Topic: Good riddance Micro Tracker...(bit bucket suggestions)

[ellaguru]

after a very disappointing gig 2 weeks back @ dinosaur jr, followed by battery mayhem last night at the dirtbombs, i think its time for me to take the MT down to the creek and shoot it... ive been powering it with a 4 x AA usb sled since i bought it here, and all was great until dino jr...

- internal battery takes a full charge but discharges rapidly
- even with battery pack attached, MT powers off and acts very slow to response.
- i tried lithiums in the sled last night instead of the rechargeables. same result.
- works perfectly when plugged into house power/usb computer connection.

i did bring the trusty old M1 last night and plugged it in right after soundcheck...i still cant figure out why the MT works perfectly with house power..battery sled powers other devices A-OK

so it appears that im in the market for a new bit bucket...im loving the 210>SXM2>MME combo in front of the recorder...

[kfrinkle]

I am getting close to being in the same boat... If I had 300 bucks, I would get that new Sony PCM-M10... check out the thread they have going on that little bitch.

[Craig T]

I am getting close to being in the same boat... If I had 300 bucks, I would get that new Sony PCM-M10... check out the thread they have going on that little bitch.

the M10 doesn't have a digi-in, so you can't use it as a bit-bucket with an external a/d.

[kfrinkle]

Shit, sorry... I need to read the OP better.  Carry on.

[taperwheeler]

Cheapest option...replace the battery.  If you liked the MT, the MT2 is another option.

[it-goes-to-eleven]

Bummer!   Why, if I had a dollar for every "microtrack f'd me" post, I could buy a 722! It's unfortunate that there don't seem to be many digi options.

I would guess that the internal battery in the microtrack has worn out and needs to be replaced.   I think if you send it to them and they replaced it, it would be okay again (as good as an MT can be!) for a while.

Maybe it could get to the point of having an internal short and be a hazzard?   Anyone remember the story of Spoogles?  Store and charge that thing in a metal can or somewhere similarly safe!

The problem, I think, is that the internal battery is frequently going into charge mode and it is consuming so much of your portable USB power that there isn't enough left to power the mt.  The wall power supply has enough extra capacity to power the mt and drive the charge circuit.

Another work-around might be removing the worn out battery.  I found this page with some info on how to do that.  Getting the mt open isn't easy...    The advantage of this approach is you don't need to deal with future battery replacement or explosion.

http://www.nauta-rcs.it/Instruments/RASP/RASP_timer/NAUTA_RASPtimer_prepare_UK.htm

The downside is we don't know if the mt firmware will allow the unit to operate without a battery present.  If that is an issue, it might be possible to trick it with an appropriately sized resistor.  There is a charging circuit there, and we really don't know what it will do..

If the USB power was sent into the battery leads, it might trick the charging circuit to stay off all the time.

[JackoRoses]

don't look at the hd-p2 unless you want to be stuck only using 8gb CF cards...
that's my big gripe about it mainly..

[OOK]

don't look at the hd-p2 unless you want to be stuck only using 8gb CF cards...
that's my big gripe about it mainly..

Thats why I sold mine and saved for a SD702...best decision I ever made.....unfortunately not everyone has that option..

 

[JasonSobel]

Other than the MT and the MTII, the two cheapest recorders with digital inputs are the Marantz PMD-661 and the Sony PCM-D50.  The digital input on the Sony PCM-D50 is mini-optical, the digital input on the Marantz PMD-661 is coax RCA.  Both decks are solid and reliable.  My suggestion would be the PMD-661.

[JackoRoses]

don't look at the hd-p2 unless you want to be stuck only using 8gb CF cards...
that's my big gripe about it mainly..

Thats why I sold mine and saved for a SD702...best decision I ever made.....unfortunately not everyone has that option..

if you can do that option I'd highly recommend it and if not
the 2nd one would be as Jason mentions above me. (pmd-661)
I've considered selling mine and turning it over into the 702
but I don't record enough to justify it currently.

[Todd R]

I love the D50, but if the OP wants to have a bit bucket for use with the MMe it won't work since the MMe doesn't have optical out (unless you put a format converter into your chain).  For a cheaper bit bucket that isn't the MT, that pretty much drives you to the 661.

I will put in my 2c that the line in (A/D) stage of many portable decks has gotten a lot better since the dat days, so it might be worth considering skipping the external A/D and looking for a deck with a nice analog input stage.  I really like the line-in stage of the Sony D50, and I've heard good things about the R09HR.

Personnally, I switched from a Lunatec V3> SD 702 to an EAA PSP2 > Sony D50 and I still really dig the sound and love having a much smaller gear bag and less equipment.  Might be worth thinking about, but if you want to keep the MMe, I'd say go low cost with a 661 or alternatively spend a bit more and get the R44 for both 2ch digital in, or 4ch if you want to run it that way ever.

[jlykos]

I will put in my 2c that the line in (A/D) stage of many portable decks has gotten a lot better since the dat days, so it might be worth considering skipping the external A/D and looking for a deck with a nice analog input stage.  I really like the line-in stage of the Sony D50, and I've heard good things about the R09HR.

Personnally, I switched from a Lunatec V3> SD 702 to an EAA PSP2 > Sony D50 and I still really dig the sound and love having a much smaller gear bag and less equipment.  Might be worth thinking about, but if you want to keep the MMe, I'd say go low cost with a 661 or alternatively spend a bit more and get the R44 for both 2ch digital in, or 4ch if you want to run it that way ever.

Exactly what Todd said.  I went from PSP-2 > MiniMe > 671 to PSP-2 > D50 and haven't looked back.  Yes, I loved my MiniMe, but I did not love carrying around all that stuff.  Carrying a lighter load has really made things easier and more enjoyable for me.

The line-in / A/D on the D50 is definitely darker sounding than the MiniMe, but it still sounds really good.

[nathan_g]

If you end up going for the MT battery replacement (or removal), here's another good visual guide...

http://www.greendog.co.uk/microtrack/howto.php

[ellaguru]

"The problem, I think, is that the internal battery is frequently going into charge mode and it is consuming so much of your portable USB power that there isn't enough left to power the mt.  The wall power supply has enough extra capacity to power the mt and drive the charge circuit."

..i think you are 100% correct on this one....

[barrettphisher]

don't look at the hd-p2 unless you want to be stuck only using 8gb CF cards...
that's my big gripe about it mainly..

How many times is this an issue other than a festival?  Plus cards are cheaper and cheaper these days.  Love my P2.  Let your ears help you decide.
Barrett