 64 MB card that came with the tracker there's no problems recording from mp3 96/32 to wav at 24/96 quality.
When I use the SanDisk Ultra II 8 GB card here's what happens when I record with the following settings:
MP3 (96/44.1 to 320/48) = no problems
WAV (16/44.1 to 16/96) = constant popping > http://onebear.net/sound/16_88.2.mp3
WAV (24/44.1 to 24/48) = constant noise/clipping > http://onebear.net/sound/24_44.1.mp3
WAV (24/88.2 to 24/96) = constant noise/clipping faster > http://onebear.net/sound/24_88.2.mp3
I really hope M-Audio can fix this problem otherwise I need to buy smaller flashcards :(
I have sent this in an email to M-Audio and I'll post when I get an answer from their tech people.
Just to clarify, when you record something and then copy the file to the PC, the files have this problem? It's not just a problem with playback by any chance is it (I assume not but since you've posted MP3's I could imagine them being 'captures' of the MicroTracks' playback out of the headphones or RCA jacks and I just want to make sure this isn't the case)?.
J.T.
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I'm new here, too, and just bought a micro track today. The place I bought it from was adamant that I cannot use a CF card bigger than 2gb. I see mentioned here that people are using a 4gb card....is that true? I need to be able to record for 3 hours continuously in wav format.
Also, once the file gets to 2gb, it stops recording then retsarts after 7 seconds? Is this true? If so, should I stop taping at a crowd break after a set period? Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!
most people on here use 4g cards or higher. I use a kingston 4g 45x card. I hear of people using 6g microdrives as well. and definately, if youre coming up on the 2 g limit, and there is a pause in the music, or setbreak, start a new track.
Again...I just bought the thing, and it hasn't been delivered yet so if my questions seem stupid, I don't even have the unit to try!!!
Will the screen tell me when I am approaching the 2gb limit? Does the microdrive work like the CF? And if so, on average, how long can I record at the maximum wav quality settings on a 6 gb microdrive? Thanks again!!!
If you get the latest firmware (the one mentioned in the title of this thread), the countdown timer will countdown to the 2gb mark, but it will show you a time remaining instead of a file size. The microdrive uses the same interface as a CF card, however it is a timy hard drive and not solid state. There are heat and movement issues that go along with using microdrives that cf cards do not suffer from.
As for the wav quality, you can record up to 24/96, which is roughly 30 mins per gigabyte. With a 6 gig card you'll get three hours with a break just after each hour mark.
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I have tried to locate the problem I had with the new 1.3.3 update and sadly It's my expensive 8 GB card that has some problems with the 1.3.3 update :(
When using the Kodak Digital Film 64 MB card that came with the tracker there's no problems recording from mp3 96/32 to wav at 24/96 quality.
When I use the SanDisk Ultra II 8 GB card here's what happens when I record with the following settings:
MP3 (96/44.1 to 320/48) = no problems
WAV (16/44.1 to 16/96) = constant popping > http://onebear.net/sound/16_88.2.mp3
WAV (24/44.1 to 24/48) = constant noise/clipping > http://onebear.net/sound/24_44.1.mp3
WAV (24/88.2 to 24/96) = constant noise/clipping faster > http://onebear.net/sound/24_88.2.mp3
I really hope M-Audio can fix this problem otherwise I need to buy smaller flashcards :(
I have sent this in an email to M-Audio and I'll post when I get an answer from their tech people.
I'm using one of these cards - SanDisk Ultra II 8 GB - in my MT w/ the 1.3.3 firmware. I ran some tests last night w/ my 4061's and mma6000 into a sp 1/8" > 1/4" dongle on the MT. I was recording @ 24/48 and did not hear anything like this in the .wav files. I remove the card from the MT and use a usb cardreader for transfering the files to the mac - last night i was listening to the .wavs directly from the card on the mac.
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Feedback from M-Audio on two issues:
Seamless file split:
[G W -- 03/06/2006 04:04]
I will forward this information to the developers.
Thank you for your feedback.
I gotta believe M-Audio will not address this one in the next fw release, else they'd already be working on it rather than submitting it to development
Dual mono recording:
[G W -- 03/06/2006 04:03]
We are currently testing a firmware upgrade that will make this option possible.
Thank you for your patience.
Progress! Hope this one makes it in the next fw release - it'll mean ~4 hrs of continuous 24/48, plenty for my needs. Nice!
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Dual mono recording:
[G W -- 03/06/2006 04:03]
We are currently testing a firmware upgrade that will make this option possible.
Thank you for your patience.
Progress! Hope this one makes it in the next fw release - it'll mean ~4 hrs of continuous 24/48, plenty for my needs. Nice!
Definitely. If this happens my rig will be set for a very long time. ;)
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Dual mono recording:
[G W -- 03/06/2006 04:03]
We are currently testing a firmware upgrade that will make this option possible.
Thank you for your patience.
Progress! Hope this one makes it in the next fw release - it'll mean ~4 hrs of continuous 24/48, plenty for my needs. Nice!
Definitely. If this happens my rig will be set for a very long time. ;)
Am I missing something? I thought dual mono recording was putting the signal from a single mic onto both stereo channels, and I thought that was added in 1.3.3.
Craig
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Dual mono recording:
[G W -- 03/06/2006 04:03]
We are currently testing a firmware upgrade that will make this option possible.
Thank you for your patience.
Progress! Hope this one makes it in the next fw release - it'll mean ~4 hrs of continuous 24/48, plenty for my needs. Nice!
Definitely. If this happens my rig will be set for a very long time. ;)
Am I missing something? I thought dual mono recording was putting the signal from a single mic onto both stereo channels, and I thought that was added in 1.3.3.
Craig
I believe it means that a stereo recording will be split into two separate mono recordings, thereby allowing you to have each file be 2GB and doubling your recording time per file.
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Dual mono recording:
[G W -- 03/06/2006 04:03]
We are currently testing a firmware upgrade that will make this option possible.
Thank you for your patience.
Progress! Hope this one makes it in the next fw release - it'll mean ~4 hrs of continuous 24/48, plenty for my needs. Nice!
Definitely. If this happens my rig will be set for a very long time. ;)
Am I missing something? I thought dual mono recording was putting the signal from a single mic onto both stereo channels.
Craig
edit^what he said..
In the reference made here, it refers to the ability to record the left channel as one file(one channel of data @ 2gig limit), and the right channel as one file(one channel of data @ 2gig limit), thus extending the record time in .wav format to 4gigs(@2448 - 2hrs @2496)..
hmm.. dumb question but.. do yall think the MT2496 can record two files simultaneously?
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Dual mono recording:
[G W -- 03/06/2006 04:03]
We are currently testing a firmware upgrade that will make this option possible.
Thank you for your patience.
Progress! Hope this one makes it in the next fw release - it'll mean ~4 hrs of continuous 24/48, plenty for my needs. Nice!
Definitely. If this happens my rig will be set for a very long time. ;)
Am I missing something? I thought dual mono recording was putting the signal from a single mic onto both stereo channels.
Craig
edit^what he said..
In the reference made here, it refers to the ability to record the left channel as one file(one channel of data @ 2gig limit), and the right channel as one file(one channel of data @ 2gig limit), thus extending the record time in .wav format to 4gigs(@2448 - 2hrs @2496)..
hmm.. dumb question but.. do yall think the MT2496 can record two files simultaneously?
I have no idea what you mean by that, but every way I can interpret it the answer would be no. ;)
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No problems with the update from my end. I like the Nav button fix, but god damn why didn't they put a stop button on this thing?
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Dual mono recording:
[G W -- 03/06/2006 04:03]
We are currently testing a firmware upgrade that will make this option possible.
Thank you for your patience.
Progress! Hope this one makes it in the next fw release - it'll mean ~4 hrs of continuous 24/48, plenty for my needs. Nice!
Timing on dual mono needs to be exact downto the sample. Could be posisble but needs a reliable recording path.
The definite 2GB fix is the real way to go?
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Am I missing something? I thought dual mono recording was putting the signal from a single mic onto both stereo channels, and I thought that was added in 1.3.3.
I believe it means that a stereo recording will be split into two separate mono recordings, thereby allowing you to have each file be 2GB and doubling your recording time per file.
On the Microtrack? Not a chance. I'll guarantee you the tech support guy thought you were talking about a mono signal on both tracks.
To back this up, I offer their first tech support response to my not being able to power my MT back on after the upgrade: "Allow the battery to completely discharge then recharge completely." Umm, and how would I do that if I can't power it on?
(I've already swapped the dead one for a new one at the store where I bought it...I'm just going through the paces to see how long it would have theoretically taken M-Audio to fix the dead one were the store swap not an option.)
Craig
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I'm new here, too, and just bought a micro track today. The place I bought it from was adamant that I cannot use a CF card bigger than 2gb. I see mentioned here that people are using a 4gb card....is that true? I need to be able to record for 3 hours continuously in wav format.
Also, once the file gets to 2gb, it stops recording then retsarts after 7 seconds? Is this true? If so, should I stop taping at a crowd break after a set period? Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!
most people on here use 4g cards or higher. I use a kingston 4g 45x card. I hear of people using 6g microdrives as well. and definately, if youre coming up on the 2 g limit, and there is a pause in the music, or setbreak, start a new track.
Again...I just bought the thing, and it hasn't been delivered yet so if my questions seem stupid, I don't even have the unit to try!!!
Will the screen tell me when I am approaching the 2gb limit? Does the microdrive work like the CF? And if so, on average, how long can I record at the maximum wav quality settings on a 6 gb microdrive? Thanks again!!!
If you get the latest firmware (the one mentioned in the title of this thread), the countdown timer will countdown to the 2gb mark, but it will show you a time remaining instead of a file size. The microdrive uses the same interface as a CF card, however it is a timy hard drive and not solid state. There are heat and movement issues that go along with using microdrives that cf cards do not suffer from.
As for the wav quality, you can record up to 24/96, which is roughly 30 mins per gigabyte. With a 6 gig card you'll get three hours with a break just after each hour mark.
FWIW, the "countdown" feature is also on the previous version of the firmware. Great function. Funny though...I watch that thing like the timer in LOST!!! :o
I've now done 2 shows with the newest firmware, as well as 5 DAT transfers and I have not had a single issue. I LOVE this thing!
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Just to clarify, when you record something and then copy the file to the PC, the files have this problem? It's not just a problem with playback by any chance is it (I assume not but since you've posted MP3's I could imagine them being 'captures' of the MicroTracks' playback out of the headphones or RCA jacks and I just want to make sure this isn't the case)?.
J.T.
Hey there's no problems recording/playing 24/96 on the Kodak 64 MB card that came with the tracker.
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I'm using one of these cards - SanDisk Ultra II 8 GB - in my MT w/ the 1.3.3 firmware. I ran some tests last night w/ my 4061's and mma6000 into a sp 1/8" > 1/4" dongle on the MT. I was recording @ 24/48 and did not hear anything like this in the .wav files. I remove the card from the MT and use a usb cardreader for transfering the files to the mac - last night i was listening to the .wavs directly from the card on the mac.
Hhmm maybe it's my 8 GB card that's broken and not the tracker.
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On the Microtrack? Not a chance. I'll guarantee you the tech support guy thought you were talking about a mono signal on both tracks.
Yes, a mono signal on both tracks - L track in one mono file, R track in the other mono file. Still, perhaps s/he misunderstood, so I've clarified in far further detail in my support ticket and will report back the response.
To back this up, I offer their first tech support response to my not being able to power my MT back on after the upgrade: "Allow the battery to completely discharge then recharge completely." Umm, and how would I do that if I can't power it on?
I'd hardly write off their entire support and development efforts based on a single incident. Every organization has newbies, incompetents, etc., and perhaps you simply reached one of them in your previous contact.
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I know I am now sounding like a broken record here but if someone has the time can someone verify exactly what is happening when the MT makes the auto-split at 2GB. I know what the firmware changelog says but I want to know if those 5-10 seconds are lost or if they are buffered somehow. I would suspect the first but am hoping for the second.
Anyone have the time to try test this out?
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I think it's quite obvious that they are lost.
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WhenI update I will try it out. Remember, they didn't say anything about 24/96 spidf working until the last release, while it was working before. Maybe we will get lucky
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I've been meaning to test it out, but I haven't gotten the chance yet. I'd just like to see for myself what happens. maybe tonight I'll run it for an hour at 24/96 via S/PDIF, and check it out. I'll post with anything interesting...
oh, and I'll also run some tests about the channel swapping thing at 24 bit via S/PDIF...
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i still need to update, maybe if i get a second i'll try to test it out too.
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Running right now. Will get back in about 57 minutes.
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definitely a 5-7 second gap. >:( :'(
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Regarding backing up to firmware 1.2.3 from firmware 1.3.3,
You'll notice that unlike the previous MicroTrack updates, the 1.3.3 update contains 3 files instead of just two. The three files are updates to 1) The boot loader (BL_MPR.rom), 2) the Application (PP5020.mi4) and the menus / languages etc. (Resources.arl). The boot loader portion of the update contains the code that boots the unit up (hence the name) but it also contains the Rescue Disk mode code to help reload firmware just in case the Application or Resource portions of the firmware ever become corrupt or fail to update properly during a firmware update. The Rescue disk mode can't of course help if it's the Boot loader itself that has become corrupt (perhaps during a failed firmware update).
Because of this I would not recommend repeatedly updating the Boot loader portion. If for some reason you need to regress to an earlier firmware and then return to 1.3.3, it is not necessary to re-update the Boot loader during this update since when regressing for instance to 1.2.3, the 1.2.3 update does not contain a boot loader update (there is no BL_MPR.rom file). So in effect, once you regress to 1.2.3 from the 1.3.3 update, you will really be running application 1.2.3 on top of boot loader 1.02 (where originally you would have been running application 1.2.3 on top of boot loader 1.00). When you regress to 1.2.3 you can tell that you still are running the 1.02 boot loader because the startup screen doesn't have the 1.0 on it that used to be there when running boot loader 1.0. So, this being the case and since at least one person has already ended up with a dead unit after the update to 1.3.3 I would shy away from updating the boot loader code more than once.
So far 1.3.3 is good for me so I won't be going back to 1.2.3 (fingers crossed).
J.T.
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definitely a 5-7 second gap. >:( :'(
Thanks for trying that out. +T for the effort. It was worth a shot. I am a big believer is actual experiences than I am changelog info.
Well it looks like M-Audio is listening to its customers though. Now if they are doing things as fast as some folks would like is up for debate but they are certainly on the right track it seems. I'm guess now would not be the time to let up on the emails to them to continue development on the MT.
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I recorded the Dave Mason concert at B.B. Kings in NYC last night in 24/96 onthe Microtrack. I used my CoreSound Mic 2496 to source the 24/96 signal from using DPA 4061 microphones. I had a Kingston Elite Pro 4GB CF card installed and everything worked without a hitch! I performed my own manual file "stop" for each file made rather then trying out the auto split function on my first run with the new firmware.
The sound quality was superb as I expected from the Core-Sound Mic 2496! The resolution of the signal is excellent and I had no clicks, pops or any other type of annoying artifacts in the recording so I shall assume that the few users which have this problem can chalk it up to incompatibility with the CF card most likely. I uploaded the data from the card with my Firewire Card Reader from Lexar which seems to be substantially faster then using the USB 2.0 connection from the MT. I think that my 4GB CF card is quite likely large enough for typical concerts these days as it will record just under two hours at 24/96 and most concerts are now running just a little less then this typically for me. If I need a little more capacity I will upgrade to a high speed 8GB card and will then have ample storage for most any event. The cost of the cards seem to be dropping considerably now so it is quite affordable at this point.
The concert was excellent as Dave and the band played a little bit of all of his great music. Several songs from Delaney and Bonney, Traffic, as well as some Jim Capaldi tunes and Daves songs. The band is extremely talented and Daves voice and guitar playing were amazing! This was one of the best concerts I have atteneded at a small venue in a long time. You should definitely see this band if you have the opportunity to do so.
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Dual mono recording:
[G W -- 03/06/2006 04:03]
We are currently testing a firmware upgrade that will make this option possible.
Thank you for your patience.
Progress! Hope this one makes it in the next fw release - it'll mean ~4 hrs of continuous 24/48, plenty for my needs. Nice!
Sorry to get everyone's hopes up. After several clarification messages back and forth, M-Audio support did NOT properly understand my request for dual mono recording (even though I spelled it out pretty damn clearly). So...no forthcoming stereo recording to separate mono files.
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I recorded the Dave Mason concert at B.B. Kings in NYC last night in 24/96 onthe Microtrack. I used my CoreSound Mic 2496 to source the 24/96 signal from using DPA 4061 microphones. I had a Kingston Elite Pro 4GB CF card installed and everything worked without a hitch! I performed my own manual file "stop" for each file made rather then trying out the auto split function on my first run with the new firmware.
The sound quality was superb as I expected from the Core-Sound Mic 2496! The resolution of the signal is excellent and I had no clicks, pops or any other type of annoying artifacts in the recording so I shall assume that the few users which have this problem can chalk it up to incompatibility with the CF card most likely. I uploaded the data from the card with my Firewire Card Reader from Lexar which seems to be substantially faster then using the USB 2.0 connection from the MT. I think that my 4GB CF card is quite likely large enough for typical concerts these days as it will record just under two hours at 24/96 and most concerts are now running just a little less then this typically for me. If I need a little more capacity I will upgrade to a high speed 8GB card and will then have ample storage for most any event. The cost of the cards seem to be dropping considerably now so it is quite affordable at this point.
The concert was excellent as Dave and the band played a little bit of all of his great music. Several songs from Delaney and Bonney, Traffic, as well as some Jim Capaldi tunes and Daves songs. The band is extremely talented and Daves voice and guitar playing were amazing! This was one of the best concerts I have atteneded at a small venue in a long time. You should definitely see this band if you have the opportunity to do so.
gee, thanks len ::)
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I ran tonight with this firmware. Used my stealth setup and recorded via TRS @ 24/48. I'm not sure if I had a loose connection somewhere or not, but the left channel seems to lose signal intermittently during the recording. This could be due in part to a lot of other factors (people moving in front of me, me shifting my head, etc.) so I won't chalk it up to the firmware until I test further.
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jcrab66,
Just because I use a Core-Sound product doesn't mean my name is "Len". Apparently a few of you have had bad luck dealing with him I on the other hand have had nothing but good support for an excellent product which he makes. I have yet to find a comparable product to the Mic 2496 in either size or performance for a user configurable a/d converter which allows rates from 24/32 to 24/192 on a 9 volt battery.
I am willing to bet that you have a Windows based pc and don't reply to everyone that makes a post "Thanks Bill". I guarantee that you have had worse support from Microsoft with far more aggrevation over the years!
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jcrab66,
Just because I use a Core-Sound product doesn't mean my name is "Len". Apparently a few of you have had bad luck dealing with him I on the other hand have had nothing but good support for an excellent product which he makes. I have yet to find a comparable product to the Mic 2496 in either size or performance for a user configurable a/d converter which allows rates from 24/32 to 24/192 on a 9 volt battery.
I am willing to bet that you have a Windows based pc and don't reply to everyone that makes a post "Thanks Bill". I guarantee that you have had worse support from Microsoft with far more aggrevation over the years!
OK, OK, OK, it was just a little joke. We're all thrilled that you've had a positive experience with them. Can we please try to avoid degrading this thread into a flame war over CoreSounds? There's too much useful information that a lot of people need about 1.3.3 and don't want to have to wade through some silly argument that's already been had a dozen times. Thank you from all MT users.
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Agreed NJfunk ...
Haven't upped to the new firmware yet, hope to try it out tonight at the Codetalkers if I can get my arse up there ...
Oh yeah Core-sound sucks >:D
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OK, OK, OK, it was just a little joke. We're all thrilled that you've had a positive experience with them. Can we please try to avoid degrading this thread into a flame war over CoreSounds? There's too much useful information that a lot of people need about 1.3.3 and don't want to have to wade through some silly argument that's already been had a dozen times. Thank you from all MT users.
Though, to be fair, he wasn't the one who started it or who got off-topic first, yes?
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Recorded Evgeny Kissin's piano recital on Tuesday with my setup (CCM2S>V3>MT and M1) with the new firmware 1.3.3. with setting 24/48. I was using a Lexar 2GB 80X CF card. At the end of the recital my MT told me there no media in the recorder. Went home and my card reader couldn't recognize my CF card, too. Do not know if it is the firmware or the compact flash which caused the problem all I know is I got dead useless Lexar card. Luckily I ran my M1 together with my MT as the back up because my V3 also has a optical out. Now I'm going to try and see if Kingston Elite 2GB 50X is more reliable with the current firmware. Not happy that my MT destroyed by Lexar card. :(
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Recorded Evgeny Kissin's piano recital on Tuesday with my setup (CCM2S>V3>MT and M1) with the new firmware 1.3.3. with setting 24/48. I was using a Lexar 2GB 80X CF card. At the end of the recital my MT told me there no media in the recorder. Went home and my card reader couldn't recognize my CF card, too. Do not know if it is the firmware or the compact flash which caused the problem all I know is I got dead useless Lexar card. Luckily I ran my M1 together with my MT as the back up because my V3 also has a optical out. Now I'm going to try and see if Kingston Elite 2GB 50X is more reliable with the current firmware. Not happy that my MT destroyed by Lexar card. :(
That's a new one. Did it happen when it went to auto split or something or did you just notice that it was saying that after you stopped recording? What was the sequence of events? Was the MT overly hot that you noticed? I guess I'd suggest trying some tests with a new card that you could 'return' to the store as 'defective' if it stopped working during your tests.
J.T.
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Recorded Evgeny Kissin's piano recital on Tuesday with my setup (CCM2S>V3>MT and M1) with the new firmware 1.3.3. with setting 24/48. I was using a Lexar 2GB 80X CF card. At the end of the recital my MT told me there no media in the recorder. Went home and my card reader couldn't recognize my CF card, too. Do not know if it is the firmware or the compact flash which caused the problem all I know is I got dead useless Lexar card. Luckily I ran my M1 together with my MT as the back up because my V3 also has a optical out. Now I'm going to try and see if Kingston Elite 2GB 50X is more reliable with the current firmware. Not happy that my MT destroyed by Lexar card. :(
did it happen to make some cryptic looking files on the card or is it totally trashed?
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Recorded Evgeny Kissin's piano recital on Tuesday with my setup (CCM2S>V3>MT and M1) with the new firmware 1.3.3. with setting 24/48. I was using a Lexar 2GB 80X CF card. At the end of the recital my MT told me there no media in the recorder. Went home and my card reader couldn't recognize my CF card, too. Do not know if it is the firmware or the compact flash which caused the problem all I know is I got dead useless Lexar card. Luckily I ran my M1 together with my MT as the back up because my V3 also has a optical out. Now I'm going to try and see if Kingston Elite 2GB 50X is more reliable with the current firmware. Not happy that my MT destroyed by Lexar card. :(
That's a new one. Did it happen when it went to auto split or something or did you just notice that it was saying that after you stopped recording? What was the sequence of events? Was the MT overly hot that you noticed? I guess I'd suggest trying some tests with a new card that you could 'return' to the store as 'defective' if it stopped working during your tests.
J.T.
Yes, the MT was a bit warm... It was recording for 50 min for the first half and 50 min for the 2nd half. At the end of the concert my MT did not respond to my actions...I tried to stop REC but non of the buttoms responded to my actions. It was like my MT crashed. After a few mins my MT said saving file (which lasted another few mins). By then I knew something was wrong. The file was saved at the end. I powered up my MT again and it didn't recognize my CF saying no card found. When I got home, my card reader connected to my PC did not recognize it, either. My MT seems fine now when I put in a 256MB SANDISK card. It seems as if the MT did something to my Lexar card. First time my MT crashed on me.
Straight after saving the audio files (with difficulty) I saw a few small files (which was strange because I should only have 2X 50 mins audio files) ...now my card is totally useless. Could not get my MT or any other reader to read my card. MT and card reader say there is no card inserted.
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wow, this microtracker just keeps looking more and more promising >:D
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scyue,
Have you tried reformatting the card via either the MT or connected to the pc? Did you try using the card prior to the concert recital to see if it worked at all? I use a Kingston 4GB Elite Pro which is a 45X card and have not experienced any issues with my card. Ihave completed testing at 24/96 going in spdif and let the MT perform an auto-split at 2GB which went smoothly! I also confirmed that I can get better then 4 hours on the MT with the backlight on always while recording in 24/96 via spdif in. The file split did not appear to take more then 3 seconds as I timed it with a stopwatch from when the time remaining indicator reached zero to when I could see the meters resonding on the new file and the elapsed time counter accumulating time.
Has anyone else performed any tests relevent to the auto-split or other new functions in the current software release?
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Yeah that is a new one, makes me nervous to even update ...
I recently had a 24/48 set flp channels about 8-9 minutes into a 45 minute set, then recorded two more without a problem...
16/44.1 has been working fine ...
If it ain't broke, er wait ;)
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scyue,
Have you tried reformatting the card via either the MT or connected to the pc? Did you try using the card prior to the concert recital to see if it worked at all? I use a Kingston 4GB Elite Pro which is a 45X card and have not experienced any issues with my card.
I formatted the CF before the concert. Now I cannot even format the card becauase the card is not even recognizable in my MT or in the card reader connected to my PC. Luckily I ran my M1 as a back up during the concert. I think in the future I will always use my M1 as the back up because I cannot trust my MT. I will try see if it is possible to return the dead Lexar card. Now I plan to run the MT with a Kingston Elite...hopefully Kingston is more reliable with this new firmware...Thanks.
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I had emailed M-Audio about the 2GB split function, asking about whether they would be working to fix the WAV function:
[A R -- 03/09/2006 03:00]
No, there will never be the ability to record more than 2 gigs at a time.
This is a limitation of the file format used (Fat 32 ) and not the microtrack.
Don't remember whether this had been posted.
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Am I the only one still waiting for onboard indexing? I want to be able to split large files onboard and then just download the segments I need to my computer.
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jcrab66,
Just because I use a Core-Sound product doesn't mean my name is "Len".
Well, if you read the fine print on the order form, you'll see that in order to get use the gear under proper license you need to either 1) change your name to Len; or 2) nickname the gear "Len." I just received a Schneider Disk I ordered this week from Core Sound (fast delivery, thanks Len #1), and plan to name the Schneider Disk/Manfrotto tripod/Schoeps Omni rig "Len Schneider." I hope this keeps me out of trouble.
WiFiLen
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I had emailed M-Audio about the 2GB split function, asking about whether they would be working to fix the WAV function:
[A R -- 03/09/2006 03:00]
No, there will never be the ability to record more than 2 gigs at a time.
This is a limitation of the file format used (Fat 32 ) and not the microtrack.
Don't remember whether this had been posted.
I think they just misunderstood your inquiry there, you weren't asking for the abiilty to record files larger than 2 GB, rather you wanted them to have the MT start a new file after the 2 GB file size limit (of FAT32) has been reached. I would send them another e-mail/bug report.
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I had emailed M-Audio about the 2GB split function, asking about whether they would be working to fix the WAV function:
[A R -- 03/09/2006 03:00]
No, there will never be the ability to record more than 2 gigs at a time.
This is a limitation of the file format used (Fat 32 ) and not the microtrack.
Don't remember whether this had been posted.
I think they just misunderstood your inquiry there, you weren't asking for the abiilty to record files larger than 2 GB, rather you wanted them to have the MT start a new file after the 2 GB file size limit (of FAT32) has been reached. I would send them another e-mail/bug report.
yeah, its really ab00t the seemless split b/w the two
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I formatted the CF before the concert. Now I cannot even format the card becauase the card is not even recognizable in my MT or in the card reader connected to my PC. Luckily I ran my M1 as a back up during the concert. I think in the future I will always use my M1 as the back up because I cannot trust my MT. I will try see if it is possible to return the dead Lexar card. Now I plan to run the MT with a Kingston Elite...hopefully Kingston is more reliable with this new firmware...Thanks.
I had this trouble when I first got mine, using the included 64mb card. No errors when formatting the card. Sometimes it would give me a "no media present" error message when I would then try to record on it, and sometimes it waited until I tried to play the files back (like you're describing). The PC wouldn't do anything with the card either. I was able to salvage the card, though, by formatting it in my digital camera. After that, it seemed to work fine, though I've really didn't use that card much after that (I just hadn't had time to buy a bigger card yet.) Ever since that, though, I've been completely paranoid about the Microtrack's formatting abilities, and have instead just been deleting the files off the new card without reformatting. I also usually do a quick record/reboot and see if the file is really there before I leave the house, to double check. Seems to work.
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Could someone send me the updated firmware? I can't download it in any browser (Opera, IE, Firefox) or provide me with an alternate link? I'm getting the 0B error as well.
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Don't you think that if they COULD have managed a seamless split, they WOULD have?
Has anyone tried mono wav recording yet? Does it double the time available for wav files as compared to stereo wav?
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Don't you think that if they COULD have managed a seamless split, they WOULD have?
Has anyone tried mono wav recording yet? Does it double the time available for wav files as compared to stereo wav?
Yes it doubles the time since it's creating mono wav files. I think when I checked the 'rec time avialable' screen also reflected the increased time then starting recordings. And the countdown timer when actually recording also shows the increased time.
J.T.
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Firmware 1.3.3 blows in my opinion. 8)
Crashed the lst two times I used it, at Zero. First set was fine. Second set died at about 1:30. 24/48
It said 1:55 time left when I started it.
Auto split didn't work, but I think it shut down before that time.
I'm glad I run a backup.
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Additional Problems still existing:
-Browsing the files via "Files" in the menu, you can't start playback of files which are in a subdirectory, pressing the Nav button just kicks you back to the main folder as pressing menu does instead of starting playback.
-Reports wrong length with some MP3 files and even stops playing in the middle of the track sometimes with imported mp3s. I have MP3 files which are correctly read by applications such as Winamp, MS Media Player, Audition etc which don't play completely on the MT - Example : MT reports 3 hours length instead of the true 45 minutes and then stops playback afer about 16 minutes. When i fast forward, i can hear snippets of the file, but whenever i stop fast forwarding, the playback stops - timer continues but no sound.
-Doesn't remember the playback position during power off, there is no possibility to pause the playback of a large file and then continue later other then keeping the MT "on".
-Left channel noise higher than the claimed 100dB(A). Even when input is short circuited and gain is set to min -> -79dB Noise.
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Reason for a hardware fix? (return to M-Audio, etc)
How did you measure SNR?
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I asked M-Audio whether my MT is defect, but they say they would measure the same ??? so the MT is not defect - in their opinion - lol.
SNR = 20 log (Full Scale Signal Energy / RMS non-harmonic noise energy)
Since we are measuring a recorder, we have Full Scale Signal Energy = -0dB max.
The best-case szenario for a recorder or fwiw a preamplifier are shortcircuited inputs. Normally you would measure with a resistor like 200 Ohms to mimic your microphone, but that will only worsen the measured SNR, so I just short circuit the TRS input.
Gain is set to minimum (L / recording level indicators full left).
Then just record some seconds of silence.
Load in Audition, select the whole file do an "amplitude statistic". This will show you the average RMS Energy. The A-Weighted Value will be higher, but since the noise is nearly equally distributed over the audio frequency band, i fear that the A-weighting will not change -79dB to -100dB (A).
I'll write another email to m-audio, as i told you before, their reaction was "it's not defect, we measure the same". I would then imply that the whole series has the same problem.
If you want to do me a favor, short circuit your MTs inputs (TRS, of course w/o Phantom Power) and record some seconds, i'm pretty sure the outcome will be the same as with mine. IMHO the unit should exhibit the performance m-audio advertises. Here in the EU, the manufacturer is liable for defects of the unit for 2 years afaik.
I'll return it sooner or later. Just don't want to wait for 2 or more weeks to get another one with the same problems.
Tom
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If you want to do me a favor, short circuit your MTs inputs (TRS, of course w/o Phantom Power) and record some seconds, i'm pretty sure the outcome will be the same as with mine. IMHO the unit should exhibit the performance m-audio advertises. Here in the EU, the manufacturer is liable for defects of the unit for 2 years afaik.
I'll return it sooner or later. Just don't want to wait for 2 or more weeks to get another one with the same problems.
I can do that tomorrow, I think.
The noise performance in both channels should be equal and be at least at the levels advertised? (near -100 dB(A))?
Maybe they will claim the measurement method was not right, then ask them the right method so you can reproduce the problem correctly.
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SNR = 20 log (Full Scale Signal Energy / RMS non-harmonic noise energy)
Since we are measuring a recorder, we have Full Scale Signal Energy = -0dB max.
I don't quite understand your formula. Since Full Scale Signal Energy = 0, isn't Full Scale Signal Energy / RMS non-harmonic noise energy = 0 and log (0) = 1 (I never really took calculus so please be gentle)?
But I did put a 150 ohm load on my 1/4" inputs and recorded silence and ran it thru Audition like you said. Audition reports that the Avg. RMS Energy is -98.6 dB left and -98.64 dB right (this was with the RMS Setting item at the bottom of the window set to "0dB = FS Square Wave", changing it to "0dB = FS Sine Wave" changed the readings to -95.59 dB Left and -95.63 dB right) . What values do you get out of Audition for left and right with a shorted TRS (are you shorting T, R, and S together?)?
This might sound weird but I hope you just have a defective unit. I'd believe that before what support said in this instance.
J.T.
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Thanks a lot!
Seems like I really have a defective unit.
With T,R and S shorted (+min gain) I get:
Left Right
Min Sample Value: -14.21 -2.33
Max Sample Value: 14.39 2.56
Peak Amplitude: -67.15 dB -82.15 dB
Possibly Clipped: 0 0
DC Offset: 0 0
Minimum RMS Power: -79.2 dB -99.7 dB
Maximum RMS Power: -76.8 dB -87.06 dB
Average RMS Power: -77.77 dB -96.73 dB
Total RMS Power: -77.76 dB -96.15 dB
Actual Bit Depth: 24 Bits 24 Bits
Using RMS Window of 50 ms
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Thanks a lot!
Seems like I really have a defective unit.
With T,R and S shorted (+min gain) I get:
Left Right
Min Sample Value: -14.21 -2.33
Max Sample Value: 14.39 2.56
Peak Amplitude: -67.15 dB -82.15 dB
Possibly Clipped: 0 0
DC Offset: 0 0
Minimum RMS Power: -79.2 dB -99.7 dB
Maximum RMS Power: -76.8 dB -87.06 dB
Average RMS Power: -77.77 dB -96.73 dB
Total RMS Power: -77.76 dB -96.15 dB
Actual Bit Depth: 24 Bits 24 Bits
Using RMS Window of 50 ms
Looks like CEP or Adobe Audition statistics. If I didn't know better, I'd assume you had the +27 dB boost turned on? If so, then this may not be as bad as it appears.
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min gain = no boost, setting L, min level
statistic done with audition 2.0
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Is the consensus that a 1.2.3 to 1.3.3 upgrade is advisable?
Or should 1.2.3 users wait?
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Thanks a lot!
Seems like I really have a defective unit.
I think you're right (and that tech support is wrong.)
Here's my complete stats on my test run for comparison.
Left Right
Min Sample Value: -3.31 -1.95
Max Sample Value: 1.88 1.96
Peak Amplitude: -79.92 dB -84.44 dB
Possibly Clipped: 0 0
DC Offset: 0 0
Minimum RMS Power: -96.54 dB -96.52 dB
Maximum RMS Power: -81.91 dB -93.7 dB
Average RMS Power: -95.6 dB -95.64 dB
Total RMS Power: -95.47 dB -95.63 dB
Actual Bit Depth: 24 Bits 24 Bits
Using RMS Window of 50 ms
(again this was with it set to 0dB - Full Scale Sine Wave, below is with it set to 0dB = Full Scale Square Wave)
Left Right
Min Sample Value: -3.31 -1.95
Max Sample Value: 1.88 1.96
Peak Amplitude: -79.92 dB -84.44 dB
Possibly Clipped: 0 0
DC Offset: 0 0
Minimum RMS Power: -99.55 dB -99.53 dB
Maximum RMS Power: -84.92 dB -96.71 dB
Average RMS Power: -98.61 dB -98.65 dB
Total RMS Power: -98.48 dB -98.64 dB
Actual Bit Depth: 24 Bits 24 Bits
Using RMS Window of 50 ms
I would say get it swapped out and hope for a good one.
It would be interesting to see with the unit set like you have it, if you put in a signal lets say that is 0dBU into both left and right. Then look at the file in Audition and see if both levels equal and how far below 0dBFS they are. Mine hits -0dBFS with a +4.7dBU signal (both sides are roughly equal). LIke someone else said, it almost seems like you've got some gain somewhere. Maybe the left input volume control isn't really going down to minimum.
J.T.
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I recently had a 24/48 set flp channels about 8-9 minutes into a 45 minute set, then recorded two more without a problem...
Flipping channels DURING a set? That sucks, I was under the impression that it would keep em' either flipped or not flipped for the whole recording duration. How did you notice the flipping, on playback?
This channel flipping thing bugs me more than the 2 GB limit. >:(
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Yeah it was 1.2.3 and yeah you could tell as it was an on stage recording and yeah I haven't upgraded to 1.3.3 yet ...
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I recently had a 24/48 set flp channels about 8-9 minutes into a 45 minute set, then recorded two more without a problem...
Flipping channels DURING a set? That sucks, I was under the impression that it would keep em' either flipped or not flipped for the whole recording duration. How did you notice the flipping, on playback?
This channel flipping thing bugs me more than the 2 GB limit. >:(
yep.. a small audible "pop" and the channels(somewhat smoothly mind you, minus the "pop") flipped.. 8-9 minutes into a 2448 onstage recording..
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I have recorded three shows since the 1.3.3. firmware was released and it is working perfectly for me. There is absolutely no channel flipping going on with this version on my device. This was never experienced on my MT with earlier releases. I am going into the MT 24/96 via spdif, could the problem be taking place using only the inputs on the MT which run through the microphone preamplifier stage. If so this is why spdif may not exhibit the problem.
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I recently had a 24/48 set flp channels about 8-9 minutes into a 45 minute set, then recorded two more without a problem...
Flipping channels DURING a set? That sucks, I was under the impression that it would keep em' either flipped or not flipped for the whole recording duration. How did you notice the flipping, on playback?
This channel flipping thing bugs me more than the 2 GB limit. >:(
yep.. a small audible "pop" and the channels(somewhat smoothly mind you, minus the "pop") flipped.. 8-9 minutes into a 2448 onstage recording..
I guess I should be more specific..
MT2496 (version 1.2.3)
mics > V3(2448) spdif out > MT (@2448 spdif IN)
this occurance was THE FIRST channel flip EVER with this particular unit.. and I havent read a post yet that said that channels "flipped on the fly", and like I said, the two subsequent sets did not exhibit any problems. This MT unit was used once since then at 2448 for three sets and all were fine.
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I recently had a 24/48 set flp channels about 8-9 minutes into a 45 minute set, then recorded two more without a problem...
Flipping channels DURING a set? That sucks, I was under the impression that it would keep em' either flipped or not flipped for the whole recording duration. How did you notice the flipping, on playback?
This channel flipping thing bugs me more than the 2 GB limit. >:(
yep.. a small audible "pop" and the channels(somewhat smoothly mind you, minus the "pop") flipped.. 8-9 minutes into a 2448 onstage recording..
I guess I should be more specific..
MT2496 (version 1.2.3)
mics > V3(2448) spdif out > MT (@2448 spdif IN)
this occurance was THE FIRST channel flip EVER with this particular unit.. and I havent read a post yet that said that channels "flipped on the fly", and like I said, the two subsequent sets did not exhibit any problems. This MT unit was used once since then at 2448 for three sets and all were fine.
Yes in previous firmware versions the S/PDIF would flip on the fly and quite often actually (at least in my experience). I've never had the problem in 1.2.3 and had thought the problem was fixed. Apparantly it wasn't fixed 100% of the time.
J.T.
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I have recorded three shows since the 1.3.3. firmware was released and it is working perfectly for me. There is absolutely no channel flipping going on with this version on my device. This was never experienced on my MT with earlier releases. I am going into the MT 24/96 via spdif, could the problem be taking place using only the inputs on the MT which run through the microphone preamplifier stage. If so this is why spdif may not exhibit the problem.
FWIW, I never ran analog in, but with the last firmware I put on there (1.2.3 I think, MT is at home so I am not 100% positive) every time I began recording taking SPDIF from my V3 at 24/44.1 the channels were flipped. This problem never happened when taking digi in at 16 bit.
Thanks for the feedback guys, +t's.
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just thought I'd post my initial feedback regarding firmware 1.3.3
although I've done many DAT transfers since I loaded up 1.3.3 (obviously, 16 bit via the S/PDIF input), last night at Club d'Elf was the first time that I ran S/PDIF at 24 bit with the new firmware.
for the main act, with a Sandisk Ultra II 4 gig CF card, no problems at all. first set ran an hour & 45 minutes, second set was just about an hour. I thought the first set might have gone over 2 hours (I tape these guys regularly), so when a good break came 45 minutes into the first set, I stopped the recording and started a new file, to avoid the 2 gig limit and non-seamless split. so that wasn't an issue and I missed no music. No channel swapping on any of the three files that I recorded.
so that's the good news. the bad news came earlier in the night. For the first time since using the MicroTrack, I lost a recording. for the opening act, I was running a 1 gig regular Sandisk CF card (not Ultra II or III or whatever, just a plain Sandisk). I've used this card many times for opening acts, but in the past, I've always run at 16 bit from the V3 (via S/PDIF) for the opener, giving me an hour and a half of recording time. well these opening acts for Club d'Elf usually only run 45 minutes or so, so I thought I'd give 24/48 a whirl for the opener as well. Also, Scott and Rob were both recording as well, so I knew that if anything went wrong, I could just get a copy from them. this recording mysteriously stopped at 29:24. by that time, I thought it was going smoothly, and was just enjoying the music and not looking at my gear, so I didn't notice that it had stopped until the end of the set. However, I don't want to chalk this one up to the MicroTrack firmware, because I have a feeling that the standard Sandisk card just couldn't maintain the write speed needed for 24/48. because I have never ran 24/48 with this card before, it's hard to say for sure. but because both sets for the Club d'Elf went smoothly and perfectly with the Ultra II card, the only difference was the card, and I'll just have to continue to run 16 bit for the opening act, until I get another faster card. oh, also, just FWIW, the 29 minutes that I did record, the channels were not swapped, and it sounds great, no clicks, pops nor any other signs that the card couldn't keep up with the sustained data rate.
does anyone else have any ideas or thoughts about it? as I said, I'm pretty sure it's an issue with the card, and not the MT, but if anyone has had similar experiences, I'd love to hear them...
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Does it seem strange, though, that the card worked fine for half an hour, before apparently failing? It seems suspicious to me that it could keep up the required write speed for that long and then all of sudden, not. Though, I hope that's the answer, since I don't have one of those cards ;)
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just thought I'd post my initial feedback regarding firmware 1.3.3
although I've done many DAT transfers since I loaded up 1.3.3 (obviously, 16 bit via the S/PDIF input), last night at Club d'Elf was the first time that I ran S/PDIF at 24 bit with the new firmware.
for the main act, with a Sandisk Ultra II 4 gig CF card, no problems at all. first set ran an hour & 45 minutes, second set was just about an hour. I thought the first set might have gone over 2 hours (I tape these guys regularly), so when a good break came 45 minutes into the first set, I stopped the recording and started a new file, to avoid the 2 gig limit and non-seamless split. so that wasn't an issue and I missed no music. No channel swapping on any of the three files that I recorded.
so that's the good news. the bad news came earlier in the night. For the first time since using the MicroTrack, I lost a recording. for the opening act, I was running a 1 gig regular Sandisk CF card (not Ultra II or III or whatever, just a plain Sandisk). I've used this card many times for opening acts, but in the past, I've always run at 16 bit from the V3 (via S/PDIF) for the opener, giving me an hour and a half of recording time. well these opening acts for Club d'Elf usually only run 45 minutes or so, so I thought I'd give 24/48 a whirl for the opener as well. Also, Scott and Rob were both recording as well, so I knew that if anything went wrong, I could just get a copy from them. this recording mysteriously stopped at 29:24. by that time, I thought it was going smoothly, and was just enjoying the music and not looking at my gear, so I didn't notice that it had stopped until the end of the set. However, I don't want to chalk this one up to the MicroTrack firmware, because I have a feeling that the standard Sandisk card just couldn't maintain the write speed needed for 24/48. because I have never ran 24/48 with this card before, it's hard to say for sure. but because both sets for the Club d'Elf went smoothly and perfectly with the Ultra II card, the only difference was the card, and I'll just have to continue to run 16 bit for the opening act, until I get another faster card. oh, also, just FWIW, the 29 minutes that I did record, the channels were not swapped, and it sounds great, no clicks, pops nor any other signs that the card couldn't keep up with the sustained data rate.
does anyone else have any ideas or thoughts about it? as I said, I'm pretty sure it's an issue with the card, and not the MT, but if anyone has had similar experiences, I'd love to hear them...
My first guess (as yours is) is the different card. If it was untested at 2448, Id would say its where you must start with the diagnostic process. BUT.. the fact that the 29min you DID get was fine makes me scratch my head ::scratching head::.. you would *think* that the recorded 29min *would* have some clicks and whatnot iffin the card couldnt keep up w/ writing the data.. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
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However, I don't want to chalk this one up to the MicroTrack firmware, because I have a feeling that the standard Sandisk card just couldn't maintain the write speed needed for 24/48. because I have never ran 24/48 with this card before, it's hard to say for sure.
Hi Jason,
On that card on pocket pc we have measured it at 459 to 640 kb/sec depending upon the host. 576 kb/sec is required for 24/96, so you should be able to use that card for 24/48 (with some room to spare).
I have not heard any discussion of cluster sizes used with the MicroTracker. However on pocket pc's we have found for windows ce we need to format the card with large clusters for maximum throughput. Our thinking has been that large clusters helps because of less overhead required to maintain the file allocation table.
Gordon
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Gordon - I've always just formatted my CF cards directly in the MicroTrack. if I format in windows (with the card in a card reader), how do I specify cluster size?. also, once I do that, if I then re-format in the MicroTrack, will the cluster size go back to the default size, or will it remain as what I set it when I formatted in Windows? and when you say "large" cluster size, how big?
thanks for everyone's input, I also found it strange that it was fine for 29 minutes and then nothing. I'll try to run some tests this weekend, and see if I can reproduce it.
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Gordon - I've always just formatted my CF cards directly in the MicroTrack. if I format in windows (with the card in a card reader), how do I specify cluster size?. also, once I do that, if I then re-format in the MicroTrack, will the cluster size go back to the default size, or will it remain as what I set it when I formatted in Windows? and when you say "large" cluster size, how big?
I understand that the Microtracker will reformat the media for it's own use and that this will undo any changes made. However, if it can be determined that cluster size has an effect, then maybe M-audio could be convinced to adjust their firmware.
I'm not a Microtracker user, but just thought I would put this idea out there as a possibility.
Can the media be formatted elsewhere and then used in the Microtracker as is?
I think that in windows management console you can right click and specify the cluster size if I'm not mistaken.
From a cmd prompt it's "format <drive:> /A:64K" (for 64kb clusters). Do "format /?" for help
Try it if you have time to experiment. It might help you get some additional speed out of the card.
If nothing else, it might be useful to know what formatting the microtracker uses.
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Gordon - I've always just formatted my CF cards directly in the MicroTrack. if I format in windows (with the card in a card reader), how do I specify cluster size?. also, once I do that, if I then re-format in the MicroTrack, will the cluster size go back to the default size, or will it remain as what I set it when I formatted in Windows? and when you say "large" cluster size, how big?
I understand that the Microtracker will reformat the media for it's own use and that this will undo any changes made. However, if it can be determined that cluster size has an effect, then maybe M-audio could be convinced to adjust their firmware.
I'm not a Microtracker user, but just thought I would put this idea out there as a possibility.
Can the media be formatted elsewhere and then used in the Microtracker as is?
I think that in windows management console you can right click and specify the cluster size if I'm not mistaken.
From a cmd prompt it's "format <drive:> /A:64K" (for 64kb clusters). Do "format /?" for help
Try it if you have time to experiment. It might help you get some additional speed out of the card.
If nothing else, it might be useful to know what formatting the microtracker uses.
I was able to change the cluster size when I owned one and had no issues at all. Of course, it seems every single MT has a mind of its own. ::)
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.
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W.r.t. clustersize one has the idea to ask the M-Audio support why the chosen formatting parameters are best for the Microtrack.
What would be the reply, if any?
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And what about the limiter in the ADC chip of the MT? Did anyone ask?
[edit: spelling]
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Firmware 1.3.3 blows in my opinion. 8)
Crashed the lst two times I used it, at Zero. First set was fine. Second set died at about 1:30. 24/48
It said 1:55 time left when I started it.
Auto split didn't work, but I think it shut down before that time.
I'm glad I run a backup.
I take this all back. I think it had to do with me rearranging my recording bag. My MT was getting a bunch of my V3 heat, and just was overheating. I moved everything around, and all seems well.
I ran NMAS last night. Had to start a new file since the set ran 2:40minutes, but missed nothing.
DDBB 2 nights before and ran 2 sets 55 minutes and 1:10 minutes.
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Firmware 1.3.3 blows in my opinion. 8)
Crashed the lst two times I used it, at Zero. First set was fine. Second set died at about 1:30. 24/48
It said 1:55 time left when I started it.
Auto split didn't work, but I think it shut down before that time.
I'm glad I run a backup.
I take this all back. I think it had to do with me rearranging my recording bag. My MT was getting a bunch of my V3 heat, and just was overheating. I moved everything around, and all seems well.
I ran NMAS last night. Had to start a new file since the set ran 2:40minutes, but missed nothing.
DDBB 2 nights before and ran 2 sets 55 minutes and 1:10 minutes.
when you say you started a new file, did you do it on the fly? was it seamless? or did you stop between songs?
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I did it between songs.
I couldn't let it do it randomly, and miss 5-10 seconds.
The split came at a good time.
I can do it myself in 3-5 seconds. :laugh:
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I did it between songs.
I couldn't let it do it randomly, and miss 5-10 seconds.
The split came at a good time.
I can do it myself in 3-5 seconds. :laugh:
do you mean you just pressed the rec button to stop it and then press it again as soon as the "saving" screen goes away? i'm going to tape two sam bush shows this weekend and i'll upgrade the firmware sometime this week, but i just wanted to make sure i was understanding correctly. so does that mean if you let it hit the 2 gig limit it will restart once it saves, or it won't? i usually check my gear once every few minutes or so, so i don't see this being a problem, but it would be nice if it did the autosplit and started again on its own....
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do you mean you just pressed the rec button to stop it and then press it again as soon as the "saving" screen goes away?
that would be correct... the "writing file" screen comes on after pushing the record button to stop the file. when the "writing file" dialog box goes away, quickly press the record button to start a new file. you should miss only 3-6 seconds.
note it will take a second or two for the counter to start after pushing record to start a new file.
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do you mean you just pressed the rec button to stop it and then press it again as soon as the "saving" screen goes away?
that would be correct... the "writing file" screen comes on after pushing the record button to stop the file. when the "writing file" dialog box goes away, quickly press the record button to start a new file. you should miss only 3-6 seconds.
note it will take a second or two for the counter to start after pushing record to start a new file.
This is correct. I did it at about 1:40 minutes. I know I have 1:55minutes in a file at 24/48, but when a good break comes, I go for it. I knew they weren't going to play 3:20 minutes.
A file is suppose to start now at the 2 gig limit with the new firmware, but I would do it myself since it is not seamless at this time.
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so that's the good news. the bad news came earlier in the night. For the first time since using the MicroTrack, I lost a recording. for the opening act, I was running a 1 gig regular Sandisk CF card (not Ultra II or III or whatever, just a plain Sandisk). I've used this card many times for opening acts, but in the past, I've always run at 16 bit from the V3 (via S/PDIF) for the opener, giving me an hour and a half of recording time. well these opening acts for Club d'Elf usually only run 45 minutes or so, so I thought I'd give 24/48 a whirl for the opener as well. Also, Scott and Rob were both recording as well, so I knew that if anything went wrong, I could just get a copy from them. this recording mysteriously stopped at 29:24.
That sounds suspiciously like the S/PDIF cable came loose or some other problem on whatever is sending into the S/PDIF in. If this happens, the MicroTrack's counter will stop and the recorder will just sit there waiting for the signal again (try pulling the cable during a recording to see what I mean).
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so that's the good news. the bad news came earlier in the night. For the first time since using the MicroTrack, I lost a recording. for the opening act, I was running a 1 gig regular Sandisk CF card (not Ultra II or III or whatever, just a plain Sandisk). I've used this card many times for opening acts, but in the past, I've always run at 16 bit from the V3 (via S/PDIF) for the opener, giving me an hour and a half of recording time. well these opening acts for Club d'Elf usually only run 45 minutes or so, so I thought I'd give 24/48 a whirl for the opener as well. Also, Scott and Rob were both recording as well, so I knew that if anything went wrong, I could just get a copy from them. this recording mysteriously stopped at 29:24.
That sounds suspiciously like the S/PDIF cable came loose or some other problem on whatever is sending into the S/PDIF in. If this happens, the MicroTrack's counter will stop and the recorder will just sit there waiting for the signal again (try pulling the cable during a recording to see what I mean).
definitely not. the cable was nice and snug the whole time, and the bag definitely didn't get jostled around or anything. and I really doubt that it's a problem from the V3 :) actually, at the end of the set, I pressed the "rec" button to stop and save, not realizing that it had stopped at 29 minutes. so then, it started a new file. so instead of the "saving file" screen that I was expecting, I saw a second file being recorded. (which I then stopped a few seconds later).
I didn't have any time this past weekend to do any tests, so I still haven't really figured it out...
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do you mean you just pressed the rec button to stop it and then press it again as soon as the "saving" screen goes away?
that would be correct... the "writing file" screen comes on after pushing the record button to stop the file. when the "writing file" dialog box goes away, quickly press the record button to start a new file. you should miss only 3-6 seconds.
note it will take a second or two for the counter to start after pushing record to start a new file.
I've found that I don't even have to wait until the "saving" screen goes away to push the REC button the second time. Just hit it twice real quick and the unit stops, saves and resumes recording the second file.
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I just hit record twice, the unit does it as fast as it can. Keeps the operator error low
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I just hit record twice, the unit does it as fast as it can. Keeps the operator error low
That feature was added in 1.2.3 and it is what I do.
But there's a bug with it. If you turn off the HOLD switch, hit rec twice, turn on HOLD, it will fail to start the new recording. It saves the rec just fine but then it apparently checks the state of the hold switch before starting the new rec and throws a 'hold switch is on error'. So you really have to wait to throw the HOLD back on.. Definitely a chance for error in the dark or when you aren't even pulling it out of your pocket to do it.
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I just hit record twice, the unit does it as fast as it can. Keeps the operator error low
That feature was added in 1.2.3 and it is what I do.
But there's a bug with it. If you turn off the HOLD switch, hit rec twice, turn on HOLD, it will fail to start the new recording. It saves the rec just fine but then it apparently checks the state of the hold switch before starting the new rec and throws a 'hold switch is on error'. So you really have to wait to throw the HOLD back on.. Definitely a chance for error in the dark or when you aren't even pulling it out of your pocket to do it.
Exact reason I don't use my hold button. My state of mind is usually a little off by the time I have to take the hold button off, and I forget to do it. I'm not stealthing, my shit usually doesn't ever get moved.
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doing some testing at home with firmware 1.3.3 and testing the autoplit
running V3 via s/pdif > MT2496 @24/48
when the recording hits ~01:55:00 it saves the file and starts a new one (takes about 5 seconds) but the new file shows only ~05:30 as the available time remaining to record....once that fills up it says MEDIA FULL :-\
-tried this twice with the hold button off and the hold button engaged....same results :-\
YMMV
works fine if I do it manually (hitting record twice quickly)
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doing some testing at home with firmware 1.3.3 and testing the autoplit
running V3 via s/pdif > MT2496 @24/48
when the recording hits ~01:55:00 it saves the file and starts a new one (takes about 5 seconds) but the new file shows only ~05:30 as the available time remaining to record....once that fills up it says MEDIA FULL :-\
-tried this twice with the hold button off and the hold button engaged....same results :-\
What size is the CF card? Free space?
Did you report this to M-Audio?
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doing some testing at home with firmware 1.3.3 and testing the autoplit
running V3 via s/pdif > MT2496 @24/48
when the recording hits ~01:55:00 it saves the file and starts a new one (takes about 5 seconds) but the new file shows only ~05:30 as the available time remaining to record....once that fills up it says MEDIA FULL :-\
-tried this twice with the hold button off and the hold button engaged....same results :-\
What size is the CF card? Free space?
Did you report this to M-Audio?
Kingston 4GB Elite Pro 45X CompactFlash Card
4GB free
not yet
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Ran 24/96 last night - f yeah!!! I dig it. I've been running 24/48, and wanted to try 96 - sounds nice!
Luckily, the band ran 53min to the nose, so I was A-OK re new file.
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Due to the lack of space left on the CF Card, i recorded MP3 320 kbit today.
Since the situation was very stealthy, I had to keep the recorder in my pocket.
The unit ran out of power -> file has length 0 bytes, seems to be lost completely.
Wouldn't have happened with my DAT recorder ... :(
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You may be able to recover that file. Don't let anything write to the drive. I know I've seen some threads on this. The jb3 has a repair feature for these cases. The MT allows your computer to directly access the flash. So you can use windows file system repair programs. The archives are your friend.
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=59414.msg784095#msg784095
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so that's the good news. the bad news came earlier in the night. For the first time since using the MicroTrack, I lost a recording. for the opening act, I was running a 1 gig regular Sandisk CF card (not Ultra II or III or whatever, just a plain Sandisk). I've used this card many times for opening acts, but in the past, I've always run at 16 bit from the V3 (via S/PDIF) for the opener, giving me an hour and a half of recording time. well these opening acts for Club d'Elf usually only run 45 minutes or so, so I thought I'd give 24/48 a whirl for the opener as well. Also, Scott and Rob were both recording as well, so I knew that if anything went wrong, I could just get a copy from them. this recording mysteriously stopped at 29:24. by that time, I thought it was going smoothly, and was just enjoying the music and not looking at my gear, so I didn't notice that it had stopped until the end of the set. However, I don't want to chalk this one up to the MicroTrack firmware, because I have a feeling that the standard Sandisk card just couldn't maintain the write speed needed for 24/48. because I have never ran 24/48 with this card before, it's hard to say for sure. but because both sets for the Club d'Elf went smoothly and perfectly with the Ultra II card, the only difference was the card, and I'll just have to continue to run 16 bit for the opening act, until I get another faster card. oh, also, just FWIW, the 29 minutes that I did record, the channels were not swapped, and it sounds great, no clicks, pops nor any other signs that the card couldn't keep up with the sustained data rate.
does anyone else have any ideas or thoughts about it? as I said, I'm pretty sure it's an issue with the card, and not the MT, but if anyone has had similar experiences, I'd love to hear them...
OK, so my initial response might have been premature. I had exactly the same issue Sunday night, but I was using a 1GB SanDisk Ultra II card. My recording stopped unexpectedly at 29:24.010. I'm using 1.3.3 firmware, running digital in from a T+ UA-5. Curious that the 4GB Ultra II card was fine, but my 1GB card was not. I had also formatted the card just prior to recording. Anyone else experience this with this brand?
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You may be able to recover that file. Don't let anything write to the drive. I know I've seen some threads on this. The jb3 has a repair feature for these cases. The MT allows your computer to directly access the flash. So you can use windows file system repair programs. The archives are your friend.
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=59414.msg784095#msg784095
Tried that. Did not work.
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I'm beginning to get very nervous. I once lost a recording with firmware 1.1.5 (I think). When I upgraded to 1.2.3 I wasn't able to duplicate that problem (it would lose recordings if you recorded to Media Full status, but it didn't crap out partway through).
Now I'm on 1.3.3 and there are all these reports from other users about lost recordings. I'm starting to feel iffy about this firmware -- even though it has been solid for me so far (I only used it a couple times since 1.3.3 though)
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Due to the lack of space left on the CF Card, i recorded MP3 320 kbit today.
Since the situation was very stealthy, I had to keep the recorder in my pocket.
The unit ran out of power -> file has length 0 bytes, seems to be lost completely.
Wouldn't have happened with my DAT recorder ... :(
its still there, just no file header was written so you'll have to open as raw file
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Due to the lack of space left on the CF Card, i recorded MP3 320 kbit today.
Since the situation was very stealthy, I had to keep the recorder in my pocket.
The unit ran out of power -> file has length 0 bytes, seems to be lost completely.
Wouldn't have happened with my DAT recorder ... :(
its still there, just no file header was written so you'll have to open as raw file
Sorry to hear that you lost a file. Maybe with some of the other's suggestions it's retrievable. I thought I'd try and reproduce your situation and see if this problem happens all the time or maybe only some of the time. I've had it run out of power on me before but it's always saved the file before shutting down. It's always been wav files too though I think.
So back to your situation. Were you recording from the S/PDIF or one of the analog ports? You mentioned that you had it set to 320 kbit, was that 44.1 or 48k? Was the hodl switch on or off? What brand and size of CF card were you using? How much space was left and how long do you think it recorded before it shut off (you're best guess if you have no idea or at least something like "it was no longer than x because that's when I notcied it was off").
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Due to the lack of space left on the CF Card, i recorded MP3 320 kbit today.
Since the situation was very stealthy, I had to keep the recorder in my pocket.
The unit ran out of power -> file has length 0 bytes, seems to be lost completely.
Wouldn't have happened with my DAT recorder ... :(
its still there, just no file header was written so you'll have to open as raw file
Sorry to hear that you lost a file. Maybe with some of the other's suggestions it's retrievable. I thought I'd try and reproduce your situation and see if this problem happens all the time or maybe only some of the time. I've had it run out of power on me before but it's always saved the file before shutting down. It's always been wav files too though I think.
So back to your situation. Were you recording from the S/PDIF or one of the analog ports? You mentioned that you had it set to 320 kbit, was that 44.1 or 48k? Was the hodl switch on or off? What brand and size of CF card were you using? How much space was left and how long do you think it recorded before it shut off (you're best guess if you have no idea or at least something like "it was no longer than x because that's when I notcied it was off").
Perhaps the problem was that I used an external Battery. The recorder showing something to 1/2 of battery left, so I connected an unregulated 5 Volt Battery via Mini USB.
It was 44.1 khz 320kbit MP3. 1/8 In. I watched the unit record the first ~2-3 minutes and everything worked fine. Hold was enabled. I checked again after about 3 hours and the unit was off then. At home, i connected
the MT to my PC. The file was there but it has length 0 bytes. I tried all the checkdisk stuff from windows but it didn't change anything. The CF Card was fragmented before recording, there were some files on it,
and i deleted some of them just before the recording. I did not format the CF since I needed some of the files that i recorded previously.
I use an ExtreMemory 2GB CF Card (80x).
I'll try to reproduce the problem, but that will take some time. I think the unit might try to save the file whenever it senses the internal battery going down. I fear that in my case the external
battery was going out of power, and the MT could not detect that. I thought 2400 mAh 5 Volt (NiMH) should be sufficient for 3 hours, but maybe there is a lot of loss because the internal LI Akku is loaded from the external one or something.
I didn't check the external battery Voltage, sorry, forgot about that. Since after the 3 hours the unit was not booting with external connected, i think it was dead.
It's nice to hear that you ran out of power and it saved your .wav files. Perhaps the problem occurs only with MP3, who knows. I record WAV most of the time.
It was just a meeting, no music, so it's not such a big problem. I like to record meetings and then hear afterwards how things were going, gives me another perspective and helps me improving my skills.
its still there, just no file header was written so you'll have to open as raw file
No it's not. Its a 0 byte file. There is nothing. If it was the only file and the card was not fragmented, there might have been a chance to edit the FAT or something in order to read the card. Since MP3 is a streaming format this should work as well as reading a Wav file, even if you start from the middle.
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its still there, just no file header was written so you'll have to open as raw file
No it's not. Its a 0 byte file. There is nothing. If it was the only file and the card was not fragmented, there might have been a chance to edit the FAT or something in order to read the card. Since MP3 is a streaming format this should work as well as reading a Wav file, even if you start from the middle.
Are you sure it's a 0 byte long file? I recreated your problem but for me, the file is the proper length (when viewing the properties under Windows) but with the MT GUI it shows as being a 0 'second' long file and is unplayable. I haven't tried futzing with the file headers or anything to try and get the file playable yet though.
J.T.
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When I got 0 byte files during testing, the solution was to run "chkdsk /f I:" (I: being the drive letter of my MT). It would then fix the file and it'd be the correct length, but of course no .wav header. So I'd rename the file to filename.raw and open it in Audition as a Raw PCM, and then save it out as a WAV. And I never lost any audio that way.
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Hmmm ... i'm dumb ^^ tried everything in the context menu like "check volume for errors", but did not do a chckdsk /f b:.
The file is there, it's only 1 hour long though.
Thanks a lot :)
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I just hit record twice, the unit does it as fast as it can. Keeps the operator error low
That feature was added in 1.2.3 and it is what I do.
But there's a bug with it. If you turn off the HOLD switch, hit rec twice, turn on HOLD, it will fail to start the new recording. It saves the rec just fine but then it apparently checks the state of the hold switch before starting the new rec and throws a 'hold switch is on error'. So you really have to wait to throw the HOLD back on.. Definitely a chance for error in the dark or when you aren't even pulling it out of your pocket to do it.
Not that it really matters but this worked in 1.00 or whatever the very first firmware it shipped with was called. Not sure about the hold button cause I never use it either but this has "always" been the way to do it. I guess the new autosplit function comes in handy if you for some reason forget to split it manually.
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I've been using the Microtrack as an "all-in-one" recorder with 9V-powered AT943s for a while now (convenient but very noisy, especially using the 1/8" mic jack). I recently acquired a Core Mic2496 preamp/ADC and I've been doing some home testing with it and the Microtrack @ 24/44.1 using a 4Gb SanDisk Ultra II CF card. I'm running the v1.3.3 firmware.
The new auto-split feature seems to work, sort of. After almost 2 hours of recording, the initial file closed properly and the MT opened another one (after a several-second delay), but the time remaining on the new file indicated only about 5 minutes. This second file counted down and also closed, and then a third file showing about 2 hours of available time initialized. When this 3rd file reached 1:03.39 remaining, the MT just stopped counting down. I then hit the REC button hoping to close the file, and I got the usual "Writing file." screen. However, it just stayed on that screen rather than going back to the meters. Hitting the REC button again had no effect. When I hit the on/off button, I got a message indicateding the recording had to be terminated before the recorder could be shut down. Then I hit the MENU button and it switched to the normal menu, and selecting Files showed there were indeed 3 files on the card. When I removed the card and stuck it in my CF reader, the three files were there along with a fourth file with 0 bytes, and the 3 files appear to be normal 24-bit .wavs and all loaded into CEP properly. Weird! Parenthetically, I had reformatted the CF card in the Microtrack just before the test.
It's possible the problem was due to a weak signal from the Core unit after 3 hours as I was running it with a standard 9V battery (I'll be using a battery pack in the field) and its low battery LED had been lit for well over an hour, but I'm just speculating. Even so, there should certainly be a more graceful way to deal with such contingencies. There seemed to be plenty of juice left in the recorder based on the Microtrack charge indicator. I'll be repeating this test soon with a battery pack powering the Mic2496.
I would manually split any recording of a long show in real life, but flaky behavior like this doesn't inspire a whole lot of confidence. I'm also very troubled by the recent reports of the MT quitting unexpectedly after 29 minutes. I'll definitely be using my Sharp IM-80 MD recorder (which is actually quieter than the MT as a standalone recorder, even after an analog transfer through my M-Audio soundcard) as backup until M-Audio gets this quirky machine working more reliably.
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This is the exact same behavior we saw last weekend when a recording is started and the MT is not getting a signal via SP/DIF. Once we made sure a good signal was there prior to starting a recording we ran with no problems. One other significant difference was that we were recording 16/44.1.
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OK, I just purchased one of these units and I am trying to stay positive. upgraded to with latest XP firmware. My unit does not recognized a 4 gig flash card! It is formatted FAT32 and still "no media found" it is a scandisc CF and it has switches on it to make it 4 gig or 2 gig. Niether work! With my card reader it works fine. I have a 2 gig PNY CF and it works fine ??? What am I doing wrong?
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Here's another one for everyone, I recorded two files via SPIF at 16/44.1 on 2G CF. the first file had a pitch problem, its playing back to fast ( via MT or winamp) the file is 844 meg that has the wrong pitch. the second file I recorded is 498 meg and sounds just fine.
another thing I noticed was in WINAMP when I play the first file back it says 48K and the second file says 44K WTF? no changes were made between file recordings. Anyone ever see this problem before?
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Hmmm... I had no issues with my MT before last Friday recording Particle with the new 1.3.3 firmware. The differences are that I had a 4XAA usb battery pack plugged in while recording and the new firmware. Running ua5->microtrack with a kingston 4gb elite pro.
First set recorded perfectly. Second set started recording... Went to get a beer and when I came back the MT had shut off. Turned it back on when I came back and recorded the rest of the show. Came home to find the all 3 recordings, one with size 0. Ran check disk as mentioned above and recovered the file... However, now I have for the second set, one file that contains all music up to the shut off point and then continues after the restart until the end of the show and one file that just contains the music from the restart to the end of the show. Very strange... Maybe somehow chkdsk duplicated the last part of the second set in the one file?
My MT had never shut down on it own before and I can't recreate the problem at home... very strange.
EDIT: Just noticed my battery box output is 5.6v / 800mA and not a standard 5.0v, could this cause the problem? Battery box is at:
http://zxpro.com/catalog/product_16686_USB_Battery_Box_with_LED_light_Emergency_Charger_cat_284.html (http://zxpro.com/catalog/product_16686_USB_Battery_Box_with_LED_light_Emergency_Charger_cat_284.html)
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Are those unexpected recording stops for 1.3.3 all due to SPDIF? Or do they happen with analog input as well?
Maybe media issues?
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Mine was SPDIF... Used it plenty of times before without issue. Also have been using the same CF card. Only differences were the new firmware and the batterypack.
Over the weekend I've used the exact same setup in front of the TV for over 20 hours and have had no turnoffs
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My USB bbox is dead nuts on 5.0 volts. I have never seen the one you linked to before but the 5.6 volts is off by 12%.. More bench testing?
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My USB bbox is dead nuts on 5.0 volts. I have never seen the one you linked to before but the 5.6 volts is off by 12%.. More bench testing?
Maybe no voltage regulator on his battery box? I'm guessing (really) that this could reek havoc on the MT.
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My USB bbox is dead nuts on 5.0 volts. I have never seen the one you linked to before but the 5.6 volts is off by 12%.. More bench testing?
Maybe no voltage regulator on his battery box? I'm guessing (really) that this could reek havoc on the MT.
USB specifications have two voltage ranges:
1.1 needs 4.4 to 5.25 volts supplied and equipment powered to work within this range
2.0 requires 4.7 to 5.25 specifications
Many low costing and homemade battery boxes for USB powering do NOT have sufficient voltage regulation and/or operational range as the battery capacity is consumed.
For example, using 4 AA alkaline cells with no regulation starts out at ~6.5 volts (~1.65v/cell), but immediately starts a downward voltage slope that ends at 3.2 volts (0.8v/cell) if the entire 2200-2500 milliamperes capacity is consumed. Obviously, this is not good for powering USB devices so adding a low dropout 5 volt linear regulator solves the high voltage issues, but at 4.7 volts (~1.2v/cell) there remains significant 'juice' in the pack that is unused.
Using rechargeable NiCD or NiMH cells of equivalent current capacity also doesn't work as the starting voltage for 4 cells is ~5.2volts (~1.3v/cell) is a good starting place, but quickly reduces to <4.7volts (~1.17v/cell) where most of the cells capacity remains unusable if USB 2.0 specifications are important.
Using 5 rechargeable NiMH cells (6.5 volts) WITH linear LDO or switching 5 volt regulation seems the most practical 'proper' way to get most all the capacity from these cells with end of capacity pack voltage of ~5.2 volts (~1.05-1.1v/cell).
The other causes of malfunction in cheap or badly designed cell packs that use individual cells within spring loaded battery holder, is the terminal contacts can be intermittant from the slightest dust, grease, and/or vibration. Good practice is to keep all contacts spotless with initial alcohol cleaning, and secure the cells from any vibrations with foam strips on the holder lid.
The microtrack uses power managment to apply USB power to charge up the battery while also running the deck. If USB power goes away for a fraction of a second, the deck auto switches in the battery quickly so a recording continues without incident, or so this is supposed to work. However, the power management can fail to switch quickly enough on rare occassions (experience has shown) and the deck will shut down completely without saving the file. If enough of these interruptions occur from the external pack, the rare failure becomes more likely. Maybe this is what is happening to some recordists using cheap solutions?
Also, USB connector is NOT robust and the slightly loose fitting gets looser with use, so moving this connector while recording is asking for trouble, and will eventually wear out the mechanical to become more unreliable than when new.
Just some of the considerations when using external USB power with the microtrack. I have designed special microtrack powering sleds that address all these issues (minus the inherent weakness of the USB connector itself). These use a special precision switching regulator that uses ALL THE capacity (7 or 14 amperes!) available in C or D alkaline cells in a holder that has been modified NOT TO FLEX to break the contacts at any time.
Go to my site to see these solutions, maybe these will give the DIY some good ideas, and keep in mind that one lost recording is likely worth more than a few dollars saved with using a cheap powering solution of unreliable design.
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my latest experience with the MT. a bit similar to my experience a couple of weeks ago, only a bit more disturbing this time:
Just for clarity, I'm using the latest fimrware (v1.3.3), and I'm recording via the S/PDIF input from me V3. and I'm using an external battery pack, a 7.2V 5000mAH battery with ToddR's "juice box" voltage regulator to supply the 5V to the MT. I know that both the S/PDIF cable and the USB cable were firmly in place the entire time.
opening set:
using my standard Sandisk 1 gig CF card. after my bad experience a couple of weeks ago running 24/48 with this card (the recording mysteriously stopped 29 minutes into that set), I was playing it safe with this card and only running at 16/48. I've run 16/48 with this card countless times with no problems, and last night was no different. great, I got the full opener.
Club d'Elf
running 24/48 with my Sandisk Ultra II 4 gig CF card - previously, I've never had a bad experience with this card, and I've been running at 24/48 with it since last October.
Set I: no problems. they usually play about 2 hours, which means the 2 gig limit is always a concern. sometimes just under 2 hours, sometimes over it. usually, after 45 minutes - 1 hour of constant music, they stop, Mike will introduce the band, and then they'll get going again for the remainder of the set. so I know that there's usually only one good place to stop, save, and start a new file. however, last night, they took no breaks and played straight through. I was getting nervous, but the set ended with 2 minutes left before I would have hit the 2 gig limit. phew. (not that it would have been the end of the world, because I wasn't the only taper, but it's just nice to get the whole thing :) ). ok, no problems, everything is going smoothly.
Set II. I know that the second set is only going to be about an hour, so I don't have to worry about the 2 gig limit. and I still have 2 gigs free on the card, so that's not an issue either. everything is going smoothly. then, mysteriously, the recording stopped at just past 1 hour (off hand, I don't know the exact time it stopped, I'm at work now, but I check this evening when I get home). I didn't see it happen, so I don't know if the MT displayed any message, but because it was towards the end of the set, I was paying close attention, and I noticed that it was no longer recording. I quickly hit the REC button again to see if it would start up again, and it flashed the screen "HOLD switch enabled" (I'm paraphrasing there, I don't recall exactly what the MT says when hold is on). duh, ok, undo the hold switch, then I press REC. and it starts up a new file. it says that I've got just over an hour of record time, which is perfectly consistent with how much available space is left on the card. it then records perfectly for the next 7 minutes or so, the set ended, and I tore everything down pretty quick to get home (after all, it was 2:15am, and I have to wake up at 6 to get ready for work).
so, here I am. I probably only missed a minute or two of the second set, and I can easily patch it with Scott's Schoeps source. but, these past two experiences haven't left a good taste in my mouth. prior to last night, I had never had any problems with the Ultra II card. and based on my last two outings with the MT, I'm beginning to think it's a problem with the MT firmware. I've been lucky that the two recordings I've lost, there have been other tapers. but that's not always the case. I've been using the MT since last Sept, using it at 24 bit since last Oct, and not running my D8 as a backup (or any backup) since November. Many people have gotten fed up with the MT, and I've usually been quick to post my good to great experience with the recorder. no I don't know what do to. I'm really close to purchasing a stock PMD-671 or the Tascam. I need to do some research to see which is cheaper and which is easier to power. the Sound Devices aren't an option, because of the cost involved (I'm not willing to sell my V3). also, I like the idea of recording onto CF card, and no harddrive.
on the other hand, maybe I should just continue to be patient and hope for a firmware fix.
the bottom line is, I just don't like to worry about anything when taping. there's enough stuff going on to worry about that I can't control (drunk wook knocking over my stand or spilling beer, etc, etc) that I feel like everything I can control, I should do so to minimize stress. that's why I always carry around an lead battery for my V3 that would run it for 15 hours, even though I never tape festivals. and while I never tested it, my 5 AH battery for the MicroTrack would probably run it for over 24 hours. the 2 gig limit is something I can deal with usually, although I don't like having to worry about it. many of my taping outings are on-stage, and I know that the V3 needs to be at +33dB. it's great to set it all up and not worry about a thing. it's unnacceptable for me to worry about whether or not the recorder is going to mysteriously stop recording. that's why I think I need a more reliable recorder.
any thoughts or suggestions?
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Jason- Two questions:
1. Did you turn off the deck between sets?
2. When you started recording the second set, did you happen to notice how much record time was remaining on the display?
Reason I ask is because I had a similar experience the other night. 2gb card, recording at 16/48, so I have about 3 hours of recording time....
First set was 1hr. Everything went fine. Second set was just over an hour, but the unit stopped recording around 58-59 mins. SOMEHOW, I happened to be looking at the deck when it happened, saw the media full message flash (even though I should have had another hour of recording time remaining) and was able to start a new file without missing any more than 5 seconds.
Two things that were different than my previous outings.
1.) It was my first taping experience with 1.3.3
2.) I didn't turn the deck off between sets. For whatever reason, I have always done this previously and never had any of problems with the deck stopping the recording or any other problem for that matter.
When I get home tonight, I'm going to try to recreate what happened. Record for an hour, stop, leave deck on, start second file, and see if the display gives me an incorrect time remaining. Then I'll try recording an hour, turn deck off, turn it back on, start second file, and see if display gives me a different time remaining.
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Jason- Two questions:
1. Did you turn off the deck between sets?
2. When you started recording the second set, did you happen to notice how much record time was remaining on the display?
1. No, I did not turn it off between sets. althought I should say that with my excessive battery power, I have never powered it down between sets, and I've never had a problem before.
2. yes, I did notice. I've learned with the MicroTrack that you've always got to be on your toes and pay attention to things like that :) When I started the recording for Set II, the "time remaining" display started to count down from 1 hour, 55 minutes, or something like that. which is typical and exactly what I was expecting to see (both from the 2 gigs limit and the 2 gigs left free on the card, at the start of Set II). I was checking periodically throughout set II, and the countdown timer was always what is should have been (i.e. a few minutes before the recording stopped, it said I had an hour left of record time...)
although I will say that your experience is very interesting. if only I had been looking at the deck when it decided to stop. I wonder if mine flashed "media full" ???
oh, and thanks for trying to help and offering advice. I may try to recreate this at home, but I don't know if I'll have time this weekend.
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Interesting. The only correlation seems to be that both our decks stopped after about an hour of recording time on the second file. You'd have to believe that the different rates (16/48 vs 24/48) would preclude us from having the stoppage for a file size reason, so maybe it is time related.
With that in mind, I'm trying to think of some way that the addition of the 2gb split(a file size issue) in 1.3.3 would cause this(a time related issue), regardless of bit depth and sample rate, but I can't come up with anything.
I'll post my test results here this weekend.
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Interesting. The only correlation seems to be that both our decks stopped after about an hour of recording time on the second file. You'd have to believe that the different rates (16/48 vs 24/48) would preclude us from having the stoppage for a file size reason, so maybe it is time related.
With that in mind, I'm trying to think of some way that the addition of the 2gb split(a file size issue) in 1.3.3 would cause this(a time related issue), regardless of bit depth and sample rate, but I can't come up with anything.
I'll post my test results here this weekend.
yeah, it is strange. I assume that you read my account from a couple of weeks ago (a few pages back in this thread), about how it mysteriously stopped during the opening set, about 29 minutes into the recording. of course, that was on the first recording of the night, and not after leaving it on during setbreak. so I don't know how that figures into the problem. definitely post here if you can recreate anything at home. for what it's worth, I've transferred about 10 DATs since moving to v1.3.3 firmware (obviously S/PDIF iput, all at 16/48), and I've never had it mysteriously stop on me at home. so the only times I've had it stop on me is running at 24/48. But, I'd still be interested in hearing about anything you discover.
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After recording a show on Wednesday night, I moved the show over to my computer. The next day I put the card, 8gb Transcend, and then formatted the card. When I checked how much time was on the card I got the -0.01. I then switched the unit to do analog in and hit record. After 2 second it stopped and said it was full. I hit record again and it went for a couple of minutes and then said media full. I pulled out the card and put it in a reader and the card had hardly anything on it. I then put in one of my 4gb cards and all was fine. When I put the 8gb card back in all was fine. Scary
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I'm still a rookie with the Microtrack, but I had my first issue the other night. My first show was last week (Buzzcocks) and it turned out near perfect. Must have been beginners luck. Then I taped Sepultura a few nights ago. The recording itself was fine, other than my levels being too high. I got home from the show and powered on the unit. It read "booting firmware" and in my haste to get to bed, I plugged in the USB cable to recharge the battery....and the unit completely froze. No buttons worked. Fearing the worst, I quickly removed the SanDisk 2 gb Extreme III card.
I popped it into my card reader and the file was there. I ended up having to allow the battery to die before I could get the unit to work again. I'm not sure if this bug has been reported here previously or not, but it seems that plugging the USB cable in while the firmware (1.3.3) is booting up crashes the unit.
My next show is tomorrow. I am recording at 16/44 wav, so my 2gb card says I have approx. 3h08m of recording....and the band is scheduled to play 3-3.25 hours. I think just to be safe I will have to swap out cards right before the encore. I have been fearing that the battery would go after recording for that long, so I have purchased a USB box....but after reading the problems above I am scared to death that it will die on me!!! I will post my results early next week.
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3 hours should work OK with CF (no microdrive) and no phantom.
When you swap the cards and start recording plug in the usb battery box and the last bit of the show should be OK.
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Sorry...I forgot to mention that I am using CSBs with a battery box, so no phantom power, and the backlight is only on for 15 seconds at a time
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Wow, random stoppages in recording is definitely NOT cool for this thing. Is it only in 1.3.3 when these occur? I can't recall anyone reporting this problem with the last firmware, 1.2.3.
I recorded ok with 1.3.3 last night for a 1:20 set taking SPDIF at 24/44.1, but I am thinking about switching it back to 1.2.3, I would be super pissed if this thing stopped during a stealth job.
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The first and last time I used version 1.3.3. was a few weeks ago and it stopped on me, too. It also damaged my CF card (Lexar 80X 2GB) at the end of the show. My setting was 24/48 with my V3.
Now I have a new compact flash card Kington 50X 2GB. I got a concert tonight in the New England Conservatory so it will be my second time using 1.3.3. If this messes up I really do not know what to do. I plan to do 24/48 with my V3 again. I'm going to use my M1 as my backup so if something happens I have a DAT.
Tomorrow I got another concert (this time only a 40 min concerto) so I plan to try 24/96 with my V3...can I use my M1 as the back up? I know my M1 can truncate the 24bit to 16bit. Would 96 kHz go down to 48kHz when going into the DAT? Is it worth trying 24/96 or should I just keep it at 24/48 tomorrow.
(like Jason, I'm also thinking of getting another 24 bit compact flash recorder...either a stock 671 or the tascam or even the 702 or 722. Jason, if I end up getting a new 24bit recorder this summer you can borrow it when I'm not using it, we both live in the same city anyway).
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Tomorrow I got another concert (this time only a 40 min concerto) so I plan to try 24/96 with my V3...can I use my M1 as the back up? I know my M1 can truncate the 24bit to 16bit. Would 96 kHz go down to 48kHz when going into the DAT? Is it worth trying 24/96 or should I just keep it at 24/48 tomorrow.
(like Jason, I'm also thinking of getting another 24 bit compact flash recorder...either a stock 671 or the tascam or even the 702 or 722. Jason, if I end up getting a new 24bit recorder this summer you can borrow it when I'm not using it, we both live in the same city anyway).
if you're running 24/96, the M1 won't lock onto the digi signal. you can still run your m1 as a backup, if you go analog out of the V3. I have a dual XLR > stereo mini for this purpose. if you want to borrow it to run a back-up, let me know.
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Wow, random stoppages in recording is definitely NOT cool for this thing. Is it only in 1.3.3 when these occur? I can't recall anyone reporting this problem with the last firmware, 1.2.3.
I recorded ok with 1.3.3 last night for a 1:20 set taking SPDIF at 24/44.1, but I am thinking about switching it back to 1.2.3, I would be super pissed if this thing stopped during a stealth job.
yeah, I don't recall any reports of the recording mysteriously stopping under firmware 1.2.3, and it certainly never happened to me with that firmware.
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The first and last time I used version 1.3.3. was a few weeks ago and it stopped on me, too. It also damaged my CF card (Lexar 80X 2GB) at the end of the show.
Man, that is really bad. I hope everyone out there that has had recordings freeze on them is reporting the issues to M-audio.
IMHO, this new problem with the newest firmware of freezing up (and damaging media :o) is the worst of the bugs so far.
I am putting 1.2.3 back on my MT right now. I would rather have flipped channels and do the 2 hour splitting manually, over having a recording freeze up. Man is this thing buggy. >:(
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Firmware 1.3.3 blows in my opinion. 8)
Crashed the lst two times I used it, at Zero. First set was fine. Second set died at about 1:30. 24/48
It said 1:55 time left when I started it.
Auto split didn't work, but I think it shut down before that time.
I'm glad I run a backup.
I take this all back. I think it had to do with me rearranging my recording bag. My MT was getting a bunch of my V3 heat, and just was overheating. I moved everything around, and all seems well.
I ran NMAS last night. Had to start a new file since the set ran 2:40minutes, but missed nothing.
DDBB 2 nights before and ran 2 sets 55 minutes and 1:10 minutes.
OK. I am going with my previous assumption. Mine did this again with no heat. I recorded a 1:10 minute set, 24/48. Then another 1:00 set, 24/48. The next set died at 50 min., 24/48. I restarted it 4 times after that. I still had .5 gb on the card when I got home. I should be able to get 3:45 on a card at 24/48. >:(
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The Microtrack crapped out on me for no apparent reason during the encore of an Alternate Routes show I recorded in Bridgeport CT earlier tonight. I was using a freshly MT-formatted 4Gb SanDisk Ultra II CF card. There was reportedly about 19 minutes of time left on the file and it just stopped recording for no discernible reason. Plenty of charge left, strong and constant signal (24/44.1) via S/PDIF from the ADC. When I noticed the meters were dead I hit the REC button and the file closed fine, and I started another and the new file indicated there was about 1:40 of recording time left on the card (the opener's set was also on it). I lost about 30 seconds of a great encore.
At least I had my minidisc recorder running as backup. I'm going back to 1.2.3, this is ridiculous.
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I see more problems when using SPDIF input than when using analog input.
Is this a correct observation?
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I see more problems when using SPDIF input than when using analog input.
Is this a correct observation?
I see more problems when using a Microtrack then when using DAT, JB3, Mini-Disc, 722, 744, Marantz 660, Marantz 670, Marantz 671, and Sony D5. ;)
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I see more problems when using SPDIF input than when using analog input.
Is this a correct observation?
I've never had problems with unexpected stoppages using the analog inputs, although I haven't used them since updating the firmware (which I just un-updated). Unfortunately, they're very noisy -- I really do get better-sounding recordings with my Sharp minidisc recorder than with the MT as an all-in-one recorder, even using the 1/4" jacks as line-in (which is the quietest configuration in my experience).
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I'm not testing 1.3.3 anymore. I have gone back to 1.2.3. ::)
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Just to provide a little balance. Between a couple of different Microtracks. Myself and a couple of friends have probably recorded over 40 hours with 1.3.3 without any issues. Both analog in and via SP/DIF. With 2GB CF and 5 GB Seagate CF Microdrive. The only issue that occurred, and I don't think this is 1.3.3 related, occurred when the MT was tryiung to record SP/DIF in before a signal was being sent to it. It had to be powered off and back on again. Once it had signal, all was good.
I'm not trying to say people aren't having problems or that it is PEBKEC. I'm just saying that lots of good recordings with 1.3.3 are being pulled without issue.
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I'm not trying to say people aren't having problems or that it is PEBKEC. I'm just saying that lots of good recordings with 1.3.3 are being pulled without issue.
Yep, I'm also having no issues at all.
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I'm not trying to say people aren't having problems or that it is PEBKEC. I'm just saying that lots of good recordings with 1.3.3 are being pulled without issue.
Yep, I'm also having no issues at all.
I had no issues with 1.2.3
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I see more problems when using SPDIF input than when using analog input.
Is this a correct observation?
I see more problems when using a Microtrack then when using DAT, JB3, Mini-Disc, 722, 744, Marantz 660, Marantz 670, Marantz 671, and Sony D5. ;)
+T for that. Too bad it's taken so long for some to realize it...
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The first and last time I used version 1.3.3. was a few weeks ago and it stopped on me, too. It also damaged my CF card (Lexar 80X 2GB) at the end of the show.
that happened to me with the same brand cf card before I installed 1.3.3
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The first and last time I used version 1.3.3. was a few weeks ago and it stopped on me, too. It also damaged my CF card (Lexar 80X 2GB) at the end of the show.
that happened to me with the same brand cf card before I installed 1.3.3
Had anyone here happen this with a slower card?
I had a pair of 4GB Traxdata cards turned into uselessness by the MT.
How can an interface be so standard and yet the MT cannot cope with a standard card?
How can a card be too fast? ???
Oh well...
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for the record, my microtracker froze up on a couple of occasions using 1.2.3. I've only used 1.3.3. once and had no problems whatsoever.
I have a question for the people with mt's locking up...were you using a power source or were you just running off the internal battery?
All of my problems occured using an external power source, which I think might have effected the lock up.
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I see more problems when using SPDIF input than when using analog input.
Is this a correct observation?
I see more problems when using a Microtrack then when using DAT, JB3, Mini-Disc, 722, 744, Marantz 660, Marantz 670, Marantz 671, and Sony D5. ;)
Heh I've had more problems with DAT than the MT, ymmv ...
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for the record, my microtracker froze up on a couple of occasions using 1.2.3. I've only used 1.3.3. once and had no problems whatsoever.
I have a question for the people with mt's locking up...were you using a power source or were you just running off the internal battery?
All of my problems occured using an external power source, which I think might have effected the lock up.
I am using a Juicebox from Todd R.
I wasn't having issues until I upgraded.
I did notice the last time I had problems the CHG went away and there was a picture of a plug in place of the CHG.
Has anybody else seen this? This is what it looks like.
(http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6da23b3127cce8843d77d98c300000016109YasmzNrg)
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i noticed last night that if i left mine on, and stopped paying attention to it, that it'd shut off and show a big picture of a battery charging on the screen, but one hit of the power button would get it right back to normal in less than a second - didn't have to reboot or anything.
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I can't get the picture bigger, but that is an image with the plug showing instead of CHG. It is from the MT manual.
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I can't get the picture bigger, but that is an image with the plug showing instead of CHG. It is from the MT manual.
That's what happens when the unit is done charging and is running off of external power.
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I can't get the picture bigger, but that is an image with the plug showing instead of CHG. It is from the MT manual.
That's what happens when the unit is done charging and is running off of external power.
That doesn't seem to be the problem then. ???
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This is my first post here, after my second experience with the MT 24/96. First I should say that in my haste to play with my new toy, I forgot to upgrade the firmware. Both times I've used it so far were with 1.0.3. (Yeah, I know.) Both times it was set at 24/48 and I was using a 4 GB Sandisk CF (not Ultra). I used CSB mics the first time and CSHEB mics the second time, with battery box and no phantom power.
The first time, I recorded two sets. The unit stopped recording about 25 minutes into the first set, and about 2 hours into the second set. At the time I assumed that I had accidentally hit the record button while putting it into my pocket, as I did not have the hold button on (I forgot about that) and I kept pulling it out to check it all night. The recordings, what there was of them, turned out really nice.
Last night, I recorded one set, and about 25 minutes into it, the recording again stopped. This time, I know I had the hold button on. As soon as I noticed it had stopped (I didn't see it when it happened), I hit the record button (after taking it off hold) and started a new file. When I got home, I found that the first file had a file siize of 0, and Cool Edit opened an empty file. The second file was fine. So I got half a show.
All the previous posts in this thread have dealt with firmware 1.2.3 and 1.3.3, but as I pointed out above, I was using the un-updated 1.0.3. So, is the problem really in the firmware version, or is it more pervasive? Is it some arcane combination of firmware version, CF card type/size/speed and phase of the moon? Either way, I don't like it.
The one common thread I've seen through this discussion is that all the problems seem to occur when people are recording in 24/48.
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On Friday I recorded a piano recital using version 1.3.3 with the Kingston 2GB Elite card for the first time (I had a bad experience using 1.3.3 with a Lexar CF card - stopped recording by itself and damaged the card). On Friday, the setup/settings were as usual (using V3 setting 24 bit 48 kHz). The recording went fine!!!... I was planning a disaster, so I used my M1 as the backup. Everything went smoothly. 1st half of the concert was about 35 mins and the 2nd half was approx 40 mins. Maybe the Kingston 2GB Elite card is more suited for 1.3.3 (or maybe it's because I recorded less than 45 mins for each half of the concert).
Yesterday, I recorded a 45-50min 1st half of a concert with the same CF card. I changed my settings to 24 bit and 96 kHz. Amazingly everything went smoothly with no problems.
I've got 3 concerts next week (Monday, Wednesday and Saturday). So I'll have a few gigs to record before concluding Kingston Elite brand is more suited for versions 1.3.3.
I will also experiment this week at home to see if I can record right to the end of my CF card with settings 24/48 and 24/96 together with my V3.
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On Friday I recorded a piano recital using version 1.3.3 with the Kingston 2GB Elite card for the first time (I had a bad experience using 1.3.3 with a Lexar CF card - stopped recording by itself and damaged the card). On Friday, the setup/settings were as usual (using V3 setting 24 bit 48 kHz). The recording went fine!!!... I was planning a disaster, so I used my M1 as the backup. Everything went smoothly. 1st half of the concert was about 35 mins and the 2nd half was approx 40 mins. Maybe the Kingston 2GB Elite card is more suited for 1.3.3 (or maybe it's because I recorded less than 45 mins for each half of the concert).
Yesterday, I recorded a 45-50min 1st half of a concert with the same CF card. I changed my settings to 24 bit and 96 kHz. Amazingly everything went smoothly with no problems.
I've got 3 concerts next week (Monday, Wednesday and Saturday). So I'll have a few gigs to record before concluding Kingston Elite brand is more suited for versions 1.3.3.
I will also experiment this week at home to see if I can record right to the end of my CF card with settings 24/48 and 24/96 together with my V3.
I use a Kingston Card.
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So this weekend I did a number of tests to see if I could get the unit to stop recording at a certain time limit as happened to me the other night. Unfortunately (for the purposes of the test), it worked fine. I tried analog in, spdif in, 16/44.1, 16/48, no problems whatsoever. Every recording went as it should and the time remaining display functioned correctly in each instance. Hopefully my stop-recording experience from the other night was an anomaly, but somehow I doubt it.
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So this weekend I did a number of tests to see if I could get the unit to stop recording at a certain time limit as happened to me the other night. Unfortunately (for the purposes of the test), it worked fine. I tried analog in, spdif in, 16/44.1, 16/48, no problems whatsoever. Every recording went as it should and the time remaining display functioned correctly in each instance. Hopefully my stop-recording experience from the other night was an anomaly, but somehow I doubt it.
Did you try 24 bit recording in your tests? It seems most (if not all) the problems are occurring with 24 bit recording. Has anyone had it stop recording at 16 bit?
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I have used 1.3.3 twice now, one for the Salzburg Chamber Solists, which was about a 40 minute set, break, 20 minute set. I recorded Willie Nelson last night, there was a 25 minute ceremony type thing first, then an 80 minute set. Both time, ran at 24/48 with no problems. The only problem I had, was that somehow while getting my gear lined up inthe stall, when cramming the MT back into my pocket, the hold switch got turned on. I tried turning on the MT and it kept shutting back off. I was freaking out till i was able to read what the thing said a tthe bottom right before it powered off 'hold button' something or other... man, annoying as fuck...
I am using a Kingston Elite Pro 4gb card BTW
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Did you try 24 bit recording in your tests? It seems most (if not all) the problems are occurring with 24 bit recording. Has anyone had it stop recording at 16 bit?
No, I have no way to record at 24bit. I had the stop-recording/Media is Full problem occur the other night for the first time, while recording at 16/48.
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I am using a Kingston Elite Pro 4gb card BTW
Seems as if Kingston Elite card is more suited for version 1.3.3.
(I'm going to do some tests tonight and record to the end of my 2GB Elite Kingston card (50X) with settings 24/48 and 24/96 via S/PDIF).
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I use the Kingston Elite 4gig card, mt ver123 and had no problems at 16 bit and only had problems at 24 bit, flipping channels ...
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I mistakenly unplugged my Microtrack from my computer without unmounting the drive (Mac OS 10.4.5).
The card, a Kingston 1GB, still records, and I can copy to it. However, I cannot copy from it. When I go to drag a file from it, I get a little circle with a line through it as a mouse locator. Has anyone seen this? Or know how to get around it?
I reformatted the card, twice. No difference.
I can open the files on the card in Audacity (or any other program that reads .wav), and then save that file to my computer. But I can't just copy the file directly from the card.
David Froom
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All my issues with recordings that have stoped have been with 24bit.
Stay Kind,
Dana
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Another thought that keeps poping up is most of you are using the Kingston Elite type, and not the maybe faster (although type 1) Sandisk Ultra II. Could there be something about the Elite that works OK for slower bit rate, but causes cliches when pushed for speed with 24 bit 44.1K and higher. I would guess if this were the case, the Elite would be most problematic at the 24bit/88.1-96K maximimum rate regardless of firmware.
So far, I have NOT gone to 1.3.3 version, and have not encountered any problems with Sandisk Ultra II 8 Gig recording, and without external powering connected.
However, as I get more recording time, and with external power pack connected, I can better relate to having consistently reliable or not experiences.
I just have not felt good about installing the 1.3.3 firmware. I can only call it a feeling. They may have sped-up some of the system responses, and changed button scan rate interrupts, and I have just felt that there are somethings easily messed up with keeping the recording process on track with the firmware changes not fully field tested.
This is only a hunch not based on anything solid, so what is discussed with this thread is important to maybe determining if something is getting less reliable with the later firmware.
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I actually just got the SanDisk UltraII 8 gig for a birthday gift. Will be trying it in the field for the first time next Sunday at Sound Tribe. I am probably also going to go back a revision in the firmware. (May keep the same firmware and use the JB3 as a non 24bit backup out of the ua5 analog outs).
However, Since my freeze up I have been doing alot of testing at home with 1.3.3. The only time I have been able to reproduce the recording stopping is when a battery pack is plugged in. Regardless of bit depth or sampling rate. Up to this point I have only been using the Kingston... Just got the SanDisk today. When the battery pack is plugged in it seems pretty random and hard to reproduce, but it has never happened when the MT was self powered.
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I just used the MT for the 3rd time, and after reading all of the problems on previous pages, I was really nervous because this was the concert I wanted to record. The other 2 were practice runs. I am using the MT with a 2gb SanDisk Extreme CF and a 1gb SanDisk Ultra CF, plus CSBs with battery box and an external usb charger just in case.
I recorded The Cure Saturday in London. I recorded at 16/44 to wav. They were scheduled to play over 3 hours, so I brought along the extra 1 gb card. No problems during the show....I recorded the entire main set, then swapped out the 2 gb CF card during the encore break and used the 1gb for the encores without any problems.
However.....while listening to the recording the next morning through the headphones on the MT, the sound stopped at approx. 60 minutes into the first file (the first file is about 2 hours-2 hours and 10 minutes). The levels were still going up and down, but I was not getting any sound.
When I tranferred the files to my PC, all was fine, but I still have no idea why I couldn't hear anything beyond the first 60 minutes!
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I just used the MT for the 3rd time, and after reading all of the problems on previous pages, I was really nervous because this was the concert I wanted to record. The other 2 were practice runs. I am using the MT with a 2gb SanDisk Extreme CF and a 1gb SanDisk Ultra CF, plus CSBs with battery box and an external usb charger just in case.
I recorded The Cure Saturday in London. I recorded at 16/44 to wav. They were scheduled to play over 3 hours, so I brought along the extra 1 gb card. No problems during the show....I recorded the entire main set, then swapped out the 2 gb CF card during the encore break and used the 1gb for the encores without any problems.
However.....while listening to the recording the next morning through the headphones on the MT, the sound stopped at approx. 60 minutes into the first file (the first file is about 2 hours-2 hours and 10 minutes). The levels were still going up and down, but I was not getting any sound.
When I tranferred the files to my PC, all was fine, but I still have no idea why I couldn't hear anything beyond the first 60 minutes!
Mine stops playback randomly any time after 30 minutes. It's just another bug that hasn't been fixed (yet).
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However.....while listening to the recording the next morning through the headphones on the MT, the sound stopped at approx. 60 minutes into the first file (the first file is about 2 hours-2 hours and 10 minutes). The levels were still going up and down, but I was not getting any sound.
When I tranferred the files to my PC, all was fine, but I still have no idea why I couldn't hear anything beyond the first 60 minutes!
Mine stops playback randomly any time after 30 minutes. It's just another bug that hasn't been fixed (yet).
Yeah, mine does that too. The MT sucks for listening to recordings. I think it is best to transfer the file to a computer and play back from there.
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I can playback all my 24/48 tracks without problems with the current 1.3.3. One thing I notice is during playback the vol and pause/unpause controls respond VERY slowly. It takes over 10 secs for it to respond to your request. Anyone experience a slow response while doing playback?
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I actually just got the SanDisk UltraII 8 gig for a birthday gift. Will be trying it in the field for the first time next Sunday at Sound Tribe. I am probably also going to go back a revision in the firmware. (May keep the same firmware and use the JB3 as a non 24bit backup out of the ua5 analog outs).
However, Since my freeze up I have been doing alot of testing at home with 1.3.3. The only time I have been able to reproduce the recording stopping is when a battery pack is plugged in. Regardless of bit depth or sampling rate. Up to this point I have only been using the Kingston... Just got the SanDisk today. When the battery pack is plugged in it seems pretty random and hard to reproduce, but it has never happened when the MT was self powered.
You haven't tried the 8GB Sandisk card yes with 1.3.3 have you? i'ts been reported to have problems with 1.3.3 and work fine with 1.2.3. Not sure at which sample rate or bit depth the problem was reported but the symptom is static or clicks several times a second (in other words, very obvious) all thru the recording.
J.T.
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I think I've figured out the recordings stopping early thing. If you check the rec time available sreen it will report based on 96k (most of us know about and live with this). For example I took my smallest card (the 64 that came with) and it said it has 00:01:44 of record time. I then recorded a 44.1 source and it started and showed it was going to record for 3 minutes or so. But when it reached (you 've probably guessed) 00:01:44, it stopped and says media full. I could then record a second file but again it stops before it get's the 'actual' end.
At least with this info we can predict when it will stop. It will stop at the time that the rec time available screen says.
J.T.
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You haven't tried the 8GB Sandisk card yes with 1.3.3 have you? i'ts been reported to have problems with 1.3.3 and work fine with 1.2.3. Not sure at which sample rate or bit depth the problem was reported but the symptom is static or clicks several times a second (in other words, very obvious) all thru the recording.
Hmmm... I will have to try some more at home before sound tribe next weekend. I've recorded the stereo for 4 hours at 24/96 and v.1.3.3 firmware without issue yet.
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I think I've figured out the recordings stopping early thing. If you check the rec time available sreen it will report based on 96k (most of us know about and live with this). For example I took my smallest card (the 64 that came with) and it said it has 00:01:44 of record time. I then recorded a 44.1 source and it started and showed it was going to record for 3 minutes or so. But when it reached (you 've probably guessed) 00:01:44, it stopped and says media full. I could then record a second file but again it stops before it get's the 'actual' end.
At least with this info we can predict when it will stop. It will stop at the time that the rec time available screen says.
J.T.
+T. Nice job! Just confirmed the same thing here with a 64 mb card. Not sure why my record time available was different than yours with a similar sized card, but whatever.
I fed it a 16/48 signal, using the spif input
File 1: 2:37 total time on media/5:14 on time remaining countdown on main recording screen/stopped at 2:37
File 2: 1:18 total time on media/2:37 on time remaining countdown on main recording screen/stopped at 1:18
File 3: 0:39 total time on media/1:18 on time remaining countdown on main recording screen/stopped at 0:39
and so on, down to no time remaining.
Coincidentally, in each instance using the 64mb card, the total time remaining/length of time that the file recorded before stopping, was exactly half of the time on the countdown on the main recording screen.
Another way of looking at this is that when the total time of the file and the time countdown were exactly equal, the file stopped recording.
Reason I bring this up is because with my 2gb card, I get a total time on media of 01:30:26 but a Max time per file of 01:26:48. When I go to the main recording screen, the countdown is 02:53:36 aka twice the "Max time per file" number.
So...perhaps the unit stops at the max time per file reading and not the total time on media for the larger CF cards. The way for me to test this of course would be to record and see if it stops at 01:30:26 or at 01:26:48, which I'll try to do tonight.
Wonder if it chokes when the countdown and the time already recorded hit the same number?
edit: Just ran a test and passed by the Max time per file without a problem and stopped at the total time on media, in this case 01:30:26. Time to fire off some Incident Reports to M-Audio.
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I think I've figured out the recordings stopping early thing. If you check the rec time available sreen it will report based on 96k (most of us know about and live with this). For example I took my smallest card (the 64 that came with) and it said it has 00:01:44 of record time. I then recorded a 44.1 source and it started and showed it was going to record for 3 minutes or so. But when it reached (you 've probably guessed) 00:01:44, it stopped and says media full. I could then record a second file but again it stops before it get's the 'actual' end.
At least with this info we can predict when it will stop. It will stop at the time that the rec time available screen says.
J.T.
interesting, but I'm not so sure. or at least, it's not consistent. the last time I recorded, on Thursday 3/30 (and I posted in pretty good detail everything that happened), the first set went all the way to within a minute or two of the 2 gig limit. (at 24/48 via S/PDIF). but then the second set was cut short, at just past one hour, which was slightly more than half of the 1 hour, 53 minutes, and change that I could get from a 2 gig file size limit...
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I think I've figured out the recordings stopping early thing. If you check the rec time available sreen it will report based on 96k (most of us know about and live with this). For example I took my smallest card (the 64 that came with) and it said it has 00:01:44 of record time. I then recorded a 44.1 source and it started and showed it was going to record for 3 minutes or so. But when it reached (you 've probably guessed) 00:01:44, it stopped and says media full. I could then record a second file but again it stops before it get's the 'actual' end.
At least with this info we can predict when it will stop. It will stop at the time that the rec time available screen says.
J.T.
interesting, but I'm not so sure. or at least, it's not consistent. the last time I recorded, on Thursday 3/30 (and I posted in pretty good detail everything that happened), the first set went all the way to within a minute or two of the 2 gig limit. (at 24/48 via S/PDIF). but then the second set was cut short, at just past one hour, which was slightly more than half of the 1 hour, 53 minutes, and change that I could get from a 2 gig file size limit...
I was just able to confirm this with the card that came with the microtrack and the 8gig SanDisk I have. I got pretty much the exact same results as posted above with the 64meg card. With the 8 gig I had a total of 6gig already recorded on the CF at 24/96. Was able to record another hour at 24/96 with no issues (2 gig file size) and maxed out the card. Removed one of the 2gig files and reset the UA-5 to record at 24/48. With the 2 gig left I should have been able to record 2 hours but the recording stopped after 1 hour which is the 24/96 remaining time.
Good catch... T+. I'm going to keep playing around and see if I can make it stop recording in any other situations but so far this is the only way I have been able to reproduce it reliably.
EDIT: Support email sent to M-Audio
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I wrote to M-Audio about the stop recording issue and heard back from them today. They admitted that they were able to reproduce the problem and that they are working hard on a fix for it. No timetable on when an update would be posted to their website, but at least they admitted it was a problem.
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I have not had any problems using v 1.3.3 firmware on my MT. I have recorded four shows since the firmware came out and all were made at 24/96 with a 4 GB Kingston Elite Pro 45X CF card. All of the recordings came out extremely well with no problems during recording. I have had the backlight set to "always on" and have the "hold" button engaged once recording has started. I am going in with spdif from my external a/d mic preamplifier and always attach the coax to the MT after I have established a signal level from the a/d converter mic preamplifier. I do not use an external battery box and my microphones are powered by my a/d mic preamplifier so there is minimal current draw on the MT while operating aside from the backlight being on always. I have tested the backlight current draw and it has very little effect on the battery run time in my configuration. This set-up has worked every time for me with no mysterious hang-ups during recording.
I upload the data from the CF card after removing it from the MT and use a Lexar Firewire card reader which transfers considerably faster to my pc then the USB 2.0 for some reason. For a typical 2.0 GB of files to transfer it takes approximately seven minutes to complete which saves a lot of time. I did not have any issues with running at 24/44.1 either which is the only other rate which I have used with the spdif input thus far.
I will keep my fingers crossed that I do not run into some of the bad luck which other have been experiencing with the hang-ups. hopefully the last few niggling items will be resolved soon and we will all be able to enjoy the hell out of this little gem!!!
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If you are recording at 24/96 you will not see the stop recording issue as the time left is measured at a 96k sampling rate. Wish I could go at 24/96 all the time but pretty much everyone I record has sets that run over the hour mark and there is often not a good time to split the file during the set.
Oh well... Hopefully we will get a fix soon.
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Sorry, I haven't been following the thread and tried reading back a bit, but I haven't figured out what the issue is. Could someone give me a quick summary? I thought the incorrect record time available issue was fixed with firmware 1.2.3. Did they screw it up again with the latest firmaware?
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Basically if you are configured to record SPDIF with the sampling rate set to auto and go under the Record settings menu and then select Rec time available it will show you the recording time left based on a 96k sampling rate. If you record at a level < 96k and total time left at 96k is less than the file time left at your sampling rate the recording will stop at the 96k time.
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Not sure... I can reproduce the issue with the card that came with the unit, a 4gig Kingston Elite, and a 8gig SanDisk. It does not happen when not recording SPDIF since you set the sampling rate and it is not auto. Have not gone back a revision yet to see if the problem exists there. Probably will try it Saturday.
Checked my email a few min a bit ago and I also got a reply from M-Audio stating they were aware of the issue and working on a fix. There was no mention of a time frame and it seemed pretty much like a form email.
EDIT: If you want to specifically test for the situation upload to your MT your cards max-2gig (or more) and then record at 24/48. If the recording stops after an hour or so it affects you. If you can record for around 2 hours up to the max of your card it does not affect you. You can adjust the times if you do the math but 24/96 = ~2gig/hour, 24/48 = ~1gig/hour.
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i haven't had this problem either. for record time available i get something like 56 minutes I think, but when i start a recording at 24/44.1 i get 2:05 for the remaining time. No troubles whatsoever. I didn't record for a full two hours, but I went over an hour easily.
i'm also using a 6gb microdrive.
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go team cheap microdrives, woot!
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Hmmm... we have a 4gig Hitachi microdrive at work. Will have to borrow it tomorrow and test over the weekend. Part of our product runs on mobile devices (palm, trio, midp, etc) and in theory the storage medium is abstracted from the software that writes to it. So a Microdrive should not respond any differently (other than speed) than a CF, or SD or any other type of supported card.
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I was just able to confirm this with the card that came with the microtrack and the 8gig SanDisk I have.
Was this the 8GB SanDisk Ultra II card? There was an earlier report even with a posted sound file showing that this card had problems with the recoridngs sounding staticky with 1.3.3 and sounding ok with 1.2.3? I had access to one of these cards but didn't feel the need to try it myself until now so now I've tested it myself and I'm not having any trouble with it. I think I'll find that post and see if I can contact the original poster to see how he saw the problem. If yours is the Ultra II card then it's encouraging to see the 2 out of 3 of us are not having the problem.
J.T.
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Basically if you are configured to record SPDIF with the sampling rate set to auto and go under the Record settings menu and then select Rec time available it will show you the recording time left based on a 96k sampling rate. If you record at a level < 96k and total time left at 96k is less than the file time left at your sampling rate the recording will stop at the 96k time.
Hey all-
For those that this has happened to, does this happen if the MT is powered up with the SPDIF signal connected and active?
I was thinking that powering up before connecting an active SPDIF input could cause this problem, maybe if it is getting a digi signal at the correct sampling rate on startup, it would then know the "correct" time left. ??? Just a thought.
Peace,
Ben
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Mine is the Ultra II. Have not run it at a show yet but have done around 40 or so hours of testing on 1.3.3 at different speeds and rates at home with no quality issues.
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Mine dies at different times every time it dies.
It always works fine for the first set.
I have also gone for 1:45 minutes before restarting.
It just dies sometime in the 2nd set at 24/48.
Don't get me wrong. It has worked correctly a few times.
I reloaded 1.2.3.
I didn't have issues with 1.2.3
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I've been having a back and forth with M-Audio on this and the last message this afternoon said that a firmware upgrade would be coming soon that would address this issue. They didn't have a specific timetable but said to check the website for something soon.
FWIW, I switched back to 1.2.3 and used the MT last night. 16/44.1, spdif input, 2GB kingston elite card, recorded one long 2hr 35min file. Recording came out flawless and no stops.
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Issue just confirmed on a 4gig hitachi microdrive.
To answer the question above it happens with SPDIF whith or without signal provided on startup.
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Issue just confirmed on a 4gig hitachi microdrive.
To answer the question above it happens with SPDIF whith or without signal provided on startup.
What if you use a real CF card instead of microdrive?
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Already did that in previous posts... fails with included card, Kingston Elite 4gig, and SanDisk UltraII 8gig. Just tried the microdrive cause others were reporting no issue and I had access to a MD from work.
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Already did that in previous posts... fails with included card, Kingston Elite 4gig, and SanDisk UltraII 8gig. Just tried the microdrive cause others were reporting no issue and I had access to a MD from work.
Hmmm. Weird. Thanks for the extra info.
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well that sucks, guess i'm lucky.
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I used the 1.3.3 firmware to record 3 shows(5 sets) this past weekend. It was the first time using it and everything recording wise worked out fine, I was running into the 1/4 inputs.
I did have a problem sunday night with playback though... I had one file that just kept stopping while it was playing back. I thought maybe the file was corrupt or something but when I got home and pulled the file off everything was fine. Anybody else ever had any playback problems?
EDIT: just found a post where people had this problem at 90 seconds with the 1.2.0 beta firmware. Mine wasn't happening at 90 seconds all the time though, so still wondering if anybody has had this problem with the 1.3.3 firmware.
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i've yet to get any file to play back completely on the mt. some will play for 30 mins, some will play for 5, some won't go longer than 5 seconds.
the file keeps playing, just no audio. the files are always fine tho. just sucks that you can't listen to it on the way home in your car.
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i've yet to get any file to play back completely on the mt. some will play for 30 mins, some will play for 5, some won't go longer than 5 seconds.
the file keeps playing, just no audio. the files are always fine tho. just sucks that you can't listen to it on the way home in your car.
Ditto, audio out always cuts out ~20-30 min for me, though the display shows that it is still playing and the level meters are bouncing.
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i've yet to get any file to play back completely on the mt. some will play for 30 mins, some will play for 5, some won't go longer than 5 seconds.
the file keeps playing, just no audio. the files are always fine tho. just sucks that you can't listen to it on the way home in your car.
Ditto, audio out always cuts out ~20-30 min for me, though the display shows that it is still playing and the level meters are bouncing.
Same here :-\
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just wanted to mention that i am having the same problems with the newest firmware.
i taped 5 breakfast shows since the firmware upgrade. the microtrack only worked for 2 shows of the 5 flawlessly. all were 24/44.1 except the 2nd show that came out ok, that was 16/44.1. we were in flagstaff and i taped the opener and both breakfast sets just fine that night.
on 2 nights the microtrack just turned off after about an hour to 70 mins into second set. in san diego the microtrack turned off on its own during both sets and my microdrive turned out to be empty at the end of the night. i was pissed because the other taper lost the first set and a friend of mine sat in with the band for first set.
i also had some problems since the update where it would freeze while writing a file. didnt happen saving a live recording, but it did happen before the flagstaff show while i was setting up. i got scared, so i switched from 24 bit to 16 bit because i wanted to take as few risks as possible that night because there were guest sit ins that also needed to be taped and i was the only taper in the house. plus i was shooting video that night and i wanted a separate audio source for it.
i am not happy with m-audio right now. i had some minor issues with previous firmwares, but nothing like this. the microtrack is not reliable at all. fortunately there were tapers in the house when i had problems, but we lost the 1 set of the tour that i really wanted taped.
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just wanted to mention that i am having the same problems with the newest firmware.
i taped 5 breakfast shows since the firmware upgrade. the microtrack only worked for 2 shows of the 5 flawlessly. all were 24/44.1 except the 2nd show that came out ok, that was 16/44.1. we were in flagstaff and i taped the opener and both breakfast sets just fine that night.
on 2 nights the microtrack just turned off after about an hour to 70 mins into second set. in san diego the microtrack turned off on its own during both sets and my microdrive turned out to be empty at the end of the night. i was pissed because the other taper lost the first set and a friend of mine sat in with the band for first set.
i also had some problems since the update where it would freeze while writing a file. didnt happen saving a live recording, but it did happen before the flagstaff show while i was setting up. i got scared, so i switched from 24 bit to 16 bit because i wanted to take as few risks as possible that night because there were guest sit ins that also needed to be taped and i was the only taper in the house. plus i was shooting video that night and i wanted a separate audio source for it.
i am not happy with m-audio right now. i had some minor issues with previous firmwares, but nothing like this. the microtrack is not reliable at all. fortunately there were tapers in the house when i had problems, but we lost the 1 set of the tour that i really wanted taped.
I went back to 1.2.3. All seems fine now. I would wait for a more stable firmware. Some people have no problems with 1.3.3, but obviously alot do. :)
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I hope Everyone who has had problems with the new firmware has filed a bug report.
M-audio is dragging their feet on fixing this serious issue and only lots of reports will push them. These bugs are gettin' old...
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I hope Everyone who has had problems with the new firmware has filed a bug report.
M-audio is dragging their feet on fixing this serious issue and only lots of reports will push them. These bugs are gettin' old...
Bug report sent!
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I also went back to 1.2.3 and have had no issues since.
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I have only recoreded one show since going back to 1.2.3. It went flawlessly as mine were going before I upgraded.
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ill have to go back to the old firmware.
i taped a show tonight and the recording stopped once during first set. then i started it up during setbreak. it stopped on its own again about 20 mins later. i started it up and it stopped on its own more than 10 more times. i kept starting it up again just for laughs and see how many times it would die. then my friend did it at least 5 more times after i walked away. i had 3 video cameras in the house, so i was hoping i could get some uncut audio for at least a few songs in the second set, but the microtrack couldnt even do that.
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ill have to go back to the old firmware.
i taped a show tonight and the recording stopped once during first set. then i started it up during setbreak. it stopped on its own again about 20 mins later. i started it up and it stopped on its own more than 10 more times. i kept starting it up again just for laughs and see how many times it would die. then my friend did it at least 5 more times after i walked away. i had 3 video cameras in the house, so i was hoping i could get some uncut audio for at least a few songs in the second set, but the microtrack couldnt even do that.
Wow, crazy. I am glad the one show I recorded using 1.3.3 came out ok as I was running no backup at the time. I went back to 1.2.3 immediately after with all these reports of freeze-ups.
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Can someone give me the link for the 1.2.3 because I can only see 1.2.0 and 1.1.5 in this link from M-Audio:
http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=support.drivers&k=driver&b=1&s=6&p=196cc4c35a380d800a80448f139bcfe7&o=15
Planning to go back to 1.2.3
Thanks
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Found it! Thanks
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I spoke with a very knowledgeable dealer yesterday that advised me that there are problems with one out of every three Microtrack recorders due to the extremely small and complex board size that it uses. He said all of the issues are simply bad boards and has nothing to do with firmware. I concur that the firmware would work for everyone assuming that their hardware all was in good working order which apparently they all can not calim to be in.
I have yet to have any difficulty running the v1.3.3 firmware with spdif input at either 34/44.1 or 24/96. I have allowed for both auto file split on one recording which went just as it is outlined to do. All others have had manual file splits when required for the 24/96 recordings always performed during the band introductions. All of the 24/44.1 recordings allow for a seamless recording of up to two hours and five minutes on my 4 GB CF card.
I would insist on M-Audio exchanging the unit for another piece which haas been tested by them rather then expecting the firmware to fix any iussues which you may have a this point. If everyone were collectively experiencing the same problems on all of the recorders then we could asume it to be a firmware issue however this is not the case!!! Has anyone been able to get their device exchanged and if so has it corrected the problems which you were experiencing?
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Wow, crazy. I am glad the one show I recorded using 1.3.3 came out ok as I was running no backup at the time. I went back to 1.2.3 immediately after with all these reports of freeze-ups.
I never had freeze-ups so far.
I used the Mt lightly but mostly with 1.3.3..
But that is without S/PDIF and without external batteries.
Works OK although I miss the Sony D7/D8/D100/M1 level knob with a wide range of adjustment.
Also battery time appears to be somewhat short (got just over three hours last night using just 1/4").
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I would insist on M-Audio exchanging the unit for another piece which haas been tested by them rather then expecting the firmware to fix any iussues which you may have a this point. If everyone were collectively experiencing the same problems on all of the recorders then we could asume it to be a firmware issue however this is not the case!!! Has anyone been able to get their device exchanged and if so has it corrected the problems which you were experiencing?
So do we really feel like if we start exchanging these things it'll get better? I hate MT cutoffs. Mine did it with 1.3.3 about 1 hour 5 minutes into a 16 bit recording. Then some more in probably 15 minute increments.
I'm willing to do it, if that fixes the problems.
Perhaps we should do a poll like, does your microtrack record without suckage (aka cutting off):
Yes
No
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I did a test last night which confirm some of our member's test.
I was using Kingston 2GB Elite CF card with my MT set at 24bit and V3 at 48kHz using external battery box and S/PDIF.
1st Track: recorded for 1 hr and I stop the recording manually.
2nd T: restarted recording manually and MT stopped REC automatically after 30mins (stating media full)
3rd T: restarted recording manually and MT stopped REC automatically after 15mins (stating media full)
4th T: restarted recording manually and MT stopped REC automatically after 7 mins (stating media full)
5th T: restarted recording manually and MT stopped REC automatically after 3 1/2 mins (stating media full)
It is consistent now that the MT will stop when the time reach half of the previous track time.
I went back to 1.2.3.
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FYI: went back to 1.2.3, pulled 4 sets of about 1 hour each, SPDIF in at 24/44.1 with no problems. For one set I had to plug in external power after I had already begun recording, did not seem to cause any problem. Recording time remaining read correctly at just over 2 hours every time I restarted a new file.
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Perhaps we should do a poll like, does your microtrack record without suckage (aka cutting off):
Yes
No
Mine: Yes, it works OK. (no cutting off so far)
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Perhaps we should do a poll like, does your microtrack record without suckage (aka cutting off):
Yes
No
Mine: Yes, it works OK. (no cutting off so far)
Same here.
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I'm back at 1.2.3.
2 times out now.
1 hour and a half set at 24/48 first outing.
1.33 and 1.41 sets at 24/48 second outing.
No problems.
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So it is an SPDIF issue (I see 24 bit...).
The past few days I did a few live recordings and all went well with the MT (bad results all my fault). In one instance I started another file and got a total recording time of 3 hours (others were 2 hours or so). No problems. (mic -> battbox -> MT 1/4" line in at min level 16/48 -> CF card)
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No issues running mine so far w/V1.3.3 I taped a live concert recording (Spicer Trio) on the web this weekend as a test feeding from a broadband cable access on my PC @ a rate of 750kbps, uncompressed WAV (from local radio station) feeding into my MT via TRS @ 24/48 for 1:15min w/external USB pack - no issues. Sounds pretty nice in fact....
Gonna run some SPDIF tests tonight feeding from my DA-40 to the MT and let her spin a few hrs on the 6GB micro drive. I'll pipe up if I have any issues.....
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I just recently got my MT used from the Yard Sale. I upgraded to 1.3.3 when I got it. Last night I was able to take it out for a spin. I recorded a 30 minute set and two 60 minute sets without issue. I was using going 4061s > SP Dongle > MT. I recorded 24/48 through the TRS inputs. No problems using this setup. I shut down between each set to conserve some battery.
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I've heard that M-Audio is getting fairly close to another firmware release (week or two I'm hoping). Supposed to fix a lot of issues with 1.3.3. No new features that I've heard of though. Just bug fixes (which I take as a good thing, concentrate on that first, then think about features).
J.T.
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I hope Everyone who has had problems with the new firmware has filed a bug report.
M-audio is dragging their feet on fixing this serious issue and only lots of reports will push them. These bugs are gettin' old...
Bug report sent!
Bug Report Sent one week ago. 0 response. Oh well, they must know about the problem. A response telling me would be nice, though.
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Gonna run some SPDIF tests tonight feeding from my DA-40 to the MT and let her spin a few hrs on the 6GB micro drive. I'll pipe up if I have any issues.....
I just did some similar "tests" last week...
I was transfering some analog masters: Denon cassette deck > RCA > DA-40 (for the A>D) > S/Pdif > MT @ 24/48 Got through 3 hours of transferring w/no problems at all. The recordings sound quite nice.
The MT is running 1.3.3 w/a 6gig Apple branded Hitachi Microdrive. For all the problems people are having w/the MT's, I've yet to see mine have any abnormal issues...
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Well I ran my MT at Disco Biscuits the other night at Starr Hill, first set went great. I was doing 16/44.1. The rig was a SP-C4 > mme > mt. First set was about 1 hour 6 minutes, no problem. Second set ran over 1 1/2 hours and the MT cut out. I only got 1/2 the encore bah! Oh well, my mme was still in high gain (who the hell sets those jumpers at the factory for a field unit to high gain...) which was promptly fixed after the show.
Things I have noticed when I have problems:
Usually its after I started another file, so I try to do one file per CF card and only after a format.
Usually cuts off when I forget to set the hold button immediately.
I am running at Robert Randolph, Drive By Truckers and Man Mountain Jr. tonight. Here's to hoping for the best.
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when you say cut out, what do you mean ? You ran out of CF space, the battery died or the MT just shut off, etc ... I have had no problems with 16/44.1 (1.2.3) ...
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For all the problems people are having w/the MT's, I've yet to see mine have any abnormal issues...
Ditto here, although I haven't used mine in the field that much yet. I've run many tests for battery life, using a radio as line in at 24/48 or 16/44.1, and have been getting around 4.5 hours per charge, with the files split properly every time (Kingston Elite 4GB)
I've got 2 shows next week, so hopefully my good results will continue under real life conditions. Springsteen fans rejoice - it's Taping Season!
Scott
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when you say cut out, what do you mean ? You ran out of CF space, the battery died or the MT just shut off, etc ... I have had no problems with 16/44.1 (1.2.3) ...
Cutting out for me means the MT is not recording any more. It was still on and good battery. This was 1.3.3 btw. I wasn't out of space, it was a fresh file on a formatted 2 GB Kingston Elite. I hit the record button and it turned back on, but all I got was the 1 seconding recording. I was like, oh well at that point, got the first two sets, just missed the encore.
I am really considering going to 1.2.3 for tonight. Decisions....
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Things I have noticed when I have problems:
Usually its after I started another file, so I try to do one file per CF card and only after a format.
Usually cuts off when I forget to set the hold button immediately.
My question: Is this problem while using S/PDIF in? The only time I have noticed this problem is while using S/PDIF in, if the signal is not reaching the MT prior to the record button being turned on. I had that issue, but once I defined it, I just make sure everything is on before I hit record, and I have no problems.
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How y'all doin? I went back to 1.2.3, no freeze ups in a few sessions. One show went close to 2 hours.
I guess if freeze-ups are due to the circuit board (see pg 21), it is probably a moot point, since I probably have an ok board given that I have never had a freeze so far, but just thought I'd check in.
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well, its been almost 2 months, i wonder if we'll get an update in may? that'd be cool.
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How y'all doin? I went back to 1.2.3, no freeze ups in a few sessions. One show went close to 2 hours.
I guess if freeze-ups are due to the circuit board (see pg 21), it is probably a moot point, since I probably have an ok board given that I have never had a freeze so far, but just thought I'd check in.
I have taped 6 shows since going back to 1.2.3 . This is not a circuit board issue. It does not freeze up on 1.2.3 .
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well, its been almost 2 months, i wonder if we'll get an update in may? that'd be cool.
What's really pathetic is that the last release was a total fiasco and they haven't rushed out a quick bug fix.. It's like they think the last release was a success.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED M-audio!!
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How y'all doin? I went back to 1.2.3, no freeze ups in a few sessions. One show went close to 2 hours.
hey guys. After 6 months with the MicroTrack, I lost my patience. I'm sure the M-Audio will get around to fixing the issues, but there are other products that do what I need right now. after factoring in the money I'd get from selling the MT, and the money I'd get from selling my D8 (which I was keeping as a back-up recorder), it was a no brainer for me. I hope you don't all feel abaondoned by me ;) Overall, I'd say I had a positive experience. I only lost one recording, and there was another taper there that night anyway. and I was able to start recording at 24 bit, which kicks ass. Good luck to you all.
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How y'all doin? I went back to 1.2.3, no freeze ups in a few sessions. One show went close to 2 hours.
hey guys. After 6 months with the MicroTrack, I lost my patience. I'm sure the M-Audio will get around to fixing the issues, but there are other products that do what I need right now. after factoring in the money I'd get from selling the MT, and the money I'd get from selling my D8 (which I was keeping as a back-up recorder), it was a no brainer for me. I hope you don't all feel abaondoned by me ;) Overall, I'd say I had a positive experience. I only lost one recording, and there was another taper there that night anyway. and I was able to start recording at 24 bit, which kicks ass. Good luck to you all.
(http://www.sweetwater.com/images/items/HDP2-large.jpg)
So you went with this, huh? Now's it working? What are the dimensions?
HD-P2 I/O features:
XLR mic inputs with phantom power and analog peak limiter
Unbalanced stereo RCA I/O
S/PDIF digital I/O
Headphone output
Built-in mono microphone and speaker for desktop interview applications
Analog level controls allow easy operation without the need to look at the unit
FireWire interface for fast data transfer to a computer
HD-P2 Synchronization features:
SMPTE/LTC timecode input on locking XLR balanced jack
Timestamps Broadcast WAVE recordings from SMPTE input
Chase locks to incoming SMPTE timecode
Video clock input resolves to house clock
Tri-level sync support for HDTV applications
Includes Frame Lock, Lock and Release and flexible Freewheel settings for unpredictable timecode sources
Pull-up and Pull-down sample rates included for video format compatibility
HD-P2 Convenience Features:
Familiar tape machine-style layout and function
Angled screen for table-top or shoulder strap use
Large, uncluttered LCD display
Shortcut keys and LED indicators for frequently-accessed functions
Recessed Compact Flash slot
Runs on (8) readily available AA batteries or DC power adapter
Approximately 5.5 hours of operating time on battery power
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So, I haven't used my MT for three or four months, and now I pull it out to charge it for a show tonight, and it won't do a damn thing.
I charged it about a month ago, and all seemed fine. I'm really fricking steamed right now.
I suppose it's out of warranty as well.
OK Now it's charging. This thing can't hold enough charge to turn on for appx. one month?
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So you went with this, huh? Now's it working? What are the dimensions?
yes, I now have the HD-P2. it'll get its first outing tomorrow night, although I Have transferred several DATs with it to get a feel for it.
I don't really want to take up much room in this MT thread talking about the HD-P2, so I'll refer you to this thread:
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=62271.0 (http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=62271.0)
in the first post, I list the dimensions (and the dimensions of the PMD-671 and the Lunatec V3)
So, I haven't used my MT for three or four months, and now I pull it out to charge it for a show tonight, and it won't do a damn thing.
I charged it about a month ago, and all seemed fine. I'm really fricking steamed right now.
I'd leave it plugged in for a little while. it might turn on after 10-15 minutes. this has happened to a few people before as well.
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I'd leave it plugged in and see if it doesn't come back.
I want to sell mine too, but I just spent a bunch of money on things I don't need, so hopefully maudio will get there shit together in the meantime.
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After all of my bitching yesterday, the thing worked flawlessly. No problems at all with 1.2.3. I still can't believe that battery wouldn't hold a charge for ~1 month.
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the thing can't hold a charge for an hour. I pull mine of the charger, go to a show, and when i turn it on there's already juice of the battery symbol. i hate to be a negative nancy, but the battery in the thing sucks.
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Interesting.. The mt worked well for me last night (v3 24/48 > mt 1.2.3). I forgot to throw it on the charger until very late in the day but it seemed fully charged when I plugged it in. I can't recall when I last charged it but it had to be at least a week or two. Maybe not every unit drains the battery?
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the thing can't hold a charge for an hour. I pull mine of the charger, go to a show, and when i turn it on there's already juice of the battery symbol. i hate to be a negative nancy, but the battery in the thing sucks.
I noticed that too. Any idea what the thing is doing while the power is allegedly off?
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i think it has a life of its own. mine is probably writing programs at the moment that will cause it to lock up and reset itself to defaults next time i use it.
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I noticed that my battery seemed to drain while unplugged when I first got it. However, after recording a bunch of shows and recharging maybe 10-15 times or so the battery seems to be 'conditioned' and hardly looses a charge anymore.
PS. I've also had no problems since going back to 1.2.3. Even if we get a new firmware soon I am not likely to go to it until I see others results.
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I am torn. I am thinking about going back to 1.2.3 since I am hgeading out of town to tape a festival. No sets will be greater than 2 hours, thats for sure, but I have not had any problems with 1.3.3 yet, although I have only used it a couple of times.... So what are the perks of 1.3.3 that I would really miss going back to 1.2.3?
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I am torn. I am thinking about going back to 1.2.3 since I am hgeading out of town to tape a festival. No sets will be greater than 2 hours, thats for sure, but I have not had any problems with 1.3.3 yet, although I have only used it a couple of times.... So what are the perks of 1.3.3 that I would really miss going back to 1.2.3?
d00d, just keep the 1.3.3, your taping analog in, there arent any probs with it unless your MT is bad plus iill have my lappie there so if you really start freaking out you can always switch it... ;D
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Has anyone narrowed down exactly when the "recording stops" occur? We ran 3 MT's with v1.3.3 at the Beacon for 3 nights and didn't have a single problem. Typical times were 1 set @ 1h10m?, second set about 1h30m or so. 16/44.1. Two were SPDIF in, one was mic-in via TRS.
Then recently we ran two of the three MT's at a show and they both stopped recording independently within minutes of each other. Identical machines right down to the CF cards (2GB Kingston Elite). Both were running SPDIF in, 16/44.1 each from a different source. The recordings stopped during the 3rd set. Both MT's were stopped between sets. It seems like problems occur either:
- After two files are already on the CF card
- or when a recording is started with 'x' or less free space is left on the CF card. Not sure what 'x' is
I've got a show Sunday that I'll probably go back to 1.2.3 for.
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Check back earlier in this thead for a description of when it stops. But basically if recording SPDIF the MT calculates the time left internally as if things are being recorded at 96k. So even when recording at a lower rate it will stop when you would run out of space at 96k. So exact stopping time depends on how much space you have left on your card. NOTE: This is the time that is shown when you check how much space is left on the card though the menu. Not the time left displayed while recording.
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Ran Particle last night at 24/96 first set, about 75 minutes, second set 24/48 about 71 minutes (doh should've gone 96) with 1.3.3 and everything went well. I also had backup power with the walmart > juicebox > usb which worked great. Here are my paranoid steps to make sure the MT records as planned:
1. Format the CF card with the MT before usage.
2. Make sure A/D has been running for about a minute.
3. Plug in S/PDIF cable to MT.
4. Power up, good to go, plug in backup power.
5. Record and immediately put hold button on.
Swap out CF cards if you are going to record another set. Everything ran great last night. My rig is pretty much right where I want it now. Oh and new particle is sick! Hey you got some rock in my space! They sing now, whoa!
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Ran Particle last night at 24/96 first set, about 75 minutes, second set 24/48 about 71 minutes (doh should've gone 96) with 1.3.3 and everything went well. I also had backup power with the walmart > juicebox > usb which worked great. Here are my paranoid steps to make sure the MT records as planned:
1. Format the CF card with the MT before usage.
2. Make sure A/D has been running for about a minute.
3. Plug in S/PDIF cable to MT.
4. Power up, good to go, plug in backup power.
5. Record and immediately put hold button on.
Swap out CF cards if you are going to record another set. Everything ran great last night. My rig is pretty much right where I want it now. Oh and new particle is sick! Hey you got some rock in my space! They sing now, whoa!
I think the main problem with 1.3.3 is it only work well if you record one track per a CF card. As long as you don't make a 2nd track on the same CF card you will not encounter the cut off. Cut off only happens in my situation after the 1st track using SPDIF in with 24bit setting.
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I think the main problem with 1.3.3 is it only work well if you record one track per a CF card. As long as you don't make a 2nd track on the same CF card you will not encounter the cut off.
Interesting. What a strange bug though.
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I think the main problem with 1.3.3 is it only work well if you record one track per a CF card. As long as you don't make a 2nd track on the same CF card you will not encounter the cut off. Cut off only happens in my situation after the 1st track using SPDIF in with 24bit setting.
Did you communicate this with M-Audio?
I did have a two-track situation with 1.3.3 once, but that was with analog input. Worked OK.
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I've record many tracks per compact flash card with no issues. Usually one for each set and another for the encore. Several times recorded shows with the previous shows files still on the card. The only issue I have seen is the one mentioned earlier in the thread where remaining time is not figured correctly for SPDIF.
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I've record many tracks per compact flash card with no issues. Usually one for each set and another for the encore. Several times recorded shows with the previous shows files still on the card. The only issue I have seen is the one mentioned earlier in the thread where remaining time is not figured correctly for SPDIF.
Yeah it seems that all of the problems reported with 1.3.3 are either intermittant or affect different people, er differently.
Good news (I think it's good) is that word is that the next release goes up tonight so look for it this weekend.
Have a good weekend.
J.T.
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OK Now it's charging. This thing can't hold enough charge to turn on for appx. one month?
I'm thinking of buying one of these toys, so I'm reading my way through all 25 pages of posts. . . . . very early on someone said that support says that putting the "hold" switch on slowly drains the battery. Could that be the situation here?
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i never use the hold switch and mine still drains.
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very early on someone said that support says that putting the "hold" switch on slowly drains the battery. Could that be the situation here?
IMHO, from a logic perspective, that makes no sense. That would imply M-Audio engineers programmed something that would drain the power, no?
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very early on someone said that support says that putting the "hold" switch on slowly drains the battery. Could that be the situation here?
IMHO, from a logic perspective, that makes no sense. That would imply M-Audio engineers programmed something that would drain the power, no?
There will always be some draw from devices that get turned on by 'button' actuation instead of a power slide/toggle type switch. Usually the power draw when 'off' is very, very small like a watch's operating power measured in microamperes, but 'power off' power draw in digital decks is usually greater than found in electric watches for the most part.
All batteries have their own internal leakage that eventually drains down the battery's capacity after some period of time.
Rechargeable batteries have way higher 'self-leakage' than non-rechargeable or disposable types. Usually lithium batteries, like that used in the Microtrack, have lower self-leakage than NiCAD/NiMH types, but there are several types of lithium chemistries, and each lithium manufacturer produces versions of these batteries that may be better or not with self leakage issues. The lithium batteries are made in China at lowest possible cost. Also consider the lithium batteries found inside the Microtrack are NOT individually pre-tested for capacity or self discharge quality, and this may be the main cause of why some decks lose power quickly sitting on the shelf in the 'off' mode.
Also, there may be some variations in the Microtrack itself and might have a wider range of 'off' power draw where the battery is drained faster with some, and less with others as the 'keep-active' (electronics that monitors the power button) may have variations in power consumption depending on the 'grade' of circuit components used in any particular run.
Since quality control with Microtrack production (CHINA) seems in the same condition as the 'beta' firmware (too much is untested, spotty QC methods, and playing catch-up in after-the-fact found problems), variations and potential issues are not accounted for and further adds to the deck's 'not-designed-in' shortcommings.
The Microtrack may have been a good design when it left the USA, but (in China) implementation of circuit board design, and production quality control seems to suck way too much at this point.
So, expect the battery to slowly or quickly drain when in 'off' depending on all these factors.
Also good to remember that the deck will NEVER turn off the constant 1/4 ampere power draw when USB power is being applied, even when the deck is 'powered-OFF' and the internal battery fully charged up, and even with the display going blank. Power will continue to be drained at high 'recording operation rates' from whatever USB powering source is connected to this deck.
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Thanks for speaking the (sometimes) unpleasant truth guysonic - +t for that...
Cheers
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"Because even with its problems it still does more than any other current device at its price point and size."
[/quote]
Is this still a valid point with the Roland Edirol R09 coming onto the scene soon?
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"Because even with its problems it still does more than any other current device at its price point and size."
Is this still a valid point with the Roland Edirol R09 coming onto the scene soon?
yes. there is no digital in on the R09.
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I still rock the MT with 1.1.5 y0! no problems here :P
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i'm running 1.2.3 and afraid to upgrade to the newer ones in fear of killing my working deck.
its been flawless at 24/48. several tracks per card has been a non issue.
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I decided to run like Nick suggested at 1.2.3 last night for Lotus.
24/4816/48, got my longest recording ever off the MT and it worked flawlessly. 2 hours and 5 minutes. Also got the opener but they were only 45 minutes.
For stability, stick with 1.2.3 for now.
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I decided to run like Nick suggested at 1.2.3 last night for Lotus. 24/48, got my longest recording ever off the MT and it worked flawlessly. 2 hours and 5 minutes. Also got the opener but they were only 45 minutes.
For stability, stick with 1.2.3 for now.
I've been running 1.3.3 with no issues at all, so no reason to downgrade.
How do you get a 2:05:00 recording at 24/48? The 2GB File limit cuts you off at 1:55:00, correct?
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How do you get a 2:05:00 recording at 24/48? The 2GB File limit cuts you off at 1:55:00, correct?
24/48 can do about 240 minutes of recording.
I think 24/96 is the 1:55 cutoff
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=199.0
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24/96 = ~2 gig an hour
24/48 = ~1 gig an hour
http://24bit.turtleside.com/pcm.wav.file.sizes.pdf (http://24bit.turtleside.com/pcm.wav.file.sizes.pdf)
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How do you get a 2:05:00 recording at 24/48? The 2GB File limit cuts you off at 1:55:00, correct?
24/48 can do about 240 minutes of recording.
I think 24/96 is the 1:55 cutoff
http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=199.0
I'm an idiot and had the MT on 16bit. DOH! Thusly it was very capable of getting the whole show. :-[
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1.4 is up on the M-Audio site!
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http://m-audio.com/index.php?do=support.drivers&f=724
Issues addressed by this release
-Sometimes wouldn’t use the entire available space of the media and would report media full before it actually was. Even after deleting previous recordings from the media.
-Sometimes reported incorrect file sizes on MP3s.
-Outputs would turn off during playback of some files.
-Autosplit feature would not always record to full 2GB file size when source is S/PDIF
-Files sometimes were not saved properly if the battery would run out during a recording.
-Sometimes would revert to default settings if the battery charge were to run out during use.
-Recordings would sometimes stop early (before filling media or reaching 2GB) when using S/PDIF as the source.
-Some French characters and translations were incorrect.
-Would not always display the full media message when it should.
-Could not play files from the ‘Files’ menu if the files were inside a folder.
-Sometimes would hang on writing very short (less than 1 second) recordings.
-Some S/PDIF recordings failed to start recording if they immediately followed an analog recording.
Edit: Add
User Interface change:
While charging with the unit in the Application, the battery icon will contain the letters CHG. This will remain until the battery voltage reaches 100% and remains there for one hour. At that time, the CHG will be replaced with a plug icon (indicating it is plugged in and supplying power but no longer charging the battery). This one hour ‘timer’ will be reset only if power is removed for longer than 3 minutes (which will prevent the unit from overcharging if the power is removed and returned for short periods of time).
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i'm running 1.2.3 and afraid to upgrade to the newer ones in fear of killing my working deck.
its been flawless at 24/48. several tracks per card has been a non issue.
The last time I used 1.2.3 (last weekend) wasn't so lucky. I recorded 1 hr of music and after that I stopped the recording and started the recording again to the end of the CF (over 1 hr) at 24/48 using a 2GB card. The 2nd track was compacted to a approx 20 min of audio (which should have been about 1 hr). It sounded strange, too. The speed was more or less doubled and the pitch was above normal. I was hoping the recording will stop as soon as the card was full but it didnt but compacted the last track and continued recording. I was recording via SPDIF. This happened to me 2X now ever since I went back to 1.2.3. from 1.3.3.
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Regarding backing up to firmware 1.2.3 from firmware 1.3.3,
You'll notice that unlike the previous MicroTrack updates, the 1.3.3 update contains 3 files instead of just two. The three files are updates to 1) The boot loader (BL_MPR.rom), 2) the Application (PP5020.mi4) and the menus / languages etc. (Resources.arl). The boot loader portion of the update contains the code that boots the unit up (hence the name) but it also contains the Rescue Disk mode code to help reload firmware just in case the Application or Resource portions of the firmware ever become corrupt or fail to update properly during a firmware update. The Rescue disk mode can't of course help if it's the Boot loader itself that has become corrupt (perhaps during a failed firmware update).
Because of this I would not recommend repeatedly updating the Boot loader portion. If for some reason you need to regress to an earlier firmware and then return to 1.3.3, it is not necessary to re-update the Boot loader during this update since when regressing for instance to 1.2.3, the 1.2.3 update does not contain a boot loader update (there is no BL_MPR.rom file). So in effect, once you regress to 1.2.3 from the 1.3.3 update, you will really be running application 1.2.3 on top of boot loader 1.02 (where originally you would have been running application 1.2.3 on top of boot loader 1.00). When you regress to 1.2.3 you can tell that you still are running the 1.02 boot loader because the startup screen doesn't have the 1.0 on it that used to be there when running boot loader 1.0. So, this being the case and since at least one person has already ended up with a dead unit after the update to 1.3.3 I would shy away from updating the boot loader code more than once.
So far 1.3.3 is good for me so I won't be going back to 1.2.3 (fingers crossed).
J.T.
Hey, I guess if you want to go to 1.4.0. you have to upload the boot loader code again (more than once).
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Hey, I guess if you want to go to 1.4.0. you have to upload the boot loader code again (more than once).
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Must not have had many failures from all those who updated to 1.3.3. Makes me feel pretty good about it. If it's the same exact bootloader though, in theory you could delete it and make your firmware update faster but what's the point? I'm only (he said wishfully) going to go to 1.4.0 once and stay there (finger's crossed).
J.T.
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As previously posted, I had held off from installing the 1.3.3 version on a hunch it was trouble, but had a 'good feeling' about 1.4.0 so installed it last night and let the deck run at 24 bit/88.2K with Sandisk Ultra II 8 GIG card with 1/4" analog input set at "L" line input using Sonic Studios external PA-24XP preamplifier + HRTF 2-channel baffled mic. Deck was being externally powered by Sonic Studios BD-MT D cell power sled, connected AFTER the deck booted up, but I don't know if connected before or after boot matters much.
Intended to let the card fill up and the deck make consecutive files which it did making (4) ~1:02:56 length files, and (1) ~00:02:56 short file without problem. Happened to check the progress just as the first file was reaching the 2 GIG limit and saw the deck close the first file, and start the second very quickly within ~3-4 seconds time.
To say the least, I am encourgaged so far. More testing of other aspects is in process. Other noticed improvements is the navagation toggle is VERY stable with EXACTLY one jump per activation verses the overshoot experienced with 1.2.3 (I do not know if this was already fixed in 1.3.3)
One possible 'hang-up' was after deleting a recorded file with the microtrack, at least5 my deck appears to freeze and not allow further recording, or I just got impatient waiting for some process to finish? The deck flashes deleting the file window very briefly, and then returns to show the VU meter, but nothing else shows on the screen when pushing the REC button. Looking at the files with navagation showed the deleted files to be gone, but the deck refused to activate further recording of new files!
In any case, I found myself having to shut down the deck (removing external USB power included with this) and reboot to find the files still gone as they should, and the recording process now possible to activate.
Could be a bug, but more needs be tested more to see if this is a consistent problem, or just my very early morning imagination.
Other quirk was after making some initial short recordings, I reformatted the card to delete the files and start up fresh, which the deck did, and then got a message "the deck is now resetting" which makes the unit turn off completely. Manual reboot is needed after this, but everything seems to be working OK after that.
So unless I find something really bad about v1.4.0, I'm off to post proven consistent experiences, updating my on-going review of this deck with this latest version.
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good to know, thanks for the report