Topic: Tascam FR-AV2 new compact 32bit float recorder.

[spyder9]

It also has dual bluetooth.  It can pair with earbuds and an external speaker at the same time. 

This thing is loaded with goodies!  lol

[JM Charcot]

accessory related question, in the comments he says all his setup is on Amazon but he doesn't specify all the details.
His rig is really interesting, do you know what are the accessories he uses?

Thanks !

https://youtu.be/AQGc4Ui6rp8?si=VZ79WgTN8waunC-i&t=351

[Niels]

accessory related question, in the comments he says all his setup is on Amazon but he doesn't specify all the details.
His rig is really interesting, do you know what are the accessories he uses?

Thanks !

https://youtu.be/AQGc4Ui6rp8?si=VZ79WgTN8waunC-i&t=351

It does look convenient for his use-case.

What exactly caught your interest?

He gives a few clues:
Microphones and shock mounts and other mounting options can be found on LOM audio.

An equivalent stereo bar can be had from many sources, just search "stereo bar" on amazon.

He say the tripod shown is from his DJI smartphone gimbal.

The handle could be any with top and button tripod screws. A search for "grip with 1/4 inch screw" would get you started.

I am not sure he himself know the brands of the small accessories, as it sounds like he enjoys finding those things cheaply on Amazon. And even if he knew, it may well be some Chinese off-brand that doesn't exist anymore.

He does mention that it comes from his video rig, and if you search for things like "dual cold shoe", "nato quick release", "cold shoe ball head" and brands like SmallRig, Nitze, Ulanzi, Neweer etc. you will find a lot of inexpensive video related mounting systems and accessories that can be used for creating recording rigs that can be easily dismantled and reassembled.

Video rigs are extremely modular and there are many vendors. Although intended for video, these components can be used for any application where tripod 1/4 and 3/8 screw mounts are commonly used and only your imagination defines the limits.

[Niels]

With 32bit float, true TC support and audio monitoring of multiple units I am guessing this will be a big hit with videographers, especially the many with no or tiny crews.

Typically a videographer would want more than two channels, but with TC you can just get the number of FR-AV2 units needed to fulfil your channel requirement and place them on or near the sound source and easily sync with TC in post.
Critical gain monitoring is unnecessary with 32bit float, and you can still verify actual audio remotely with BT if required.

It certainly looks like it will fulfil most, if not all, my requirements. I personally wouldn't need TC for the type of video sound I shoot, but both as a field and live music recorder it seems to tick all the boxes relevant for me.

I wouldn't mind a normalisation function in case I need a quick 24bit output. I can't see that being mentioned so far, but maybe it could be included in a future firmware update.

I just need to tame my excitement and wait until the price settles 20-25% lower than introduction price - as Tascam recorders normally do :-)

[JM Charcot]

accessory related question, in the comments he says all his setup is on Amazon but he doesn't specify all the details.
His rig is really interesting, do you know what are the accessories he uses?

Thanks !

https://youtu.be/AQGc4Ui6rp8?si=VZ79WgTN8waunC-i&t=351

It does look convenient for his use-case.

What exactly caught your interest?

He gives a few clues:
Microphones and shock mounts and other mounting options can be found on LOM audio.

An equivalent stereo bar can be had from many sources, just search "stereo bar" on amazon.

He say the tripod shown is from his DJI smartphone gimbal.

The handle could be any with top and button tripod screws. A search for "grip with 1/4 inch screw" would get you started.

I am not sure he himself know the brands of the small accessories, as it sounds like he enjoys finding those things cheaply on Amazon. And even if he knew, it may well be some Chinese off-brand that doesn't exist anymore.

He does mention that it comes from his video rig, and if you search for things like "dual cold shoe", "nato quick release", "cold shoe ball head" and brands like SmallRig, Nitze, Ulanzi, Neweer etc. you will find a lot of inexpensive video related mounting systems and accessories that can be used for creating recording rigs that can be easily dismantled and reassembled.

Video rigs are extremely modular and there are many vendors. Although intended for video, these components can be used for any application where tripod 1/4 and 3/8 screw mounts are commonly used and only your imagination defines the limits.

Thanks a lot Niels, I'll have a search with all the details you give for the video accessories (beeing a non-English speaker doesn't help..)

[Niels]

Thanks a lot Niels, I'll have a search with all the details you give for the video accessories (beeing a non-English speaker doesn't help..)

You are welcome. If your interest was caught by the quick release you should be aware that some of the video related systems may require matching systems to attach to each other. For example a Nato style quick release or clamp will require a Nato rail to be attached to or an ARRI style handle will require an ARRI compatible mount point.

[rastasean]

Regarding hold function: https://youtu.be/aHPAmtBhWjo?si=LrCQwf-EV7WUcNGS&t=548

There's a menu option to prevent the recorder from being stopped during recording, but it does not lock out the F1-F4 keys.

[mrfender]

Bye bye Zoom F3 

And I just bought an F3 not too long ago, would have held out for this if I had know about it.  Not happy with no built in bluetooth (in either) but probably pick one up when the price drops a little.

[Joop]

Regarding hold function: https://youtu.be/aHPAmtBhWjo?si=LrCQwf-EV7WUcNGS&t=548

There's a menu option to prevent the recorder from being stopped during recording, but it does not lock out the F1-F4 keys.

If you look at the pictures on the Tascam site you can see that the keys for F1-F4 are recessed, so pushing those keys unintentionally is not likely.

[adrianb]

Regarding hold function: https://youtu.be/aHPAmtBhWjo?si=LrCQwf-EV7WUcNGS&t=548

There's a menu option to prevent the recorder from being stopped during recording, but it does not lock out the F1-F4 keys.

He’s claiming just under 11 hours with lithium batteries.

I expect most people will be using rechargeable batteries with 2/3rds the capacity which equates to 7 hours.

What’s the betting that in reality it’s nearer to the Mixpre 3 battery life of 2.5 hours?

[adrianf74]

Regarding hold function: https://youtu.be/aHPAmtBhWjo?si=LrCQwf-EV7WUcNGS&t=548

There's a menu option to prevent the recorder from being stopped during recording, but it does not lock out the F1-F4 keys.

He’s claiming just under 11 hours with lithium batteries.

I expect most people will be using rechargeable batteries with 2/3rds the capacity which equates to 7 hours.

What’s the betting that in reality it’s nearer to the Mixpre 3 battery life of 2.5 hours?

Used phantom power on Zoom F3 for a show on Friday with lithiums.  Still had full bars after 2.5 hours so I can believe it.

[Joop]

What’s the betting that in reality it’s nearer to the Mixpre 3 battery life of 2.5 hours?

Power usage MixPre 3 is with phantom power switched on about 6Watt (not correct, its much higher). Maximum power usage F3 is 5watt. Maximum power usage Tascam FR-AV2 is 3.8Watt. The reason that the power usage of the Zoom F3 is higher has to do that it only has 2 AA batteries for power, ie maximum 3Volt. Tascam has 3AA for power, ie maximum 4.5Volt. To give you an idea what's happening, lets take the 48Volt for phantom power. The microphone uses 3mA with 48Volt. That is 0.144Watt. For the Zoom F3 this will be at least 0.144Watt / 3Volt = 48mA for a mic. For the Tascam FR-AV2 this will be at least 0.144Watt / 4.5Volt = 10,7mA. If you use two microphones this means for the Zoom 96mA and for the Tascam 21.4mA, difference 74.6mA.

[cd2go]

Regarding hold function: https://youtu.be/aHPAmtBhWjo?si=LrCQwf-EV7WUcNGS&t=548

There's a menu option to prevent the recorder from being stopped during recording, but it does not lock out the F1-F4 keys.

He’s claiming just under 11 hours with lithium batteries.

I expect most people will be using rechargeable batteries with 2/3rds the capacity which equates to 7 hours.

What’s the betting that in reality it’s nearer to the Mixpre 3 battery life of 2.5 hours?

Used phantom power on Zoom F3 for a show on Friday with lithiums.  Still had full bars after 2.5 hours so I can believe it.

Yup, Energizer Ultimate Lithiums gives me 6.5 hrs powering CCM 4 mics with the F3

[TheJez]

From the manual:

BACKLIGHT
This sets the display backlight.
OFF: Backlight always off
5–30 sec: Backlight turns off automatically after set time without operation
ALWAYS: Backlight always stays on (default)
NOTE
The backlight setting is only active during battery operation.
The backlight will always stay lit when operating on USB bus

I just don't get it why Tascam wants to overrule the user preference when USB power is connected. Such a pity. Hopefully they can and will change this odd behavior with a firmware update.

[Niels]

From the manual:

BACKLIGHT
This sets the display backlight.
OFF: Backlight always off
5–30 sec: Backlight turns off automatically after set time without operation
ALWAYS: Backlight always stays on (default)
NOTE
The backlight setting is only active during battery operation.
The backlight will always stay lit when operating on USB bus

I just don't get it why Tascam wants to overrule the user preference when USB power is connected. Such a pity. Hopefully they can and will change this odd behavior with a firmware update.

I am not sure that necessary is the correct conclusion from what the manual is saying. "Operation on the USB bus" is not the same as "when USB power is connected" - they may be referring to audio interface usage.