hi,
i know it's an old thread, but i just bought an r-09 a week ago and have this problem.
i phoned edirol (they ignored my email)... they said that there is nothing i can do about this... it is the chipset. they also claimed that ALL solid state recorders would do this!
what's weird is that it occured during recording a gig, but since then it doesn't do it. i'm sure next time i record something important it will! my friend's older r-09 doesn't do it.
i rely on being able to adjust the gain while recording to get an optimum level - especially when you have no idea how loud a gig will be until it starts! and then it keeps getting louder.
personally, i think that it is appalling that the r-09 does this, and it has ruined it for me. i would even go as far as saying don't buy one!
edirol (after i moaned repeatedly at them) said that if i couldn't live with the clicks and pops on my recording i would have to return it, as it is not an error and it is something they won't be considering rectifying!
anyone had any luck exchanging a unit that does have this problem for one that doesn't?
also, i'd have hoped for a more solid case... this thing is flimsy. to be honest i think it's a shoddy product all round.
if ALL solid state recorders do this (i presume he didn't want me returning it and buying another company's product), then it looks like i'm stuck with hoping 24 bit will leave me enough headroom with an extra low input level set before recording.
this problem needs addressing in the faq...
~miles (a very unhappy r-09 owner)
I have to agree this is NOT acceptable. Just because they are NOT TESTING for DC output level of the codec being used does NOT mean ANYTHING IS OK as too much DC level gets in the way of the recording quality (audible zipper noise) if adjustments in rec level are made in real time when recording not so loud (maybe acoustic) subjects.
So far I have been lucky not to have excessive codec output DC in the two units purchase here, and haven't heard of my customers noticing this as a problem so far.
Roland should rethink this issue and 'pretest' these parts BEFORE loading them on the boards. This is an COMPONENT ENGINEERING SPECIFICATION issue where they buy >10,000 parts with particular specifications from the IC vendor. I used to be employed by ATARI corporation as manager of the Telcom devision component engineering department, so I know about these issues. Purchase specifications for components are fully legal documents that are VERY PARTICULAR about every detail of what is acceptable and what is not acceptable with large quantity part purchases.
Apparently they DID NOT SPECIFY DC OFFSET from the codec output (MAYBE THEY OVERLOOKED THIS PARAMETER?) as an important criteria for acceptance of these parts, so they are getting what they asked for, namely good and not good parts with DC OFFSET that thwarts customer satisfaction when an 'too-off spec' codec is inside one of these otherwise excellent performing decks.
Roland CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS if enough complaints are filed. Roland needs to encourage their component engineers TO DO THEIR JOB and bring their component specifications up to better standards I think.