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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Please, help me choose a field recorder for my Red!

T

Thom Steinhoff

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I'm looking for a good, guerilla, recorder to go with my Red with Timecode. This one is only $999.

Tascam HD-P2

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/404262-REG/Tascam_HD_P2_HD_P2_Portable_Stereo.html

It seems like a good thing because it writes to compact flash (shared media would be nice) and is pretty high resolution. Reviews look pretty goodm but I'm not sure if you can Sync it and disconnect or if it needs to be tethered to write the timecode.

Looks good to me, but I know someone with more experience could have some much needed input.

Another option, would be the Sound Devices one, but at $2495 it is a bit steep and I can think of a few things to do with the extra $1500.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...evices_702T_702T_High_Resolution_Compact.html

The best "match" for Red would be the 4 Chanel, 744T, but $4k is really way more than I wanted to spend.

Please help! I'm getting the e-mail today so the rest of my purchase are happening this week to make sure everything is ready for my new baby!
 
I have been looking at the Roland R-4 Pro. $1999
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/437142-REG/Edirol_Roland_R4PRO_R_4_Pro_4_Channel.html

It records 4 channels, has faders, EQ, and has lots of great features including timecode for under $2000. All the reviews I have read are good.
http://www.videomaker.com/article/13240/
http://www.nickspicks.com/rev-r4.htm

I like Sound Devices, but the 744T needs a separate 4 channel mixer. So you are looking at over $4000 to use it. I can get two R-4 Pros and have 8 channels of high quality audio for that same $4000.


Mahalo,
Dusty
 
Rfo said:
Have you looked at the Edirol R-4 pro?
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/R4Pro

4 channels of 24/96 recording with TC right around $2K
Click to expand...


Looks pretty good. Have you used it? The only thing I liked about the ones I posted is the fact that you can record to Compact flash so someone could swap the CFs from both the audio and the camera and keep rolling while they are verified and backed up.

It looks like this one records to a hard drive that you would have to stop shooting to back it up. I would rather have something that could be changed out with the camera CF to ensure all backups are completed.
 
Dusty,

Looks like the same deal with the Roland. I'd hate for my entire day's audio to be on one hard drive and I'd rather have a Compact flash workflow for the audio that parallels the video workflow.

Maybe I'm making too big of a deal about this. I guess whoever is doing audio can backup off the hard drive between setups. $2K is a lot of money after all! As a Birger Canon user that's a couple of extra lenses!
 
Also, one last thought on the "backup" situation. As long as the audio is "backed up"/teathered to the camera--there is that and all wouldn't be lost if the audio hard drive crashes.
 
The HD-P2 needs an external timecode reference sent to it in order to maintain a sync relationship with the camera. It can take and jam to external TC, but it does not have a full featured TC generator. Since the TC output of the Red is not enabled at this time, you would not be able to accurately sync the two devices. You could still record the audio as a backup, and the HD-P2 has pretty good sounding inputs.
 
Tresch said:
I'm still speaking for Sonosax...
It's a bit pricy but it last a life time...
Click to expand...

Looks like some good stuff in the works, and that leads me to think that maybe it would be best to hold off to see what NAB drags in.

Maybe several 4 chanel TC CF recorders are waiting in the wings ready to be announced.


Mike Paul said:
The HD-P2 needs an external timecode reference sent to it in order to maintain a sync relationship with the camera. It can take and jam to external TC, but it does not have a full featured TC generator. Since the TC output of the Red is not enabled at this time, you would not be able to accurately sync the two devices. You could still record the audio as a backup, and the HD-P2 has pretty good sounding inputs.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Mike, That's what I was afraid of. Any recommendations? Any, wink, wink, nod, nod, new recorders you've heard are coming our way at NAB that would be good to hold off for? :)
 
"Any, wink, wink, nod, nod, new recorders"

Depends what you're looking for, and what your idea of a "backup" recorder is.

If you plan on using the Red's audio capabilities as your "Master" (i.e. that's the audio you will use to edit and for your final product), then a true backup would be at least a 4-track recorder. Of those, the SD 744t is the best of the bunch.

But, if you 're recording four tracks to both devices, then you're into audio splitting, cables, timecode, etc., etc. and will you really have the time to pay attention to all of that when capturing the image is your primary focus?

If all you want to do is maybe "backup" two tracks of audio in the event that there is something wrong with the Audio recording in the Red, then look at the plethora of new little handheld recorders like the Marantx PMD620, the Edirol R1, or the Sony PMD-1 and others like it. They don't have timecode, but they all record WAV files that should hold sync in a DAW if the sample rate is correct.
 
744T trigger

744T trigger

I am agreeing with Mike Paul. I use the 744T on Varicam shoots and found the autorecord function a blessing on sleepy days or quiet directors. Not having timecode out on Red makes me think about an external TC generator and using one of Red's GPI's as my autorecord trigger. Maybe it's too much hardware and I should just wait for the next build!
 
This looks really interesting, I could see RED developing something similair: Out of the box, bleeding edge.

2325_1202191472.jpg
 
Mike Paul said:
The HD-P2 needs an external timecode reference sent to it in order to maintain a sync relationship with the camera. It can take and jam to external TC, but it does not have a full featured TC generator. Since the TC output of the Red is not enabled at this time, you would not be able to accurately sync the two devices. You could still record the audio as a backup, and the HD-P2 has pretty good sounding inputs.
Click to expand...

Actually it can use TC or any sort of video or sync as a clock reference, including TriLevel sync. You could easily sync the HDP2 to the Red by using an external TC generator (like Denecke SB2) to jam sync the Red, and then leave it hooked up to the HDP2. At under $1k the HDP2 has done great work for me for the last two years on all sorts of jobs. I like the sound of it much better than the Edirol 4 track, which has a TC generator that is just as inaccurate for sync work as the HDP2's, but has no way of clocking itself to an external reference. A 2 track recorder that has a fairly accurate TC generator and is relatively cheap is the Fostex FR2, and for $2500 or so you can get a Sound Devices 702T. The latter has worked very well for me too and offers better preamps, as-good-as-it-gets TC and clocking, and can be used with an external DVDRAM burner to make deliverables as you go. There are rumors of new Sound Devices mixer/recorders bouncing around, but received wisdom is that they'll be at they high end of their price range, not the bottom.

Philip Perkins CAS
 
usartwag said:
I am agreeing with Mike Paul. I use the 744T on Varicam shoots and found the autorecord function a blessing on sleepy days or quiet directors. Not having timecode out on Red makes me think about an external TC generator and using one of Red's GPI's as my autorecord trigger. Maybe it's too much hardware and I should just wait for the next build!
Click to expand...

I complained about no TC out in earlier threads for this reason exactly--I do a lot of shoots w/ autorecord on my HDP2. When working alone it is great to be able to keep both hands on the fishpole and have the recorder start and stop w/ the camera. Red seems to be close on this--the connector is already there and the Lemo to 2 XLR cable (for TC i/o) is something that many sound people have already from working w/ SD recorders.

Philip Perkins CAS
 
Sonosax

Sonosax

10s said:
This looks really interesting, I could see RED developing something similair: Out of the box, bleeding edge.
Click to expand...

Or just buy directly from them...

It took them around 30 years of developping and using the best mic preamp in the world.

Thats Jacques SAX AND CHRIS NEWMANN
http://www.sonosax.ch/PHOTOGALLERY/USERS/chris-jackxga.jpg

Was Sanley Kubrick an Indie Filmaker?
http://www.sonosax.ch/PHOTOGALLERY/USERS/28.JPG

Sonosax is not very used to big markets like NAB... contact them directly they are very pationate people.

See you.

Patrick
 
Might be off topic, but what about an HD video field recorder? Like a remote DVCPro HD deck or the like. Going HD SDI out, would be a good insurance policy for the Agencies. It's not 4K but at least you know it's all on tape.
 
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