I need the REAL Pros to help answer this... r.e. MicroTrack.

My understanding (just what I heard) is that it has a permenent rechargable battery installed in it then cannot be swapped out for a charged one. If this is not true then I apologize for calling M-Audio stupid. :) (although their approach to phantom power seems half-assed at best, so again, they still are not impressing me with a commitment to quality).

If it is true then what do you do when you are out in the field and the battery dies?

I am still interested in playing with one myself.
 
ullanta said:
Boy, MattinSTL, you sure have a lot of enthusiasm for this non-existant, problematic product!

I do indeed hope it works out well, and suits your needs, but the phantom power issues and aspecially the big variation that "one guy" is seeing between the channels make me very leery of this product. And the battery issues... well, lets just say that voltage affects sound of audio circuitry, and I don't have confidence (Based on other problems with the device) that M-Audio have enough experience with battery-powered devices to properly compensate for this. So stretching the battery to it's limit will probably be a bit problematic.

Anyway, this "one guy" - what was his test setup? I tend not to put much confidence in "one guy" doing "something unspecified" and getting wowing results.

-Barry
Click to expand...

Go to this page HERE and click on each individual graph. Blue is left channel, purple is right channel. These graphs were generated in Adobe Audition.

As stated above the product does exist and I've talked to dozens of people running them. For the most part they are happy with the purchase. My criticicms of the product are already noted in this thread and that's why I went with the Marantz 671... to say I'm really excited about this product is true... but not over-excited. I doubt I'll buy one to compliment the 671... for me there would be no point in it. Jon has a Shure FP-24 on the way to him in France right now so he need not be concerned with the phantom issue (as noted) and I already made my qualifying statements about the battery life. If somebody was really concerned about the battery they could follow my previous advice to run this unit with a good pre-amp AND they could get the usb battery pack and get close to twice the life between charges.

All I'm saying is that a digital recorder capable of 24/96 (some had freezes when running 24/96, but there is ALREADY a firmware update out which apparently has addressed that... read iamloser's post) anyway... a 24/96 recorder with AT LEAST a 100db SN for $350? That's freakin' dirt dirt dirt cheap for what it does. Would I recommend a more professional alternative? Yeah... and I put my money where my mouth is.

The thing is... 100db SN? What more can you say? Nothing else even comes close to those specs (within HUNDREDS of dollars of that price-range)... the 671 is 92db SN and the Edirol R1 is around 92-94db. I say if one channel of the MicroTrack does 116db SN then that is NOT a bad thing! I record everything mono anyway! If I had a recorder hitting 116db SN I'd just use the right channel and count my blessings!

Here's just ONE of the 16 graphs you can check out on the link I just posted... this is the best measured performance, which was 16/44.1KHz through the 1/4" TRS:thumbsup: Trust me, it was hard to decide with measurements like this and the 1/8" input showed none of the left channel oscillation... both L and R are flat in that input:

14c-L-BL.png
 
Yes there IS a permanent rechargeable battery SEALED in the unit... you can only extend that battery's life by buying a battery pack which plugs into the charge jack and slows the drain of the unit. If the internal battery dies for some reason and cannot be charged back up you can send the unit to M-Audio and get a new battery installed for $75.

I'm repeating things I've already said a couple times in this thread, but YES that is one of the FEW reasons why I did NOT choose this product. I went with the Marantz 671 for about a dozen reasons... some of which were deficiencies in the MicroTrack and some of which were features that the Marantz offers that no other recorder in that price-range has.

I could take this thread in either of two directions... one being reasons to get a microtrack... and the other being reasons to get a marantz. Since these two units are nowhere near the same price range it's an apples to oranges comparison, but I just happen to like oranges better. That's not to say that the apples weren't okay too... just a little less juicy...

One thing I'll say about my posts... is I will probably be wrong about some things on occasion if I'm the one making original statements out of what I think is a personal discovery... but even then I make a good attempt to check my facts and judge my own experiences against the experiences of others. Also I don't spread rumors or promote heresay... I go to pretty long lengths to check specs, info, and the experience of many people before I post statements about a product... unless it's a speculative thread... so if I reference "one guy" you can rest assured that I'm not trying to pull a rabbit out of my hat. If you read all my posts you'll see that this thread is as much about reasons to avoid a microtrack as it is reasons to get one.
 
Two maybe stupid questions

What kind of portabrace bag would it make sense to get for this setup
Shure FP-24 + M-Audio + headphones? (what size or model) im thinking rather something small, but than have an extra bag for accessories, rather than an
"all in one" bag.

Did anyone research those USB external battery adapter for the M-Audio?
(where could i get that)

thanx
:beer:
 
..i might check into the battery pack, but im not sure ill have a use for it yet. today i decided to run the unit straight untill it goes out. ive been running for a little under 4 hours straight now and im still at about 1/2 charge according to the meter using no backlight (its LCd doesnt need one during the day) and no phantom power. another thing to remember is that the unit can charge off a USB port or the wall as it is in operation. so you can run it while plugged into the wall or a USB port on the laptop on set and not worry about about battery time. which is why i dont know if ill need any extra batty stuffs. the unit isnt really designed for recording through an all out pro 18 hour film day on the battery.. its really more geared towards being a simple high quality portable audio recorder for shorter type stuff. you should plug it in iff your going to do use it as a main audio recorder through a long day. but the ability to charge off USB or plug power when in use would likely keep you up and running between location setups or takes and such. but as far as i can tell so far m-audios claim of up to 8 hours recording on a single charge seems about right from my testing today. they say about 3 hours straight if using phantom power. havent done that yet.

as Matt has researched and stated (Nice graph!), it absolutely DOES get 100 db signal to noise. ive been running tests all this morning and scoping them all out. if you have the amp applied and gain turned up its going to affect things of course. the mic used of course plays a big role in the quality of the signal. im not getting any oscillation in either channel and they are about as close as can be to eachother using the same mic on each channel.

the 30v phantom power isnt optimal for professional usage, but its more than enough to power any of the mics people who are going to use this unit will likely have. it will run the me66 and its freinds.. the AT's and the azdens, as well as most other newer mics. really expensive and nice studio mics or older mics will often require 48+ v though. anyway its worth noting that we'd all like the 48 volts to be there, but in all likelyhood we wont actually need it to be. I did speak with m-audio about this and they said that they may be upgrading the units hardware to a full 48volts later on.. well see if that happens or not .

as far as a bag to include the m/audio.. ..its small.. very small. about the size of a slightly large cell phone. i wouldnt worry abut fitting it into any bag or case. just get a bag based off fitting your largest item in it, and the phones and m-audio should fit around it if the phones fold nicely.

..anyway for as much as i like this little thing, its no replacement for a marantz 671 or such.. its sound quality may be in the same class, but the feature set isnt at all. comparatively the marantz has a superior feature set and abilities as far as what you can do with the unit. the m-audio is a relatively simple recorder. like matt said.. apples to oranges. you get what you pay for. the m-audio is alot less but does alot less as well. its an issue of budget and requirments in the end. if youv got the money and need the fetures.. get a marantz or something better, its a more pro and versitaile unit anyday. and if you dont have the money, or dont need the features for your intended usage.. the m-audio works great at what can do and is limited by what it cannot do. for overall value for the money its outstanding, but for overall pro application.. its lacking some features. at its pricepoint its to be expected though. anyway i hope this time spent testing my unit here hepls confirm some of what matt has said and give a solid answer to anyone considering purchasing the unit for their own needs.

happy shooting!
 
A USB battery pack would certainly be a nice way to get the power needed for a day. I too would like to know where you get one. Anyone got a link?

Best
 
So far this is where everyone at taperssection got one: CLICK HERE

Other then that I can't tell you anything about them. So far I haven't heard anything negative other then the shipping will be a little high. Of course I think if you find a bargain and the shipping is a little high you shouldn't sweat it... everybody's got to make enough cash to stay in business... just be smart enough to look at the total cost. (one of my personal pet peeves is people who jump for joy because something is dirt cheap and then ***** about shipping as if they're getting ripped off)

Google "usb power pack" and see if you can find these at any well-known outlets... or maybe call one of the DVXuser sponsors?

If it was me I'd probably buy THIS ONE RIGHT HERE because I've dealt with this company before and I really like them... plus I think you do get what you pay for... and after shipping there will probably only be a $10 difference in the two power packs.
 
Just got one of those USB adapters, 10$ is hard to beat, shipping is cheep as well, I love the internet. Thank you for the link.
Whats the ultimate sound bag to go with, small yet big enoch, any thoughts, and yes i know this is a little abstract.

thanx
 
I'm still trying to decide for myself Jon... I've always had a combination of the real-deal and the not-so-real-deal. I love my PortaBrace bags but if I can find a nice nylon bag of some kind... like an oversized soft lunchbox... I'll make due with it.

Here in the states we have these nylon bags that are made in MANY configurations. You can get one as a soft-side tool box/bag... or a lunchbox... or several other things, but the construction is always really good for what it is. They come in all colors and are made of ballistic nylon... maybe not as good as PB, but not bad either. Right now I have a lunch-bag that's just a little too small to accomodate the 671 and FP24... but it would probably be perfect for your rig including headphones. Also these bags have various compartments like a PB bag. Your GF here in the states should be able to find something for you... otherwise you can pay for the item and shipping and I will! Once I get my rig settled I'll post pics of how I have it set up. The great thing about these bags is they're easy to modify for a particular setup too... I used to run a Beachtek and Minidisc recorder combo... and I set up a nylon pouch to perfectly hold the two of them... and I had what looked like factory holes connecting compartments (for the XLR routing).

If all this hokey crap sounds too hokey or crappy then I'm sure PortaBrace or Kata makes something that'll be perfect. If I find a PB bag that holds the 24 and 671 seperately but also as a nice rig than I'll buy that... but I haven't seen anything "tidy" yet.
 
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