Topic: M-Audio MicroTracker details **PART IV**

[anhisr]

I am looking for the Microtrack to record @ 24/96 from my V3.  That's all for now
                               jerry

[chitaper]

he doesnt know...noone does...noone has one.

Well, when in the hell is this noone dude going to post his results here?  

[MattinSTL]

Dude, I for one, am not bashing anything... I'm dead serious about my post above... and if anybody said that the 1/4" inputs were noisy if the TRS moves it wouldn't make me hesititate ONE second to still buy this thing.

You want a positive thought on this piece of gear well here it is: For me the MicroTrack is a LIFE SAVER...

 I'm not into stealthing or even taping shows. The only live music that I'd ever want to record would be acoustic sets... in a really small venue... like maybe my living room. I'd like to make some local friends who appreciate this type of field recording, but for me it goes way beyond that. I'm buying the MicroTrack as an alternative to a $4500 piece of gear... and the MicroTrack will most likely OUTPERFORM that gear. Have I got your attention? Check this out.

I'm a video guy... but my passion is audio for video... and that is hard to do well. There are many obstacles in just making sounds seem to match the picture although in reality we never hear as well as you do in a well recorded video. You don't hear people from across the room speaking as if you're right next to them... or when a couple is walking down by the lake and they're 50 yards away you don't hear their soft voices.

The only way to get that is with good mics, booms, and WIRELESS. That is where the wrench is thrown in for most soundguys. Wireless mics SUCK... they suck even more when you want them to run a condenser. The only wireless system that can run condensers and still sound halfway decent is a Zaxcom Digital... and they're $4500... and they STILL aren't infallible.

So here's how I'm going to use my MicroTrack... I'm going to run my AKG 480b/ck69 boom with a line into a Sound Devices MM-1 and that will line-out to the MicroTrack line-in (and a split to a wireless)... then I'll use the RCA line-outs of the MicroTrack to run monitor back into the MM-1. The wireless will give me a guide track for easy sync'ing of my audio in post... and that's where I'll import the 16/48 file that I got directly off the gun... rather then accepting the SOUL CRUSHING effects of a wireless set on a condenser.

How's THAT for a crazy usage of the MicroTrack? And the craziest part is that doing something like that was a lot harder before the MicroTrack came along... guys were pulling this shit with a whole BAG of stuff just to make it happen!

I got nuthin' but happy excitement for this damn thing to get here!

[mmedley.]

I plan to use this unit in the following ways:

XLR > 1/4" > Line In for board patches (maybe some digi too) and digi in for AUD recordings. I plan to do 24/96 most of the time, but might throttle back to 24/48 until I get a few media cards.

I don't stealth so moving cables/static is a non-issue for me. I also do not plan to run phantom very often....if ever.

[WiFiJeff]

it'll be a JB3 w/phantom that makes crackeling noise every time the jacks are moved at all.

Here's my nightmare.  I am now running DPA4060s>DPA MMA6000>Oade moded R1.  I get the Microtrack Friday and start  running 24/96, and then get my Headroom Desk Model headphone preamp with upgraded DAC.  I start burning DVD-Audio with Discwelder Steel.  The Microtrack works perfectly BUT I CAN'T HEAR THE DIFFERENCE.

AAAGHHHHHHHHHHH.

ADC of MT is not good enough for 24-bit? Better use external ADC?

No, the nightmare is I need new ears.  Bang-up Mahler 3 with 24/96 may not sound better through my Sennheisser 600s than Bang-up Mahler 3 at 24/44,1 from the R1.  Then how will I spend money? 

Jeff

[BayTaynt3d]

regarding phantom on the TRS jacks..
I was speaking w/Doug the other day, and he tells me that phantom power on TRS sucks.  any movement, rotation..etc, of the jack will result in noise.

I know this is all speculation at the moment, but if it's specifically the phantom that causes the crackling, wouldn't an easy fix be to simply NOT use the phantom on the MT? Turn phantom off in the menu and use an external phantom box instead?

[1st set only]

I plan to use this unit in the following ways:

XLR > 1/4" > Line In for board patches (maybe some digi too) and digi in for AUD recordings. I plan to do 24/96 most of the time, but might throttle back to 24/48 until I get a few media cards.

I don't stealth so moving cables/static is a non-issue for me. I also do not plan to run phantom very often....if ever.

anyone think you could do on the fly matrix's with this? via digi and analog combined?

[coloartist]

I am looking for the Microtrack to record @ 24/96 from my V3.  That's all for now
                               jerry

That is what I'm going to be doing. But, I am going to run it a couple time at 16bit, with my JB3 out of the optical. Then move up to 24/48 with the JB3 making a truncated 16bit file.

[F.O.Bean]

I am looking for the Microtrack to record @ 24/96 from my V3.  That's all for now
                               jerry

That is what I'm going to be doing. But, I am going to run it a couple time at 16bit, with my JB3 out of the optical. Then move up to 24/48 with the JB3 making a truncated 16bit file.

why make truncated copies just run analog out of the v3>analog1/8" to the jb3? thats what i'll do if there are bugs!

[coloartist]

Because every analog copy I have pulled on the JB3 haven't sounded good to me. The A/D in the JB3 is questionable. Maybe I had the gains not set well, maybe it was from the soundboard I was taking the Analog feed off of.

I have only used it before I had mics, and there was nobody to patch out of, and I knew the sound guy.

Has anybody here made good JB3 pulls off of the analog in ? 

[The Kilted Taper]

I've been happy with mine when I use the JB3 as a backup when recording with a lappie. But my ears aren't nearly as picky as some folks here.

[mmedley.]

I plan to use this unit in the following ways:

XLR > 1/4" > Line In for board patches (maybe some digi too) and digi in for AUD recordings. I plan to do 24/96 most of the time, but might throttle back to 24/48 until I get a few media cards.

I don't stealth so moving cables/static is a non-issue for me. I also do not plan to run phantom very often....if ever.

anyone think you could do on the fly matrix's with this? via digi and analog combined?

Nope. Only one set of inputs can be active at any given time.

[Sanjay]

Because every analog copy I have pulled on the JB3 haven't sounded good to me. The A/D in the JB3 is questionable. Maybe I had the gains not set well, maybe it was from the soundboard I was taking the Analog feed off of.

I have only used it before I had mics, and there was nobody to patch out of, and I knew the sound guy.

Has anybody here made good JB3 pulls off of the analog in ? 

yes any tape i've made for pretty much the past 8 months has been analog in.  They've all sounded decent, of course i have a nice pre driving it.

[slowblow]

i think change my jb3 for the microtracker.
it is possible to make that : sp-cmc-8>sp-spsb6>microtracker ?
i'm very newbie , in tape and in english ! 

[Nick's Picks]

the phantom TRS issue is something that is expected to be a problem. 
to me, if Doug says it is a bad design...i believe it.

if it comes to pass and is not a problem.  great!  id rather be pleasantly surprised.