View Full Version : Need Comments on Sound Devices 744T
Dan Keaton February 18th, 2006, 01:44 PM I am seriously considering the purchase of a Sound Devices 744T 4-track hard disk and compact flash recorder.
I am very pleased with my a Sound Devices 302 mixer. I assume that the 744T is of similar high quality.
I am looking for any comments, pro or con, concerning the 744T.
Recommendations toward the purchase of other devices are also welcome.
I wish the 744t had 4 mic pre's instead of just two.
I am also considering the TASCAM HD-P2, but I really want a four channel recorder. Any comparisons are welcome.
Steve House February 18th, 2006, 02:15 PM You could send your 302's stereo output to the recorder's channel 3&4 while using the mic inputs on 1&2. Or trade the 302 iun on a 442 and use the mixer to send 4 line level channels to the recorder.
Seth Bloombaum February 18th, 2006, 04:54 PM The 744 is awesome. I don't have one but a sound guy brought his to a recent 10-day shoot, all I can say is "wow". Sound Devices makes good stuff, the 744T is great.
My post-production chain wasn't as straightforward for .bwf as I thought it would be, you should check into how you'll pull in the sound. His post with pro-tools works fine. I had to use BWF Manager to split from polyphonic bwf to individual channel bwfs.
Brian Maier February 18th, 2006, 08:26 PM I purchased a HD-P2 on thursday and will be exchanging it on monday for a 744t. Originally I wanted the 744t to pair up with my 422 but figured that I could save some money with the HD-P2.
My biggest gripes with the HD-P2 are:
-Build quality
-No line in through xlr
-Doesn't have bag/over shoulder friendly button placement
Oleg Kaizerman February 20th, 2006, 03:24 PM I am seriously considering the purchase of a Sound Devices 744T 4-track hard disk and compact flash recorder.
I am very pleased with my a Sound Devices 302 mixer. I assume that the 744T is of similar high quality.
I am looking for any comments, pro or con, concerning the 744T.
Recommendations toward the purchase of other devices are also welcome.
I wish the 744t had 4 mic pre's instead of just two.
I am also considering the TASCAM HD-P2, but I really want a four channel recorder. Any comparisons are welcome.
very limiting recorder for serius work ( i have on for almost a year)
but it cheap ( not so if you compare it with good mixer in front and stand allone burner=at least 7-7.5 k)
if you have more money to spend - the deva is much better product
if you dont really need 4 channels - look for tascam as cheap option
Kevin Wild February 20th, 2006, 07:50 PM Guys, you are really comparing apples to oranges here. I just bought the Tascam P2 and it is amazing at this price point. If I wanted to spend $4000 rather than $999 on a recorder, I would have probably gotten the SD744T, too! This is not a fair comparison, in my opinion.
The Tascam is great and alone at it's price point. I think the Marantz is close, but still a few hundered dollars more.
It's definitely built more prosumer than pro, but after only one application, I love it. I think you guys are being a little hard on a sub-$1000 recorder that has timecode functionality!
It's a great little unit. Perhaps not as professional as others, but 1/4 the price. It does a lot for the money.
Just my $.02.
KW
By the way, Dan. After your generous offer last week, let me know if there are any questions or test I can run for you. Also, if you're in this area, stop by and borrow it so you can test it yourself!
Brian Maier February 20th, 2006, 09:34 PM Your right they are aimed at different segments of the market, but the OP was asking for a comparisson of the two. For the money the HD-P2 is a pretty well rounded package.
Dan Keaton February 21st, 2006, 11:36 AM Sorry for the delay in responding. I have been sick with a bad cold or flu.
I think the TASCAM HD-P2 is a wonderful device. However, I wanted a minimum of four channels.
Based on advice from this thread, I also researched the DEVA recorders. At over $10,000, these are definitely out of my price range.
It would be interesting to perform side by side tests of the HD-P2 and the 744T.
I also agree that it really isn't fair to compare a $1000 device to a $4000 device.
Kevin, thanks for the offer. I will visit the next time I am in your area. I will be willing to assist in any of your future projects.
Jacques Mersereau February 21st, 2006, 01:42 PM One of our professors here purchased a 744 and she had a hard time
getting it set up and working so I went over to help.
The 744 is a great device, but I would not say it is for the casual user.
There are TONS of menu choices to be made and set. That interface
is NOT the best I have seen, but with some head scratching and some
calls to their tech support one does finally 'get it', but the interface is
not very intuitive.
I hope to take it out in the field this spring and see how it compares
to the complex mobile rig I normally haul out to record bird songs.
Ty Ford February 22nd, 2006, 09:43 PM I am seriously considering the purchase of a Sound Devices 744T 4-track hard disk and compact flash recorder.
I am very pleased with my a Sound Devices 302 mixer. I assume that the 744T is of similar high quality.
I am looking for any comments, pro or con, concerning the 744T.
Recommendations toward the purchase of other devices are also welcome.
I wish the 744t had 4 mic pre's instead of just two.
I am also considering the TASCAM HD-P2, but I really want a four channel recorder. Any comparisons are welcome.
I just finished reviewing it for two magazines. A very good sounding box with remarkable feature set.
Regards,
Ty Ford
Kevin Wild February 22nd, 2006, 09:52 PM Ty, which "it" were you speaking of? The original 744T post heading or the HD-P2 which we spoke of in recent posts?
Thanks. Look forward to reading your reviews...either one.
KW
Ty Ford February 22nd, 2006, 10:11 PM Ty, which "it" were you speaking of? The original 744T post heading or the HD-P2 which we spoke of in recent posts?
Thanks. Look forward to reading your reviews...either one.
KW
sorry. I reviewed the 744T.
Ty
Dan Keaton February 23rd, 2006, 07:57 AM Dear Ty,
Thanks for the great news. I look forward to reading your reviews on the 744T.
I am currently attempting to determine if the 744T allows for playback while simultaneously recording. Based on a quick glance at the manual, I do not believe this is supported.
I would use this feature, if it were available, for re-recording dialog (ADR).
Ty, I would be interested if you considered this feature to be important. Or, if there are better ways to do this.
Ty Ford February 23rd, 2006, 08:53 AM It wasn't designed to do ADR. It's a field recorder, and a very good one. You could use it to do additional wild tracks, obviously.
ADR is normally done in a recording studio.
Ty Ford
Dan Keaton February 23rd, 2006, 08:57 AM Dear Ty,
Thanks for clearing that up for me.
Based on Oleg's earlier comments, I was briefly looking into the Deva's, (much more expensive), which had this feature.
Thanks again.
Tim Gray February 24th, 2006, 12:54 PM While not a 744t, I do have a 722. I personally think it is an amazing unit. It does what it does extremely well. The only complaint I've had with it is that it isn't a 744t.
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