Best hard disk recorder for location recordings?

[Joel]

It's time for an equipment upgrade and I could use some advice.

I do location recordings for schools, colleges and small groups.

I edit on a computer. Many of my recordings are two to three hours of total
time and I can't afford the time to transfer the tracks to a computer at
real time. I typically record stereo and use additional mics to pick up
soloists. I've never used more than eight tracks.

I was thinking about recorders such as the Mackie SDR, Alesis HD24, Tascam
2424 or the Fostex D2424 but I'm open to any suggestions.

I currently edit on a Mac but I have both Macs and PCs and am equally at
home on either platform, so if the best solution is platform dependent, I
can easily switch.

TIA

Joel Leipzig

remove flying_pigs to email

[Len Moskowitz]

Joel > wrote:

>It's time for an equipment upgrade and I could use some advice.
>...
>I edit on a computer. Many of my recordings are two to three hours of total
>time and I can't afford the time to transfer the tracks to a computer at
>real time. I typically record stereo and use additional mics to pick up
>soloists. I've never used more than eight tracks.
>
>I was thinking about recorders such as the Mackie SDR, Alesis HD24, Tascam
>2424 or the Fostex D2424 but I'm open to any suggestions.

If you can live with two tracks, instead of a hard disk recorder you
might consider PDAudio. It turns a PocketPC PDA (e.g., an iPAQ) into a
24-bit, 96 kilosamples-per-second linear PCM recorder. It records to
either CF card flash memory or hard disk, or PC card hard disk. It's
handheld and totally portable. It provides growth to 192 KS/s and can
also be used with laptop computers.

You transfer the recorded files to your Mac or PC by simply removing the
CF storage from the PDA and inserting it into your desktop machine's
card reader. It immediately becomes part of your PCs file system -- no
uploading is required.

Please see our Web site for more details.

--
Len Moskowitz PDAudio, Binaural Mics, Cables, DPA, M-Audio
Core Sound http://www.stealthmicrophones.com
Teaneck, New Jersey USA http://www.core-sound.com
Tel: 201-801-0812, FAX: 201-801-0912

[Chris Seifert]

You might consider a Digi 002 and one of the newer ibooks.
I got adequate recording with an old G3 500mhz with 320 mb or ram
recording to to an external firewire drive. I now use a 15" 1ghz
Powerbook as my main location system but I do remember having sucess
with the ibook even. Most of my remotes were LCR Ls Rs so you should
be fine with your track count. One thing to remember to keep the
system stable is to enter a time into the Digi maximum record time
allocation. THis makes the mobile rig much more stable.

Best,
Chris
wavetrap



(Len Moskowitz) wrote in message >...
> Joel > wrote:
>
> >It's time for an equipment upgrade and I could use some advice.
> >...
> >I edit on a computer. Many of my recordings are two to three hours of total
> >time and I can't afford the time to transfer the tracks to a computer at
> >real time. I typically record stereo and use additional mics to pick up
> >soloists. I've never used more than eight tracks.
> >
> >I was thinking about recorders such as the Mackie SDR, Alesis HD24, Tascam
> >2424 or the Fostex D2424 but I'm open to any suggestions.
>
> If you can live with two tracks, instead of a hard disk recorder you
> might consider PDAudio. It turns a PocketPC PDA (e.g., an iPAQ) into a
> 24-bit, 96 kilosamples-per-second linear PCM recorder. It records to
> either CF card flash memory or hard disk, or PC card hard disk. It's
> handheld and totally portable. It provides growth to 192 KS/s and can
> also be used with laptop computers.
>
> You transfer the recorded files to your Mac or PC by simply removing the
> CF storage from the PDA and inserting it into your desktop machine's
> card reader. It immediately becomes part of your PCs file system -- no
> uploading is required.
>
> Please see our Web site for more details.

[Thomas Bishop]

"Joel" > wrote in message
> I do location recordings for schools, colleges and small groups.

Me too and am going through the same upgrades right now.

> I edit on a computer. Many of my recordings are two to three hours of
total
> time and I can't afford the time to transfer the tracks to a computer at
> real time. I typically record stereo and use additional mics to pick up
> soloists. I've never used more than eight tracks.

I also record to hard disk and transfer to computer. Read on.

> I was thinking about recorders such as the Mackie SDR, Alesis HD24, Tascam
> 2424 or the Fostex D2424 but I'm open to any suggestions.

I bought the SDR first but didn't like that the hard disks were $200 each.
I got a refurbished model and the analog inputs 1-8 were shot. So I sent it
back and instead of getting a new Mackie I got the Fostex D2424 instead.
I've only had it for a week or so, but here's what I think of it so far:

The remote is great. A standard VGA monitor extension cord will work with
it, and I recommend it as the included lead is only about four inches. As
is the case I've heard with all Fostex products, the manual is the worst
manual I've ever read. The user interface is much more awkward and less
intuitive than the Mackie. I didn't even open the manual on the SDR before
I started recording. You can't arm tracks on the fly like you can with the
Mackie.

Okay, I think the bad points are out of the way. The good ones: Analog
inputs are on 1/4" jacks rather than Mackie's DB25 connector. The cables I
bought (DB25 - 1/4" TS) were $50 a piece. The Fostex will accept a standard
IDE drive. The one that shipped with it was 80 gigs, much more than the 30
that the Mackie had. The Mackie has USB output for transfer but I believe
that it's USB 1 and it takes forever. To transfer about 10 gigs worth of
audio it took several hours. I started the transfer at night before I went
to bed and it was finished by morning at least. I'm not sure how the Fostex
will transfer wave files; I haven't gotten that far in the manual (if it's
in there at all). Mike, when are you going to start writing some new
manuals? : ) You can install an optional Ethernet card but it's $250.

Good luck in your search. There are many options out there and it's a
confusing decision. Make sure you know what you are getting before you buy
it.

[Mike Rivers]

In article > writes:

> I bought the SDR first but didn't like that the hard disks were $200 each.

I've been buying 120 GB hard drives for $70 after rebates. Cycle them
through a few $20 carriers and they no longer cost $200. What are you
using in your Fostex?



--
I'm really Mike Rivers - )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

[Thomas Bishop]

"Mike Rivers" > wrote in message
> I've been buying 120 GB hard drives for $70 after rebates. Cycle them
> through a few $20 carriers and they no longer cost $200. What are you
> using in your Fostex?

It's an 80 gig Western Digital. Are you replacing the main hard drive with
those? I didn't think you could replace the first hard drive, only add an
extra one. Do you transfer the files to a computer? If so, how?

[Arny Krueger]

"Thomas Bishop" > wrote in message


> "Mike Rivers" > wrote in message

>> I've been buying 120 GB hard drives for $70 after rebates. Cycle them
>> through a few $20 carriers and they no longer cost $200. What are
>> you using in your Fostex?

> It's an 80 gig Western Digital. Are you replacing the main hard
> drive with those? I didn't think you could replace the first hard
> drive, only add an extra one.

You can do both, but there's nothing wrong with adding a second disc. In
fact there's a lot of things right about adding a second disc if you know
how to exploit it.

> Do you transfer the files to a computer? If so, how?

The standard technique for upgrading or replacing the boot drive involves
using partition copying software like Ghost, or various other programs that
come in the retail packaging of the hard drives.

If you want to do this with XP, it may take a little correct mouth-holding
and re-activation. It's a comparative slam dunk with most Win98SE systems.

On a good day, XP can also be moved with just a bootable XP install disc, if
you know what you're doing.

I do it all the time, but it's what I do...

[BananaHead]

Joel > wrote in message >...
> It's time for an equipment upgrade and I could use some advice.


You could look into a Metric Halo setup. Apple friendly, 8 analog
in/outs, top quality converters and good mic pres.

http://www.mhlabs.com

I do multi-hour live sessions on a MIO 2882 & Powerbook running
Nuendo. I've got to say I'm constantly blown away by the Metric sound
quality, over and over and over again. And never had so much as a
click in the audio. Very compact/low profile.

-bh

[Mike Rivers]

"Thomas Bishop" > wrote in message


> It's an 80 gig Western Digital. Are you replacing the main hard
> drive with those? I didn't think you could replace the first hard
> drive, only add an extra one.

On the HDR, Mackie only officially supports larger than 30 GB hard
drives in the external bay when you get the BIOS upgrade chip, but
I replaced the internal one too. Not only greater capacity, but
quieter, too. The only thing about replacing internal drives (same
goes for the SDR, which will accommodate large drives as it comes from
the factory) is that Mackie wants to discourage owners from getting
inside. But if you don't care about threats of voiding the warranty,
it's no problem.

> Do you transfer the files to a computer? If so, how?

I really don't work in that mode, but I have installed a mating drive
bay in the studio computer just for fun. I've also used FTP transfer,
which is slower. A lot of people are building that drive bay into a
firewire case and transferring files that way.



--
I'm really Mike Rivers - )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo