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

[TheJez]

Hmm, so you do not see distortion at the end of the file(s)? Interesting. Either way it doesn't seem perfectly smooth as would be preferable of course.

I went through their support site:

https://tascam.com/us/support/contact

There is an icon that opens a page which allows you to select device model, FR-AV2 is on the list. Then it will open a ticket with their support team. I work in product development so I have experience 'speaking their language', just a matter of being both succinct and comprehensive (where relevant) with extremely clear steps to reproduce, and boiling it down to one specific question if possible.

No, I don't have any distortion at the end of the file(s), only a problem at the start of the new file(s). I noticed the same issue when doing manual split.
Thanks for pointing me to the support page. I've reported two issues in separate tickets: 1) Non-seamless file splits and 2) erratic record level control from the App...
Both reports resulted in an interesting mail response: "thank you for contacting TASCAM. Our offices are now closed for the weekend. Your message will be read, when we return on monday."
It's Tuesday today, isn't it? 

[Twenty8]

Yesterday was a U.S. holiday.  I still haven't received my direct deposit   

[TheJez]

Yesterday was a U.S. holiday.  I still haven't received my direct deposit   

Ah, that explains… Thanks 

[gaijin]

On paper, this looks really great and may be a better alternative to the Zoom F3.

I am most interested to see how its autoranging ADCs perform, and if they suffer from the same windowing noise modulation as the Zoom F-series does.

I have seen you mention this "windowing noise modulation" on the F-series in a couple places, but I don't fully understand what is being discussed / the issue here.  Could you elaborate a bit on how this is an issue and what different outcomes can be achieved with other 32-bit devices that don't suffer from this problem (e.g. SoundDevices MPx-ii series)?  Thanks in advance for the education!

[aaronji]

^ The discussion starts here: https://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=192100.msg2409825#msg2409825. It seems like the original YouTube is no longer publicly available, though.

[unidentified]

Based on my first hand experiences, I would say that this "problem" with the F3 is purely theoretical and completely inaudible for our purposes, 

[Rairun]

On paper, this looks really great and may be a better alternative to the Zoom F3.

I am most interested to see how its autoranging ADCs perform, and if they suffer from the same windowing noise modulation as the Zoom F-series does.

I have seen you mention this "windowing noise modulation" on the F-series in a couple places, but I don't fully understand what is being discussed / the issue here.  Could you elaborate a bit on how this is an issue and what different outcomes can be achieved with other 32-bit devices that don't suffer from this problem (e.g. SoundDevices MPx-ii series)?  Thanks in advance for the education!

When you're recording very quiet sounds (and the more sensitive ADC is presumably engaged), and then a sudden louder sound engages the less sensitive ADC, the transients will contain the higher noise floor of the less sensitive ADC. Imho the loudness of the sound will do a good job masking that noise, but some sound designers have complained about this because they can't profile that noise for software noise reduction (because it's only present during the transients). I was able to hear the noise on the video that was taken down when my attention was drawn to it, but again, it is not something I'd worry about. I've never actually heard it in the live music I record.

[gmm6797]

New firmware out, fixing the volume issue I am experiencing while using the APP over BT
https://tascam.com/us/product/fr-av2/support

[TheJez]

New firmware out, fixing the volume issue I am experiencing while using the APP over BT
https://tascam.com/us/product/fr-av2/support

Great! And apparently also the 1Hz ticks as reported by Kyle should be fixed!
Next up hopefully the non-seamless splits…

Edit: Just confirmed that indeed volume control from App and 1Hz ticks have been solved with FW1.02. File split still not seamless 

[dogmusic]

There are not many two track recorders that actually let you adjust individual levels. The Fostex FR-2LE comes to mind, of course that's a legacy machine these days and records to CF cards!

The TASCAM DR100 MK3 lets you adjust individual levels. You choose L or R or both inputs by means of a physical switch on the front.

That unit is also one of the few with a digital input.

[heva]

And it’s digitally controlled in 0.5dB steps

[Kyle K]

Another interesting battery test, not sure if it will be useful to anyone else but just incase: (TLDR seemingly more time out of 24v XLRs vs EXT for PIP mics, more testing to come)

Picked up this Dual XLR > 3.5mm phantom power converter (I couldn't discern solid consensus on if it was optimal to run DPA 406X's with 9v vs 5v PIP and want to play it safe - plus the mic inputs are rated at a higher max input, though it is a bit unlikely to ACTUALLY come into play..)
https://immersivesoundscapes.com/accessories/Adapter-for-PIP-mics-to-work-on-XLR-48V-Recorder-p492004466

Set inputs to 24v phantom power, otherwise same settings as before wrt 5 seconds backlight and low contrast 32bit etc, Eneloop Pros

I had 7.5 hours left on my SD card and didn't expect it to make it this far given the ~8h of recording time on PIP. But it made it the full 7.5h and I was left with what appears to be a good amount of juice. Screenshot attached is battery meter after recording for 7.5h and running for 9h total (supplying power to mics the entire time!)

I will wipe my card and do a full length test but this is indicating that I'd actually get more time out of the converted phantom power mic inputs compared to EXT INPUT PIP?? That seems odd, right? Not that I'm complaining. I should be running these tests multiple times and averaging the results for proper analysis, too - wonder if my og PIP recording test could have been an outlier and if I'd get more time with repeated testing. Just seems so odd to get more time out of dual 24v.

[Ozpeter]

Congratulations to those here whose feedback has prompted the FW update, and kudos to Tascam for quick fixes.

[TheJez]

Got mine yesterday. Also bought and charged a bunch of Ikea Ladda 2450mAh batteries as these get good reviews. Also got a SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDHC card of 32GB, rated 90MB/s write and 100MB/s read speed.
First findings:
- The USB file transfer speed is rather disappointing (as with most recorders): Just about 5.5MB/s. Getting your recording off the device this way will take forever. When the same microSD card is put in an El Cheapo USB3 hub with card reader, I get 30MB/s.

Just did one more test: I put the 32GB SanDisk Extreme Pro microSDHC card directly into the SD-card reader in my DELL laptop, and get 80MB/s write speed and 90MB/s read speeds. That makes the 5.5MB/s I get when using the recorder as SD-card reader even more disappointing...
To put things into perspective: With 32bit/48kHz, a ~3-hour recording takes up ~4GB. Transferring ~4GB at 5.5MB/s takes ~12.5 minutes. Seems like a good moment to grab a cup of coffee and go to the toilet.

[TheJez]

Congratulations to those here whose feedback has prompted the FW update, and kudos to Tascam for quick fixes.

I think most credits go to Kyle. I reported my findings just three days ago, and all I got so far is an automated message 'it's weekend now, we'll read it on Monday'. I guess the solved issues have been 'known issues' for a bit longer.
I really hope they will be able to address the file split issue, although this only becomes a real problem when recording longer shows (>3h at 32bit/48kHz) or when using higher sample rates (>1.5h at 32bit/96kHz) or when using manual split...