Topic: Tascam DV-RA1000 DVD Recorder Surprise

[VA_TAPER]

also from what I've read DSD has 12db overhead above 0db full scale, unlike PCM.  So overs are more like analog overs than digital (PCM) ones. 

[krebsy]

Let the modding begin!!   

[VA_TAPER]

also, if the dvd drive is dual layer capable (maybe with a firmware flash or drive swap) more possibilities 8.5 gigs of DSD glory on one disc is nice =)

[macdaddy]

The DSD discs can be copied and are playable on the unit if a pc copies them as an image....or a direct clone of this disc.

terrific news...

what dvd burning software did you use..? os..? tia.

Interesting point two:  The dvd drive in the unit is a standard IDE drive with an ATA ribbon cable and a standard PC power supply cable, I'm going to try and format a 20gig hard drive in the unit and see if I can get many hours recording capability.

please keep us up to date...

[macdaddy]

also, if the dvd drive is dual layer capable (maybe with a firmware flash or drive swap) more possibilities 8.5 gigs of DSD glory on one disc is nice =)

that is what i was thinking - i know that sacd can have longer run times...

[VA_TAPER]

The DSD discs can be copied and are playable on the unit if a pc copies them as an image....or a direct clone of this disc.

terrific news...

what dvd burning software did you use..? os..? tia.

Interesting point two:  The dvd drive in the unit is a standard IDE drive with an ATA ribbon cable and a standard PC power supply cable, I'm going to try and format a 20gig hard drive in the unit and see if I can get many hours recording capability.

please keep us up to date...

I tried nero and dvddecrypter, both worked in image mode.  If you use the UDF file system we can probably just share the DSDIFF files and share but I have not tried that yet.  Peace, chris

[VA_TAPER]

also, if the dvd drive is dual layer capable (maybe with a firmware flash or drive swap) more possibilities 8.5 gigs of DSD glory on one disc is nice =)

that is what i was thinking - i know that sacd can have longer run times...

SACDs can store more because of dual-layer AND FLAC like lossless compression, the algorithim is SUPER expensive though and limited to just SACD (that's how they get 6 channels of DSD for one hour on a disc).  But a dual layer disc would be over 3 hours.....good enough for me =)

[VA_TAPER]

honestly, it feels really cool to be playing with this and it surprises me how many of us already have a machine that has been out less than a month!!!  I don't think this many tapers ran DAT in it's first month....but that was before my time......well I was in middle school, but not taping yet!

[Tim]

Interesting point two:  The dvd drive in the unit is a standard IDE drive with an ATA ribbon cable and a standard PC power supply cable, I'm going to try and format a 20gig hard drive in the unit and see if I can get many hours recording capability.

more to follow,
peace, chris

Now things are getting REALLY interesting....

[Genghis Cougar Mellen Khan]

just some points, I got the unit on Sat. The DSD discs can be copied and are playable on the unit if a pc copies them as an image....or a direct clone of this disc.  This will allow us to host the image files online for the future.  While the cost of DSD->PCM decimation now is $3000 I'm guessing that just like DVD-A burning it'll be in the $200 range within a year, so if we start uploading the DSD files to archive.org for trade-approved bands we can have those files online for the future.  

Interesting point two:  The dvd drive in the unit is a standard IDE drive with an ATA ribbon cable and a standard PC power supply cable, I'm going to try and format a 20gig hard drive in the unit and see if I can get many hours recording capability.

more to follow,
peace, chris

HD mod DV-RA1000 

[MattH]

I got the first DAT sold in the US when it first came out and it was portable! Casio DA7. It feels like that all over again.

I wouldn't pay money for DSD> digital> PCM conversion. DSD> analog> PCM (via anything that dithers 24 bit AD to 16 bit) works great.

I have found the OVER lights to be more sensitive than on other digital recorders. This is true because it will read OVER when 0dB is hit for longer than 3 samples which isn't much at 1 bit. Certainly no noticeable distortion.

It will be interesting if recordings can be written "in real time" to an external usb hard drive. Also wondering how playback would work from the HD to this unit. I'm guessing the usb is only for pulling data from disc to HD but not for sending.

These are going to be very large files to download or torrent when we start hosting the file images.

[VA_TAPER]

There is an inexpensive DSD->PCM converter IC chip that is used in low-end SACD players prior to A/D.  I posted on the oade board hoping Doug will bite.  It would cost under $15 in parts for the chip and a spdif signal encoder, so we could have a box that had two bnc DSD inputs and a spdif coax out.  If doug won't do it I might try and make it myself.

peace, chris

[Jammin72]

FWIW After going through a few transfers and dithering situations Doug and I agreed that the Analog transfer to the Modified FR-2 for the 14/44.1 discs was really the way to go.

[BobW]

I've got 3 recordings this weekend, 2 of which are acoustic, and one pa supported.
~Friday, a large scale orchestra doing broadway hits  ( )  (pa supported, with quality mics and sbd)
~Saturday, an acoustic rachmaninoff piano and organ concerto played live to tape, with no audience. And perhaps multiple takes.
~Sunday, same performance of rach., live to audience and tape, and then a requiem choir in the second set, which I'm so totally excited about, that I damn near wet my pants!!. Dark moody scary baroque requiem choir, with organ and small orchestra... put the fear of god into you kind of stuff. All acoustic, and to high resolution.  boinnngggg!
 

I just listened to a Latin-Folk ensemble playing somewhere outside in California.
I was cruising a dark and deserted section of the southern end of the NJ Parkway early this quiet A.M.
The recording was full, accurate and cranked to help the coffee wake me up.

In the middle of one of their acoustic songs, a freight train ran through nearby the recording venue.
Talk about realism !

I sh*t my pants.   
I thought that you should know that.


So how's the A/D and pre-amps in the Tascam ?
Is it as good as a V-3 ?   

[VA_TAPER]

FWIW After going through a few transfers and dithering situations Doug and I agreed that the Analog transfer to the Modified FR-2 for the 14/44.1 discs was really the way to go.

But that's probably since no current solution is availible for DSD->PCM direct, once a solution is found there will be no beneift going through two A/D conversions.  I want a box to decimate 1bit DSD  @ 2mhz to 24bit PCM @ 88.2.  That way the 24/88.2 can be used in DVD Video discs and can be downsampled to 44.1 for CD after dynamic range compression, EQ, whatever.

peace, chris