Portable CF Recorder at DVinfo.net

Frank Ladner · February 17th, 2006, 01:17 PM

Hi guys!

I'm in the market for an affordable field recorder.

Here are the main features I want:

- Compact Flash / Solid State (no moving parts is good)
- 48V/Phantom Balanced XLR input (2-channel is just fine)
- WAV / Uncompressed Format (NO need whatsoever for MP3)

That led me to think the Marantz PMD 660, at only $500, would be the perfect match. However, I did some research and found a lot of complaints about the preamp noise.

It was suggested by a member that I post a new thread on this (my last post was in the "Bad Reviews of Marantz..." thread.

I will be using the following microphone:

http://www.peavey.com/products/brows...+Pro%AE+M2.cfm

Primarily I will be recording dialog and sound effects for animation. I'm just really interested in gitting hiss-free sound.

Thanks for all feedback!

Frank

P.S. The Oade mod of the PMD-660, at 559.00, is really appealing. Has anyone gone this route?
http://www.oade.com/digital_recorder...D-660MODS.html

EDIT: On second look, the mod that removes the unneeded internal mic and line-input is even more appealing...but it's $700...

Steve House · February 17th, 2006, 02:56 PM

Doesn't the Oade mods replace the stock preamps?

You might take a look at the new Tascam HD-P2

John Rofrano · February 18th, 2006, 02:37 PM

I have the PMD660 and I can confirm that the mic preamps are noisy. Marantz should be ashamed of themselves as there is no excuse for this. I would definitely go for the Oade mods. (I wish I had). The hiss is only audible when the gain is over 50% so that means you need a mic that will keep the volume below half. My AT897 works great. My AT4053a is hotter and overdrives the inputs slightly which requires me to engage the -20db mic pad which then requires me to raise the volume above half way and the hiss can be heard. It’s very easy to remove in post but there is something about buying a digital recorder and having to fix the sound in post that just rubs me the wrong way. Silly me, I expect digital recordings to be silent when there is silence. I’m going to pick up an external -10db pad and see if that helps.

Still the PMD660 was the best I could find for my needs in that price range. I needed 48v phantom, XLR, uncompressed wav, small form factor, large volume control and easy to read meters. Nothing else in that price range had all that. I do use it a lot with the line-in right off of a mixier and I’m very happy with the line-in recording as well as when using my AT897.

The question is, how will it perform with the Peavey mic you want to use? I would buy them both from the same place and try them together. That’s the only way to tell how good it will sound (or get the moded one from Oade and don’t worry). Good luck.

~jr

Kevin Wild · February 18th, 2006, 03:38 PM

Check my mini-review of the HD-P2 over in the thread about "Vibrations at certain frequencies." Great unit! More than you wanted to spend, but worth it.

KW

Glenn Davidson · February 18th, 2006, 08:51 PM

I like my Marantz 670, but the 1 Gig CF card locks up in the record mode after about a half hour or so. I have to power down, eject and re-insert CF to record again. This is brutal in live recordings. I guess I need to buy another a new card. I wish CF was more reliable and I did not have to run Mini disc back-up. The whole CF/P2/optical scheme makes me nervous...until the bugs are worked out.

Kevin Wild · February 18th, 2006, 08:59 PM

I never worked with Microdrives before, but we ran 2 hours last night on the P2, no problem.

KW

Glenn Davidson · February 18th, 2006, 09:18 PM

Tascam is probably better than the Marantz 660/670. The CF problem I had developed after about a year of use. When it locked up not even the power switch worked, I had to pull the plug. I can deal with a drop-outs, but a bad patch on a CF card causes the marantz to go into brain lock. It reminds me of my love-hate of the Marantz PMD cassette recorders with their quirkyness.

Finn Hensner · February 19th, 2006, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glenn Davidson

I like my Marantz 670, but the 1 Gig CF card locks up in the record mode after about a half hour or so. I have to power down, eject and re-insert CF to record again. This is brutal in live recordings. I guess I need to buy another a new card. I wish CF was more reliable and I did not have to run Mini disc back-up. The whole CF/P2/optical scheme makes me nervous...until the bugs are worked out.

Darn! We just bought the 660 at work, do they release firmware updates for those?

Glenn Davidson · February 19th, 2006, 07:25 PM

A little more info on my CF problem. Marantz 670 would lock up on record, right out of the box. A service tech at Marantz said to format the card. That worked fine and the small capacity CF card that came with the unit works fine. Now the newer 1gig card locks up and formating does not help. I will call Marantz again and see if there is a firmware fix. Do the CF cards have a life span? All in all, I like the 670. It can record continuously for a full day. Good luck with you 660.

Finn Hensner · February 20th, 2006, 02:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glenn Davidson

A little more info on my CF problem. Marantz 670 would lock up on record, right out of the box. A service tech at Marantz said to format the card. That worked fine and the small capacity CF card that came with the unit works fine. Now the newer 1gig card locks up and formating does not help. I will call Marantz again and see if there is a firmware fix. Do the CF cards have a life span? All in all, I like the 670. It can record continuously for a full day. Good luck with you 660.

Thanks. Did you format using FAT or FAT32? And is it a Ultra II card?

Finn

Frank Ladner · February 20th, 2006, 07:50 AM

Thanks for all the feedback, guys!

Quote:

John Rofrano: I would buy them both from the same place and try them together.

Actually I already have that mic, John. The page shows it being around $500 but I got it brand new for $250 at a local music store.

Although it's not designed for such, I have boomed with it connected to my Canon GL2 via a Beachtek DXA-6 (w/ 48v Phantom XLR hookup) and the sound quality is very nice. However, I don't want to use the GL2 for recording audio, and then have to sample from the tape to the computer.

So right now It's a choice between a modified Marantz unit or the Tascam HD-P2. The P2 is a bit more than I wanted to spend, BUT I would be getting natively higher-rez sound, along with some other features.

Quote:

Kevin Wild: Check my mini-review of the HD-P2 over in the thread about "Vibrations at certain frequencies." Great unit! More than you wanted to spend, but worth it.

I'm off to find that thread now, Kevin. Thanks!

Frank Ladner · February 20th, 2006, 08:19 AM

After some research I think I will go with the Tascam HD-P2. Looks like B&H has it for $999.00 at the moment.

Along with that, I want to pick up a pair of closed-cup headphones. The HD-P2 has a 1/4" jack so I'll be sure not to get phones with 1/8" plugs.

Thank you guys for all the input on the Marantz model and the recommendation on the Tascam!

Kevin Wild · February 20th, 2006, 08:23 AM

I don't think you'll regret it, Frank. For $1000, this thing is great. Actually, you should get the bundle that has a 6 gig Microdrive card, too, for $1300.

Glad to help you spend money. :-)

kevin

Steve House · February 20th, 2006, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank Ladner

...
Along with that, I want to pick up a pair of closed-cup headphones. The HD-P2 has a 1/4" jack so I'll be sure not to get phones with 1/8" plugs.

...

Sony 7506 gives you both - there's a 1/8 plug on the cable and there's a screw-on 1/4 adapter that it locks into.

Frank Ladner · February 21st, 2006, 08:03 AM

Kevin: Doug at Oade Brothers is selling the Tascam HD-P2 for $899 currently. This sounds pretty good to me.

Quote:

Kevin Wild: Glad to help you spend money. :-)

:)

Quote:

Steve House: Sony 7506 gives you both - there's a 1/8 plug on the cable and there's a screw-on 1/4 adapter that it locks into.

Found it at B&H:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

Steve: Looks like it fits the bill. Thanks for the recommendation!

February 17th, 2006, 01:17 PM	#1
Frank Ladner Major Player Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Poplarville, MS Posts: 453	Portable CF Recorder Hi guys! I'm in the market for an affordable field recorder. Here are the main features I want: - Compact Flash / Solid State (no moving parts is good) - 48V/Phantom Balanced XLR input (2-channel is just fine) - WAV / Uncompressed Format (NO need whatsoever for MP3) That led me to think the Marantz PMD 660, at only $500, would be the perfect match. However, I did some research and found a lot of complaints about the preamp noise. It was suggested by a member that I post a new thread on this (my last post was in the "Bad Reviews of Marantz..." thread. I will be using the following microphone: http://www.peavey.com/products/brows...+Pro%AE+M2.cfm Primarily I will be recording dialog and sound effects for animation. I'm just really interested in gitting hiss-free sound. Thanks for all feedback! Frank P.S. The Oade mod of the PMD-660, at 559.00, is really appealing. Has anyone gone this route? http://www.oade.com/digital_recorder...D-660MODS.html EDIT: On second look, the mod that removes the unneeded internal mic and line-input is even more appealing...but it's $700...

February 17th, 2006, 02:56 PM	#2
Steve House Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Posts: 5,742	Doesn't the Oade mods replace the stock preamps? You might take a look at the new Tascam HD-P2 __________________ Good news, Cousins! This week's chocolate ration is 15 grams!

February 18th, 2006, 02:37 PM	#3
John Rofrano Sponsor: VASST Join Date: May 2005 Location: New York Posts: 516	I have the PMD660 and I can confirm that the mic preamps are noisy. Marantz should be ashamed of themselves as there is no excuse for this. I would definitely go for the Oade mods. (I wish I had). The hiss is only audible when the gain is over 50% so that means you need a mic that will keep the volume below half. My AT897 works great. My AT4053a is hotter and overdrives the inputs slightly which requires me to engage the -20db mic pad which then requires me to raise the volume above half way and the hiss can be heard. It’s very easy to remove in post but there is something about buying a digital recorder and having to fix the sound in post that just rubs me the wrong way. Silly me, I expect digital recordings to be silent when there is silence. I’m going to pick up an external -10db pad and see if that helps. Still the PMD660 was the best I could find for my needs in that price range. I needed 48v phantom, XLR, uncompressed wav, small form factor, large volume control and easy to read meters. Nothing else in that price range had all that. I do use it a lot with the line-in right off of a mixier and I’m very happy with the line-in recording as well as when using my AT897. The question is, how will it perform with the Peavey mic you want to use? I would buy them both from the same place and try them together. That’s the only way to tell how good it will sound (or get the moded one from Oade and don’t worry). Good luck. ~jr __________________ Developer: VASST Ultimate S, Scattershot 3D, Mayhem, FASST Apps, and other VASST Software plug-ins Web Site: www.johnrofrano.com

February 18th, 2006, 03:38 PM	#4
Kevin Wild Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 540	Check my mini-review of the HD-P2 over in the thread about "Vibrations at certain frequencies." Great unit! More than you wanted to spend, but worth it. KW

February 18th, 2006, 08:51 PM	#5
Glenn Davidson Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Nevada City, California Posts: 499	I like my Marantz 670, but the 1 Gig CF card locks up in the record mode after about a half hour or so. I have to power down, eject and re-insert CF to record again. This is brutal in live recordings. I guess I need to buy another a new card. I wish CF was more reliable and I did not have to run Mini disc back-up. The whole CF/P2/optical scheme makes me nervous...until the bugs are worked out.

February 18th, 2006, 08:59 PM	#6
Kevin Wild Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 540	I never worked with Microdrives before, but we ran 2 hours last night on the P2, no problem. KW

February 18th, 2006, 09:18 PM	#7
Glenn Davidson Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Nevada City, California Posts: 499	Tascam is probably better than the Marantz 660/670. The CF problem I had developed after about a year of use. When it locked up not even the power switch worked, I had to pull the plug. I can deal with a drop-outs, but a bad patch on a CF card causes the marantz to go into brain lock. It reminds me of my love-hate of the Marantz PMD cassette recorders with their quirkyness.

February 19th, 2006, 07:25 PM	#9
Glenn Davidson Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Nevada City, California Posts: 499	A little more info on my CF problem. Marantz 670 would lock up on record, right out of the box. A service tech at Marantz said to format the card. That worked fine and the small capacity CF card that came with the unit works fine. Now the newer 1gig card locks up and formating does not help. I will call Marantz again and see if there is a firmware fix. Do the CF cards have a life span? All in all, I like the 670. It can record continuously for a full day. Good luck with you 660.

February 20th, 2006, 08:19 AM	#12
Frank Ladner Major Player Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Poplarville, MS Posts: 453	After some research I think I will go with the Tascam HD-P2. Looks like B&H has it for $999.00 at the moment. Along with that, I want to pick up a pair of closed-cup headphones. The HD-P2 has a 1/4" jack so I'll be sure not to get phones with 1/8" plugs. Thank you guys for all the input on the Marantz model and the recommendation on the Tascam!

February 20th, 2006, 08:23 AM	#13
Kevin Wild Major Player Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 540	I don't think you'll regret it, Frank. For $1000, this thing is great. Actually, you should get the bundle that has a 6 gig Microdrive card, too, for $1300. Glad to help you spend money. :-) kevin