788t users. What cards are you using?

[DonSpaulding]

Hello Everyone.

 

I purchased a 788t a year ago from a local professional and it came with a few cards. Lately, I've thinking it would be a smart idea to get a couple new ones. However, the Delkin UDMA7 cards are not easy to find. What you guys using that works well and is still available? Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks!

[tourtelot]

I use the Sound Devices branded cards.  They are expensive but I have NEVER had an issue with them.

 

D.

[JonG]

I’ve used Transcend 16GB 133x CF cards since I purchased my 788T new over a decade ago. It was the recommended card at the time, and I’ve never had a card failure with them. 
 

Transcend 16GB CompactFlash Memory Card 133x (TS16GCF133) Size: 16 GB, Model: TS16GCF133, Gadget & Electronics Store https://a.co/d/688QiEE

[codyman]

 

I've got a couple of these.  Never had a problem with them.  I know some like to use bigger capacity cards but 32GB seems to be a nice sweet spot where you can at least fill up some of the card before reformatting vs having a huge card that you might reformat a lot and use only some of the sectors.  I've been told this "helps" in the sense that you're utilizing more of the card itself?  YMMV

 

Oh, and no matter what you end up getting, DON'T buy from Amazon or familiar "marketplace" retailers.  Buy from name brand vendors (better yet, hit up a sound house) because there are a ton of counterfeit cards out there!

[Philip Perkins]

Is Sound Devices still selling CF cards under their own name?

[Axel Mishael]

I use the same as Cody and a couple of Delkin ones, both 128 gb, approved media by SD.

[tourtelot]

41 minutes ago, Philip Perkins said:

Is Sound Devices still selling CF cards under their own name?

Yes, at least the last time I bought a card.  Maybe less than a year ago.

 

https://www.trewaudio.com/product/sound-devices-sam-32cf/

 

There was something weird with formatting of some CF cards in my 788T IIRC, and I needed to send them back for some other, maybe older, SD CF cards.  Sorry I can't remember the specifics of the issue but it happened with two cards from different vendors.  Calling Sound Devices gave me the info I needed to get the correct cards.  So check that part out.  I have four and I will probably never need to buy another one.

 

D.

 

And well, I guess that negates my "never failed" statement.    The ones that formatted have never failed. The

[Boomboom]

19 hours ago, JonG said:

I’ve used Transcend 16GB 133x CF cards since I purchased my 788T new over a decade ago. It was the recommended card at the time, and I’ve never had a card failure with them. 
 

Transcend 16GB CompactFlash Memory Card 133x (TS16GCF133) Size: 16 GB, Model: TS16GCF133, Gadget & Electronics Store https://a.co/d/688QiEE

Same here ! Transcend cards, along with Sandisk but mainly Transcend

 

[DonSpaulding]

Thank you all! I thought I was "up the creek" with this and now see that there are options. Do these cards have a life span?

 

[Dalton Patterson]

Yes. My Sandisk cf died. Made my 633 go haywire. Replaced with Delkin Black. 

[Barry M]

Sound Devices has a 6 series media page, last updated December 2021. It lists CF cards they've tested.  The benchmark testing was on 6s.  Not sure there'd be too much difference between say a 688 and a 788's requirements?

 

https://www.sounddevices.com/6-series-approved-media-list/

 

Pasted for posterity:

 

Quote

Sound Devices’ own brand of approved media cards – the SAM-64SD, SAM-128SD, and SAM-32CF II – have been optimized and extensively tested to ensure fast and flawless performance when used with the 6-Series of mixer/recorders.

Type	Size	Brand	Model
CF	32 GB	Sound Devices	UDMA7; 150MB/s read 120MB/s write

The cards from other manufacturers listed below have successfully passed benchmark testing with the 633, 664 and 688. Many other cards may work but their performance and reliability cannot be confirmed unless they have been extensively tested at Sound Devices.CF Cards

Size	Brand	Model
256 GB	SanDisk	Extreme Pro; UDMA7; 160MB/s
128 GB	SanDisk	Extreme Pro; UDMA7; 160MB/s
128 GB	Delkin Devices	CF1050X, UDMA7, 120 MB/s write; 160MB/s read
64 GB	SanDisk	Extreme Pro; UDMA7; 90 MB/s
64 GB	Delkin Devices	CF1050X, UDMA7, 120 MB/s write; 160MB/s read
32 GB	SanDisk	Extreme Pro; UDMA7; 160MB/s
32 GB	SanDisk	Extreme; UDMA7; 120MB/s
32 GB	Delkin Devices	CF1050X, UDMA7, 120 MB/s write; 160MB/s read
16 GB	Delkin Devices	CF500X, UDMA6 16 GB

 

There's also this less-detailed 7 series FAQ.  The manual recommends UDMA for high track counts and higher rates, if I recall.

https://www.sounddevices.com/compact-flash-card-recommendations-for-7-series/

 

Quote

There are numerous options available on the market. With such a wide range of CF options available (the actual flash RAM chips come from very few vendors, however) and with the types, speeds, and capacities continuing to evolve, there is no practical way for Sound Devices to keep up with them. Fortunately, the 7-Series recorders work well with nearly all CF type I and Type II cards, including Microdrives. If you are recording high data rates for test/measurement (>96 kHz sampling rates) we recommend the 40x or greater speed cards. These can support higher track counts and sampling rates. If you are recording typical audio rates, nearly any modern card will work well.

 

[Boomboom]

You could borrow some recently released cards and perform the ''788 memory test'' (somewhere in the menus) to know if those cards would fit ?

 

[DonSpaulding]

27 minutes ago, Boomboom said:

You could borrow some recently released cards and perform the ''788 memory test'' (somewhere in the menus) to know if those cards would fit ?

 

Does the speed test exist on the 788? I have that feature on my 702, but haven't found one on the 788.

[Boomboom]

 

10 hours ago, DonSpaulding said:

Does the speed test exist on the 788? I have that feature on my 702, but haven't found one on the 788.

 

 

Yes it's somewhere in the menus; I tested all the cards I got through time