Survey: Do you use a computer & f/w interface: Yes, no, thinking about it?

[Darren]

Curious about the state of recording and what percentage of us now use a computer and a firewire interface, for either recording or playback?

Poll results thus far will be shown to you immediately after you vote.

Cheers,

Darren

[Eric Toline]

No computer/hdnl here as there are no requests for it. DAT is still the medium of choice for spots and m-vids in this area. OTOH when & if my HHb's die then I'll look at the new technology.

Eric

Eric

[Philip Perkins]

No computer/hdnl here as there are no requests for it. DAT is still the medium of choice for spots and m-vids in this area. OTOH when & if my HHb's die then I'll look at the new technology.

Eric

Eric

If? 

Philip Perkins

[Eric Toline]

Come on Phil, you know exactly what I mean. Lets not get into a semantics discussion.

Eric

[morrowsound]

I've just recently started to use my Mac in addition to two 744t's to record all prefades and a mix track for post.  So far so good.  I use the RME 400 firewire for the analog in's (tc and Mix) and I use the RME ADI-4 DD to convert my AES/EBU prefades to ADAT.  The ADAT connects into the Fireface 400 and is converted into Firewire.  I've done 10 tracks at 24bit 48k for 23 minutes continues, without any problems.

Steve Morrow

[Philip Perkins]

I've just recently started to use my Mac in addition to two 744t's to record all prefades and a mix track for post.  So far so good.  I use the RME 400 firewire for the analog in's (tc and Mix) and I use the RME ADI-4 DD to convert my AES/EBU prefades to ADAT.  The ADAT connects into the Fireface 400 and is converted into Firewire.  I've done 10 tracks at 24bit 48k for 23 minutes continues, without any problems.

Steve Morrow

What software?

Philip Perkins

[Sound Intuition]

I have been using my Deva V exclusively for the last eight months. I do two series with the same production company. I swap hard drives depending on the show. I then back it all up to an external hard drive that I give to post every couple of weeks. The dailies are done from a DVD but they only transfer the mix track on channel one. Post will use the iso tracks if they feel it neccessary. The external drive is for arciving only.

The other show I do is very heavily music based. I get the playback tracks from the music composer on a CD or thumb drive. I then load them into Sound Forge on my lap top. From there I iso the music and tc to seperate tracks for playback to the floor or through earwigs for the talent to keep sync without affecting the dialogue.

I can not imagine a day now without using at least four or five tracks on at least one scene.

I would love to hear from Drew Kunin and see how he did "A Prairie Home Companion"

[morrowsound]

I've been using the Boom Recorder.  It's, so far, flawless.  It can't mirror record to a DVD but it does everything else.  The mirror issue doesn't bother me because if you use 16x speed media and burners, 4 gigs burns in about 5 minutes, so I figure it wasn't worth the money to buy the Medacorder.  Also you can burn to multiple Hard drives at once.  For $240.00, you can't loose.  They also give you 30 days free trial that is fully functional.

http://www.vosgames.nl/products/BoomRecorder/

Steve Morrow

[miker71]

For my one man show I use dedicated shoulder-slung Fostex with external battery.

I don't have a cart, but if I did I expect I'd start it with my PowerBook, external hd, Boom Recorder, AIS Smaart, and some fw audio interface I  haven't thought about yet.

[taylormadeaudio]

Was using G4 Powerbook w/ MOTU 828mkII -- running Metacorder and dumping to LaCie 1394(a& drives.  Timecode and Comp tracks come from a 702T.

I just switched to a MacMini (only supports 1394a) with same I/O and drives.  I'm eager to drag it through the mud a few times and see how it compares to the G4 (which was rock solid, BTW.)

[RPSharman]

I use a DV824 (L-R & 6 pre-fade) and a 744T.  What I like about this setup is that I am using new gear and file-based recording but still running off one small pelican battery w/ PSC Cart Power and one PSC powerstation for the DV824.  I can run for hours, if not all day, without AC.  I have a small UPS I switch on to burn a DVD at days end (my only AC requirement).  My cart is compact, yet comprehensive, and I don't have lots of extra interfaces to worry about.  I love it.  And it all lays down in my Explorer without being broken down to cases.  Great for day-playing.

That said, if I was doing bigger projects with friendlier locations or a TV show, and I didn't already own the DV824, I'd probably be more AC dependent and a little less mobile, and buy the Mackie with the firewire option for $1000 and Boomcorder for $240 and be ready for all kinds of nonsense.  Still using the 744T for a second machine and for cars, over the shoulder, etc.  In fact, I'll probably end up buying the board and the program to have on the truck as a back-up system or just in case the next project requires it.  If I can just find an extra $1240!!

[Fernando]

I prefer a specific device for the task.

Portables are fragiles, not designed for harsh exteriors, short battery life and driving a mouse on a screen is more distracting and prone to mistakes.

Of course, I'd like  a small computer with wich I could build a totally customized recorder that I could controll with a simple interface (knobs and switches, indicators) That would not be difficult to achieve and in fact Metacorder, BoomRecorder and the like are near but you are running a computer with a vast OS running below and even that is something like OSX or Linux it's too complex (= prone to fail)

Maybe using MSP or SuperCollider or similar one could cook his "perfect" recorder...

But actually, a very specialized computer with a specific OS and interface is what we already have with the Deva, Aaton, 744, etc. Of course, minus the total customization...

[taylormadeaudio]

...mixed 7 features on Macs (G4 Powerbook and MacMini) using Metacorder... never had a problem (knock on wood.)  Comp is rec'd to a 702T for dailies, etc. but the iso's have always been rock solid on the Mac.  Maybe I'm just lucky?

[Ramsay]

Taylor (or anyone else who might know), is there an issue sending in a dailies mix which doesn't have the same Metadata/file naming as your multi-track? I've been told that it may be an issue in the auto-conform if you dailies "source" metadata is different from your "master" source metadata.

[taylormadeaudio]

The last post house with whom I dealt (SoundOne in NY) didn't have a problem -- but then on my system, the dailies source metadata is the master source metadata -- they're one and the same.  My (702T) is my master recorder -- I dump the daily folder to a LaCie Firewire drive that goes to the (in this case) in-house editor...

the same information is compiled onto another separate HD which goes to the Post Sound Editor after picture lock -- the Metacorder iso's are included on this disc only.

Those iso's are basically for backup only though -- if I'm doing my job, they shouldn't need to use the iso's but once or twice.

As far as the metadata goes -- I suppose if they needed to use all the iso's all the time, it would be wise to choose the Metacorder files for the post edit from the get-go (My Metacorder iso's also include a 2-ch comp mix identical to the 702T files.) So it's really one or the other for the most part -- it's not like they're using all the tracks from both sources.

It's a pretty redundant (failsafe... knock on wood) system, but I've never had any complaints.  Most post houses can pretty quickly identify (depending on the location sound mixer's notes) and determine which tracks they're gonna want to favor.

Hope this answered your question  : )

--tt

[Philip Perkins]

Taylor (or anyone else who might know), is there an issue sending in a dailies mix which doesn't have the same Metadata/file naming as your multi-track? I've been told that it may be an issue in the auto-conform if you dailies "source" metadata is different from your "master" source metadata.

If the splits are for occasional use for fixes then the sound editors will tough it out.  If they are thinking of using the isos all the time (by expanding the edl during conform from 2 to "n" tracks) then keeping all the metadata the same would be necessary.  This would mean recording on a machine/system that can do a "split delivery", both a 1 or 2 track daily mix + the isos.  On Metacorder this is called "dual polyphonic" mode.

Philip Perkins

[Flint]

At the moment I'm using Boom Recorder w. 3 PreSonus interfaces on a large-ish reality show ... 19+ trks 15 hrs a day ... flawless audio ... perfect timecode/word sync thanks to my Ambient 501 ... I too don't care about the lack of mirror in Boom as I'm writing 100+ gigs per day —so burning to dvd is not an option ... and if post doesn't mind importing that amount of data —good for them I say ... I'm begining to think the Deva's days may be numbered ... mind you on smaller jobs it is a solid platform ... but in today's mega reality show world, computer recording is the way to go ... bytes for thought.

[Philip Perkins]

At the moment I'm using Boom Recorder w. 3 PreSonus interfaces on a large-ish reality show ... 19+ trks 15 hrs a day ... flawless audio ... perfect timecode/word sync thanks to my Ambient 501 ... I too don't care about the lack of mirror in Boom as I'm writing 100+ gigs per day —so burning to dvd is not an option ... and if post doesn't mind importing that amount of data —good for them I say ... I'm begining to think the Deva's days may be numbered ... mind you on smaller jobs it is a solid platform ... but in today's mega reality show world, computer recording is the way to go ... bytes for thought.

Are you aggregating the Prosonus stuff in Apple Audio Midi?  What computer?  FW 400 or 800?  24 bit?  One drive or two?  Sounds like you have a rocking setup--are you using a console or recording direct from the Presonus preamps?  Making a dailies mix too?

thanks

Philip Perkins

[ProSound]

flint,

which show

[Flint]

I am using 1 PreSonus Firestudio and 2 Digimax FS units. I have the Firestudio talking to my 17" MacBook Pro via FW800 and the 2 Digimax's lightpiped to the Firestudio. This way core audio sees the 3 essentially as 1 device which avoids clocking issues. I'm using an Allen & Heath i/o mixer with 3 Lectro venues and a couple of 500 gig drives ... along with a few other bells & whistles. It's turned out to be rock solid ... something I tested before starting the show ... Project Runway Canada. Beside running Boom Recorder for lengthy periods of time my biggest concern was RF ... My Venues have 18 VRT's in them plus I have multiple cameras run & gunning with Zaxcom camera hops ... Ambient lockits and my trusty 501 keeping everything timed together. I do a pre-fader mix of all the iso tracks and a stereo mix for dailies and a 2 mix that runs through my comp/limiter ... as well as eng mixers running around recording 2 tracks to the cameras to help with the edit. Alot to keep track of ... but reality shows are getting bigger everytime I turn around. I'm new to the forum ... so I thought I'd chime in from time to time cause I've been reading the postings on a regular basis, and since we all like to talk shop I thought it was about time I dropped in a comment or two. Love the forum ... nice work Jeff.

[ProSound]

Thats of the the largest Reality Show set ups I have heard of nice work Flint.

[Philip Perkins]

Pix, man; some pix!

Philip Perkins

[JBucher]

First post here as a longtime lurker. I just wanted to put in that Boom Recorder does indeed record directly to DVD-RAM. I do it every day (that I work--which isn't that much). It works great, after I finally figured out how to format them FAT32 (you select "MS DOS file format" in the Disk Utility). There was exactly one time when, for some unknown reason, the drive didn't "spin up" in time and the ring buffer filled up, but other than that it's been flawless. Sometimes if I haven't rolled for a while I'll click on the disk icon to "wake it up," but I can't make the problem happen again even if I try. Thanks for the great forum. --John

[Noiz2]

Boom Recorder Mac Book Pro and Alesis mixer.  That's what I'm using when I'm over two tracks.

[arovinsky]

I use a 744 as the main recorder, take TC out of that through an RME Fireface 400 to Mac Mini Dual Core Intel running Boom Recorder; it works and is very reliable. I also use a MicroNet MM80 Hard Drive with the Mini. It has the same footprint as the mini, it also functions as 1:4 FW and 1:4 USB hubs, and is supposed to amplify Airport signals when the Mini sits atop it (as it's designed to do). The MicroNet is only 80 Gigs, but I can plug in a larger HD when needed to archive.