The Sound Devices 722 is a powerful tool with lots of options for
recording and playback. When facing the recorder for the first time,
my colleagues and I felt a bit overwhelmed! So I wrote a simplified
set of instructions for the 722. These act as "training wheels" for
the first couple of times you use the machine.
I have attached my 722 Primer below. Please let me know if you see
any errors, or think other subjects need to be included.
If you wish to copy these notes to post elsewhere online, please
mention the source as the NatureRecordists group on Yahoo. Maybe we
can get a few more people to join!
--oryoki
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Say Hello to the Sound Devices 722
These notes were written to help you get started using the 722.
There's lots more information in the 722 manual. Read it when you need
to learn more.
Battery
------------------------------------
To install the battery, look for the two holes in one end of the
battery. There is a white sticker on the battery here. These holes
slide onto pins in the battery slot on the back of the 722. Push the
battery firmly onto the pins. A small spring loaded pin will pop up
behind the battery as it slides into place. This locks the battery
onto the recorder.
To remove the battery, depress the locking pin. A small screwdriver
or large coin is necessary. While holding the pin down, slide the
battery towards the pin and lift up.
The standard 1500 mAh battery powers the 722 for about 2 hours. Larger
batteries are available for more record time.
Mains Power
------------------------------------
The mains power connector is on the right side of the 722. Press the
power cable lightly onto the connector, and rotate slowly to align the
pins. When aligned, the cable will slide farther onto the connector.
The power cable locks into the connector when properly attached.
To remove the cable, pull the locking collar of the cable away from
the 722, then pull the cable out of the connector. It's easily
accomplished with one hand.
The 722 will run on mains power without the battery installed. If a
battery is present, the 722 will charge it even when powered off.
Turning the recorder on and off
------------------------------------
There is a button labeled "PWR" on the upper right of the front of the
recorder. Press it briefly to turn the machine on. It takes only 4
seconds for the recorder to start up and be ready to record.
Press the button continuously for two seconds to power off. If you
don't hold the PWR button in long enough you'll see a message telling
you so.
Recording
------------------------------------
Connect mics to the XLR ports on the left side of the 722. Check that
the small slide switch above each XLR is set to the "mic" position (to
the left).
Power up the 722. Then press the large rectangular "REC" button on
the front of the 722. A red LED on the front panel shows you that
recording has started.
The Stop key is the oval button with the dark square on it, located to
the left of "REC." Start and stop are almost instantaneous.
Set the record level using the two gray knobs to the left of the
display on the front panel. Press the top of the knob to pop it up
when you want to increase or decrease pre-amp gain. Press the knob
back down to lock it against accidental changes.
Note that there is no "pause recording" button like most recorders
have. The 722 headphone monitor is always active, and with the
microphone plugged in you can monitor the mic input and set record
levels before you start recording.
Headphones
------------------------------------
Plug in headphones on the left side of the 722. The large black knob
on the left sets the headphones volume.
The large black knob on the right side of the 722 has several
functions. During recording, the knob lets you choose the headphones
source. The front panel display shows which signal is sent to the
headphones. Look for the dark rectangle on the lower right of the
display.
"A,B" = left and right XLR input is sent to the headphones
"1,1" = the left XLR input is sent to both headphones
"2,2" = the right XLR input is sent to both headphones
"A,B m" = the signal as recorded on the hard disc is played back.
This results in a delay of about 10 seconds between the live input and
recorded playback. Use this setting to reassure yourself that a
recording is being made.
Playback
------------------------------------
The Play key is the large white key with a triangle on it. With
recording stopped, press Play to listen to the most recently recorded
file.
Use the black knob on the right side to adjust the way playback is
sent to the headphones. The black knob on the left side sets
headphones volume.
The Stop key has several functions during playback.
Press Stop once during playback to allow audio "scrubbing" using the
<< and >> keys. Keep track of your position in the file using the
minutes:seconds display
Press Stop twice, and the << and >> keys let you choose another file
to play. File names appear in the top center part of the 722's
display. These files are from the current directory.
Press Stop 3 times to stop playback and exit from playback mode.
Using the 722 with a computer
------------------------------------
With the 722 and computer powered off, plug in the Firewire cable
linking the two devices. Now power up the computer. Once the
computer is running, power up the 722. The 722 will display the
message "Computer Connection" when it is ready.
If the connection is successful, the 722 appears as a new hard disc
named "722" on your computer display. I found that sometimes I had to
power down the 722 and power it up again before the computer
recognised it.
The 722's recordings are organized in files and folders. I set the
machine so it creates a new folder for each day. The folder names are
in year-month-day format. For example, Y05M11D26 is a folder created
on 26 November 2005.
File names are sequential. T0003.WAV, T0004.WAV, and so on.
Copy files from the 722 to the computer in the way you normally copy
any file. When you're finished, dismount the 722 from your file
system before turning it off. On a Mac, drag the disc icon into the
trash. On a PC, use the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon in the System
Tray of the Desktop.
Changing the settings
------------------------------------
The 722's menu system lets you set and change all sorts of recording,
playback, and file system parameters. The manual describes all the
options.
Access the menu by pressing the "MENU" button on the upper left of the
display on the front panel. Step through the menu by turning the knob
on the right side of the 722. Select a Menu item by pressing inward
on the knob.
Exit from the menus by pressing the * (lightbulb symbol) key. It's
located near the lower right corner of the display.
You can save a particular set of menu selections as a "User Preset."
See the manual for instructions about creating a preset of your own.
The 722 is already configured with "Factory," "Film," "Reporter," and
"Music" presets.
So don't be afraid to experiment with different settings -- It's easy
to recover.
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