I need some info Marantz PMD660

thetony

thetony

Member
Ok. So in some weird series of events i have obtained a PMD660, and i have never used it before. Im thinking of selling it but i would like to hear some opinions about it before i decide to do so.

For the most part, i have been recording straight to camera via on deck XLR ports, or through modules connected to the camera. I have never used a field recorder before, for shooting a short.

Can you guys let me know if this is a quality field recorder to use. Are there better options? Problems with the PMD660? Experience?

anything to give me a better understanding of what i posses.
 
I had a PMD 660 for a while but I sold it. In hindsight, it wasn't a bad little recorder. The preamps were a little noisy, but I guess that's to be expected in that price range. My main problem with it was that it tended to distort very easily. There is a pad buried in the menu system. I also didn't like the metering as it was hard to tell what you really had. I would say that since you already have it you should try it out and see if it is something that you can get some use out of. Whether you sell it now or a few months from now, you should get around the same price for it.
 
yeah, i see what you mean about the pre amps being noisy. I think i'd rather get something a little better. I hear good things about the micro track.
 
I also had a Microtrack and got rid of it (I know I go through a lot of portables). I think noise wise the MT was on par with the PMD 660. It was convenient though being so portable. If the low budget recorders are what you're looking at then I think some noise is just something that you'll have to live with. I ordered a Sony PCM-D50 which should be coming any day now. I hope this is my last recorder for a while. I can let you know how that is if you're interested.
 
yeah, definently keep me updated. My next couple projects are kind of sound driven, so i need a good recorder. If it comes down to renting, i might settle for something in the Sound Devices 7 series.
 
I don't know if it's worth keeping just yet. I mean i could get the money for it and put that towards a rental when i need it. But then again I love owning equipment to mess around with.

anyone have experience with Oade's basic Mod for the PMD660?
 
Brad S. said:
I also had a Microtrack and got rid of it (I know I go through a lot of portables). I think noise wise the MT was on par with the PMD 660. It was convenient though being so portable. If the low budget recorders are what you're looking at then I think some noise is just something that you'll have to live with. I ordered a Sony PCM-D50 which should be coming any day now. I hope this is my last recorder for a while. I can let you know how that is if you're interested.
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Also the Micro track has 1/4" mic ins so you need an adapter and the phantom power is lower than 48V, fine for many mics but some wont work with it.
 
thetony said:
I don't know if it's worth keeping just yet. I mean i could get the money for it and put that towards a rental when i need it. But then again I love owning equipment to mess around with.

anyone have experience with Oade's basic Mod for the PMD660?
Click to expand...

You should check with them but when asked they only modify recorders that they have sold.
 
thetony said:
yeah, definently keep me updated. My next couple projects are kind of sound driven, so i need a good recorder. If it comes down to renting, i might settle for something in the Sound Devices 7 series.
Click to expand...

702 is pretty nice and with 16 gig Compact Flash cards going for well under a hundred dollars they become quite practical. I have the PMD 671 and like it but if I bought today I would buy the Tascam, or poss a 702.

For the mini recorders the Sony looks good (the new one), I know folks using the older Zoom that like it a lot. One who wasn't as impressed wanted something smaller, he didn't have any sound problems with it.

In the regular size the SD boxes are very nice, but I did find them a bit too cramped. I wouldn't kick one out of bed but I wish they had made it a little larger. Fantastic support.

Tascam is nice seems to holding up well. Is a better deal than anything else in the price range. Good support.

Marantz PMD 671, I like the mechanics, it's very solid works well, I use a MixPre as a front end but when I have used the built in pre's they sounded fine (I didn't see or hear the noise that folks were complaining about, but I may have had a later version). Support pretty much sucks. There have been firmware updates but you have to send the box back to the factory to get it done, AND they don't really like doing it so unless you get an unusually helpful tech they will not tell you what the current version is or what has changed. This is a killer for pro audio boxes in my mind and the biggest reason I can't recommend an other wise very nice box.

FR-2, I hated it - though some like it a lot. It takes two hands to change the batteries because if you don't hold them down while putting them in they spring all over the room. There is a lag after you stop recording while it "writes to the card"? and it will not record till it's finished. The "work around" is you can "record" to the prerecord buffer so if the buffer is set large enough and it doesn't fill before the FR2 finishes "writing" you can start recording right away. Hated the display. Very low gain on the mic pres. Very plasticky toy like feel. I believe there support is pretty good.

After that your into the $7K and up range.

Unless your doing all cart work and then Boom Recorder becomes a VERY nice option.
 
I own the PMD660. I'm not so happy with it. My biggest gripe is the knob inside the knob design. It's very difficult to ride or even set levels if you have 2 mics going. I'd call Coffey Sound in Los Angeles to find out what they recommend and why.
 
I've got a PMD660, Oade modded...

I've got a PMD660, Oade modded...

... it's a pretty good recorder (though I have only minidisc recorders to compare it to). The Oade modification makes a big difference in preamp noise--I borrowed an unmoddeed one from a buddy, and his sounded like crap.

It's not the easiest machine to use in the world. The menus take some getting used to. Crummy user interface even. But usable once you get the hang of it. It's also a little picky about what CF cards you use.

The volume knobs are not great, as mentioned. And the meter is not great either. I'm probably going to sell mine, in favor of a Zoom recorder for its greater simplicity and usable onboard mics (and if I need a more robust recorder, I'll probably go back up to something like the Sound Devices or the Tascam HD-P2).

The modded PMD660 is a solid machine that records good sound if you do your job, and the price is good (especially if you buy mine). Oade will now modify your unit for you I believe--changed from earlier. Not 100% sure about this though.
 
wow that was very helpful. Yeah, the project we are working on is our "jump," i guess, into something more serious than just an average student film. We are still in early stages. Still yet to produce a final draft of the script, but we aim to have some good sound. so i guess renting would be the most ideal especially if it is out of my price range.
 
naveenmedia said:
Noiz2, which Tascam do you have?
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There's more than one? ;~) I don't have any of them. I was referring to the Flash recorder HD-P2, I believe. I know a few people using them and they have all had positive experiences and the boxes have held up well. I worked a lot with the DA-P1 (DAT) from Tascam and it had a LOT of issues. Almost everyone I know had problems with theirs. So I was a little skeptical with the P2, but Tascam seems to have learned some lessons.
 
not for a hard productions , the one we have for 3 months already have dead dots on its display and the level potentiometers got stoke after a week in the desert -
nice recorder if you dont push the limits
 
Okay so I've had the Sony PCM-D50 for a day and here are my initial impressions. The internal mics sound surprisingly good. They are pretty susceptible to wind noise, but not as much as I thought they would be after reading another review. The unit feels really well built. It has a solid metal build that seems pretty tough, though I won't test that out. I plugged in my Rode NT4 stereo mic into the minijack input and it is pretty clean.

Here are my main complaints about the unit.
No Phantom power. This isn't as much of an issue for me as my two main mics can be powered by battery.
I thought the minijack input would be an issue, but it really isn't. The input itself is metal, so should last.
My main problem is that Sony seems to be trying to rip people off with any accessories. The windscreen is sold separately and costs $50. The carrying case is also sold separately.

I haven't had the chance to run this recorder through it's paces, but based on my initial impressions, I think this might be my final stop for a portable recorder. At least until I can get a Sound Devices 702.
 
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