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Zoom F8


Michael Panfeld

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As bad as I suspect this thing is, at least it allows external microphones, multiple tracks, and timecode. I'd rather cheap student-level productions use something like this than a non-timecode recorder like the $300 Zooms. Going from "utter crap" to "much better crap" is at least an improvement. But no way will this thing be a replacement for a 788 or a Maxx or anything like that. 

I'm doubtful that this could work for sound effects people because they're extremely critical on mic preamps and dynamic range. I'm not convinced you can make a very wide-range, low noise 2-channel mic preamp and put it in a recorder for $995, let alone 8 channels of them. 

The specs say it has about the same EIN* and better A/D dynamic range than a 744t....

744t

EIN: -130dBu

A//D Dynamic Range: 114db

F8

EIN: -127dBu 

A/D Dynamic Range: 120db

* They measure this with gain fully up, so it has to be taken into account the F8 has about 7db more gain available than the 744t. 

 

Of course, these are just numbers. Jury is still out for me until I get my hands on one. 

Edited by Jaymz
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I'd like to know where you get your stats on "who is buying it and where they are buying it from". Your "safe bet" would seem to be nothing more than a wild guess.

Wild Guess? Not at all. It's based on hard facts. As has been said I manage the Professional Sound Services operation in Ft. Lauderdale Florida and I know exactly who the pre orders are from and their level of professionalism. That said, nothing about performance will be known until the F8 is in the hands of dealers and customers some time around Labor Day.......give or take.

Edited by Eric Toline
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...I know exactly who the pre orders are from...

At your store.

(Why are they pre orders BTW? If someone has ordered one but cannot take immediate delivery it's still an order. Sort of like the mistake that airlines make when they refer to the process of letting some people on early as "pre-boarding" the aircraft.)

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At your store.

(Why are they pre orders BTW? If someone has ordered one but cannot take immediate delivery it's still an order. Sort of like the mistake that airlines make when they refer to the process of letting some people on early as "pre-boarding" the aircraft.)

Wrong again. Not just my shop but the entire Pro-Sound operation. It's a pre-order because no $$$ has changed hands. Your name goes on a list and you can back out at any time or confirm the order by paying for the unit when it's available. Tell you what, I'll put your name on my list for an F8 and when they become available we'll call you and you can back out or confirm the order with your CC. Seems like a fair deal to me.

Edited by Eric Toline
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Wild Guess? Not at all. It's based on hard facts. As has been said I manage the Professional Sound Services operation in Ft. Lauderdale Florida and I know exactly who the pre orders are from and their level of professionalism. That said, nothing about performance will be known until the F8 is in the hands of dealers and customers some time around Labor Day.......give or take.

thanx for that labor day information. so I can relax till september :-)

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Not the entire professional and semi-pro sound industry then? So, in reality, you're only talking about a small percentage of the market. Thanks.

Those who would buy the F8 at MI shops & box stores will perhaps out number the professional buyers. The professionals who have always purchased their gear from the usual suspects because of the after sale support and the friendships made over the years will continue to do so. One wonders what good this information will do for you?

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I'll likely pick one up if the 8in/4out usb interface works well. I've been looking to upgrade from a 2in/2out interface for a while and having something that could serve double duty as back up in the field is pretty attractive.  

Edited by RJBerto
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To me it has always seemed obvious which side the meters / screen should be, and I'm happy about the Zoom F8 for choosing the "correct side".

I wouldn't say that my decision to buy a recorder is based on this physical attribute (I mean WTH with the Cantar - what IS THAT exactly?), but it certainly does help and I'm favorably rooting for the little Zoom to surprise us and sound good too.

+1 for Zoom

Screen_Shot_2015-07-29_at_4.14.44_PM.thu

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Nice layout, Tom. I used to give this issue a lot of thought along with a lot of other design-ergonomics-aesthetic issues with almost all the current recorders. I guess I had just given up and have resigned myself to looking at my old Nagras sitting on a shelf in my shop.

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+1 Tom... 9 out of 10 people are right-handed... i use my ''dumb'' hand to hold the boom while using the ''precise'' one to operate the mixer/recorder and I still don't get why they put meters on the right side...

 

Edited by Boomboom
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are you thinking about putting it a backpack or a more remote place?

i was mainly continuing the thought on the put an iphone touch on the boom to see the meters - it could be worth a try in one-man docu situations if you could also adjust the analog gain (which obviously can only work if the rotary gain knob is not controlling the preamp mechanically).

then again the dual-level backup recording feature is probably more useful in those situations.

chris

 

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Having a look at it, potential limitations are that mixing is menu-based and the input limiters are post-A/D (although the 'dual recording mode' does reduce the level pre-A/D)

Could be a good machine for FX gathering, car rig type recording and running behind a mixer, though

Edited by Richard Thomas
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Manual is online !

lovely - here are the direct links:

https://www.zoom.co.jp/sites/default/files/products/downloads/pdfs/E_F8.pdf

https://www.zoom.co.jp/sites/default/files/products/downloads/pdfs/E_F8-Control.pdf

some things i've found while quickly glimpsing through:

- looks like the remote app can control the input trim knobs indeed (and they also thought of little things like a slate tone lock to prevent actually pressing it during takes).

- limiters appear to be digital, they say they are new and improved with "10dB of head room".. so i assume they don't use the full range of the ADC but reserve the last 10db for digital limiting?

- timecode is supposed to be accurate to 0.5 frames in 24h (!)

- you can program the meter views, 4 presets and each of them can have any combinations of two neighboured inputs (for example 1/2 + 5/6 + X1/X2). wish the 633 would do something similar.

 

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Since this has devolved into a "which side is the right side for the meters" thing…  I'm right handed too.  In bag work, where the front panel arrangement is the most critical, I usually have the boom in my right hand and am knob-turning with the left, so the SD setup works for me.  The tape Nagras worked ok, but I often had to do a "hand cross" to put IV- and 4.2s in record with my left hand, and the knobs were positioned ok.  (Nagra III worked better this way.)  I think I recall that SD's logic was that the meter was on the right since it was showing you the results of what the knobs on the left were doing--IE signal flow through the box?  I may be mis-remembering that...

If ZOOM can make a tiny 8 track that sounds as good as my 744Ts (still my all-time fave sounding recorder of those I've owned, incl 6xx SD machines) and is as steady w/ TC and clock and as bullet proof operationally then I'm very in--I'll buy 2 or 3.  But I'll let some of you guys be the early adopters…!

p

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Well a first with an extensive wireless control surface for a location recorder. If it's rock solid and reliable, it's also perhaps a first for really enabling the recorder to be in a backpack, and a start in addressing this rather ridiculous situation of bag recordists having to strap all this stuff at waist level on their front, like some cinema interval choc ice and drinks salesperson.

Edited by pindrop
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Well a first with an extensive wireless control surface for a location recorder. If it's rock solid and reliable, it's also perhaps a first for really enabling the recorder to be in a backpack, and a start in addressing this rather ridiculous situation of bag recordists having to strap all this stuff at waist level on their front, like some cinema interval choc ice and drinks salesperson.

Yeah.  Or even remoted off-body with wireless monitoring…..

p

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