A Moment with the Tascam DR-1

[randygo]

It isn't doable processor wise

That's complete bullshit - but I guess he is more of a marketing person than a tech.

Oh well, can't really fault them - they might feel such a trivial feature addition could

jeopardize sales of their multitrackers, but I doubt it.

At least they don't encode in RDAC like Roland - decoding RDAC to WAV was a really,

really hard problem to solve. :-)

On the positive side I suppose the future for my program looks brighter, as Tascam may

never make it obsolete.

I think I'll add a few more features, perhaps a Windows interface and charge say, $10, for it.

Cheers,

Randy

[gyapp]

Guitarfxr, what serial number was your first unit? Did the Tascam rep tell you which serial numbers were affected? Mine starts with 002, so should I upgrade to firmware 1.10?

[Strungup]

Thanks for all the great efforts...

So you think the 1.10 update is good to go? Should we go ahead?

I'm getting awesome results from the original version, just want to be sure.

well , If you like what your getting , "If it aint broke , dont fix it "

My troubles started After the update , ...if you dont NEED the extra features ( which are minimal) then stay with what works , as that you KNOW it is safe , until they have had more time on the software side.

In a Very quiet Room , you will get Noise and a lot of it , in an Ambient environment the noise is not there , it is partly a Impedance issue and a Power management issue .

so I would wait for the Next update and see if they incorporate what I put in front of them , there were some good ideas exchanged , and and some good explanations given .

and at this price level , and for what is packed inside the unit They are taxing the system ........... They could have done with less features , much less .

The next update will likely have some good stuff , it will be a little while , The are going to experiment with my faulty unit first , and figure out what exactly went wrong .

and how to include some more useful things into the system, and tone down on the less useful stuff .

I have taken mine apart to see the circuit setup inside , and there is one "Main" processor , A/D conversion , and pre-amplification/post amplification , as well as power

management coming off the one processor and the other IC for effects processing , all other related circuitry is buffering , routing , and display control ,

Believe me there is NOT a lot more they could have done with this design , for the Type of and configuration of this system , it is giving what it is capable of .

But , as that a lot of the processes ARE software controlled , they will get better in time .

Guitarfxr, what serial number was your first unit? Did the Tascam rep tell you which serial numbers were affected? Mine starts with 002, so should I upgrade to firmware 1.10?

My first was 001 , first run in the LOW numbers , so I cant really complain , ...........

That's complete bullshit - but I guess he is more of a marketing person than a tech.

Oh well, can't really fault them - they might feel such a trivial feature addition could

jeopardize sales of their multitrackers, but I doubt it.

At least they don't encode in RDAC like Roland - decoding RDAC to WAV was a really,

really hard problem to solve. :-)

On the positive side I suppose the future for my program looks brighter, as Tascam may

never make it obsolete.

I think I'll add a few more features, perhaps a Windows interface and charge say, $10, for it.

Cheers,

Randy

No it isnt BS , I know audio pretty darn well , and build circuit level "Stuff" if you have an electronics background then we can talk , you know Code , that is cool ,but

Hardware has its own issues , and if you dont understand those issues then you dont really have the right to be blasting .

One of the topics that came up was the "iPod Generation" where people expect EVERYTHING , and don't have a basic understanding of the actual capabilities .

Truth be Told , I was impressed with his Fairness , honesty , and insight ( which is rare for me , I am quick to jump on the smell of "BS" , and you can ask any one of the MDCF memebrs about that.)

The end result is at the moment a Field recordist , or someone looking for that 1,000 dollar sound ............... needs to go spend 1,000 dollars .

at 275 dollars or so , for what the DR1 costs , they actually over did themselves and could have gotten away with a Lot less ,

and lastly , your program , is running on a full fledged Computer processor with the horsepower and memory and systems management to work with .

Do you remember the first Palm Pilot ........... it couldnt even RUN audio , much less record it , a system has to be designed for a specific purpose a set of subroutines and then the Power management is built around that , certain types of processing require certain levels of power ,

why doesn't the DR1 have a Lexicon quality Reverb in it ?, because if it had even CLOSE to a Lexicon reverb in it ( at this stage of componentry) the battery would last about 2 minutes on a full charge , could it be done ? yes not exactly but close , ....... the result would be though your unit would burn itself up and the batts would be dead .

coding and building are two very different things , ........let me know when you want to buy one of my mic preamps .

just for clearing things completely

[randygo]

No it isnt BS , I know audio pretty darn well , and build circuit level "Stuff" if you have an electronics background then we can talk , you know Code , that is cool ,but

Hardware has its own issues , and if you dont understand those issues then you dont really have the right to be blasting .

OK, I didn't mean to sound so harsh. I've been around enough salesmen and other reps in my career to

become a little cynical.

Out of curiosity, I'd be interested in seeing an architecture block diagram for the DR-1. I'm still somewhat skeptical that

the device is unable to prevent the addition of the monitored playback signal with the recorded signal, but I suppose

there could be some hardwired limitation internally. The presence of the mix-balance control led me to believe more was

happening in the digital realm under firmware control than might really be the case.

Cheers,

Randy

[clarmusic]

Guitarfxr:

Now that you have your new unit, with the properly functioning firmware 1.10, are the on-board mics still uneven? In the earlier pages, you have a sound sample of how the left and right internal mics sound different from each other.

I'm trying to decide between this and the Edirol R-09 (or possibly the Yamaha Pocketrack when it comes out). Does anyone have any general advice? I know people who have the Edirol, and its built-in mics sound amazingly clear and open, but I don't know how they compare to the Tascam's. My hesitation about the Tascam is the built-in mic quality. My hesitations about the Edirol are reports of flimsy construction and the input jacks flaking out after just a few weeks of use.

Spent the afternoon dealing with Tascam , the result was that I had a Faulty unit, and it has been replaced , And there will be new updates in a few months with possible Numerical partitions ( Maybe ,No guarantee) so I had a bad box .

I have a new one with 1.10 on it and it sounds fine , ............ Back in business , now I can get to work on my Ideas , ( By the way , He REALLY liked my 26db preamps )

[Strungup]

The inputs on the DR1 , are much more sturdy than the R-09 ,

Mic balance is quite a bit better actually , but Mono mode still sux , lose about half the signal level in Mono , must be a phase issue , not sure . It isnt as bad thru the Mic 1 input though , and I think the way it is made , is that Mono was an after thought , and not part of the original design scheme ( who uses it anymore anyway ) well I do ...... but I use Mono Mics when I do , and that is what Mic2 is for , Mono mode in Mic2 is fine

Didnt know about the Pocket Track , Got a Link?

The R-09 does in fact sound really good , I have a Lute player friend with one and the stuff I have heard sounds very good , he uses it as his mp3 player to and from work .

Flimsy covers and Jacks , have a lot to do with the handler of the unit , so that has to be taken with a grain of salt I think.

Difference is the DR1 , has functions the R-09 does not , ........do you need those functions , I think that is the question you need to ask yourself .

The use will determine the need , the need will determine the use .

DR1 is built pretty solid , I like the way it feels , my ONLY , and repeat ONLY gripe is that in a VERY quiet environment you will , WILL get noise , it is a software issue .

In a more ambient area , it is quiet and has a good transient response .

[Strungup]

OK, I didn't mean to sound so harsh. I've been around enough salesmen and other reps in my career to

become a little cynical.

Out of curiosity, I'd be interested in seeing an architecture block diagram for the DR-1. I'm still somewhat skeptical that

the device is unable to prevent the addition of the monitored playback signal with the recorded signal, but I suppose

there could be some hardwired limitation internally. The presence of the mix-balance control led me to believe more was

happening in the digital realm under firmware control than might really be the case.

Cheers,

Randy

Architecture block is a trade secret issue , I wasnt even privi to thos details , but a very GOOD descript was there that was completely trustworthy , and the Mix control is part of how much circuitry they packed onto the board , I think the use of the 1 processor , for A/D -D/A I/O and Power management and signal routing and control from all inputs , ..........

well you get my point ...... it is taxed , and badly . Preamp should be a separate process IMHO ,.... always have felt that way , Integrated everything , is just plain difficult to manage .

I brought that up as well . but Technology , moves faster than knowledge at times , and Chipmakers , are making Chips that they think can do everything , and the builder are at the mercy of what the Chips are actually capable of . From there they draw the best they can out of it . In this instance ,.......this IS the case .

Actually have to give Tascam Credit on this one . They were thinking about the People , and who would use it , It IS designed for Musicians , not the field recordist , but there are tricks to pull some really good sound out of it . A matched pair of my pre's were hooked up to the AT-822 and into the Mic1 input thereby changing its impedance and gain structure from the OUTside of the processor ........... the result was very nice indeed . he liked them very much , I made a direct comparison the the AT-822 connected to the RH1 , and then to the DR1 direct , in both cases .

He got my point immediately that this was the level of mic input that SHOULD be on the DR1 ........ But lets look at the RH1 , the Mic pre .........is a ......Separate circuit dedicated to that one process .

Not integrated , so its only job is impedance matching and preamplification .

The Impedance of the DR1 Mic1 input is in between line and Mic level, in fact I used the DR1 to fix a low level recording from my MZ-B10 this morning , I recorded an assembly in an audience of over 1000 people , using the B10 , which has a built in mic and No manual rec adjustment . It was Lectures , so we werent talking about Big sound here.

Result was a low level audio on the B10 . The B10 Headphone out is not anywhere near as HOT as the other MD models , in fact the headphone out is rather Tame , because it is an educational use MD and Not a mainstream Music model ( even thought it will do that , vie Line I/O and Optical In , plus a Stereo Mic input )

so a Lower level Headphone out I thought I would test my theory and see just where the Mic 1 input was , with My B10 volume set at 6 or so , and the Mic1 gain set to Low , I was able to put the Input level all the way up on the DR1 ............ 10 without getting near the klip zone .

I think the 30k impedance listed for mic 1 might not be accurate , it would be a "Summed" impedance and not the Actual impedance , so any mic that you plug into Mic1 is going to be very Low , and will have to be Cranked up to get anything out of it , unless it was a fairly high impedance mic . The AT-822 is 250 ohms per channel

My mic pres bring the Output impedance up to 35 kohms or so , and then the DR1 breathes quite nicely .

Another test would be , two XLR to 1/4 inch Hi Low adapters ( Transformers inside ) to a small Y adapter with a 1/8 stereo plug on one end and two Female 1/4's on the other , then run two Mics that way

Most of those adapter are 600 ohms to 50 kohms , some are lower or higher , you find them at Guitar center or other Music strores that carry PA stuff .

If I ever get a Block diagram of the MIC1 pathway , and a circuit layout so I know exactly what resistor or cap I am looking at , I will work on a mod for it , ( a little Parallel Resistor action , and a couple well placed caps ought to do the trick . )

anyway , from here you guys are on your own unless you want a preamp , I am done talking about the DR1 . Time to actually use the dang thing ............

It works good for Getting Legacy Md's into MP3 format , Or Wave , and , you have Reverbs , a Limiter , and Low cut filter , thru Mic 1, so a little imagination and those EARLY recordings that could be a Little HOTTER , or Fatter , can be easily made that way on the Go , ....... without a computer around ..

Safety would say to use a special cable ( 1/8 stereo that has resistors built in for attenuation ) or to KNOW what your doing so as not to over power the Mic 1 input and damage the unit ,........... every one with me on that ???? I hope so .

It seemed to like the B10 headphone out quite nicely , No Noise at all , nice clean audio , and a very nice fix to some of these lectures , Speaker is at one level so you get the level set , and audience applause is another level , so you have the Limiter , Balance carefully the two , and you get a very nice result , something I couldn't do with my MD's

Audience would always clip and have to be cut out . now I can just record a little lower and fix it later , at my Leisure .......... Nice

Basic advice , to use Mic1 input , use an impedance matcher ( transformer , XLR->1/4 inch , or build one with Audio Transformers and a small metal Box with 1/8 stereo I/O , I am going to do that for my AT-822)

administrators , please lock this thread so that we can get back to MD ..........

[clarmusic]

http://www.yamahasynth.com/products/pocketrak/index.html

I am a musician, so I would like to make good recordings of myself and groups I'm in playing - I also gather samples (outside, inside, on trains, in the woods, etc) to use later, so I'd like to have something that's at least adequate for that. I'm not too concerned about extra features.

Does the replacement machine still have the distortion problem when you shake it a little?

About the noise in a quiet environment - would this be a serious problem if I'm trying to record myself playing solo clarinet in a quiet room? Did they indicate that they would fix this when you talked to them?

Also - from what you've heard from your lute player friend, could you make a judgment about the mic/sound quality of the Tascam versus the Edirol?

Thanks so much, this is all extremely helpful!

Mic balance is quite a bit better actually , but Mono mode still sux , lose about half the signal level in Mono , must be a phase issue , not sure . It isnt as bad thru the Mic 1 input though , and I think the way it is made , is that Mono was an after thought , and not part of the original design scheme ( who uses it anymore anyway ) well I do ...... but I use Mono Mics when I do , and that is what Mic2 is for , Mono mode in Mic2 is fine

Didnt know about the Pocket Track , Got a Link?

The R-09 does in fact sound really good , I have a Lute player friend with one and the stuff I have heard sounds very good , he uses it as his mp3 player to and from work .

Flimsy covers and Jacks , have a lot to do with the handler of the unit , so that has to be taken with a grain of salt I think.

Difference is the DR1 , has functions the R-09 does not , ........do you need those functions , I think that is the question you need to ask yourself .

The use will determine the need , the need will determine the use .

DR1 is built pretty solid , I like the way it feels , my ONLY , and repeat ONLY gripe is that in a VERY quiet environment you will , WILL get noise , it is a software issue .

In a more ambient area , it is quiet and has a good transient response .

Edited April 23, 2008 by J G W

[ozpeter]

There's a new R 09 model about to be released.

http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,100541.0.html

[Strungup]

There's a new R 09 model about to be released.

http://taperssection.com/index.php/topic,100541.0.html

Good looking improvements , they fixed the Battery cover issue , and nicer mics than the previous model . I wonder about the Limiter , it says Limiter/AGC on the back switch .

Menu electable?????

[bbergman]

Guitarfxr, you're a stud for putting this all online and doing so much to make this device known. Tascam owes you a heartfelt thanks, if not more.

I purchased a DR-1 today based on the conversations herein. I'm looking forward to comparing it with my H2, but I have a feeling the H2 will be up on eBay soon. ;-) Although not portable, I'm also interested in comparing relative quality and noise levels against the Samson C03U mic that I use for podcasting. The DR-1 may be my new podcasting mic of choice, when not in use for theater performances.

Has anyone here compared (or evaluated) the new Yamaha xx2 (forgot the model number) unit against the H2 or DR-1?

thanks!

bruce

[Strungup]

Guitarfxr, you're a stud for putting this all online and doing so much to make this device known. Tascam owes you a heartfelt thanks, if not more.

I purchased a DR-1 today based on the conversations herein. I'm looking forward to comparing it with my H2, but I have a feeling the H2 will be up on eBay soon. ;-) Although not portable, I'm also interested in comparing relative quality and noise levels against the Samson C03U mic that I use for podcasting. The DR-1 may be my new podcasting mic of choice, when not in use for theater performances.

Has anyone here compared (or evaluated) the new Yamaha xx2 (forgot the model number) unit against the H2 or DR-1?

thanks!

bruce

Thanx , there needs to be more appreciative people in the world ,

The Mic 2 input , is going to make you smile , If your into Podcasting , ......For just Mono recording , or Mono thru a Stereo Effect on the go , Mic2 is very very cool .

Close micing practically no noise , You will figure it out , Level control works for Mic 2 , Limiter does not (Mic 1 input only ) but for a controlled setting your wont need it .

Podcasting on the GO >>>>>>>

Mic 1 input can be Made useable , with some extras , in a really quiet place , where there is a little activity , The internal mics are just fine , it is really just the Very QUIET room where the noise levels rise ( and dramatically ) .......the Subroutines in the program are constantly isolating noise , similar to the Isolative Adaptive Recording routine the Edirol uses but a different codec and program , and it still needs work , but it will get better , just going to take a little while .

I use small Battery powered mixers, that have a Lower than line level out , it is like a very high impedance Mic level out ,run it to the Mic 1 input , and the DR1 likes it cleans up considerably , so then I can get fairly good stereo recording of strings intsruments in a quiet room .

But the Overdub feature , and the Mic 2 in will drive you nuts ......... Load an mp3 that you want to talk over into the Music folder on the DR1 , then set Record Mode to 16bit wav.... and in Mic settings ( the button on the right side ) turn Monitor "ON" select the mp3 and have it loaded to play , but hit record instead , a little window opens and asks you "Overdub / Yes/No?" select yes and go ( to rehearse with monitor on , just play the file and talk in the mic , adjust settings till it sounds good to you . then hit record)

have fun , and yes the H2 will be on eBay soon . Mine has not been missed , not 1 minute

[ozpeter]

http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/download/software/h2.php#c is where you can download an Centrance asio driver for the H2, enabling it to be used as a simple audio interface in DAW software like Cubase (they tested it) and Reaper (I tested it). So if you need that, don't sell the H2!

[Strungup]

I will add one last thing to all this .

I still like the SOUND of my MD better ..............

Overdubbing is cool and helps me with a lot of Ideas , But My MD is what my headphones get connected to when I leave the house .

[bjt42]

Thanks for all this info, it's really the best resource on the DR-1 I've seen. I noticed that you were using an external preamp with a dynamic mic through MIC2. How do you think it would do without the external pre-amp? I have a Sennheiser E845 (dynamic) that I'm hoping to use in conjunction with the overdubbing function to lay down a vocal track.

[Strungup]

Thanks for all this info, it's really the best resource on the DR-1 I've seen. I noticed that you were using an external preamp with a dynamic mic through MIC2. How do you think it would do without the external pre-amp? I have a Sennheiser E845 (dynamic) that I'm hoping to use in conjunction with the overdubbing function to lay down a vocal track.

I have already answered that .

[jaeger28]

Here is another recording of a recent rehearsal, which was real loud. Was made on 16bit/44KHz setting.

Trick is to use the low mic setting and not put the levels too high to avoid the limiter having to work much.

Recording Link

[Strungup]

Which again confirms what I have said all along , ......... For Louder environments to DR1 does it's thing quite well

The ONLY gripe , is when you get to Really quiet places the Mic 1 stage is just a little too weak .

But functionality and ease of use the DR1 is in the pocket .

Rock on Jaeger ,sounds good man

[KowToy]

I need to clean the source up a bit, its not quite ready for other eyes at the moment.

The basic principle of operation is very simple. The program phase-inverts the A track and

adds it to the A+B track. If the mix balance was set to maximum at the time of the overdub,

then the A track was recorded at unity gain in the A + B track so it cancels out completely,

producing a pristine B track.

There is a complication through. I don't know if its a bug, a feature, or an intentional trick on

Tascam's part, but the overdubbed track ( A + B ) is not perfectly in sync with the A

track. It starts recording earlier by about 25 or 26 samples (random!) on my unit.

So my program needs to determine what this offset is and account for it before calculating

the difference of the two WAV files. I currently do a simple analysis of the first two seconds

of the candidate output files at different offset values between 0 and 100. Whichever

candidate is "quietest" is deduced to be the correct offset value to recover the B track.

If Tascam can fix this random offset problem the program would be trivial.

Cheers,

Randy

Just in case anyone is interested, I figured out an alternate method to do this with no out-of-sync issues. I did it with Audacity so it can be done via Windows, Mac, etc. It's pretty simple, although not perfect considering the nature of the DR-1 and it's actually intended purpose, but it does work and sounds decent.

1. Record the first track (A) in mono on the DR-1.

2. Set the DR-1 to overdub in stereo ala the instructions. And make sure the mix balance is set to maximum as per Randy's direction.

3. Record track B.

4. Import track B into Audacity.

5. Split the stereo image

6. Select one wave form completely, i.e. the right channel, and use the "Invert" effect.

7. Set both channels to mono.

8. Hit play and enjoy your isolated "B" track.

9. Use "Quick Mix" or "Export" to mix the file to one track.

10. Use multi-tracking software to add stereo effects if that is your desire.

--In addition to Randy's idea, I also found this following youtube video insightful. It pretty much sums up the whole concept of phase inverting with Audacity:

Good luck and enjoy!

[jaeger28]

Done some more recordings, also a live one on a bigger venue (Bouche à Oreille). Due to restrictions in the place we had to put the Tascam about 15m away from the stage on a mic stand.

I also had too low gain and only 16bit. Still the quality is acceptable I find.

Check out the recordings here: http://www.thegutbusters.com/Media.html

[Strungup]

Listening to part 1 now , a little distortion , but I think that was in the sound system .

Surprising the bass response from the internal mics isn't it ? You can hear the limiter coming in and out just barely , and only if you know what your listening for .

but the balance between the Audience and the Band is quite good , (I just wish my French didnt suck so bad )

kill the harmony parts on New Years Day , just let the Lead Vocals have it........... The scream got drowned out by the Harmony ( U2 Fan here , gotta have the scream ...!!!)

Heroes : was , like ,... Pixies , meets Green Day , Meets Bowie , Meets Sex Pistols , kind of ....... cool !

This will get a good bit of headphone time , Thx for posting this .

[jaeger28]

Listening to part 1 now , a little distortion , but I think that was in the sound system .

Surprising the bass response from the internal mics isn't it ? You can hear the limiter coming in and out just barely , and only if you know what your listening for .

but the balance between the Audience and the Band is quite good , (I just wish my French didnt suck so bad )

kill the harmony parts on New Years Day , just let the Lead Vocals have it........... The scream got drowned out by the Harmony ( U2 Fan here , gotta have the scream ...!!!)

Heroes : was , like ,... Pixies , meets Green Day , Meets Bowie , Meets Sex Pistols , kind of ....... cool !

This will get a good bit of headphone time , Thx for posting this .

Thanks for the praise!

Check the added Rehearsal recordings on the same link (http://www.thegutbusters.com/Media.html), they sound much more tight and direct. This was more close up and properly levelled out ...

Edited May 20, 2008 by jaeger28

[lilya39]

Thanks for the praise!

Check the added Rehearsal recordings on the same link (http://www.thegutbusters.com/Media.html), they sound much more tight and direct. This was more close up and properly levelled out ...

we have windscreens for the tascam dr1 for $20.00 plus shipping

and the sony pcm 50 and yamaha pocketrac 2g and marantz and edirol on the way.

lilya39@hotmail.com

[Strungup]

I bought a New 4 GB SD card for the DR1 , Class 6 high speed , Low power consumption ,............... and I have noticed a couple things , immediately.

#1 The Startup was way Faster

#2 when recording With Phones and Monitoring , there was still noise , BUT when NOT Monitoring and NO PHONES connected the Noise levels dropped substantially.

Leaves me to think it is Partially a Power Management issue ......

Anyway , it was a NICE upgrade , I am liking this .......... let us see what the next update brings .

[SeattleSound]

Good Grief I had to create a new subscription to get on here tonight and have just about used up all of my steam.

My question of the hour. I took my DR-1 with me last weekend to record my wife's CD release party. I purchased an adaptor so I wouldn't have to worry about battery life and had three large memory disks. Came out of the mixing board and into the unit. Set it to record at the highest level of wave.

Playing back the recording it sounds like a 1/2 step slow. Nothing sounds quite right.

Is this because of the way I set up the unit for recording?

Is is because the WAV file needs to be processed some how to sound better?

Do I have a faulty unit 20391?

Any ideas on why.

Thanks

JTG

[Strungup]

What speed are the Cards? That may have an effect , If they arent class 6 compliant they may be too slow

or , you may have a Bad unit , try again at home with some different settings first to make sure, and save the original file , so that if there is a prob you can take it back and show them .

[jpoprock]

I'm considering the Tascam DR-1 to record my band's live gigs. We're a semi-loud band, and I'll be recording from the stage. I'm not totally sure how I'll be able to "center" the unit. Will the unit have to be in the center of the stage or room to get a good sound? I was planning on having it on my side of the stage up in the air at head level on a mic stand, with hopes that the recording would sound good. It doesn't have to be pefectly balanced. I just want to capture the performances for keepsake.

I saw the link for the mic stand mount for $39. Very cool. I was hoping to avoid using an external stereo mic, just to keep cost down. Will the built in mic's do ok? I also read NOT to do the 1.10 update. That's a shame.

Thanks for the clips and info so far guys!

Jason

[Strungup]

If you listened to Jeigermeisters , that was all done with the internal mics

The Bass response was incredible

I have a new unit ( Tascam swapped mine out ) and have 1.10 on it , the main thing is the "Quiet Room" in a quiet room the noise filter algorithim just doesnt know what to look for so the unit gets noisy ....... Also I have noticed that when using headphones to monitor what I am recording , there is more noise than when not using phones .

So there is a slight Power management issue . If i ever get schematics , I think I could make a workaround for the Mic1 input , so someone send me a Pdf if you find one .

I just need to trace the lines for Mic 1 to the IC , and the Two sets of resistors that form the Ratio for the input impedance there is one set for the Internal mics , and then another set just before the Mic 1 in joins the main in the the IC ,........ If I can pinpoint those two set without having to take mine all to pieces then I can make AND POST a workaround so the external mics will give a MUCH better output .

[freechess]

Hi there,

@Guitarfxr:

THX a lot for this very interesting thread!

@Sounddog:

"sounds like a 1/2 step slow. Nothing sounds quite right.

Is this because of the way I set up the unit for recording?"

Maybe you came in touch with the FX-Button before the release party?

I got my DR-1 yesterday and without intention I suddenly had a recording

with chorus fx on it. Since then I've been more careful with that button...

@All:

S/N of my unit starts with 001(24...), so I certainly hesitate updating to 1.10,

which is quite a pity because I'd be thankful for the fx-routing feature..

Now I've noticed the small hole in the back of the DR-1, which is supposed

to reset it (!) to factory settings (as written in the manual)..

Well, wouldn't this fix problems after a bad update?

Did the Tascam-Rep not mention that button either?

regards

EDIT: Just heard, the reset-thing doesn't affect the firmware, hm..

sorry for wasting your time

Edited June 11, 2008 by freechess

[jpoprock]

Wow, Jager's recordings sound fabulous. I would be THRILLED to have that kind of recording. So, that was at a "gig" with people? Sound like it was in a small room with just the band. And 15m away from the stage? That is bizarre too, cuz it sounds like the unit is really close to one of the guitar players. Either way, it sounds GREAT.

I just wonder how good my recordings would sound from ON STAGE placement, and from the left side, where I stand? That way I don't have to worry about someone tipping the mic stand over in the crowd, or stealing it. We don't have a "soundman". We run sound from the stage with great results. We've been doing it as a band for 15years, so we have it down to a science. The not being centered issue has always prevented me from buying a unit like this. Cuz I can't baby sit it. And we don't always have people that I know, that can watch over it in the crowd.

Any advise on how to handle that, and were I can place the unit to get acceptable results?

Thanks!

Jason

[Strungup]

Wow, Jager's recordings sound fabulous. I would be THRILLED to have that kind of recording. So, that was at a "gig" with people? Sound like it was in a small room with just the band. And 15m away from the stage? That is bizarre too, cuz it sounds like the unit is really close to one of the guitar players. Either way, it sounds GREAT.

I just wonder how good my recordings would sound from ON STAGE placement, and from the left side, where I stand? That way I don't have to worry about someone tipping the mic stand over in the crowd, or stealing it. We don't have a "soundman". We run sound from the stage with great results. We've been doing it as a band for 15years, so we have it down to a science. The not being centered issue has always prevented me from buying a unit like this. Cuz I can't baby sit it. And we don't always have people that I know, that can watch over it in the crowd.

Any advise on how to handle that, and were I can place the unit to get acceptable results?

Thanks!

Jason

Well , depending on the Gig , There are Mic holders that Clamp to a Drum kit ( You probably have a couple with your drummer ) but get one that has an extension , and the 39 dollar holder , and Clamp the holder to a Ceiling Rafter or one of the Electrical pipes , or wiring pipes if there are any , then you WILL be able to center it , and place it back in the Audience without anyone getting to it ( This is what I have ALWAYS done ) I carry a clamp type mic rig where ever I go play , and mount my AT-822 on it . Great results every time.

here is one design , you could probably make one from Hardware parts

here is another one

[jpoprock]

Well , depending on the Gig , There are Mic holders that Clamp to a Drum kit ( You probably have a couple with your drummer ) but get one that has an extension , and the 39 dollar holder , and Clamp the holder to a Ceiling Rafter or one of the Electrical pipes , or wiring pipes if there are any , then you WILL be able to center it , and place it back in the Audience without anyone getting to it ( This is what I have ALWAYS done ) I carry a clamp type mic rig where ever I go play , and mount my AT-822 on it . Great results every time.

here is one design , you could probably make one from Hardware parts

here is another one

Thanks for that suggestion. That's a great idea. I don't plan on using an external mic, unless it's absolutely vital, so getting that soundproffessional's holder, plus a clampable boom would be great.

My unit arrives tomorrow! And hopefully it doesn't have the newest firmware. I guess the word is.. don't update to the newest. Hopefully I can find the one before this one.

j

[Strungup]

for what your doing Version 1.10 isnt an issue , it really is the Quiet room I recorded a Billiards Hall today in MP3 mode and it is pretty fat .

I will be using a lot of sound samples for intros and transitions on my cd . A story line if you will .

So that is one of my main uses for the DR1 , also I NEEDED the limiter ( Breaks in a pool hall are pretty dynamic) I couldnt really do this sample well with MD not to get the levels I nedded.

I also recorded a Flea Market , walking around in a Crowd of Japanese people in a Flea Market . Both with no real noticeable noise , but I come home to a VERY quiet room , and ............. there is the issue .

I played with the new R-09 HR yesterday , and I will take my AT822 with me the next time , it was pretty darn clean , but it doesnt have the OVERdubbing feature that the DR1 has . That is a Big plus for me , getting Guitar lessons together .

[jpoprock]

I'm going to be recording a gig tonight with my new DR-1 and wondered some things....

Does it make a sonic diff how the mic's are rotated? I did some "Check Check singing in the car" tests, but didn't notice a diff.

Also, how far back should I have the unit from the stage? I'll be using the built in mic's for now. Will I be looking at using the Limiter, Low Gain, with 4-6db of headroom? Or should I use the high gain setting?

What about bass roll off? I'm assuming I'd want it to be on, and at 80khz, maybe just 40? I'm not sure. We are a "rock" band with an AWESOME bass player. But I don't want the recording to be bass central. I might try for kicks also placing it on stage too to see what that sounds like. I think it would be cool to sorta capture the band as "I heard us".

Any advice would appreciated!

I think I'm going to buy one of those fuzzy windscreens, and that mic mount at Sound Professionals too.

I also wonder if I should update the firmware to 1.10 despite some assurance that it's ok for what I need. It seems like 1.02 is the one everyone loved the most.

You can grab it here: http://www.solidstatesound.co.uk/Downloads.htm It's a UK site, but I don't think it has an effect on the firmware working for US people.

Thanks!

Jason

Edited June 20, 2008 by jpoprock

[ozpeter]

Sounds like you should check out the TapersSection forums at http://taperssection.com/index.php/board,11.0.html for some at least of those questions, Jason.

[jpoprock]

A mono Recording , so that you can hear each mic separately Left pointed at me , then Right , but as a Mono file .

In this test one of the Faults becomes VERY clear

I will post another with the AT -822 here for comparison

You know, I noticed this myself, before discovering this post. That one mic sounds thinner than the other. But I was using v1.01, and not in mono mode. I now have loaded v1.02, so I should try it again.

Have we drawn any conclusions as to if this is a huge problem when recording a live band, or a work around?

Hey, if I'm not doing any field recording... do I need a windscreen such as a Furby? I'm only going to be recording my band pretty much. Thanks!

Jason

[Strungup]

Furby is for an area where air is moving , You probably wont be recording in mono for any thing , I asked about that with the Tascam Rep , and the answer was that the Mono feature is mainly intended for Mic2 input .

The Mic direction , IS important , face the Mics , to the sound source , unless your looking for a more ambient and less direct sound .

It could be usefull in strong Bassy sound situations to point the mics up .

[dobchinsky]

Hi Guitarfxr.

Thanks to your nice comments, I'm about to buy the DR1 !

I remember you mentionned the SONY/ECM-23F3 mic, wich I'm also using : would it be ok in the Mic2 input ?

Thx again,

Dob

[Strungup]

Hi Guitarfxr.

Thanks to your nice comments, I'm about to buy the DR1 !

I remember you mentionned the SONY/ECM-23F3 mic, wich I'm also using : would it be ok in the Mic2 input ?

Thx again,

Dob

NO YOU NEED TO SELL IT TO ME!!!!!!!! ,......... so I can have a matched Pair

Of course it will work , And sound pretty good at that .

[dobchinsky]

NO YOU NEED TO SELL IT TO ME!!!!!!!! ,......... so I can have a matched Pair

Of course it will work , And sound pretty good at that .

Ok, great !

I was afraid it could be weak, without any separate preamp.

My purpose : voice recording, as cleanly as possible.

I'll sell you the mic if I happen to get desappointed ... I promise !

Thanks !

Dob