oryoki2000 wrote:
> Field Recordists,
> I found the following message posted to a forum for folks who record
> live concerts. It's an invitation from Zaxcom to help them design a
> battery powered field recorder. Speak up now and shape the future!
>
> ---------------
>
> http://www.oade.com/cgi-bin/miva?
> Forum/technology/showmsg.mv+message=3D3124
> 15 Oct 2002
>
> From: howy stark <> I am Director of Product Developmen=
t (A.K.A. DSP engineer) at a small
> company that makes high-end pro audio equipment for TV and Film
> location recording. Our stuff is used on most big budget pictures
> (star wars, matrix, MIBII etc...). With respect to the rules of this
> group I will not mention my company name.
>
> I recently posted a request for suggestions concerning a small 24bit
> hard disk recorder product on rec.audio.pro titled "Request for
> Criticism: (*Product Name Deleted*) Portable Hard Disk Recorder
> Announcement".
>
> The general idea is a small (1.5"x6"x6") 24bit hard disk recorder in
> the $2000+ price range designed for the lower-end pro audio
> recording market. It would contain stripped down technology from our
> $10k to $15k recorders.
>
> Rough specs may include: (your input is needed here)
> 2 channels of 24bit AD/DA converters
> AES and SPDIF in/out
> Good mic preamps with basic mixing functionality (48V power?)
> Firewire for off-loading to an external DVD-R,CD-R, or PC/MAC
> 24 bit uncompressed WAV or SD2 (ProTools) file export
> External power: 10 to 16V DC
> Internal: 4 AA cells (If size is not a concern we could
> use a standard NP1 battery instead)
>
> Is $2000 to $3000 too much for this market? I would try to get the
> list price down to $1995 but that's really pushing it. The products
> I normally design fall into the "cost is no object" category.
>
> thanks in advance for your criticism,
At this price point it needs to be significantly better than the
Portadisc. High speed download is not near worth the difference. Nor is
24 bit, particularly when you realize that the ATRAC in the Portadisc is
using bit shifting to preserve 24 bit dynamic range.
The pre should have at least all the features found in something like
the Sound Devices MP2. That includes phantom power at two voltage levels
(preferably also T power), MS stereo (several options), high pass
filtering, a fairly effective limiter, and the extra gain over and
beyond a standard pro recorder pre.
If it's to be other than just another device for windows, ie for macs
and unix, then it should do aiff format.
It should use either the AA cells or NP1, though the NP1 could be
external. AA cells should be basic, in his world NP1's may be
everywhere, but not in ours.
Maybe add removable HD support, a single HD is pretty limiting for a
long trip. We have been down this road before. It's very hard for a HD
recorder to compete with a stack of minidiscs for cost, size, or
durability. At least have a way to plug in more storage.
Even then, it's overpriced. He may be used to folks with unlimited
pocket change, and old style equipment pricing, cost is no object, but
that's not nature recording. It has to compete for our limited funds
with better mics, travel expenses and all the rest. A Portadisc can
record the full quality a MKH mic can produce. For most the mics they
use are what they should be spending equipment money on.
What he's describing is more appropriate at a much lower price point,
say maybe $500 if he makes it full featured. The components are not that
expensive or unusual. And that's more the price point for lower end pro.
At his price point I'd expect 5:1 surround sound with enough mic
channels to record it properly. All channels with full featured pre,
etc. I'm not interested in a stripped down model at those prices.
Walt
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