What's next from Sony?

[Chimney Top]

I'm pretty happy with the M10 but if I'd like to see what they could come up with for a 4 channel recorder with at least 2 channels of phantom power.

I like my DR-680, but if I could run 4 channels with the reliability of the M10, I'd be a happy man. I'm always a little edgy about running the DR-680 (although personally I've never had a problem with it).

Yeah, I like the DR-100 but I've lost entire recordings due to the 'file error' issue.  Louis CK at the Fox Theatre - file error.  A show two weeks ago at Terminal West (Atlanta) - file error.  f'n sucks.  good recorder, but unreliable.  I like the DR-100 preamps better than Roland R-26, but the R-26 is more reliable.

[Ozpeter]

An  M10 with cardioid mics built in would be nice.

[dallman]

Yeah, I like the DR-100 but I've lost entire recordings due to the 'file error' issue.  Louis CK at the Fox Theatre - file error.  A show two weeks ago at Terminal West (Atlanta) - file error.  f'n sucks.  good recorder, but unreliable.  I like the DR-100 preamps better than Roland R-26, but the R-26 is more reliable.

File error is a card issue, not really a deck issue. It may be a card that is not fully compatable, or it could be a good card going bad.

[F.O.Bean]

An  M10 with cardioid mics built in would be nice.

Would you really use them for concert recording tho? I think external mics are a MUST HAVE IMO!!!

[Ozpeter]

For carry around recording I'd use them.  Not for concert unless all else failed or circumstances did not permit.

[F.O.Bean]

For carry around recording I'd use them.  Not for concert unless all else failed or circumstances did not permit.

Yea I agree! For ambient noises and recording speeches, I think they're just perfect!

[adrianf74]

100% agreed. I won't use the 680 unless I'm running mk4/mk41/SBD on 6 channels!!! Otherwise, the mk4/mk41 on (2) M10s is just fine for me since I never matrix (2) DAUD sources together

Even then, your clock times between the two M10's will be close and you can always stretch one file out to match the other if you need to (I've done this many times with success before).

[F.O.Bean]

100% agreed. I won't use the 680 unless I'm running mk4/mk41/SBD on 6 channels!!! Otherwise, the mk4/mk41 on (2) M10s is just fine for me since I never matrix (2) DAUD sources together

Even then, your clock times between the two M10's will be close and you can always stretch one file out to match the other if you need to (I've done this many times with success before).

Yea I've done that before too, and it was super easy to match the two sources

[adrianf74]

100% agreed. I won't use the 680 unless I'm running mk4/mk41/SBD on 6 channels!!! Otherwise, the mk4/mk41 on (2) M10s is just fine for me since I never matrix (2) DAUD sources together

Even then, your clock times between the two M10's will be close and you can always stretch one file out to match the other if you need to (I've done this many times with success before).

Yea I've done that before too, and it was super easy to match the two sources

Exactly.  If I was going to run 4-channel, I'd just pick up another M10 at this point because the battery life is phenomenal and the number of problems I've ever encountered with my M10 (in three years of running one) equals ZERO.

[F.O.Bean]

100% agreed. I won't use the 680 unless I'm running mk4/mk41/SBD on 6 channels!!! Otherwise, the mk4/mk41 on (2) M10s is just fine for me since I never matrix (2) DAUD sources together

Even then, your clock times between the two M10's will be close and you can always stretch one file out to match the other if you need to (I've done this many times with success before).

Yea I've done that before too, and it was super easy to match the two sources

Exactly.  If I was going to run 4-channel, I'd just pick up another M10 at this point because the battery life is phenomenal and the number of problems I've ever encountered with my M10 (in three years of running one) equals ZERO.

Also, if running ONE deck, you could lose both sources. If running (2) m10s you have a backup if something happens to one of them

[WiFiJeff]

Sony--and I personally find this very hard to take after a long time of liking their stuff, but it is apparently true--has been having great difficulty making any kind of profit in electronics manufacturing for the past several years, and reportedly is under considerable pressure from investors to get out of the business and to focus on media production, which is apparently the only sector in which they've been making much money.

Their electronics product line is already much smaller than what I remember from decades past, and I haven't seen anything new from their pro audio division in a very long time.

Their Service department is also abandoning product.  I used Sony DATs for many years, and when the PCM D1 solid state recorder came out I bought it (at around $1500, I recall).  Although it was superceded first by the D50 and then the M10, each progressively cheaper and with longer recording times, Sony always claimed the internal mics and preamps of the D1 were superior.   A month or two ago I needed the better mics and preamps and so got it out of a drawer only to find that one channel was dead, both for mic-in and line-in.  I called Sony Service and described the problem, I was told that because parts were no longer available they no longer would service the machine.  Paul at Prodigital got it running again with minimal fuss (corroded contact problem), but any new Sony gear I buy I'll count on having to chuck after five or six years.  For a $200 shaver that's one thing, for a $1500 machine I'm not too happy with the prospect.

Jeff

[jazzgtrl4]

something small with a spidif input. if that m10 had one id own one.

[meursault]

I would like a M10 without the mics, without the headphone, and with a better built in pre amp to get rid of getting an external preamp - battery box.

[rastasean]

Sony--and I personally find this very hard to take after a long time of liking their stuff, but it is apparently true--has been having great difficulty making any kind of profit in electronics manufacturing for the past several years, and reportedly is under considerable pressure from investors to get out of the business and to focus on media production, which is apparently the only sector in which they've been making much money.

Their electronics product line is already much smaller than what I remember from decades past, and I haven't seen anything new from their pro audio division in a very long time.

I also remember their product line being quite big as I flipped through catalogs of sears or some other electronic store nearly two decades ago. IMO, its natural to see consumer electronics change as new things are invented. Most people (probably) wear watches now because they have a smartphone; I won't get a GPS unit because I can use apps like waze on my smartphone; your typical consumer and/or up and coming musician is likely to just use their smartphone or even internal mics on their computer to record as they sing or play guitar. Because smartphone cameras and digital cameras are abundant and nearly always with us, people snap pictures of everything and keep silly things for a long time just because.



I would be really happy to see a sony record with spdif input and interal mics with independent adjustable gain.

[achalsey]

Over on Reddit I randomly was reading a thread about the Playstation 4 and it came up that Sony's electronic division is not turning a profit and actually costing them billions of dollars.

Apparently their insurance division is the real cash cow.  I was surprised to learn that.

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-05-28/news/39580325_1_kazuo-hirai-electronics-business-trinitron