Fostex DC-R302 owners???

Doug_EX

Doug_EX

Well-known member
Hi,

seems like the Fostex DC-R302 is a great device on paper, and could be the perfect tool for DSLR shooting.
But I heard that it has (or had) problems with Premiere Pro, that you can't import the files directly into it.
Also, I read that a few people lost there files...gone!

Did Fostex fixed those issues?
Is it reliable?

thanks!

Duane
 
The early version was writing to a WAV file that absolutely positively would not import into PP5 or PP5.5 (I never tried it with PP6), evidently this was fixed with firmware but there were plenty or workarounds. In audio terms I found the preamps were a significant step-up from juicedlink, zoom or beachtek, but definitely not Sound Devices quality. I used mine just like it was designed-mounted underneath a GH2 or D800, I thought it worked very well for what I was using for (2 cam interview setups with a dumb-slate ). You can run a line out of the DC-R302 and attenuate the signal enough to send a useful guide track to a second camera, I did this in combination with the built in bloop slate and it worked really well.
 
The mic pre amps a very clean. It seems like a solid unit now that the firmware has been updated. I still cant import the wav files into premiere though.
 
LyleGorch said:
The early version was writing to a WAV file that absolutely positively would not import into PP5 or PP5.5 (I never tried it with PP6), evidently this was fixed with firmware but there were plenty or workarounds. In audio terms I found the preamps were a significant step-up from juicedlink, zoom or beachtek, but definitely not Sound Devices quality. I used mine just like it was designed-mounted underneath a GH2 or D800, I thought it worked very well for what I was using for (2 cam interview setups with a dumb-slate ). You can run a line out of the DC-R302 and attenuate the signal enough to send a useful guide track to a second camera, I did this in combination with the built in bloop slate and it worked really well.
Click to expand...

Would you say that the quality is significantly better than running directly mics to a camcorder (like EX3 or Hpx250)? Because that's what I do when I shoot an interview with my GH2...my HPX is my audio recorder. I have a NTG3 and a Audix Scx1 and am not please with the sound (noise floor).

thanks!

Duane
 
Doug_EX said:
Would you say that the quality is significantly better than running directly mics to a camcorder (like EX3 or Hpx250)? Because that's what I do when I shoot an interview with my GH2...my HPX is my audio recorder. I have a NTG3 and a Audix Scx1 and am not please with the sound (noise floor).

thanks!

Duane
Click to expand...

I think it is an improvement on that type of combination. I actually tried the same thing as you, running two mics into a Sony NX5, using the NX5 as the B cam and audio recorder. I think the mic pre's in the Fostex are superior to the in-cam Sonys but I've never A-B tested against the cameras you've mentioned. Ultimately I moved on to a double system with smpte TC and smart slate. The Fostex setup was about the same level of manageability for OMB as smart-slating.
 
Thanks!

I am actually hesitating between the Fostex and the MixpreD from Sound Device. The problem with the MixpreD is that it can't record, but it has xlr output to connect directly in my camcorder.

Did you ever connect the mic out from the Fostex and had good sound from the GH2 audio tracks?
 
To Sebden,

funny, this is what Fostex reply when I asked them if the audio files from the DC-R302 were compatible with Premiere pro
<<The DC-R302 records in regular BWF format. We have not been reportedthat it does not work on Premier Pro so far.>>
 
Doug_EX said:
Thanks!

I am actually hesitating between the Fostex and the MixpreD from Sound Device. The problem with the MixpreD is that it can't record, but it has xlr output to connect directly in my camcorder.

Did you ever connect the mic out from the Fostex and had good sound from the GH2 audio tracks?
Click to expand...

Yes, I've tried to skin this cat just about every way imagineable. If I remember correctly you can go into the menus of the Fostex and pad the line-out to a level that is "acceptable" (at least on the GH2 I tried it with), but I wouldn't want to use that as my main track, I just used it as a sync reference. Its hard to defeat the pre's on DSLRs and even a lot of prosumer cams. I can't remember what the MixpreD has for outs, one thing I've played around with is using the digital-in on a TASCAM DR100 mkii with a digital out from a SD702t, worked fine for a couple of iso tracks, in theory you can use the TASCAM as bit bucket that way and its worked for me a couple times. All this stuff needs to be buttoned-down and tested before camera starts rolling of course.

I think the full Fostex manual is available online as a pdf.
 
Doug_EX said:
Ok...cool
You can't reveal the company's name??? Please!!!!
Click to expand...

I wish I could, but I've already said more than I probably should have :)
It comes down to what do you need today for your productions. If you can wait, I'd say to wait. You can't go wrong with Sound Devices gear though. The pres on this unit aren't going to be spectacular. This future unit I refer to will still sound the best when coupled with higher quality pres, however for 90% off the users out there, it will be fine right out of the box.
 
Guy_Cochran said:
Another manufacturer will be releasing a similar unit in March at about half the price. Stay tuned.
Click to expand...

. . .you know. . .to start off I want to be clear that I don't own any Fostex gear or the DC-R302 anymore, but I think this is a really bullshit post and at the very least belongs in another topic. You are clearly a commercial enterprise here, so yeah, thanks for "helping out" the original poster with their original question.

Someone in the Canon eos section posts a question: "Does anyone that owns a C100 have any remarks on how the in-cam codec works in Sony Vegas?", a commercial vender (but hey a DVXuser sponser!) responds with: "Another manufacturer will be releasing a similar unit in March at about half the price. Stay tuned."

A totally craven and useless post.
 
LyleGorch said:
. . .you know. . .to start off I want to be clear that I don't own any Fostex gear or the DC-R302 anymore, but I think this is a really bulls*%t post and at the very least belongs in another topic. You are clearly a commercial enterprise here, so yeah, thanks for "helping out" the original poster with their original question.

Someone in the Canon eos section posts a question: "Does anyone that owns a C100 have any remarks on how the in-cam codec works in Sony Vegas?", a commercial vender (but hey a DVXuser sponser!) responds with: "Another manufacturer will be releasing a similar unit in March at about half the price. Stay tuned."

A totally craven and useless post.
Click to expand...

My apologies if this came across as a BS post. A few weeks ago at the NAMM show, I was able to see, behind closed doors the finished product - this isn't a vaporware item, it is a working product packaged and ready to ship. My intention here was to help the original poster to not have "buyer's remorse" for picking up an item right before another came out.

I have a track record here of getting items from major manufactures ahead of time and producing videos to be released the day the product is announced. In this case I felt it was my duty to "let the cat out of the bag" so that a fellow dvx'r could make a better informed decision.
 
I just wanted to say that I have had the fostex for about 3 or 4 months and the quality of the preamps is astounding. This thing is so damn clean. It is durable, extremely easy to use and intuitive, and just a great recorder all around. It blows the recorders at my film school out of the water and we have some of the nicest facilities and equipment in the world (Chapman).

The single downside is that like all three input xlr recorders, it mixes down to two channels. Typically I use one channel because I am doing narrative with a boom and no lavs, but using lavs and a boom is a bit of a problem. Still, a four track recorder with preamps that match the quality of these would be 3-4x the price, depending on the company. Also, I worry a bit about the resale value, but I figure it's still a better investment than a camera and it will last me a long time.
 
Jackson Miller said:
I just wanted to say that I have had the fostex for about 3 or 4 months and the quality of the preamps is astounding. This thing is so damn clean. It is durable, extremely easy to use and intuitive, and just a great recorder all around. It blows the recorders at my film school out of the water and we have some of the nicest facilities and equipment in the world (Chapman).

The single downside is that like all three input xlr recorders, it mixes down to two channels. Typically I use one channel because I am doing narrative with a boom and no lavs, but using lavs and a boom is a bit of a problem. Still, a four track recorder with preamps that match the quality of these would be 3-4x the price, depending on the company. Also, I worry a bit about the resale value, but I figure it's still a better investment than a camera and it will last me a long time.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info!
 
Sorry to revive an old thread.
With advances on the 5D for RAW recording through ML, one unfortunate caveat is that audio is a problem.
It simply takes up to much processing to allow clean RAW. So they have disabled it on ML.
Thus the Fostex DC-R302 with it's dual sync looks attractive again.

Now that it has been out there a while, what do people who use it think?
Are there any other small and atttractive dual mixer/recorder units out there now?
Anything else with the same sync function for triggering recording on the camera? (What cable is needed by the way?)
Pre-amps still sound good by comparison with some newer units?
What about the question of lack of XLR output, a real inconvenience?

Thanks,
Clayton
 
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