Topic: Tascam DV-RA1000 recording modes?

[slowburn]

Hello,

Fairly new member who's been enjoying reading up on lots of things on this forum.

I've just gotten the Tascam DV-RA1000. Primarly to transfer old analog masters to high res masters.

It's a great machine despite weird ways to do some things. Not exactly the most userfriendly interface. The manual could use a major rewrite to.

The one thing I wasn't really expecting is how good it sounds as a cd player. Worth the money for this alone. The analog transfers I've done so far to 96/24 sounds fantastic too.

I have two questions I can't figure out the answers to despite having spent quite some time to search the net.

1. While this wasn't the reason I got this, once I had it I figured I could do digital transfers from DAT to disk and then drag and drop files in my computer. This would free up lots of computertime. Going coaxical from my Pioneer home deck I've formatted the disk to 48/24 since there are no 48/16 choice. Choosing digital in for the clock everything seems to work fine with levels showing and time running. But playing it back there are no levels (and no sound). Is this a because of the 16/24 issue or possibly because the Pioneer have copyprotection. Or are there any other explanation? Any way around it?

2. I've been planning to go analog from cassette to 96/24 and this is working fine going from a Nakamichi analog out to the Tascams analog in. What I can't figure out is what I need to do DSD. Obviously the Nak doesn't have the BCN outputs. Is there something reasonably priced one could get to be able to do this.

I realise not that many have this deck yet but feel free to throw out a guess even if you don't.

Thanks for any help,
J

[slowburn]

I have two questions I can't figure out the answers to despite having spent quite some time to search the net.

1. While this wasn't the reason I got this, once I had it I figured I could do digital transfers from DAT to disk and then drag and drop files in my computer. This would free up lots of computertime. Going coaxical from my Pioneer home deck I've formatted the disk to 48/24 since there are no 48/16 choice. Choosing digital in for the clock everything seems to work fine with levels showing and time running. But playing it back there are no levels (and no sound). Is this a because of the 16/24 issue or possibly because the Pioneer have copyprotection. Or are there any other explanation? Any way around it?

Check your monitor switch!!
If you are in monitor mode, there will be no levels or signal on playback. The machine leaves you in monitor mode after you stop recording.
Also, did you write the udfmi to the disc?

You know, I would never had figured that out. That was the mistake I made. Not sure if I'ld even call it a mistake. Why the heck would the levels not show? I can somehow figure how they were thinking not giving out sound with the monitor on but not showing levels ... Doesn't make sense to me. Thanks, works like a charm. Good thing I didn't erase those disks.

2. I've been planning to go analog from cassette to 96/24 and this is working fine going from a Nakamichi analog out to the Tascams analog in. What I can't figure out is what I need to do DSD. Obviously the Nak doesn't have the BCN outputs. Is there something reasonably priced one could get to be able to do this.

format a disc to dsd, and the machine will switch over to the dsd mode automatically. You only choices of input to dsd are analog inputs, or sdif-3 if you have another machine or device with dsd/sdif-3 output.

I assumed I could only do DSD through the BCN. Mainly because on page 21 (under basic principles no less) it says "If you are recording to a DSD DVD, the signals will always be input and output through the BNC connectors" The table the show on that page is somewhat unclear but seems to give DSD options as SDIF-3 or RAW DSD. You are saying I can record DSD from analog? I will try it out asap. Will I get DSD type quality through analog outputs?

Thanks for the help, I can only assume I'm gonna need more in the future ...

there are already 4 of us here who are now running this deck (5 now!).
Welcome aboard!

I'm sure this machine will be a success. Just don't get it a day before an important recording project. Give it a week or two. It takes some use getting used to.

Thanks,
J

[Genghis Cougar Mellen Khan]

I've been pressing the record button to set new tracks. 

Either I'm missing it, or it's not there...

Isn't there an auto track feature that isn't levels dependent? 

Example: Each track at 50min intervals in DSD mode so that I don't have to worry about going over the 50 minute track length.

If so I'm assuming theres a similar setting for PCM modes?

[macdaddy]

welcome slowburn.

+t

[John R]

is this thing bomber enought to go into the field for festival archival?

too finiky?

if it can go into the field, is there any way to streamline the load>record>finalize process?  like formatting discs beforehand?

what can read/who can listen/how can discs be duplicated afterwards?  (i know you guys have two or three threads around here on this manchine, and i'm seriously thinking about getting one, but reading them will make my head swim)  what i will do if i get one, is print out all threads, and cut/paste the operational points into my own addendum, as in cheat sheet

[John R]

is this thing bomber enought to go into the field for festival archival?

too finiky?

if it can go into the field, is there any way to streamline the load>record>finalize process? like formatting discs beforehand?

what can read/who can listen/how can discs be duplicated afterwards? (i know you guys have two or three threads around here on this manchine, and i'm seriously thinking about getting one, but reading them will make my head swim) what i will do if i get one, is print out all threads, and cut/paste the operational points into my own addendum, as in cheat sheet

John,

Its build makes the CDR700 seem flimsy by comaparison. This is a very stout unit, in its outward build.

if it can go into the field, is there any way to streamline the load>record>finalize process? like formatting discs beforehand?

Yes discs can be formatted before use.
Nothing can be done to hasten the udfmi file mangement system writing. It just takes the time that it takes to write that to disc (30 seconds?)
Also, it takes a while for the dvd disc to be read and recognized, and then, similar to the tas.700 now opc process that you have to wait out with the 700, while it readies a disc for recording, the DVRA1000 takes some time to read and buffer the recording, so you hang and wait for the unit to be ready to record. Its not a long wait, but you'd be pushing dat tape for a whole minute in the time that this deck takes to ready itself.


what can read/who can listen/how can discs be duplicated afterwards?

DSD recordings can only be played back thru the machine, unless you have software capable of running dsd, and an adc capable of decoding.
PCM recordings can be processed and finished by any computer capable of running 24bit/dvd capable. The wav files can easily be transfered to a "consumer level" playback.
The actual master discs can only be played back on the mastering deck, the dvra1000, and if altered in any way outside of the deck, they will be rendered unusable in the mastering deck.

thanks mike.  another question or few.  playback on the mastering deck, or any mastering deck?  will this format be adopted by many, or are early adopters going to be the only users a couple of years from now?   are more manufacturers ramping up to this format?  hoping that these discs will be able to be moved around as readily as cd's have been, and dvd's are becoming to be, in the future.

how much media fits on a disc?  moreso, how much runtime does one get from a disc?  is it bit depth, sample rate related?

[John R]

thanks mike.  which bit/sampling do you use?  what software can handle the 1bit?

[Genghis Cougar Mellen Khan]

I've been pressing the record button to set new tracks.

Either I'm missing it, or it's not there...

thats the way to do it. at least its supposed to work that way.

Isn't there an auto track feature that isn't levels dependent?

A-Track mode is found by pushing the enter button. It is in the Virtual Front Panel / VFP portion of the manual.

Example: Each track at 50min intervals in DSD mode so that I don't have to worry about going over the 50 minute track length.

It auto splits at the max file point. Beyond that, you can control it by manually entering tracks.

If so I'm assuming theres a similar setting for PCM modes?

There are more functions available in pcm mode than in dsd mode.
Check out the preferences button on the face of the home menu for other sensitivity settings.

+T thanks Mike

I want to use the split at the max file point as a backup, it beats too shorter tracks in random places.  I'm not disciplined enough to track the entire show on the fly. 

[slowburn]

Using the quotes on this board is almost as hard as reading the Tascam manual  So this is in response to a few remarks above.

I've used mine in the field a few times. Not at festivals but rather at a local club with an outdoor stage. It's been carried around, travelled in cabs and even a bus once. Even felt a few raindrops once (that one got me a little worried) before I got it undercover. I'm more used to consumer products, this one certainly has a whole other buildfeel to it. I wouldn't worry more about using it in the field than any other product.

I haven't measured it but I would say that it's hard to go much under 30 seconds from stopping one recording to starting another on a different disc. With the 2 formats I'm likely to use you get 2h13m with 24/96 and 1h47m with DSD. Few bands play that long without an encore break. If they do and I would know in advance I would guess using 24/48 for +4h wouldn't be that bad.

I did my first couple of recordings via mics to DSD and the last one as 24/96. To be able to give copies to the band (of the DSD) I went analog out from the Tascam to the analog ins of my m-audio Firewire 410 (recording to 24/96). This of course requiered a realtime transfer. Doing 24/96 was obviously much easier. Just drag and drop the files from the computers DVD to the harddisk. Took about a minute.

Does anyone have a theoretical idea regarding the quality outcome of these two solutions? I suspect that the added quality from DSD vs 24/96 most likely is lost with the additional analog transfer. The CDs obviously doesn't sound as good as the DSD but neither does the CDs sound as good as the 24/96. Hard to tell what is lost in downgrading hte signal and what's lost in the transfer. What should/could I get to be able to make the best possible transfer of a DSD recording to a computer (wavelab etc, assuming there is no software handling DSD).