Hello list,
Just found out about and subscribed about a month ago. Now making my first contribution partially because some of the below is relative to questions that have come up here recently concerning the Tetramic, DR-680, and R-44. Possibly more interesting to some may be my spaced omni surround arrays, sort of the polar opposite approach to single-point ambisionic surround recording. My apologies for the long message, but hope you all find this useful or at least interesting! I've used the Tetramic for a little over a year, previously into an R-44 (Oade Concert Mod) and more recently with the Tascam DR-680. Although the R-44 can work well and make great recordings, I strongly recommend the DR-680 in the same price range over the R-44, primarily because of its channel ganging feature that links input gains and greatly simplifies usage in practical terms. I can't say much about the stock R-44 mic preamp noise floor since the preamps in mine are modified for lower noise and also because I mostly use this setup to record music in situations where the noise floor of the recording is dominated by the venue's HVAC system. Using the Tetramic with an R-44: If using the Tetramic with an R-44 there are two things I found helpful in working around the input gain matching issue. The first is to closely match gains across all channels before recording by plugging a tone generator into each in turn and measuring the output at the RCA jack with a voltmeter. The small, infinitely variable gain knob can then be used to match the readings. Secondly, once all are adjusted as closely as possible, I slip a protective plastic tube over each large detented gain knob which prevents accidentally turning the smaller concentric variable knob. The tubes are simply Sharpie marker caps, cut to length with a razor knife, which push firmly onto each outside knob. The outside knobs still turn, and the user can peer into the open ends to visually check to make sure there has been no gross adjustment of the small knob, but the small knob cannot be turned easily without removing the cap. If the cap is cut at the right place, the little 'tit' that remains from under the cap's pocket clip makes a nice tactile marker to confirm the position of the outside knob even in the dark... plus the remaining cap remnant still fits the markers. Win, win. I still recorded test tones for channel matching verification and adjustment if necessary, but rarely needed to gain match in post by doing this. This technique works best if you know the gain setting you will use for the recording and don't need to adjust the outer knob after setting. I have not checked how closely the gains track across channels if the detented outer knob is changed from the setting that was used while adjusting the inner knobs in matching with the voltmeter. Battery powering the DR-680 and R-44: Both the R-44 and the DR-680 can be powered by low cost rechargeable 9V lithium batteries used for portable DVD players plus the appropriate cables and adaptors (R-44 DC input jack is center negative, DR-680 is center positive). These batteries include LED state of charge meters and will easily power the recorders for more than 8 hrs. I have a number of these, a couple of which are branded 'Lenmar' which were about $60 each new and a number of generic branded models I found for $10 each on E-bay. I’m not sure how available this battery type is currently, but they are very useful in running portable recording equipment. I also power a Grace LunatecV3 preamp all day using one of these batteries. They usually come with included cables and charging transformers, and can also be recharged by any 12VDC source in the field such as a car battery. I recommend keeping fresh AAs in the recorders at the same time, which then serve as an uninterruptible supply if the power cable is jostled or unplugged. For reliable, rechargeable AAs, Maha Imedion low self-discharge 2100mAh NiMH have performed very well for me in all my recorders. Although I mostly use the Tetramic for making live on-stage jazz performances recordings, I also occasionally use it for recording at outdoor music festivals. For those applications I rig a highly portable system, the latest of which combines the Tetramic with a separate 4-channel left/right/center/back spaced omni rig using miniature DPA 4060 on lightweight telescopic arms. I’ve been using variations on the spaced omni rig for a number of years. Below is a link to some photos made in my backyard of this combined rig on one small stand, fully pre-rigged and wired to the two recorders, which are powered by two 9V lithium 'DVD' batteries and sync’ed by a SPDIF connection. The photos show the above mentioned batteries and marker caps on the R-44 gain knobs, which are still useful to keep the input gains locked for the spaced omni array now that I use the DR-680 with the Tetramic. http://www.flickr.com/photos/41278426@N07/sets/72157626421689065/ Great list, hope to contribute what and when I can.. Lee Byrd -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: <https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/private/sursound/attachments/20110422/358f72d5/attachment.html> _______________________________________________ Sursound mailing list [email protected] https://mail.music.vt.edu/mailman/listinfo/sursound
