--- In Martyn Stewart <>
wrote:
> I would NOT touch the new Nagra VI with a barge pole nor would I
> consider the "Fusion or "Deva" recorders from Zaxcom.
I cannot comment on the Fusion or Deva machines, but I had the
pleasure of having a Nagra VI in my possession for one month (July)
for review purposes, using it in studios, concert halls and outdoors.
I'd be extremely happy to touch it with a barge pole - or even my
bare hands - again and again. It *is* physically large, but it is
also surprisingly light and it sounds very clean and quiet. Nagra
claim it has the best preamps they have designed, and I am sure
they're right. The input stage is particularly impressive; probably a
good combination of preamp and AD converter design. Internal
photographs show four transformers, one for each preamp - these are
only switched in when using dynamic or ribbon microphones. If you're
using condenser microphones, the transformers are not in the signal
path.
I think the size would put many people off on first impressions. But
when you pick it up and/or carry it around for a while, you realise
it is not too heavy at all, certainly lighter than the 2-track Nagra
V. I slung it over my shoulder and traipsed around the streets of
Sydney following and recording WYD pilgrims for about four hours, no
inconvenience at all.
One benefit of the size (and perhaps the reason for it) is that, in
addition to offering a truly useful and readable display, all the
important controls are easily accessed on the front panel; normal-
sized rotary pots for gain adjustments, decent toggle switches and
the Nagra rotary transport control, all accessible without your
fingers tripping over each other and inadvertantly pressing the wrong
button.
It's refreshing to see a manufacturer not get sucked into
the 'smaller, smaller, smaller' trap at the expense of ease-of-use.
Considering the light weight of the Nagra VI, I am sure they could've
made it much smaller if they wanted to. They certainly knew what else
was out there, such as the SD products, so I'm sure the size was a
deliberate decision. Personally, I like the ability to make very
quick and intuitive changes to gain and related settings without
having to squint at an unnecessarily small display to make my way
through layers of menus, and without trying to look 'around' my
fingers to make sure I'm hitting the right button (because the
buttons are so damn small my fingers obscure them).
It won't be for everybody, but if you want a very classy sounding and
easy-to-use bit of kit that will probably prove to be highly
reliable, it's a valid option.
> It has 6 channels but only 4 pots to control them with, the other
two
> controllers are found in the menu!
Just to clarify: the Nagra VI has six tracks and four preamps. The
four pots on the front panel are intended for the four mic preamps,
which are internally routed to tracks one to four. Tracks five and
six are accessed by either AES or line inputs, no mic preamps, but
can also be assigned to the internal mixer to capture a stereo mix of
tracks one to four (a useful feature for film sound, but probably not
much use for nature recording). There is no need for a quick access
gain control when being fed from the internal mixer, little need for
one when using a line input, and certainly no need for one when using
a digital input. In typical Nagra ergonomic fashion, they have used
the front panel space for things that need fast and sure control (mic
gain) and relegated less urgent things to the menus. Nice...
Nonetheless, from a strictly nature recording point of view it may as
well be a four track recorder with four mic preamps, similar to Sound
Devices' 744. To record onto five or six tracks in the field would
require an additional preamp/mixer, adding complexity and cost - the
eight-track Sound Devices might be a better option if you need more
than four tracks.
The decisions then are track count, price, size/weight, ease of use
and sound quality. Most nature recordists will probably be better
served with a Sound Devices product, but if your needs go beyond just
nature recording (or you want a higher quality sound) the Nagra VI
would be a worthy consideration.
Where's my barge pole?
- Greg Simmons
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