Tascam DR-60d

kwkeirstead

Well-known member
Check out http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...wsletter-_-140218-_-Body_Retail_Tascam-DR-60D


B&H has a promo on the DR-60 d (starting today) - $184.99.

I have a Tascam Dr 100 Mk II which has been great for me as a backup.

No clue how this compares to the DR-60D (it costs about $35 more) but the thing is the promo includes Plural Eyes which on its own costs about as much as the DR 60d

Neither these solve my problem of primary sound at the camera.

The bottom line for me is I need a box that can take signals from mics or from a sound board and somehow widen the range of sound coming into my AG-AC160A.

Right now, I probably have to make 100 volume adjustments at the little dials on the camera over a 2-hour recording session. I do stage events where at times you have one person almost whispering (no bars at the meter) then a minute later you have 10 people on stage yelling.

I keep the sound just below the reference bar so that I don't red line but all of this is very tedious.

I am wondering if I should just ignore the settings when the meter shows no bars. But I have tried this a few times and I get nothing.

Up to now I have used my Tascam only as a backup as I don't have Plural Eyes. Wondering if a 2nd field recorder one set to high gain, the other to low, would be a solution but is seems like a lot of trouble to go to.

Surely there is solution where a one trick pony can handle incoming sound - I cannot rely on sound boards as the sound folks are different each time - they sometimes put the music above the speakers, then at other times it's the reverse. I cannot set up 6 mics and do my own mix.

What's reasonable and what's not reasonable?

My preference is to attend to the camera, not sound.

Any suggestions?
 
I have one of these which I paid almost double the price for. I haven't used it much, but it does have a safety track feature which sounds like it could be very useful to you:

**Dual "safety track" record mode automatically provide a back-up safety track in case the initial levels where set too high and clips were encountered. The safety track can be set to record at -6dB to -12dB lower than the initial take**

The one thing I will say about Tascam products is that the warranty kind of sucks. It only covers parts, so chances are if something goes wrong during the warranty period, fyou'll end up paying a label charge of $90 plus shipping

Check out http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...wsletter-_-140218-_-Body_Retail_Tascam-DR-60D


B&H has a promo on the DR-60 d (starting today) - $184.99.

I have a Tascam Dr 100 Mk II which has been great for me as a backup.

No clue how this compares to the DR-60D (it costs about $35 more) but the thing is the promo includes Plural Eyes which on its own costs about as much as the DR 60d

Neither these solve my problem of primary sound at the camera.

The bottom line for me is I need a box that can take signals from mics or from a sound board and somehow widen the range of sound coming into my AG-AC160A.

Right now, I probably have to make 100 volume adjustments at the little dials on the camera over a 2-hour recording session. I do stage events where at times you have one person almost whispering (no bars at the meter) then a minute later you have 10 people on stage yelling.

I keep the sound just below the reference bar so that I don't red line but all of this is very tedious.

I am wondering if I should just ignore the settings when the meter shows no bars. But I have tried this a few times and I get nothing.

Up to now I have used my Tascam only as a backup as I don't have Plural Eyes. Wondering if a 2nd field recorder one set to high gain, the other to low, would be a solution but is seems like a lot of trouble to go to.

Surely there is solution where a one trick pony can handle incoming sound - I cannot rely on sound boards as the sound folks are different each time - they sometimes put the music above the speakers, then at other times it's the reverse. I cannot set up 6 mics and do my own mix.

What's reasonable and what's not reasonable?

My preference is to attend to the camera, not sound.

Any suggestions?
 
What's reasonable and what's not reasonable?
As you've discovered, getting a good recording in a variable situation requires someone's full-time attention. Likewise, getting good video also requires someone's full-time attention. You wouldn't expect to set up your camera on a locked down tripod, engage auto-focus and auto-exposure, and go away for an hour to return to have usable video ... why would you expect sound to be any different? What's reasonable is to partner up with someone who will work as a team with you to give audio recording the attention it requires while you give the camera the attention it needs. The FOH sound operators at those functions don't put their mix on autopilot, neither should you.
 
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Check out http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...wsletter-_-140218-_-Body_Retail_Tascam-DR-60D


B&H has a promo on the DR-60 d (starting today) - $184.99.

I have a Tascam Dr 100 Mk II which has been great for me as a backup.

No clue how this compares to the DR-60D (it costs about $35 more) but the thing is the promo includes Plural Eyes which on its own costs about as much as the DR 60d

Neither these solve my problem of primary sound at the camera.

The bottom line for me is I need a box that can take signals from mics or from a sound board and somehow widen the range of sound coming into my AG-AC160A.

Right now, I probably have to make 100 volume adjustments at the little dials on the camera over a 2-hour recording session. I do stage events where at times you have one person almost whispering (no bars at the meter) then a minute later you have 10 people on stage yelling.

I keep the sound just below the reference bar so that I don't red line but all of this is very tedious.

I am wondering if I should just ignore the settings when the meter shows no bars. But I have tried this a few times and I get nothing.

Up to now I have used my Tascam only as a backup as I don't have Plural Eyes. Wondering if a 2nd field recorder one set to high gain, the other to low, would be a solution but is seems like a lot of trouble to go to.

Surely there is solution where a one trick pony can handle incoming sound - I cannot rely on sound boards as the sound folks are different each time - they sometimes put the music above the speakers, then at other times it's the reverse. I cannot set up 6 mics and do my own mix.

What's reasonable and what's not reasonable?

My preference is to attend to the camera, not sound.

Any suggestions?

Adjusting the volume on the DR-60D while recording may induced a stair step affect. Here is a youtube video by JuicedLink (http://youtu.be/rGMiIXkiJ9E) which might help you decide about usability of the 3 devices reviewed.

Battery life is also going to be critical for you as you have to make sure you can record for two hours.

Here is another review of the DR-60D (http://transom.org/?p=39605)
 
"The bottom line for me is I need a box that can take signals from mics or from a sound board and somehow widen the range of sound coming into my AG-AC160A."
- Ain't gonna happen. A quality external compressor/ limiter may help even-out the levels some, but w/o skilled adjustments and monitoring you're still f--ked. Hire a pro sound person if you want pro sound results.
 
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