Deity PR-2 Pocket Recorder

[TheJez]

Also the level display needs be fixed to show dbFS.

^
My number one request correctable via firmware is choice of FS or VU metering.
Displaying metering while playing back should be easy to accommodate as well.

After playing with it today I just realized the v2.1 fw has switched the meter to dbFS! I did some tests connecting to my M-Audio USB audio interface's headphone out and playing sound fro Reaper's tone generator (sine) and it matched to the set generated dbFS value, so the -10dB on the screen is actually -10dB! Hooray!

Not owning a PR-2 myself, but... I'd be careful to pop the champagne based on this test using a constant sine signal. We simply don't know how they calculate the meter. It could be e.g. the average peak value over 100ms or whatever. A better test would be playing a constant sine at e.g. -10dBFS including a single wave every 1s at 0dBFS. Will this single peak every 1s show up on the meter or not??
If they really changed the metering in the firmware, that would be an important change and I would expect them to clearly indicate this in the release notes, which doesn't seem to be the case.

[Gutbucket]

A pure sine wave signal will peak about 3dB lower on a VU meter (RMS) than on a PPM meter (peak).  A more complex signal which involves transients such as music will produce a larger difference.  How much larger depends on the crest-factor of the signal, which is a measure of how "peaky" it is.  Peak values can end up 10-20dB higher than VU values. 

When recording amplified music which is louder than the applause from an audience position, that difference is likely to range around 10-12dB.  When recording on-stage near transient rich acoustic sources (say drums and percussion) which have not been reamplified and limited through the PA, the difference can be significantly larger, say up to 20dB.

I updated firmware back in December when I picked up a second PR2 but have yet to seriously looked into the metering.

[tim in jersey]

Anybody operate this via touch and feel in their pocket?  How is it?
I don't like using phone apps and touch screens, but over the years I've learned to use the R-09, M10, and A10 entirely by feel in stealth situations by keeping my recorder in my pocket.

I'd like it if my car had buttons and knobs I could feel for in the dark instead of fucking touch screens that take my eyes off the road @ 75 mph...

[Gutbucket]

Anybody operate this via touch and feel in their pocket?  How is it?
I don't like using phone apps and touch screens, but over the years I've learned to use the R-09, M10, and A10 entirely by feel in stealth situations by keeping my recorder in my pocket.

No by feel.  Yes by eye.  Its all done using two buttons.  The small on/off button located on the side (exit/return) and the larger scroll-wheel button (choose/select).  Best to set it to auto-lock itself after 15 seconds (or whatever time period you prefer) so that an accidental button push in pocket doesn't cause a problem.  Unlocking then requires 3 quick presses of the on/off button.

I prefer not to use phone apps too, but the app is the easiest way to monitor the PR2.  Otherwise first determine how best to set gain, start the recorder, wait for it to it self-lock, then put in pocket and let it run the entire time.  Use the auto-lock.  Peek if you need to.. or check phone.

[Gutbucket]

I'd like it if my car had buttons and knobs I could feel for in the dark instead of fucking touch screens that take my eyes off the road @ 75 mph...

I'm going to be sad when my 2013 ride needs replacing.  Can operate everything entirely by feel, including CD player. No blinding screens, no blue lights, only night-vision friendly red dash lights, no apps, manual transmission.  IMO it mostly all goes downhill from there with the BS, although adaptive cruise-control would be nice.  I don't need nor want additional automation, screens, lock-outs, pages of menus. My gf's new Subaru is a total nanny state car!  Hard to tell if its even turned off.  Screams at you for all kinds of stuff, and mutes the stereo each time it does.  Give me a good old simple chime, and in a perfect world, the small button on the instrument cluster binnacle my old Mercedes had, which would immediately silence any chime and turn off all dash warning indicators.  Driver has been notified but is the one in control - "Thank you for letting me know, now shut-up until I restart the car again."

[lpmaskman]

Well, my main purpose with this test was to check the acutal levels, because I remembered it was clipped at -10 and it meant different and I always set my levels around -20 which resulted sometimes noisy interludes or quiter songs. So this proved me to I can let it peak around -10 without any problems and clipping and no need to set that low.

[Gutbucket]

Would also help if they would have it display levels on playback.

[TheJez]

So this proved me to I can let it peak around -10 without any problems and clipping and no need to set that low.

I'm sorry to say, but the test you performed doesn't prove this at all. Yes, it is valid in case you'd be recording pure sine sounds, but I hope you record other things as well ;-)
Gutbucket mentioned the crest-factor, i.e. the 'peakyness' of the music you're recording, which depends on a lot of factors. The 'peakier' the music, the more safety margin you need with this device when setting the record level. A pure sine is not peaky at all...
Re-read his post and it will show you what safety margins you should apply in different circumstances

[cj.flac]

Anybody operate this via touch and feel in their pocket?  How is it?
I don't like using phone apps and touch screens, but over the years I've learned to use the R-09, M10, and A10 entirely by feel in stealth situations by keeping my recorder in my pocket.

I'd like it if my car had buttons and knobs I could feel for in the dark instead of fucking touch screens that take my eyes off the road @ 75 mph...

I'm glad Mazda is aware of this and opted for a dial/button interface.

dabbler, the dial/buttons on the PR-2 are fairly simple to operate, but the only thing I could imagine needing to change without looking is gain, which is two rec button taps + left/right on the dial. Locking the screen can be set to a timer of 10sec, 1min, or manually done by pressing the side button three times rapidly. My BT noise interference issue with Sidus Audio + PR-2 seems to have disappeared, so I use the app to check levels remotely. The gain sliders on the app are finicky, so I'd still use the dial interface to adjust that.

[dabbler]

Thanks for the responses, everyone.

I typically don't bother changing levels at a show once I've dialed in a setup to the maximum I can expect for a venue/band.
I tend to err on the side of lower levels and rely on software gain in post.

One limiting factor of the A10 is the A10's lowest usable mic-in sensitivity (1 of 30) is still too hot for some shows, so I add a battery pack and go line-in to 7..10 (of 30) levels, depending on the show/venue.

The "hold" functionality on the Deity seems less straightforward for my use case
than the slide power/hold switches of the A10 and M10.

I assume there's no 5 second pre-record buffer like A10/M10, right?

[cj.flac]

I assume there's no 5 second pre-record buffer like A10/M10, right?

You have to hold the rec button for 3 seconds for it to start recording

[jb63]

This is going to sound stupid, but how the hell do you get the files off this thing?
I've set it to USB > Reader, but nothing I can prompt finds the recorder and I can find no other directions online or in the documentation.

All I can think of is that I shouldn't be trying this with OSX 10.13 because its too old for the future.

[hedfro]

I gave up... I'm taking the card out.

[thebigredone]

I didn't bother trying, I've got loads of adapters so I stick the card into one of them and then into a reader.

[cj.flac]

This is going to sound stupid, but how the hell do you get the files off this thing?
I've set it to USB > Reader, but nothing I can prompt finds the recorder

Odd. I'm running current-day OSes (Windows 11, iOS) and the PR-2 isn't detected as a drive without USB > Reader for me. The issue I run into is upon disconnection, it can get stuck at the loading wheel, which requires a restart. You have to exit the Reader screen before unplugging for it to return to normal operation, it's sort of like a two ejection system.

I would also prefer using a card reader since those are quicker, but getting the microSD card out is a total pain.

The thin plastic construction is also showing its downsides. I've unfortunately dropped this unit twice and there are cracks along the side.