borjam

It was telephone quality audio, 8 bit A or µ-Law encoded, at 8 KHz. But you usually have to deal with a lot of unexpected stuff that normal users won't notice but can bite you in the worst moment. And when you really want to make sure that the audio will be really recorded and stored properly it gets harder than it looks. Modern OSs have a lot of background stuff going on, power management mechanisms that can sometimes cause problems... Nowadays little computer stuff works as advertised. If it was true there would be no SD card related troubles, or misbehaving Ethernet adapters

Well, it's not only a matter of sheer number crunching that can cause problems. In the 90s I worked on the development of multitrack audio recorders for phone conversations (call centres, and such, not James Bond stuff) working on 486 processors and up to 15 MB (yes, I said 16 MB) of memory. It was 48 / 64 tracks per unit, with transfer to DAT, network access to files... In our case uptime was around one year, when the DAT recorders' heads worn out (we had two per machine) and they had to be replaced. Doing memory management, writing files , and handling all that properly so that it would not crash is much more challenging that it seems. General purpose operating systems must adapt to many different scenarios and sometimes they get in the way of what seems to be a trivial job: writing data to a disk. A piece of software developed with that single purpose as a priority is much harder to develop than it seems. There are only two applications I know that focus on that: Metric Halo recording software for Mobile I/O and Wildtrax. And no, I am not affiliated at all to the developers. But I really imagine the crazy scenarios they must face sometimes. A DAW crash is often harmless, you just restart and resume work. If recording stops it's a really different story.

As for the multi channel WAV file> It may seem a bit odd, but I think Sound Devices does some sort of confidence monitoring (an educated guess). That explains why they use a multi channel WAV file and it also explains why their recorders are so pesky about SD card compatibility. And the multi channel file reduces I/O load due to file system fragmentation. The advantage is, they avoid a scenario in which you spend a day recoding audio only to find it ruined due to a defective card. I think they read it back.

From top to bottom the rotary encoders are mapped in the way you would expect in a mixing desk. Gain (this only works in advanced mode) High cut Pan These recorders can store individual tracks and a stereo mix. For example I do field recording and I don’t need the stereo mix so I just record the individual inputs (known as ISOlated channels).

I own the AKAI Midimix and I have used it to record some rehearsals with a musician friend. However, a caveat you should keep in mind. The faders nor are not motorised. When using it, make sure to turn all of the faders and encoders for the channels you are using so that the recorder learns their position. Once you have donde that, do not operate the recorder´s faders or change the gain from the recorder menus. It can be useful also if you are doing something like, say, mixing a radio programme with several speakers, although in that particular case you will love the MixAssist plugin.

Mi condolences, I am really sorry.

Welcome to the club. A friend claims I do not make jokes, but pointers to jokes! (You need to know something about computer programming in order to understand it )

Exactly. It detunes the antenna. Although it seems silly that a thin dielectric can make a difference (a thin plastic tubing for instance) there is a capacitance between the skin and the antenna. Even an apparently insignificant 1 mm thick dielectric (silicone tubing?) will change that capacitance dramatically. At least that the explanation I imagine. And if the antenna is detuned it can have nasty effects on the transmitter, even causing signal distortion (plus the energy loss). I imagine (no proof!) that one of the key differences between top notch professional wireless systems and more affordable alternatives is how tolerant of that impedance mismatch is the transmitter. Another difference of course is how much out of band interference can be tolerated by the receiver.

Last year in the ESNOG congress in Spain we had a very disturbing talk. A researcher from the University of Barcelona had been studying the data broker "ecosystem". All those "partners we share data with" admitted by plenty of websites like newspapers. Some of the companies were front companies based in tax havens. And this happens in Europe where we have a very strong privacy regulation. Say no more.

Austrian Audio, the manufacturer created by the AKG staff after being made "redundant" when Samsung acquired Harman, has been acquired by DPA. I remember the shock when I learned that R&D in AKG had been disbanded because, it seems, Samsung was only interested on the AKG brand for their "Samsung by AKG" stuff. Since Austrian Audio was created they have been launching very good products. (I haven't tried any of their microphones but a trusted friend did and he was really impressed). https://www.dpamicrophones.com/news/2025/dpa-microphones-acquires-austrian-audio/ Interesting times coming!

I checked out of curiosity and it doesn't look good. The latest version is from 2018 and it is Intel only. Not a huge deal but power consumption would be reduced on the new ARM processors with native code. Moreover, at some point Apple will drop the ability to run Intel code. The application is no longer on Apple's App Store, the Digital River link does not work, and trying to get a license from the program itself leads to a non existent web page.

You can buy the ECM-77 BMP which is wired the Sony UWP system but it’s pricier than the ECM-L1. Or get the workhorse Sanken COS-11 which can be found wired for Sony systems. I guess Sony had cameras in mind with the ECM-L1.

Problem is, Sony has two wireless systems with incompatible 3.5 mm jacks. UWP and a Bluetooth based system. The latter takes plug-in power microphones.

This site is also an amazing resource for people who are learning. And given that it is also one of the very few actually serious and reputable sites, a link from a site with "auctoritas" will likely provide visits much beyond the initial "novelty" time period. So, a good long term thing.

What kind of aquarium tubing? Turns our I had a marine aquarium years ago. And the classical PVC "green" tubing sold by Eheim and other brands did indeed react with salt water. It got stiff with time. As sweat is salt water with mode stuff I would avoid them just in case someone developed an allergy. There are slightly more expensive hoses made of silicone. I would recommend these. It is also softer to the touch, while the PVC version is more stiff.

Seems to be a new version of the ECM-77, but the connection is plug-in power. I considered getting one as I have two ECM-77s but it is not compatible with the UWP system. Plug-in power (commonly used in cameras and consumer wireless systems) is unbalanced while the ECM-77 BMP (wired for the Sony UWP system) is actually balanced according to the service manual. Sony also says it is not compatible (although looks like they fired their technical writers!) https://www.sony.co.id/en/electronics/support/accessories-audio-video-accessories/articles/00347553 If it is an ECM-77 the sound will be good.

If the antenna is passive the difference is minimum unless something was badly matched. If the antenna is active, especially if the amplifier is broadband, putting a filter at the output is a bad idea. A strong unwanted signal amplified by the antenna preamp will be rejected by the filter, which means it will be "bounced back" and that can cause issues with the antenna amplifier. Remember, except for some specialized filters that actually dissipate unwanted energy as heat, filter rejection means backwards reflection.

Oh,I was considering it as an option for reception (cable around the set) but I missed the "leak out" part! I was just curious, I see at some point you were! Thanks!

I wonder, asking the Lectro guys specifically. Have you ever tried radiating cable/leaky coax? In theory it should be possible to install it around the set and, as a plus, it should reject distant interference. Note: I haven't tried it for this application but it is frequently used in tunnels.

I found service manuals for the ECM77 microphones (and others) https://www.manualslib.com/download/2989956/Sony-Ecm-44bmp.html According to a note it includes ECM-77B in an appendix. The diagrams include cable colors, so I guess it will be possible. Note: the capsule assembly includes some electronics, a FET transistor. I would check whether the part numbers are the same for the BMP/B variants.

I think a refresh soon is really unlikely. Sound Devices don't like quick model turnaround (which is great in my opinion) and with the new "software defined" approach they introduced with the version 1 MixPres and later adopted for the 8xx they can add plenty of features in software. I guess the MixPres were renewed unusually quickly because the SoC they chose is too small and the 32 bit furor was coming The mk2 can even run two instances of noise reduction! Even the mk1 has an Automix like plugin (MixAssist) that works pretty well. With the new SoC the mk2 MixPres have more room for new features.

Thanks! This time I think the problem are automated AI botnets scrapping content. I know it has happened (at least with Reddit, if I remember well) because several months ago, when explanining a friend that many online reviews are AI crap I made a search. One review praised the bokeh (yes, you read right) of one microphone brand while another one stated that the Sony UWP system in particular is the best for shoting Youtube jokes. Turns out someone had asked online for a wireless microphone for that application. It could be fun to add some dodgy content or silly phrases to some posts here. It might turn out everywhere! A hilarious example:

Now it seems that the Apple Thunderbolt 2 - Gigabit Ethernet adapter has been discontinued. If you are searching for one, be quick about it if you manage to find it. I got mine a year ago now.

Tell them you charge extra because you only do Direct Metal Mastering.

Unfortunately it’s a necessary evil. There are countless bots filling forums with all kinds of spam. As far as I know they won’t do anything with the visitors data. Their business is in selling protection about denial of service and other types of attacks.