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Boom Recorder 6


takev

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Hello everyone,

I made a lot of changes in the core of this version, which is why I updated the major version number.

I moved the timecode decoder to a separate file, in case I want to use it for an other project. I also changed the ring buffer handler so that It is more simpler, this also caused the ring buffer to keep a pre-record buffer even during playback. I also fixed the ring buffer view for this state (pre-record buffer + playback) and fixed the glitches in this view as well, it shouldn't be flickering anymore.

I also added new timecode sources, as many people have been asking for time-of-day. I tried to be as accurate as possible, time-of-day is converted to timecode with microseconds accuracy (although the time-of-day is not that accurate), and use the sample rate of the audio interface as the clock.

I'll wait a couple of days before ripping up Boom Recorder for the multi-file/multi-volume changes incase there are some bugs in version 6 that need to be fixed.

Cheers,

Take Vos

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Take Vos,

Will Boom Recorder work on a Mac Mini (the new Intel-based version)?  If so, do you have any recommendations for an interface, memory, etc.?  And, in your opinion, would I be better off getting a MacBook Pro instead?  I'm looking at this for cart use...

Thanks!

Phil

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hello Phil,

I've heard from customers that the Boom Recorder works fine on the Intel based macs. I do not currently own an Intel based mac, but Boom Recorder has been compiled as a universal application and has always had big- and little-endian conversions for both architectures.

it is very difficult for me to recommend either system, they should both be fast enough to handle 64 channels of audio (my old ibook G4 handles that), 1 GB of memory is also enough for Boom Recorder as it currently uses only 400 MB. Somewhere in the future you will be able to choose how much memory Boom Recorder is using, depending on the length of the ring buffer and the number of channels.

As for interfaces I recommend using a firewire interface (not USB), some people like the MOTU Traveler, as it is about as large as a notebook and can be fed using DC-power or even via the firewire interface. Also the best harddrives would be external firewire drives, but the internal harddisk of a notebook is fast enough for most uses.

Why firewire not USB? USB trickers a lot of interupts which the CPU needs to service, leaving less time for Boom Recorder, firewire can do a lot on its own. Also firewire has an isochronus mode, where a devices reserves a garantied bandwidth on the firewire bus, making sure it will never lose a sample and arrive in time.

However, for most people this above does not apply to them, as 8 channels of audio can be handled with any equipment. To give you an example there are a couple of people using Boom Recorder for 8 channel recording with a iBook G3.

However future version of Boom Recorder may need just a little bit more CPU power as more features are added, such as summing channels and multi-polyphonic file support.

Take

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I used BoomRecorder with the MOTU Traveler and now MOTU has released the Ultralite which is essentially a re-working of the Traveler and missing some features (no AES I believe and only 2 mic prehs). It looks like a nice package and what I think is a possible advantage of using the MOTU stuff over some of the other interfaces is the software support that MOTU offers --- CueMix and the SMPTE Console which aids in TC implementation.

If anyone has tried the Ultralite yet, I would like to know how it works out.

No, I don't own one myself, yet, I can't buy EVERYTHING...  I do have limits.

Regards,  Jeff Wexler

post-1-130815072796_thumb.png

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Jeff,

The new UltraLight is pricing out at about $550 before negotiations.  Looks like a good little box.  Scott, thanks for the info on the Ibook...I had this cool fantasy about buying one of the new MacBook's with the Intel processor, and being able to run both Windows and Mac OS on it...but the price is a stickler. 

Scott, I don't know about the Traveler, but the UltraLight has two Firewire ports...do you think I could connect it to the Mac via firewire and then use my new 300GB firewire drive attached to the Ultralight?  (BTW, great deal at Fry's a couple of weeks ago...300GB external seagate drives for $159 (no rebate required).  This is the 16MB cache version, not the 8MB version too, so a really good deal (and it does firewire and USB, and even comes with the cables, saving even more money).

Finally, other than price, has anyone seen a neutral comaprison of Boom Recorder and MetaCorder?  Thanks all!

Phil

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Scott, I don't know about the Traveler, but the UltraLight has two Firewire ports...do you think I could connect it to the Mac via firewire and then use my new 300GB firewire drive attached to the Ultralight?

Finally, other than price, has anyone seen a neutral comaprison of Boom Recorder and MetaCorder?  Thanks all!

Phil

Regarding the use of 2 FW drives with the hardware interface, like the Ultralite or the Traveler, I have done this but it must not be with bus-powered drives. I have not demonstrated whether there is any track count limitations with this setup. For most all audio and video work it is almost always recommended that the boot drive have the application and system resources (which would be your host computer, the PowerBook, iBook, MacBook Pro or Mac Mini) and another drive for all media files. I believe that both Metacorder and BoomRecorder utilize large buffer routines and cache to allow for the use of many different sorts of drives. I do know that some have used Firewire for the hardware interface and then have used USB for the external drive (the feeling being that this is preferable if there is only one channel of FW on the computer) but I would not do this. I am not a big fan of USB and I have been told that USB can consume more system resources in its operation which would seem to be a caution not to use USB in CPU intensive operations.

I am in the process of trying to evaluate, from users, the differences (other than price, of course) between Metacorder and BoomRecorder. One of the difficulties in doing this is that the Take Vos, the creator and develper of BoomRecorder, is in a constant state of development so it seems. Metacorder is a far more mature product and to the best of my knowledge has a feature set that is pretty much in place (and not undergoing constant revisions or additions). Anyone who uses either Metacorder or BoomRecorder should feel free to post their experiences here so we can get a little closer to a real world evaluation.

Regards,  Jeff Wexler

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Philip,

Same question for you...do you use it for primary recording or backup? 

Basically, I'm wondering if either Boom Recorder or Metacorder can become a "poor man's" Deva for more than 4 track (SD744) recording.  I'm not yet in the position of being able to justify a Deva IV or V, but would still like to be able to offer 6-8 track recording (probably using the HD-P2 as my backup).

Thanks again to all for the info provided so far.

Phil

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I have been daisy chaining a f/w bus powered Lacie mobile f/w drive through my Traveler for close to a year.  There is nothing wrong with doing this.  It works fine.  This Lacie is my primary drive.  I have recorded up to 8 tracks without any problems.

As well, I simultaneously (as in not mirrored, but simultaneous) record onto a second drive as a b/u.  I have used both the f/w 800 bus and the USB bus for the 2nd drive.  Even 2 drives simultaneously recording 8 tracks has not been a problem for my Powerbook.

As Jeff mentioned, it is NOT a good idea to record on your boot drive.

The advantages of recording to external drives are:

- Not fragmenting/taxing your boot drive.

- If your computer fails, crashes, or otherwise self destructs, you still have the day's data and are not left trying to determine how to recover it.

Best,

Darren

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Philip,

Same question for you...do you use it for primary recording or backup? 

Basically, I'm wondering if either Boom Recorder or Metacorder can become a "poor man's" Deva for more than 4 track (SD744) recording.  I'm not yet in the position of being able to justify a Deva IV or V, but would still like to be able to offer 6-8 track recording (probably using the HD-P2 as my backup).

Thanks again to all for the info provided so far.

Phil

Check in over at the Metacorder (Yahoo) forum--lots of people using Metacorder as a primary recording medium.  In the long-duration (concert) recordings I've done I ran the P2 as well, but mostly so I had a simultaneous 16 bit/44.1k version of the scratch mix for making audio CDs from without downconverting the 24 bit MC files.  There are many other people besides Darren B doing large projects on Metacorder every day.  I don't know  folks using Boom Recorder as the primary recorder, but it must be happening as well.

Philip Perkins

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For me, the lack of timing features in the Ultralite made me get a Traveler recently.

Ultralite = no AES, no word clock = no sample-accurate timing

Brian

No ADAT either, so you cannnot feed this interface multi-track digital audio from a digital mixing board.  The Traveler has 12 digital inputs and 12 digital outputs.  The Ultralight only has 2 channels of spdif.

No word clock, no AES, and no ADAT, does leave you without much in the way of clocking options.  You can clock it via SMPTE, or SPDIF, or probably your computer as well.  Or it can be the master.  However it wouldn't make a very effective master as it can only output its clock via SPDIF.

It appears as though the Ultralight is intended for only the most basic of setups.

-Darren

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