Paul Graff Posted April 12, 2008 Report Share Posted April 12, 2008 Hi Everybody, Well, I've had my Fusion for 2 1/2 weeks now and I am very happy with it. I admit I breathed a small sigh of relief upon seeing the just-announced and very nice SD 788t, as that turns out to be a very different machine from this and not what I personally had been looking for. I wanted a machine that could live on the cart and provide all the metadata functionality for scripted work and could live in a bag and stand alone without an additional mixer needed. The Fusion continues to exceed my expectations. While the Fusion is a complete all-in-one-box mixer/recorder with eight full-size XLR inputs and eight knobs (high-friction and knurled--thank you!), only one working day since I've had it has been over the shoulder and the rest on a cart with a panel mixer in front. I did build it into a PEGZ-1 to test it out when I first got it and it works great. I bought a custom-made analog output cable from Trew Audio. Outputs 1,2,and 3 are on TA3 males (easily expanded to XLR when needed). Output 4 goes to a 3.5mm male for Comtek Tx and outputs 5 and 6 go to a TA5 female to feed a ST100 on a TRX900AA for two-channel wireless transmission that mimics the ten-pin camera send. In two full weeks on the job, this machine is so intuitive it has become like an extension of me when I work. It is so effortless to use. There are a few tweaks I have recommended to Zaxcom and they have so far been eager to hear my opinion, as well as being always available to answer questions when I have called them. They'd have gotten fewer calls had a manual been immediately available, but that is on their website now, I see. To each his or her own, but I personally hate scrolling through menus. With the Fusion there is no scrolling, just a big, easy-to-use touch screen that gets me where I want to go, usually in a couple of taps. I will say that for the type of work I do I have little need for the effects package, but then again, I have not been off the cart with the machine very much yet. I think the 8-track machine is a very good bargain for $9000, but the extra $1000 for the effects package, in its current incarnation at least, is not worth the money IMO. Improvements are planned to make it easier to use on the fly, but that is a lot to pay for what it offers currently. Zaxcom seems pretty into marketing this as a reality/ENG machine, but I think it's every bit as good on the cart as their other machines and less bulky when you need to take it off the cart. I keep a Transcend 133X 32 GB CF card in the primary drive. $148 at newegg.com. Works great. If you want 10 or 16 tracks or insist on an internal hard drive, then I guess the other options would be more appropriate. All for now. Rather than provide a full review of the machine, please feel free to ask me specific questions and I will answer them. PG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted April 12, 2008 Report Share Posted April 12, 2008 Hi Everybody, Well, I've had my Fusion for 2 1/2 weeks now and I am very happy with it. I admit I breathed a small sigh of relief upon seeing the just-announced and very nice SD 788t, as that turns out to be a very different machine from this and not what I personally had been looking for. I wanted a machine that could live on the cart and provide all the metadata functionality for scripted work and could live in a bag and stand alone without an additional mixer needed. The Fusion continues to exceed my expectations. I bought a custom-made analog output cable from Trew Audio. Outputs 1,2,and 3 are on TA3 males (easily expanded to XLR when needed). Output 4 goes to a 3.5mm male for Comtek Tx and outputs 5 and 6 go to a TA5 female to feed a ST100 on a TRX900AA for two-channel wireless transmission that mimics the ten-pin camera send. PG Thanks for the post Paul. I have been thinking about getting another recorder and was originally figuring I would just get another full feature Deva, a 5.8, then the Fusion was announced. So, I thought about the Fusion for awhile and then the SD 788T showed up. After reading your report and also reading the full manual for the SD 788T (which is a really well written manual, kudos to Sound Devices) I am now sure that the Fusion is the right choice for me. For many of the same reasons you state, a lighter recorder that would be comfortable and functional in a portable rig but also at home on a sound cart, and the physical and operational similarities to my main Deva, the Fusion is the way to go. I was pleased to hear about the custom output breakout cable that Trew did for you --- this has always been something people have had to accomplish somehow for totally portable rigs because the Deva has the outputs (and there are 6 or 8 and totally assignable) on sub-D connector. - JW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Palmer Posted April 12, 2008 Report Share Posted April 12, 2008 I was pleased to hear about the custom output breakout cable that Trew did for you --- this has always been something people have had to accomplish somehow for totally portable rigs because the Deva has the outputs (and there are 6 or 8 and totally assignable) on sub-D connector. - JW Under our current software, these outputs are only assignable during record. When it playback, you get whatever was recorded on that track. There still is no playback assignable matrix. I've been asking for it for years. Still, after all the kudos to SD over the last 24 hours, I'm thinking just like Jeff. The Fusion is probably the way I'll go for my next machine. I think the 788 is going to make a lot of people happy, but for all the reasons Paul pointed out...I'd go with the Zax. ~pwp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FSBELLA Posted April 12, 2008 Report Share Posted April 12, 2008 Under our current software, these outputs are only assignable during record. When it playback, you get whatever was recorded on that track. There still is no playback assignable matrix. I've been asking for it for years. Still, after all the kudos to SD over the last 24 hours, I'm thinking just like Jeff. The Fusion is probably the way I'll go for my next machine. I think the 788 is going to make a lot of people happy, but for all the reasons Paul pointed out...I'd go with the Zax. ~pwp jw, doesn't the fact that with the fusion you are recording to CF card only. its nice to have several formats to record to simultaneously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Graff Posted April 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2008 Under our current software, these outputs are only assignable during record. When it playback, you get whatever was recorded on that track. There still is no playback assignable matrix. I've been asking for it for years. <snip> ~pwp Yeah, Phil. I was bummed to find that out and have asked for this feature as well. Cannot route channels to outputs—only inputs to outputs. I would like to send playback to an IFB, for instance, but also have the option to listen back myself and NOT send it out and keep inputs hot on the IFB feed (or whatever the output is doing). PG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Waelder Posted April 12, 2008 Report Share Posted April 12, 2008 doesn't the fact that with the fusion you are recording to CF card only. its nice to have several formats to record to simultaneously. I'm only an occasional user of Deva recorders but I understand that the Fusion writes to two CF cards simultaneously. This should provide some level of redundancy. Also, the Fusion has a Firewire output. I believe this permits simultaneous recording to an external drive. In combination with the double CF slots, I think this substantially covers the absence of an on-board hard drive. David Waelder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Graff Posted April 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2008 I'm only an occasional user of Deva recorders but I understand that the Fusion writes to two CF cards simultaneously. This should provide some level of redundancy. Also, the Fusion has a Firewire output. I believe this permits simultaneous recording to an external drive. In combination with the double CF slots, I think this substantially covers the absence of an on-board hard drive. David Waelder I agree. The mirror drive writes whatever type of FAT32 .wav files you want. It will only mirror to either the secondary CF drive OR the external firewire drive, not both at once. On scripted jobs it is nice to mirror occasionally when I am sure my metadata is correct, but for documentary, reality, corporate jobs the simultaneous mirroring is essential to avoid delay at the end of the day. I feel pretty well covered with my 32 GB card in the main drive so far, but soon there will be 64 GB CF, and that's getting pretty close to a hard drive, but a lot easier to swap out. PG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bash Posted April 12, 2008 Report Share Posted April 12, 2008 I am very releived indeed over on this side of the pond now that we know what SD had up their sleeve by way of the 788T. It is clearly a multitrack recorder, not a mixer recorder. I am relieved as I had already put my order in for a Fusion some weeks ago. My thinking is/was that the Fusion will take up the roll of bag recorder, process car recorder, back up recorder should I ever have a problem with the Deva 5.8. It will also work fine for eng and run and gun and video type jobs. I have just sold a 744T and a 442 mixer in order to free up some space and $$ with which to buy the Fusion. Now that we have seen the 788T I am sure that I had already made the correct decision. Kindest regards to all, Simon B Thanks for the post Paul. I have been thinking about getting another recorder and was originally figuring I would just get another full feature Deva, a 5.8, then the Fusion was announced. So, I thought about the Fusion for awhile and then the SD 788T showed up. After reading your report and also reading the full manual for the SD 788T (which is a really well written manual, kudos to Sound Devices) I am now sure that the Fusion is the right choice for me. For many of the same reasons you state, a lighter recorder that would be comfortable and functional in a portable rig but also at home on a sound cart, and the physical and operational similarities to my main Deva, the Fusion is the way to go. I was pleased to hear about the custom output breakout cable that Trew did for you --- this has always been something people have had to accomplish somehow for totally portable rigs because the Deva has the outputs (and there are 6 or 8 and totally assignable) on sub-D connector. - JW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfatjames Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 is the fusion a 8 track recorder or a 8.2 recorder... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Graff Posted June 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 Hmmm....I don't understand the question, James. The Fusion is a 4, 6, or (almost always, I imagine) 8 track recorder. What is a 8.2 recorder? Answers to basic questions can be found here: http://www.zaxcom.com/fusion.htm If you have specific questions directed at a owner/user of the product, I am happy to share my experiences. PG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 is the fusion a 8 track recorder or a 8.2 recorder... I think the confusion comes from the fact that some of the other recorders are referred to as "6 + 2" or things like that which stems from some of the earlier models from Fostex and Aaton. Some of these recorders were not true 8 track recorders but rather had 6 individual tracks that could be mixed to an additional pair of tracks (2) --- these additional tracks were at one point really only virtual tracks and later they still were tracks which could only be used for a mixdown. The Deva has always been a full 4, 8, or 10 track machine with ALL tracks being whatever you want them to be. The Deva IV is 8 tracks, the Deva V is 10 tracks, the Deva 5.8 is also 10 tracks. I believe the Fusion is 8 tracks. - Jeff Wexler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfatjames Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 cool... so at any time i can make track 7 and 8 my mix down track? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Graff Posted June 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 Any track or tracks can be a mix down track. Total routing flexibility to recording tracks and independently to outputs. I believe the 5.8 was named such because it has 8 hardware knobs/faders to distinguish from the Deva 5 which had only 4 hardware rotary faders. The Fusion is like the 5.8 in that respect. There have been several firmware revisions since the introduction of the machine. I loaded the most recent version yesterday (5.25) and it has some great new features. We're still waiting for the playback matrix, but many other suggestions have been implemented. I am very happy with the machine. PG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 cool... so at any time i can make track 7 and 8 my mix down track? Yes, this is correct. I may have further confused things by even talking about "mix" or "mixdown track" and I think Paul G. has clarified this. ANY track can be the recipient of any of the signals/sources you have coming into the Deva. If you have 7 sources connected to the Deva, you can record all 7 to discreet prefader tracks if you wish, along with mixing them to the one remaining and available track (which can be ANY track number you want it to be although the standardized track for a mix is usually Track 1). - Jeff Wexler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundtrane Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 I think the confusion comes from the fact that some of the other recorders are referred to as "6 + 2" or things like that which stems from some of the earlier models from Fostex and Aaton. The Aaton Cantar has always been an 8 track machine, giving one the option to do a two track mixdown on the machien itself, thereby reducing the free tracks to 6. It is also possible to mix down 7 tracks to 1. The Fostex PD6 is the one machine that had the X.Y tracking format. best regards -vin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted June 3, 2008 Report Share Posted June 3, 2008 The Aaton Cantar has always been an 8 track machine, giving one the option to do a two track mixdown on the machien itself, thereby reducing the free tracks to 6. It is also possible to mix down 7 tracks to 1. -vin One simple clarification: I believe the Cantar as you say was an 8 track machine from the very beginning, but in its first release I think it always had to be tracks 7 & 8 that were mix tracks and you couldn't do a mix to just Track 1 for example. That's all I was talking about. Since the early days, many things have changed, and I believe now on the Cantar you can force it to have the MIX be on Track 1. - Jeff Wexler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfatjames Posted June 4, 2008 Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 hmm... look like i have to find myself a long form job soon and sell my 442 and 744T... and get myself a DEVA FUSION!!!!!! But do you guys think i should wait for the sonosax... I think the price for the sonosax will be around the same price... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Wielage Posted June 4, 2008 Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 You can't beat the user interface, reliability, and the support on the Deva. Those were the three things that finally swayed me over, despite the higher price. I don't doubt that the Sonosax, the new Nagra, etc. will all be beautiful machines. But when push comes to shove, I tend to buy stuff that I know will be reliable, plus the ability for me to get quick answers to tough questions if I get into a jam. --Marc W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfatjames Posted June 4, 2008 Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 hi does the fusion have pdf sound report like the cantar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted June 4, 2008 Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 hi does the fusion have pdf sound report like the cantar? I believe the Fusion shares with the other Devas (since it is essentially the same software) the ability to generate a sound report of some sort ... I have never used this feature (but others here have). I do not think it is a .pdf and from what I have heard there is some formatting that is required to make the report the way you want it. I will say again to all those who are fans of file based sound reports (and I think Marc Wielage will back this up) a text file or .pdf residing on your disk along with your sound files is NOT useful in telecine when your disk gets popped into the ubiquitous Fostex DV-40 or 824. Without a written report (or one that you have printed out hard copy from your computer) the telecine operator is flying blind. In all fairness, those that are involved in a workflow where your disk goes into a computer first on a daily basis, a file based report will be very useful --- although it may take a few steps by the first person in daily transfer post to display and print out your report. - Jeff Wexler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted June 4, 2008 Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 I believe the Fusion shares with the other Devas (since it is essentially the same software) the ability to generate a sound report of some sort ... I have never used this feature (but others here have). I do not think it is a .pdf and from what I have heard there is some formatting that is required to make the report the way you want it. I will say again to all those who are fans of file based sound reports (and I think Marc Wielage will back this up) a text file or .pdf residing on your disk along with your sound files is NOT useful in telecine when your disk gets popped into the ubiquitous Fostex DV-40 or 824. Without a written report (or one that you have printed out hard copy from your computer) the telecine operator is flying blind. In all fairness, those that are involved in a workflow where your disk goes into a computer first on a daily basis, a file based report will be very useful --- although it may take a few steps by the first person in daily transfer post to display and print out your report. - Jeff Wexler I find myself doing both. On 16+ track jobs I can't write fast enough to do a written report, and it is less confusing for post (often, me) to have the pdf. For regular telecine and rough cutting, a report on paper is really great. Many people into the recorder-generated report thing have printers on their carts now, so they have both ways covered. Philip Perkins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest klingklang Posted June 4, 2008 Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 hi does the fusion have pdf sound report like the cantar? It saves a tab delimited textfile to disk but it´s just a list of data. No where close to what a cantar puts onto a disk. The cantar report looks like a real paper report with header and footer. Info about recordist. Production name etc. It can be freely configured and is VERY man-readable. Just like the one you would hand out to editorial on paper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatfatjames Posted June 4, 2008 Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 hi does anyone have a sample of a deva sound report? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Wexler Posted June 4, 2008 Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 hi does anyone have a sample of a deva sound report? I think the sound report is actually in a CVS format which is then opened with an Excel template for printing. From what I have heard from the people using this feature with their Devas, the Excel template can be configured however you want the data displayed (of course you probably have to know how to use Excel or get a template from another user). I don't have any samples since I don't use that feature. - Jeff Wexler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest klingklang Posted June 4, 2008 Report Share Posted June 4, 2008 I think the sound report is actually in a CVS format which is then opened with an Excel template for printing. From what I have heard from the people using this feature with their Devas, the Excel template can be configured however you want the data displayed (of course you probably have to know how to use Excel or get a template from another user). I don't have any samples since I don't use that feature. - Jeff Wexler What I meant was: The cantar-report is ready to print on the disk. You don´t need to load that into a laptop, tweak all the parameters integrate that into your template etc etc and send that to editorial. You just burn to DVD or drive and that´s it. When someone double-clicks on it it comes up like a paper-report and not as a bunch of numbers separated by commas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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