Rob Danielson wrote:
>...at 4K$ for 4 channels of 24 bit, don't you
>think most folks will continue to wait...
This is still pure speculation since I have
not read any information about the A/D
capability of the new 744T (four channels
with time code) or 722 (two analog input
channels). The Sound Devices USBPre is
limited to 24/48 sampling because the Windows
operating system won't reliably handle
more data via USB 1.1. The new 744 and 722
won't have this limitation (recording
internally or via Firewire) so my *guess*
is that sampling rates higher than 24/48
will be possible with the new devices.
The decision to purchase in Fall or wait
will depend on how much you want to get
started with recording at higher sampling
rates and multiple channels. The 4 channel
products announced by DEVA and HHB are
expected to cost at least twice as much.
Even the Nagra V two channel recorder costs
$3000 more.
If you only want stereo recording, then the
Sound Devices 722 at an estimated $2000 seems
like a good deal, compared to the price of
an MP-2 pre-amp and a laptop with A/D card.
The 722 will certainly be easier to work with
in the field.
> ...I also have reservations about the hard
>drive recording direction. Do I want to always
>have to manage hard drive data/space before I can go
> out with a clean drive to record?
This issue is real. So far, attempts to create
field recorders with high sampling rates that write
directly to an inexpensive removable medium have
been unsuccessful. The original Nagra V design
that writes to a 2.2GB ORB cartridge is one example
that didn't catch on.
So today at least, if you want to record multiple
channels at high sampling rates, you have to
record to a hard disc. Maybe in the future
we'll write everything to "blu-ray" 27GB discs,
under development now for high definition TV
and movies.
In practice, it only takes a few minutes to dump
the contents of a disc via Firewire. I expect
that the files created when recording will be
time and date stamped, and numbered sequentially,
like the files created when you take photos
with a digital camera. So it won't be difficult
to keep track of the recordings when they
are moved to your computer. But it is true that
this step must be accomplished to clear space
for new recordings.
Like I said in an earlier post, I think that
this handling of files will be simple for
people who are comfortable with computers,
and intimidating for those who are not.
--oryoki
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