For what it is worth here is a link to Fostex's own site listing CF cards t=
hey have confirmed
work with the FR2-LE.
http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/pro_support/Operation_CF_20070510.p=
df
Phil
--- In David Michael <> =
wrote:
>
> Hello List
>
> Before purchasing equipment, this list was a trusted source of
> information and experiences with equipment for recording non-human
> natural sources. After much research, budgeting and deliberation, I
> ended up with the Sennheiser MKH30 and MKH40 microphones and a Fostex =
> FR2LE as a recorder. Considering how much information I gleaned from
> list contributors, I thought I would take some time to post a first
> blush review of the FR2LE (and the CF cards) which was broken in
> while camping in El Yunque in Puerto Rico last weekend. Overall I
> have to say that I am quite satisfied, though the machine does have
> some serious shortcomings (that Ill tell you all about momentarily).
>
> I bought the FR2LE for a couple of reasons. First was the price,
> which was amazingly cheap at 499 USD for what it promises (24/96,
> flash recording). Second was that the mic preamps were touted to be
> decent, at least for an all in one recorder at this price range.
>
> The first recordings real recordings that I took on the machine were
> over a 12 hour period camping on the edge of the El Yunque rainforest =
> where the air was extraordinarily humid (as one would expect),
> reaching about 90 degrees F during the daylight, though the
> temperature dropped after sunset - none of which seemed to affect the =
> unit's operation. I had 2 CF cards, a Lexar Professional 133x
> (~20mbps) and a SanDisk Ultra II (9 mbps), both at 4GB. I also used
> AudioTechnica 10ft XLR cables and monitored with Sony MDR-D55
> headphones.
>
> The FR2LE requires that you pick the recording resolution for the
> card when you format it. Additionally, there is no overwrite or
> delete to clear up space on the card without reformatting. I
> personally have no problems with this in general as I have lost many
> recordings before by accidentally taping over a section. Just
> something to be aware of. The phantom power is off by default (which
> I turned on), and there are some other options for HP filtering and
> whatnot which I left off.
>
> I formatted the Lexar at 88/24 and the SanDisk at 44/24. I formatted
> the SanDisk differently because 1) the write speed was slower and 2)
> the microphones are only sensitive to ~20khz (judging by the response =
> documentation I received with them) and I assumed that the extra
> 20khz of frequencies above the range of the mics would just be wasted =
> disc space. If someone on the list would like to comment on high
> resolution sampling frequencies (above 48k) and mic response
> (especially that of the MKH series), that would be great. I do not
> have any experimental data to back up my sampling assumptions - only
> the Nyquist theorem and the machine and mic specs. Does a higher
> sampling rate have any effect on the audible clarity of bandlimited
> recordings (besides actually taking more samples per second)? Would
> anyone advise that I be using the higher sampling frequencies, even
> though that extra resolution may not theoretically benefit the
> recording?
>
> I would like to comment here on the SanDisk Ultra II. All the
> recordings I took on the Lexar Professional media, at a higher
> sampling frequency, were absolutely crystal clear. This unfortunately =
> was not the case with the SanDisk. In most all of the recordings from =
> that card there was a faint periodic digital distortion reminiscent
> of what you hear from DAT sometimes. This is most unagreeable and
> made some good recordings all but unusable. I cannot 100% verify yet
> that this was not also caused by the FR2LE or the cables for some
> reason, but considering that the 2 discs were used in very close
> succession, until further research, I have to conclude that the
> SanDisk Ultra II CF cards are not of sufficient speed or quality for
> use in the FR2LE. At its core, this should not really be an issue
> given the 9mbps speed of the card and the bandwidth requirements of
> 44.1/24bit audio files (about 2.7 mbps or so). The write speed should =
> have been plenty fast. It is also possible that I got a dud card, but =
> I until I sus out exactly what happened, I will not be using SanDisk
> CF media with the FR2LE.
>
> So back to the FR2LE. The casing is decidedly cheap. The small
> plastic door concealing the CF card slot is almost flimsy and
> appears as if its unfinished. In fact, there is nothing really
> preventing a good gush of rainwater from soaking the internal
> circuitry. The tiny little plastic knobs for trim and headphones are
> also cheap. Furthermore, the pots are uneven and a little scratchy. I =
> basically cranked the trims up to about 80% and left them there,
> adjusting the rest with the input knob (which thankfully moves evenly =
> and smoothly). All that being said, the machine performed more than
> adequately in the field and its construction, no matter how visually
> unappealing, was solid enough to give me no problems whatsoever - at
> least on this first run.
>
> The LCD screen is nice and simple, easy to read and back lit. The
> menu navigation is, um, interesting, but usable once you get use to
> it. The one interface gripe that I will share is the input button
> placement which are in a grid, all of exactly the same size, and not
> really laid out in any sort of intuitive order. What this means
> practically for the recordist in dark situations that is unfamiliar
> with the setup is the need to break out the flash light to be sure
> what you are doing. Fortunately there is a "remote", that has only 3
> buttons that you can strap to your person. Also, the LCD and buttons
> are on the top of the unit. This makes operation of the machine in a
> bag of any sort impossible. So if you are in the field, just strap it =
> on and hope that it doesnt start pouring rain (the CF card slot faces =
> up while using the strap!).
>
> Next order of business, the mic preamps. Oh my. I can start by saying =
> that the recordings I got from the rainforest are very very clear,
> but probably not because of the mic pres in the FR2LE. The first
> thing I noticed is that they are not that loud. This is not a big
> deal when you are in the middle of the Coqui chorus at the beginning
> of the night, in fact the gain is more than sufficient, but when
> recording in the open during the day, the signal was low. Perhaps
> this is symptomatic of recording quiet things in general, so lets not =
> blame the FR2LE entirely. As far as self noise goes, it is very low
> and only faintly detectible in very very low sound ambient recording
> situations (of which we may find ourselves in frequently). In the
> future I will more than likely invest in a higher quality mic preamp
> to get better gain and monitoring (see next paragraph).
>
> The headphone amp is noisy. Period. Its just noisy and this totally
> sucks. On the upside I was able to easily tune it out, and it does
> not affect the recordings in any way. You just have to pretend that
> the frequencies coming from the headphone amp do not exist (which
> they dont really as far as your recording is concerned).
>
> The last thing I want to mention is the battery usage. Get
> rechargeables or some sort of super battery pack (it has a nice
> connector for it). You will chew through batteries like popcorn at a
> movie, and Mama Earth doesnt really like that.
>
> So here is the roundup in bullet format
>
> Pros
>
> - Inexpensive
> - Decently usable mic preamps (I mean, hey, its 500 bucks)
> - Rugged enough for a rainforest
> - Nice backlit, easy to read LCD
>
> Cons
>
> - Noisy headphone amp
> - Lowish gain on the mic preamps
> - Tiny, uneven trim knobs
> - LCD and buttons are on top on the unit, making bagged operation
> impossible
> - Eats alkaline batteries for breakfast=09
> - Interface buttons are probably designed by (and for use by) a robot
> - It aint the prettiest thing on the planet and the casing seems
> cheap
>
> Final assessment
>
> The FR2LE makes good recordings. If you are looking for a beginner's =
> all-in-one machine, this is a good choice. It is fairly rugged and
> cheap enough to get all the rest of your gear straight and still make =
> very high quality recordings. After all, it is the recorder that
> depreciates in value the fastest of anything in your setup, so as
> long as it does its job without a hitch, you can cut corners here.
> Heck, given this philosophy I could probably have bought some killer
> mic preamps and an M-Audio recorder instead (though this scenario
> would still have been more expensive than the FR2LE which is priced
> lower than most decent mic preamps). The recordings I got were very
> clean with lower noise than the sound of the highway 6 miles away
> (though I was using an MKH30/40 pair).
>
> Beware of one thing: the interface design is a total travesty. I can
> forgive the cheap feeling knobs and casing (because the recordings
> were good), but between the incomprehensible and seemingly haphazard
> button layout, the card slot which faces up and LCD which faces
> outward when using the unit with a strap (was it opposite day in the
> lab?), it is painfully obvious that usability (and maybe logic
> itself) took a backseat to feature set with this unit. I am not sure
> there was even a design team... just engineers and marketing dudes.
> As always, there is a reason this machine is 500 and not 1500.
>
> All in all, I can see myself using this machine for quite some time
> while upgrading the small things along the way. I suppose that if it
> was in high school, I would give it a B-... or perhaps 3 stars on a 5 =
> star scale. I would generally recommend it for anyone just starting
> out with field recording.
>
> As soon as I get my servers straight I will post some recordings so
> that you can judge the sound for yourselves.
>
>
> David
> -
> Unnature
> New York City
> http://unnature.org
>
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