New Sound Devices 664

[Allan Black]

Sound Devices releases a new rig, their reputation for superb gear makes this 664 a winner right from the getgo. Add their CL-6 and you get 12 mic inputs.

There'll be a few 552s for sale and Sennheiser should be happy, this rig will sell a lot more wireless kits.

http://www.sounddevices.com/products/664/

Cheers.

 

[Mark Phelan]

So the 664 can record all ten channels, so doesn't that make it a recorder? How does this compare to the 744? They call the 664 a mixer. I'm confused.

 

[Allan Black]

Everything that's plugged into it can be recorded on it. 6 mics and 4 output busses onto its 10 tracks.

Apart from the 4 grand, this 664 is not for the faint hearted, fully tricked out on location needs a brave op in good health

Even just owning and listing it will encourage some jobs. The rental houses will jump and down and that's where I'd go to see if it suits.
You'd have to take it to the post house to d/load your recordings too.

But it will lead to more advances in planning, capturing and presenting audio for video.
Bravo!! and cheers to the guys at Sound Devices.

Cheers.

 

[Marc Wielage]

So the 664 can record all ten channels, so doesn't that make it a recorder? How does this compare to the 744? They call the 664 a mixer. I'm confused.

It's a mixer that has a built-in recorder. As opposed to the 788, which is a 10-track recorder with a built-in mixer. Not exactly the same.

Compare them on the Sound Devices website. It's fair to say the recording features are more developed on the 788 -- but the 664 is quite a worthy successor to the 552 (which is still in the line). I think this is Sound Devices coming up with a way to have a mixer/recorder for under $4000, for the run-n-gun/reality/news market. The 788 is still the top of the line, and no doubt prices on the 552 will come down somewhat.

You'd have to take it to the post house to d/load your recordings too.

Nope, removeable CF cards and SD cards. Similar feature set and pricing to Zaxcom Nomad and Maxx, but the pros and cons of each are different. I think the 788 makes more sense for scripted features and TV, and the 788 has been the standard recorder for reality shows for several years now.

 

[Jay A. Kelley]

Cool item. But I'll stay with my Cantar.

 

[Marc Wielage]

The Cantar is still a great machine, but all the new devices kill it for weight, battery life, and heat. The Zaxcom Deva is in the same boat, but Zaxcom is clearly going to smaller solid-state-only machines like the Nomad and the Maxx.

I also don't think the recorder determines sound quality. To me, it's more about the microphones, how they're used, and the nature of the location. I don't think there's a practical difference between Cantar, Nagra, Zaxcom, Sound Devices, or Fostex at the high end; all the differences are operational and superficial.

 

[Christopher Mills]

Hey Marc W...
do I understand correctly that the 664 is a recorder which does not have a metadata editing interface?
that's not a deal breaker for me... but might be for some other folks..
I typically use a Deva Fusion... but also have used 744 and 788s.... and numerous other recorders..

 

[Marc Wielage]

You can edit metadata with the 664 with a new control screen -- scene, take, track names, reel names, and so on.

There is a lot of debate about the 664 over on Jeff Wexler's Sound Mixer forum. I think it's fair to say it's a great machine at this price range ($4000), but not ideal for every situation. Note also it's wider than most current mixers and recorders, so it requires a new bag case for run-and-gun use.