Just thought I'd give a quick review of the SoundDevices 688 recorder.
The 688 can record to either a CF or SD card .. and you can configure to fall over
to the second card if you so choose.
It has 6 mic pres .. and they are spectacularly quiet and transparent. Very accurate to the
sound source. The first six inputs have both Trim and Faders and pan positions. There are
6 line level inputs and they have Trims, but not faders. However, you can get an additional
CL option that will provide Fader/Trim for inputs 7->12.
You can choose between 48v phantom and 12v phantom ... and for those of us who have T
mics ... that's nice .. although I wish you could select the voltage on a per channel basis...
but, I understand the trade off.
The 688 is powered by five internal NiMH AA batteries .. which it blows through surprisingly
quickly. If you run the 688, you will need a good supply of rechargeable AA's .. or opt for
a heftier mA/hr power source such as the NP battery cup option.
The 688 has all the timecode options of the 7 T series .. stable and the timecode has an on-board
battery to keep the clock going if you so choose. Syncs to almost anything .. has a word clock output
to compensate for drop-frame/pulls for external recorders .. super stable clock .. not a frame drift
in 24 hours.
The 688 has six auxiliary outputs that you can use to feed external recorders or other upstream
mixers. It also has 3 send/returns or loopback lines.
You can feed AES digital lines as well.
To be honest, I have not yet used the outputs other than the headphone output .. and the COM line.
I love COM lines so you can talk to the sound crew without scaring the children. ;-)
The 688 can record 16 tracks simultaneously, so you can record all 12 inputs plus the digital lines.
It can make poly .wav files or individual .wav files per channel. Make sure your NLE can handle the
poly wave files
It can also record to MP3 ... but i have not drank from that toilet.
The sample rates are from 44.1 -> 192kHz .. with the pull-up and pull-down sample rates supported
with appropriate spoofing for stupid audio NLE's like FinalCut.
If recording to broadcast wave, the 688 adds tons of useful metadata .. if you use the 688 on cart
pulling from multiple feeds, this is a godsend if used. The 688 has a USB input and you can use
a keyboard to enter this data more quickly.
I won't go into the signal routing and meter options .. they are all the options you would expect, and
some you probably will never use.
Two very nice features:
"PowerSafe" .. the unit will give 10 seconds of emergency shutdown power should a catastrophic power
event occur.
"MixAssist" .. if you are called upon to provide a live mix for directors or whomever from a variety of sources,
MixAssist can be a huge aid in giving a clear/discernible audio mix from a variety of unruly sources. You can
even set how unruly they are
I haven't found the "QuickBoot" all that helpful .. but I'm sure I would if I was doing reality / nature stuff.
The 688 has configurable highpass and lowpass filters as well as configurable limiters. I think those of us who
have used SoundDevices have had our butts saved by their limiters .. they have just the right attack and
release times to tame a lot material.
The LCD screen is very nice .. .. the graphics are clear considering the amount of data is feeding you .. and it's
pretty good outside .. not great .. but OK. I still like the LCD of my 7 outside...
Ergonomically, it's everything you would expect from SoundDevices ... built like a tank .. sturdy .. there's nothing
cheap .. the fader, trim and adjustment knobs are tactically excellent.
I love the built in slate mic .. and that you can use it as a COM mic.
One thing to note with the 688 is that if you use high sample rates, or you record a lot of channels, you need to
pay close attention to the approved media from sound devices (http://sounddevices.com/approved).
I had thought about selling my 7xxT's .. but I think I'm going to hold onto them because the 688 is not really that
great of a simple 2 to 4 channel recorder rig. While it's awesome at lots of channels, it's a 4 pound box without
batteries, cables or a bag ... and it eats some juice if you record a lot of channels.
Timecode/Clock .. the thing is rock f'ing solid .. as is the word clock output.
As much as I don't like to use camera audio, getting feeds from them can provide redundant feeds ... and can make sure
what you're getting from the recordists is getting it all. The 688 does a great job of allowing aggregation and recording
of these feeds as well as providing appropriate sub-mixes for producers and directors.
I see applications for live recordings with this box as well.
The 688 is (in my opinion), probably the most sophisticated box SoundDevices has come out with.
But .. it's spanning the bag ->cart continuum .. so be aware that the high end functionality comes
at a powering and media cost.
Is it worth every penny of it's hefty price point ... yes.
Jeff
The 688 can record to either a CF or SD card .. and you can configure to fall over
to the second card if you so choose.
It has 6 mic pres .. and they are spectacularly quiet and transparent. Very accurate to the
sound source. The first six inputs have both Trim and Faders and pan positions. There are
6 line level inputs and they have Trims, but not faders. However, you can get an additional
CL option that will provide Fader/Trim for inputs 7->12.
You can choose between 48v phantom and 12v phantom ... and for those of us who have T
mics ... that's nice .. although I wish you could select the voltage on a per channel basis...
but, I understand the trade off.
The 688 is powered by five internal NiMH AA batteries .. which it blows through surprisingly
quickly. If you run the 688, you will need a good supply of rechargeable AA's .. or opt for
a heftier mA/hr power source such as the NP battery cup option.
The 688 has all the timecode options of the 7 T series .. stable and the timecode has an on-board
battery to keep the clock going if you so choose. Syncs to almost anything .. has a word clock output
to compensate for drop-frame/pulls for external recorders .. super stable clock .. not a frame drift
in 24 hours.
The 688 has six auxiliary outputs that you can use to feed external recorders or other upstream
mixers. It also has 3 send/returns or loopback lines.
You can feed AES digital lines as well.
To be honest, I have not yet used the outputs other than the headphone output .. and the COM line.
I love COM lines so you can talk to the sound crew without scaring the children. ;-)
The 688 can record 16 tracks simultaneously, so you can record all 12 inputs plus the digital lines.
It can make poly .wav files or individual .wav files per channel. Make sure your NLE can handle the
poly wave files
It can also record to MP3 ... but i have not drank from that toilet.
The sample rates are from 44.1 -> 192kHz .. with the pull-up and pull-down sample rates supported
with appropriate spoofing for stupid audio NLE's like FinalCut.
If recording to broadcast wave, the 688 adds tons of useful metadata .. if you use the 688 on cart
pulling from multiple feeds, this is a godsend if used. The 688 has a USB input and you can use
a keyboard to enter this data more quickly.
I won't go into the signal routing and meter options .. they are all the options you would expect, and
some you probably will never use.
Two very nice features:
"PowerSafe" .. the unit will give 10 seconds of emergency shutdown power should a catastrophic power
event occur.
"MixAssist" .. if you are called upon to provide a live mix for directors or whomever from a variety of sources,
MixAssist can be a huge aid in giving a clear/discernible audio mix from a variety of unruly sources. You can
even set how unruly they are
I haven't found the "QuickBoot" all that helpful .. but I'm sure I would if I was doing reality / nature stuff.
The 688 has configurable highpass and lowpass filters as well as configurable limiters. I think those of us who
have used SoundDevices have had our butts saved by their limiters .. they have just the right attack and
release times to tame a lot material.
The LCD screen is very nice .. .. the graphics are clear considering the amount of data is feeding you .. and it's
pretty good outside .. not great .. but OK. I still like the LCD of my 7 outside...
Ergonomically, it's everything you would expect from SoundDevices ... built like a tank .. sturdy .. there's nothing
cheap .. the fader, trim and adjustment knobs are tactically excellent.
I love the built in slate mic .. and that you can use it as a COM mic.
One thing to note with the 688 is that if you use high sample rates, or you record a lot of channels, you need to
pay close attention to the approved media from sound devices (http://sounddevices.com/approved).
I had thought about selling my 7xxT's .. but I think I'm going to hold onto them because the 688 is not really that
great of a simple 2 to 4 channel recorder rig. While it's awesome at lots of channels, it's a 4 pound box without
batteries, cables or a bag ... and it eats some juice if you record a lot of channels.
Timecode/Clock .. the thing is rock f'ing solid .. as is the word clock output.
As much as I don't like to use camera audio, getting feeds from them can provide redundant feeds ... and can make sure
what you're getting from the recordists is getting it all. The 688 does a great job of allowing aggregation and recording
of these feeds as well as providing appropriate sub-mixes for producers and directors.
I see applications for live recordings with this box as well.
The 688 is (in my opinion), probably the most sophisticated box SoundDevices has come out with.
But .. it's spanning the bag ->cart continuum .. so be aware that the high end functionality comes
at a powering and media cost.
Is it worth every penny of it's hefty price point ... yes.
Jeff
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