Fostex 3x2 mixer/recorder.

[Bruce Watson]

Ya'll don't like that it's aimed at a segment of the market that ya'll don't participate in. I get that. But for the people who can not afford to hire a sound guy, who are using DSLRs, who recognize the audio failings of DSLRs, and who want to improve their audio, this looks like a good device. Particularly because it is a combination mixer/recorder, which is what this market is crying out for. If the price is compatible with this market, I will bet it turns out to be a hit.

That it doesn't have XLR outs is, well, meaningless. No one who needs XLR outs will be looking seriously at this device anyway; they'll be looking at separate mixers and recorders that offer them audio control on the same level as they have video control on their bigger, better cameras. And, when they need it, they will be hiring sound guys to handle that part of the game too.

That said, there is something to be concerned about in this spec. It says that the headphone outs can be used to monitor either audio in, or DSLR return (how many DSLRs give an audio return anyway?). But it doesn't let you monitor what the internal recorder records? That seems just wrong to me. I hope they change that before it hits the market.

 

[Noiz2]

Bruce W.,

Actually all of the DSLR users that I have met that are serious do pay attention to sound. And paying attention means getting someone who knows something about it to do it.

I don't actually see a lot of the ones who don't use sound people springing $800 for a recorder. Could be but that is just the tip of the iceberg, you have to feed it with something.
On the other hand very few recorders offer confidence monitoring and very few people use it when it's available. The reason is that there is a significant lag time. ON SD recorders it's like 5 to 10 sec of lag. Ironically analog recorders had a much more usable confidence monitoring (a lag in the milliseconds), DAT's were worse and file based are near unusable. I'm guessing that once you hit the nose bleed level of a DEVA your getting less lag but? it may just be the nature of the beast.

And RIPPLE,

They aren't focusing, that would take a grumpy cameraman, they use auto focus.

OP, I think your confusing under paid and hungry with grumpy.

 

[Noiz2]

Yes because the sound guy on set is so easily replaced with someone concentrating on the images.

Sound = just that annoying thing that goes with the picture. Right?

Hey, they are "moving pictures" not "moving sounds". That's why he posted in the camera section.

 

[Noiz2]

Ya'll don't like that it's aimed at a segment of the market that ya'll don't participate in. I get that. But for the people who can not afford to hire a sound guy, who are using DSLRs, who recognize the audio failings of DSLRs, and who want to improve their audio, this looks like a good device. Particularly because it is a combination mixer/recorder, which is what this market is crying out for. If the price is compatible with this market, I will bet it turns out to be a hit.

I though I would clarify a bit. I participate a fair amount in this segment, if the segment you are talking about is serious filmmakers (not nec. experienced) using DSLR's. If you can't afford to hire a sound person then you can't afford to buy the sound equipment you need to do a 1/2 way decent job. Sorry but that is just a fact. You can argue but then your not taking in to account the "1/2 way decent" part.
The main failing in the DSLR filmmaking segment is not the failings of the camera but the failings of the production to spend any serious thought on sound, production AND post. I have seen shorts shot only with the on bosrd audio recorder (and a video mic) that sounded fine. Not fantastic admittedly but not bad. It was because they THOUHT about sound and worked to get the most from what they had.

I have also heard shorts that were awful and had external recorders and good mics and mixers etc. They DIDN'T think about sound till they were shooting. They DIDN'T have any post sound plan till it was so bad they needed a quick fix for no money and with no time allotted.

It has a LOT more to do with the pre planning than it has to do with what boxes you have.

You may be right that this becomes a hot seller in the no budget sector but that is because they think they can buy a box that will fix a problem that is really all about them sitting down with a crew and a legal pad and PLANNING the film.

If it does become a hot seller expect a lot of nasty posts by folks who complain that they bought it and it didn't help their sound at all and that it's a rip off. Something that the RODE NTG-3 has a bit of for the same reasons.

 

[Chadfish]

On the other hand very few recorders offer confidence monitoring and very few people use it when it's available. The reason is that there is a significant lag time. ON SD recorders it's like 5 to 10 sec of lag. Ironically analog recorders had a much more usable confidence monitoring (a lag in the milliseconds), DAT's were worse and file based are near unusable.

What is this lag time you're speaking of? From recording the scene to when you can play it back?

 

[Gohanto]

What is this lag time you're speaking of? From recording the scene to when you can play it back?

Confidence monitoring means that instead of monitoring directly after the pre-amp stage (where there is no delay obviously), the signal instead gets written to disk, and then re-read off the disk and put into the headphones. This guarantees that what you're hearing, is what was physically recorded to disk. In the analog world there were two heads on the tape, one was writting the audio to tape, the other head (immediately after the 1st) just read what was on the tape. Same idea today, except with hard drive disks it's slightly more complicated.

 

[Gweilo66]

"That it doesn't have XLR outs is, well, meaningless. No one who needs XLR outs will be looking seriously at this device anyway"

Perhaps you should speak for yourself. I for one, as well as others posting here would look more seriously at it if it DID have XLR outs. Therefore..meaningful. Even if one is simply recording onboard audio for transcription purposes (common in interviews and docos), sure would be nice to have the recorder integrated as opposed to connecting, bagging an external recorder off whatever unused output is available. Just seems like adding a balanced breakout of some sort would not be a big deal yet would open up an additional market segment. But maybe Sound Devices will do it instead.