--- In Martyn Stewart <>
wrote:
>
>
> So Greg
> Would you take it to Papua New Guinea in a remote place for 16
days?
> What about the Arctic for 21 days? Would the machine cope with
high
> humidity? Would the screen fill up with condensation?
> These are the questions that matter, you said you used it in
studios
> etc but what about extended use away from amenities?
> What would you do for battery life for the duration?
> If I was comparing to a 4 channel recorder I would still pick the
> SD744 because its tried and tested in grueling environments.
> Nagra say this is a 6 channel recorder but in fact you DO need
extra
> pre-amps boosting the weight capacity!
> Those batteries nagra provide are Proprietary and expensive.
>
> I'm curious
>
>
>
> Martyn
> *************************************
> Martyn Stewart
> http://www.naturesound.org
>
> Redmond WA
> 425-898-0462
>
> Make every garden a wildlife habitat
> **************************************
> Listen to the Birds and the Bees at
> http://naturesound.libsyn.org/
> ------------------------------------------------
> View a Nature Recordists Blog!
>
> http://naturesound.blogspot.com/
>
> http://naturesound.org/Copyright.html
>
> On Oct 6, 2008, at 5:37 AM, Greg Simmons wrote:
>
> > --- In Martyn Stewart <mstew@>
> > 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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