tascam dr40 or microphone?

S

stefanocps

Well-known member
Hello my dr05 has one of the two mic broken, so i can record stereo only with an external mic
Now as i want to fix this and also get some improvement, the doubt is either to go for DR40(or either zoom hn4) or buy an external stereo mic and keep the dr05.
I also have a rode videomic which is the mic i use mostly directly on my gh3. Things is that i am upgrading gh3 also..may be fuji or mabe a camcorder...
What will be the best combination to improve the sound recording capability?
thanks for info
 
I have a DR-40 and regret the purchase (I bought it at the time when that and the zoom h4n were the only options). I would recommend you look elsewhere. Search for "DR-40 clicking noise".
 
It would be helpful to know what you’re usually recording that you want to improve.

Stereo recording is generally not useful in the field unless recording ambient tracks. It’s not used for dialog.

Tell us what you’ve used the DR-05 for, and we can better guide you to what you might need.
 
Akos Baranya said:
I have a DR-40 and regret the purchase (I bought it at the time when that and the zoom h4n were the only options). I would recommend you look elsewhere. Search for "DR-40 clicking noise".
Click to expand...

Not having heard or experienced this I did some research. Mostly this is old news. Apparently on the very early DR40's the inputs were designed for low impedance balanced mics and you needed to be in mono mode to properly terminate the unused input. The problem was folks were using them with crappy mics that were neither balanced or low impedance and were often not putting the DR40 into mono mode when recording mono. If you go through the various threads that seems to be most of the issues and almost all are from 2011 - 2012. Tascam seems to have tried to address it in a firmware update that solved some peoples issues and a hardware change some time after 2012. Folks who had earlier and later versions who had problems on the earlier versions are not having issues with later versions.

I would not go with an H4N over the DR-40. Having used both, I bought the DR-40. But that is my opinion, some would choose the H4N over the DR-40 so...

The best way to improve your sound is #1 have someone who is dedicated to just that. Even someone who is not very experienced but is focused on getting good sound will be better than the shooter trying to pay attention every once in awhile while focusing on the image. #2 do some actual post sound work with a sound editor.

If you are not doing 1&2 the hardware doesn't matter so much.
 
most of the time i use it for documentary, record interview or dialogue. i know it is not so necessary stereo for this. the thing start that like this dr05 with one mic broken is like having a faulty device
In some way i want a full working device hence the doubt if buy another revording or a good mic that i can use both with recorder and camera directly
 
As Scott mentioned, the “helicopter noise” issue with the DR-40 is old news, only present in some devices, and fixed with firmware a few years ago. I’ve had two of those in my life and had no such issue. They’re great recorders.

stefanocps said:
most of the time i use it for documentary, record interview or dialogue.
Click to expand...

Then, even if both mics were working, this is the wrong tool for the job.

Your better bet is to get a small recorder like the Tascam DR-60DmkII along with a shotgun mic like the Audio Technica AT-875r. Get a proper shockmount and windjammer for the mic.

For seated interviews, it is most important that the mic be placed as close to the intervewee as possible without getting into frame. You may be able to do this with a regular mic stand and boom arm, like the ones used for musicians and vocalists on stage. Or, you can get a basic boom pole and a boom pole holder to mount to a C-stand. The closer the mic, the better off you’ll be.

If you’re doing walk-and-talks, that’s where a wireless lav kit comes in handy if you don’t have a sound person on your crew who can swing the boom.

It’s already been mentioned that the best thing you can do is have a dedicated sound mixer/recordist. That’s true, but often completely impractical for hobbyists, amateurs, and single-person shooters on a slim budget. If you can get a sound person, do it. If that’s just not possible, you have to do the best you can with the resources you have. The setup I mentioned above will get you in the right neighborhood. Just be sure to use headphones to monitor while you record. And if you can find someone to join your team who is willing to take on dedicated attention to sound, even if they’re learning, you’ll be better off.
 
I have never experienced a clicking noise with my DR-40 either. The DR-40's internal mics are decent for room and ambient sound, I would not use that type of mic for voice recording. Like most mics, protection is needed for breezy conditions.
It should be noted, the DR40 does not have 3.5mm inputs, they must be XLR or 1/4" (line/mic switchable). The DR-40 also accepts pro +4dB balanced line level sources, if imputing a -10dB signal, a DI or signal , a -10 +4 booster amp would be wanted.
 
My issue was not fixed with the firmware update, it is not caused by my use of crappy mics or not using mono. That said, even if he were to get one without this issue, the market is saturated now with recorders that are much better quality than the DR-40, including most of tascam's lineup.
 
Akos Baranya said:
My issue was not fixed with the firmware update, it is not caused by my use of crappy mics or not using mono. That said, even if he were to get one without this issue, the market is saturated now with recorders that are much better quality than the DR-40, including most of tascam's lineup.
Click to expand...

Can you tel me some of these models?
 
Alex H. said:
As Scott mentioned, the “helicopter noise” issue with the DR-40 is old news, only present in some devices, and fixed with firmware a few years ago. I’ve had two of those in my life and had no such issue. They’re great recorders.



Then, even if both mics were working, this is the wrong tool for the job.

Your better bet is to get a small recorder like the Tascam DR-60DmkII along with a shotgun mic like the Audio Technica AT-875r. Get a proper shockmount and windjammer for the mic.

For seated interviews, it is most important that the mic be placed as close to the intervewee as possible without getting into frame. You may be able to do this with a regular mic stand and boom arm, like the ones used for musicians and vocalists on stage. Or, you can get a basic boom pole and a boom pole holder to mount to a C-stand. The closer the mic, the better off you’ll be.

If you’re doing walk-and-talks, that’s where a wireless lav kit comes in handy if you don’t have a sound person on your crew who can swing the boom.

It’s already been mentioned that the best thing you can do is have a dedicated sound mixer/recordist. That’s true, but often completely impractical for hobbyists, amateurs, and single-person shooters on a slim budget. If you can get a sound person, do it. If that’s just not possible, you have to do the best you can with the resources you have. The setup I mentioned above will get you in the right neighborhood. Just be sure to use headphones to monitor while you record. And if you can find someone to join your team who is willing to take on dedicated attention to sound, even if they’re learning, you’ll be better off.
Click to expand...
Dr60 seems a very interesting device. My only concern is a bout manageability.most of tbe time i work on my own, and using this will means having more device to control and carry, while dr05 for example would do the job on its own, agree with kess quality,, but i talk i. Run and gun conditions
 
FWIW, I bought an original DR-40. Used it for a year, then it died. Tascam wouldn't repair it so bought another, then it died after 8 months. I baby my gear and there was no reason two of them should have died. Interestingly, I bought a DR-60 MK1 at the same time and to this day, it's still going strong, I used it for a big NBC project a month ago. So it's not that Tascam is unreliable, it's that that the DR-40s, in particular were unreliable for me.
 
Akos Baranya said:
tascam dr 60
tascam dr 70d
roland r26
zoom h6
zoom f4
Click to expand...

Well I would sort of agree with you on some of that. BTW I didn't say all of the problems were with crappy mics and user error, just most of what I saw posted. There was an oops by Tascam that as far as I can tell has been fixed. Tascam has in the past been pretty good about fixing product issues and while I don't doubt some of the bad service reports I haven't experienced them, I have always had really good support from Tascam.

But the DR-40 is not the most recent recorder out there and there are products close in price (at least to what I paid) that are as good and better.

The F4 is one, not so sure about the dr 70d though it has had some issues, the R26 is over twice his price point. What sane person in this day and age is going to drop over $600 for a handheld recorder (that isn't named NAGRA)? H6? maybe, hard to say. All the H series have had issues with the markings wearing off after moderate usage. It's rare to see an H4 that has been in use have readable labels. The DR60 is, for many, is a very awkward size. You can't put it in a bag but it's not a hand held.

For the right person in the right circumstance these are all probably the perfect choice, but only two of them are really apples to apples with a DR40.
 
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Noiz2 said:
The F4 is one, not so sure about the dr 70d though it has had some issues, the R26 is over twice his price point. What sane person in this day and age is going to drop over $600 for a handheld recorder (that isn't named NAGRA)? H6? maybe, hard to say. All the H series have had issues with the markings wearing off after moderate usage. It's rare to see an H4 that has been in use have readable labels. The DR60 is, for many, is a very awkward size. You can't put it in a bag but it's not a hand held.

For the right person in the right circumstance these are all probably the perfect choice, but only two of them are really apples to apples with a DR40.
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R26 is expensive true, would probably look for one used if I was looking. The sound I've gotten out of those has always been a pleasure. H6 is a real workhorse, it used to be used a lot in smaller TV productions where I live, I would assume most of those moved on to F8s since that model came out. SQ and reliability trumps smallish concerns such as labeling fading over time IMO, and the h6 is great on both of those fronts. I never liked the form factor of it though. DR-60, yeah, it wierd. 70 is more civilized. Really, the only things similar in form to the DR-40 are the R26, h4n and maybe h6. Then again that handheld form factor isn't really a plus for one man band interview shooting, rigging the recorder under the camera seems like it may work better for that kind of thing.
 
Akos Baranya said:
tascam dr 60
tascam dr 70d
roland r26
zoom h6
zoom f4
Click to expand...

here are together 2 different type of recorder. those that have internalmicrophone, those not. i d preferably go fot those with internal mic top have more usability. also some of them are in a totally different price range :)
 
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