DAT Recorder (Newbie)

ksadani

ksadani

Active member
Hey guys ..

I am purchasing a HVX-200 and getting barry's book ..

I just need to clarify a details about my sound requirement .. I am a bit confused ..

I want to record my sound seperately from my video .. As I understand .. to get the optimum quality sound ..It is mainly to capture ambient sounds and dialogue .. dialogue will be later recorded on through ADR .. could you guys advise me if I am on right track ...

Do I need to record on a DAT recorder or is there an alternative solution ?
How much would a decent DAT recorder cost ..
I am using vegas ... How do i transfer my sound on to Vegas ..

Regards,
Kunal
 
forget about dat recorders , its much cheaper and better use non linear audio devices .
it would be much easier for you transfer the material to nle as well.

from the audio point of view you can record directly to 200 with good mixer in front . i dont see to much quality benefits run separate if you dont need it for real .

external non linear 2 track is starting about 2000 for fr-2 fostex and going up to 20000 for 8track aaton
if you intend run dat from some reasons , the pd4 or hhb tc dats ( used only) are about 1000-2500 depends on aje and conditions

ps - nice to see neighbor on that board
 
Hey Oleg..

I just seem to be a bit lost.. I still got a lot learn about sound before I invest I guess..

Thanx for the reply ..
 
Lets say you are on a shoot in the wilderness for a wildlife safari and you are shooting with P2 cards or a firestore. Now you want to capture some ambient sounds of a river or the forrest at night but dont want or need any visuals. To save space on your P2 or firestore, just carry some mini dv tapes and use them for recording sounds in the camera. As long as you have a decent quality mic/mixer on the front end, the cameras audio on dv tape, will be as good as having a dat or hard disk recorder and it is one less thing to have to carry and supply power for.
 
ksadani -

You don't need to invest in expensive multitrack recorders and definitely, DAT is not a good idea. DATs are still in use, but more as legacy technology.
For the start, consider small units like M-Audio Microtrack 24/96, Marantz PMD660, Zoom H4 or something similar. Tapeless recording with affordable Compact Flash memory has too many advantages to reach for DAT these days.
I use Microtrack recorder and I'm very satisfied with it's audio quality. It's small, universal and very convenient anytime I need to capture some sound effects. Even included small microphones are very useful. With good external condenser microphones it achieves beautiful quality.

Greetings.
 
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I agree that DAT is a dead technology - though it is still used in some applications and by some mixers, but generally now the world is CF or hard-disk-based recorders.

The small units described by Bogdan are definately at the low end of the spectrum, both in quality and price. Generally, the minimum acceptable 2 track recorders are the Marantz PMD-671 or the Tascam HD-P2. Then you move up to the more expensive Sound Devices recorders and then up into the Devas and Cantars. Or, you can buy a Mac and use BoomRecorder or MetaCorder (see my separate thread on BoomRecorder) and get a large number of tracks for a much lower cost per track. The only problem with the Mac solution is it is not real "Bag" friendly. If you're spending the money to get an HVX, then don't cripple your projects by not buying good audio equipment to go with it.

Phil
 
If you have a DVX or HVX I would make an external recorder the last thing to add to your kit. Invest in GOOD wireless, a full mic setup, mixer, etc, etc. When you have a full audio kit, THEN decide if you really want/need an external recorder.

Cheers
 
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