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Sound Devices 970 Update


Steve Nelson, CAS

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Am I the only 970 user to be dismayed that the latest firmware update did not eliminate the stupid dialog box that appears when the increment scene number shortcut is used? You know, the one that prevents going into Record until you push "OK"? You know, the dialog box that prevents you from doing your job when you've used the short cut because you're in a hurry and you think you're rolling until you notice that you're not because you didn't push OK on the stupid dialog box? Unlike every other nonlinear recorder that when you push Record will go into Record regardless of anything else? Am I the only one who is put out by this? If not, please let them know how you feel about it and we can get it changed so that this otherwise fine recorder will be able to go into Record when necessary.

On the other hand, Sound Devices did address and hopefully fix another problem with this update: If you use PixNet to edit scene/take metadata when you are recording there is a good chance that particular audio file will disappear, or stop recording midway through or some other bad outcome. Best is to edit metadata when not rolling. I haven't yet tried out the update but I will install it soon!

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8 hours ago, Derek H said:

Yup.. sounds very Zaxcom. (From a mostly happy Maxx user).

No.  It's not "Zaxcom" per se.

Zaxcom's Deva introduced the world to nonlinear recording and with it the "record priority" concept.  It's one of the many things I especially like about a Deva.  No matter what you're doing on the machine, if you press record, you start recording (up to ten seconds prior to pressing the record button, even). 

With the introduction of the Nomad, and it's depth of menu selections along with the implementation of multifunction buttons, using certain setup selections it became necessary to exit some menus in order to enter record.

This is why I installed a simple external record switch on my Nomad and it therefore has the same "record priority" as a Deva.

I heartily agree that all nonlinear recorders should have "record priority."

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4 hours ago, daniel said:

"Zaxcom's Deva introduced the world to nonlinear recording."

Even Zaxcom don't go as far as this hyperbole. Do you get personalised serial numbers or something?  :-p

It appears I should have worded my comment with more careful crafting to pass muster.

I was referring, of course, to our world -- location sound recording -- and the first commercially available dedicated nonlinear audio recorder -- the Deva.  Sorry if I wasn't clear on that. 

If my statement still doesn't assuage your personal bias, please enlighten us.

 

4 hours ago, Derek H said:

Just giving Zax a gentle jab for not fixing a small but occasionally important bug that I, and I'm sure many others, have submitted complaints about.

A "bug" is something that is not working as it was designed to, therefore that term does not apply here.

I do agree, however, that all recorders made for our market should ideally operate with "record priority," hence my addition of a simple external switch.

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27 minutes ago, John Blankenship said:

It appears I should have worded my comment with more careful crafting to pass muster.

I was referring, of course, to our world -- location sound recording -- and the first commercially available dedicated nonlinear audio recorder -- the Deva.  Sorry if I wasn't clear on that. 

If my statement still doesn't assuage your personal bias, please enlighten us.

 

A "bug" is something that is not working as it was designed to, therefore that term does not apply here.

I do agree, however, that all recorders made for our market should ideally operate with "record priority," hence my addition of a simple external switch.

This is a forum populated by the fastidious and sometimes pedantic, where caveats are appreciated whatever your personal bias maybe. I'm fairly sure if Zaxcom could claim to have "introduced the world to nonlinear recording" it would be clearly stated on their website and maybe even included the wikipedia pages: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_disk_recorder  and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_recording (not least as they would probably be the only commercially available products of this kind in North America :-)). But I do accept audio recording systems offered by likes of RADAR and Fairlight (amongst others) might not be portable in the bagable and powerable sense the first deva was. But in regard to how you phrased support for your favourite brand there were others before Zaxcom and the "world" is a bigger place than Zaxcom's effective footprint and you would seem to perceive it as. Nothing personal John, but I've made donation and have just as much right to question the accuracy of a statement as you do. Btw is you "record priority" switch a custom thing you made yourself or something commercially available to other nomad users? By the sounds of it there are others out there who may appreciate some more info about this fix.

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I apologize for not properly, and fully, qualifying my earlier statement.  I certainly hope you can accept my clarification and move on.  

As to a favorite brand -- it is whatever tool is best for a given job in a given circumstance.  To clarify a bit further, I'm a big fan, owner, and user, of quality gear made by Sound Devices, Zaxcom, Lectrosonics, and many, many other quality manufacturers that cater to our industry. 

As far as sharing modifications, I've already done so -- for this and numerous other improvements over many years. 

 

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daniel says: "I'm fairly sure if Zaxcom could claim to have "introduced the world to nonlinear recording" it would be clearly stated on their website and maybe even included the wikipedia pages" There is no need to mention this on the website --- it is a well documented and un-disputed fact that Zaxcom introduced file-based recording to "our world", the world of production sound recording for picture. Prior to the introduction of the Deva I, there was no other multi-track recording device being produced by any company that was small, lightweight, 12 vdc powerable, fail safe recording and bullet-proof in all the environments we had to work in. As for history (which may also not be mentioned on the website), Zaxcom won an Academy Award for the Deva and its contribution to our industry. I am personally aware of all this history because I was one of the first production sound mixers to use the Deva (and I had done 3 feature films before any other company came out with any file-based production recorder. So, the only criticism directed at John B. would be that he used the word "world" when he meant the world of production sound recording in which we all work.

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All Sound Devices recorders I have ever used (which is nearly all of them) except, I guess, the 970, go into record when you hit the red button no matter what menu etc you are in, unless you are in the middle of formatting a card or updating firmware etc..  And, yes, I do rather like that aspect of their operating system.

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Wow, it only took one posting to go almost completely off topic onto a Zaxcom rant. I will reiterate: If there are any other 970 users who think that the dialog box that follows the scene increment short cut should be eliminated I invite you to make your feelings known to Sound Devices. Since this is not a bug or a problem per se but a "feature request" the process for getting it changed is opaque, but if users chime in it might hurry things along. This "feature" makes me crazy because it prevents going into Record without first hitting the OK button. Not OK!

 

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On 12.07.2016 at 2:54 PM, John Blankenship said:

This is why I installed a simple external record switch on my Nomad and it therefore has the same "record priority" as a Deva.

 

What the man said. Remote Roll is great! I wouldn't like to work without it now....especially in documentary work. You hit the lever, hear a beep - and you don't have to look at the machine at all, whichever menu you happen to be. Do yourself a favor, Matthias, and install one of them switches... you can have any of 1-0 type, be it flat or lever-like...

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3 hours ago, Steve Nelson, CAS said:

Wow, it only took one posting to go almost completely off topic onto a Zaxcom rant. I will reiterate: If there are any other 970 users who think that the dialog box that follows the scene increment short cut should be eliminated I invite you to make your feelings known to Sound Devices. Since this is not a bug or a problem per se but a "feature request" the process for getting it changed is opaque, but if users chime in it might hurry things along. This "feature" makes me crazy because it prevents going into Record without first hitting the OK button. Not OK!

 

Too late! It's Pandora's box! There's no turning back!  Even Jeff got his panties in a bunch and threw more gas on the Zaxcom is #1 and I was the first user fire (yeah, yeah, we get it after the millionth time)... Jeez, you'd think people were insulting their Moms instead of talking about a stupid computer. 

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