Here are some notes I took at aes. I've tried to make them
understandable (to someone besides me) and snipped out my random notes
and ideas about surround sound formats.
edirol 4 track
the case is plastic and the external power connector (9 vdc) is a
non-locking coaxial plug (but with a cord clamp). It did not have a
solid "look and feel". If the manufacturer can OEM an external battery
pack before the February release, then there will be an external
battery pack available.
Multiple file formats: 1 quad wav, 2 stereo files, or 4 mono files. The
track monitoring capabilities are TBA.
The digital outputs are simultaneous with the hd recording. You cannot
record to the CF card, but must transfer to the card from the 40 gig
internal drive after recording is completed. There is USB2 port to
transfer files to a computer (or cd burner, i guess).
the pre-record buffer is selectable independent of the sample rate. Two
built in mics for "just in case" redundancy.
The pots stick out pretty far and are "bumpable". They feel like they
are soldered to the PC board rather than solidly attached to the case.
The face of the unit was slanted as a compromise for both cart and
shoulder bag use. The display brightness and contrast could be adjusted
so that the display was useful. The editing functions were minimal and
aimed at journalists. Split tracks, merge tracks, and cuts-only
editing. No sel-sync possibilities.
price will be about $1900, which is way less than the 4 track Sound
Devices.
it is impossible to judge mic pres in a convention hall!
why do so many booths have mic listening stations?
sound devices 4 track
polished steel and sex appeal!
No functional changes since I attended a demo, but the unit now looks
"finished".
here are some comments from someone who is using a demo unit of the 4
track:
http://groups.google.com/
groups?hl=en&lr=&threadm=4183e811%240%2462025%24ee9da40f%40news.euronet.
nl&prev=/groups%3Fhl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-
8%26group%3Drec.arts.movies.production.sound
firewire transfer to computer. Cute and tiny, this will fit nicely
inside my Petrol bag along with the SD 4 ch mixer.
I know what you're thinkin' - "That guy's got a nice package."
Um, thanks.
edirol 2 track
4 seconds from power on to recording!
The CF card that this unit comes with will only hold about 5 minutes of
uncompressed audio, so you will have to spend more $ for a larger card.
I listened to a recording of a guitar made with the built-in mics and,
while not excellent, was far less cheezier than I expected.
USB2 port to transfer files to computer.
there is a "hold" switch to lock the front panel buttons, but the
record level dial cannot be locked and is very vulnerable being on the
side of the unit. Break out the gaffer's tape!
The meter does not meter the two channels independently. Once meter for
two channels. The electret mic power can be switched off to save
battery life (but is that really a big drain?)
not exactly shirt pocket sized - about as big as a 4x6 snapshot
This thing looks pretty close to my idea of an instamatic camera for
audio. I'm getting one and selling my MD. Lowest advertisable price is
$450.
edirol was also showing a firewire 8/8 i/o device that was also being
used in the Bias and Apple booths (and elsewhere). Don't know if that
speaks to quality or the edirol marketing dept., but nobody I spoke to
had any complaints about it.
iriver
not showing at aes, but the topic of some discussion on various lists
and emails.
the digital input may work out fine, but the problems with analog
recording reported in the November EM make this a unit (for me) to
avoid. Version 2 will hopefully address the dropped sample issues.
holophone
a really expensive single point surround mic.
nice to see the early prototypes on display. The original holophone is
a nerf football with sm57 capsules in it! I am inspired to built again
- especially after seeing the RC car with wireless video and holophone!
I had an interesting discussion with their guys about how well 5.1
addresses 360 degree localization, future surround formats, bombastic
surround demos, noise pollution and lots of other esoteric who-ha.
Winner of my "best swag" award for really nice baseball caps.
Shure
Stopped by to get this year's t-shirt - an SM57 anniversary design.
Nice.
Also picked up some spec sheets for their low noise omni lavs and for
the convertible omni/cardioid mic. A couple of these might give a
pretty flexible stereo recording setup (mfgr says low self noise, ok
with humidity). They have been out awhile but I have yet to find
comments from anyone taking them outside of the studio.
zaxxcom
Their next deva incarnation will have, good lord, something like 10
channels. Saw them talking to the holophone guys because the holophone
mic can put out something like 8 tracks. could be a good match. I think
that I'll just daisy chain sound devices recorders if the day ever
comes that I need more tracks. But that probably won't happen before
there's a democrat in the white house... :-(
dpa
their wind screen looks much more polished than it did at NAB, where it
looked like someone had stayed up late sewing it together the night
before.
But it still looks like a condom. Nice universal mic mount system, but
I would have to try it with gloves on before I said that it was an
improvement over the rycote. $800ish. Spendy, but by the time you add
rycote accessories for equal flexibility they probably price out the
same.
While trick-or-treating with my favorite 3 year old (she was a lion) I
noticed a striking similarity between the dpa collapsable windscreen
frame and a collapsable pumpkin trick-or-treat bag, so the DIY crowd
can use that as a starting point.
The man I spoke to said that the cloth used was specially designed by
dpa (?!), woven expressly for their use and impregnated with mystical
polymers that were probably harvested from the heart of a neutron star.
Whatever it was, it stopped wind extremely well. I put my hand inside
and blew on the outside and didn't really feel anything. The rep said
that it was good up to 75 mph. I did not blow that hard. According to
their rep, they don't offer a furry outer shell as it would only muffle
the high freqs.
I want a jacket made out of that stuff. A windbreaker! Maybe this
fabric (or something like it) will show up in outdoor clothing soon.
another diy idea.
core sound
Their recorder only works on Pocket PC, no Palm option. Currently
limited to card memory, but the next version will have the ability to
swap memory cards without stopping recording, allowing for "infinite"
recording time (just like nagra!). The mic pre/ A-D converter didn't
inspire confidence (visually) for $500. The pots stick way out, for
example.
If I already owned a pocketPC and say, a Deneke box, then $200 doesn't
seem like a lot to add recording capability, maybe as a backup to
something else.
that's about it for now.
mark
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