Upgrade to Tascam DR-680

scorsesefan

scorsesefan

Veteran
I own a Tascam DR-100 MKII and I have a chance to buy a DR-680 at a good price. Overall I am pretty happy with DR-100 because I do a lot of run n' gun work and it has pretty long battery life and is compact. The only major difference between the two that I can discern is more inputs and a lower noise floor (better pres).

Has anyone compared the two units?

Thanks.
 
The 680 'eats' batteries.. eight (AA) at a time.. even w/o using any Phantom Pwr. mics so external batteries are a necessity or be tethered to an A/C line. It's flimsy plastic and a pro bag or solid cart mount would be recommended. The preamps ain't great either.. not anywhere as bad as the Zoom's but high-quality external preamps would be wanted just the same... which incidentally brings up the feature that line-in mode does not send attenuated signal back though a preamp like most budget recorders.. and outboard preamps can be utilized very well. It's good bang for the buck though for sure, but don't leave home without a proven battery system and some kind of backup recorder.
 
Yes, Rick, the battery life and the durability are my main concerns. Is there a noticeable difference between the pres on both units?
 
Rick, is correct, but a bit harsh. I own both the original dr100 and a dr680. The dr680 preamps are a good improvement and in particular have much more gain, so works much better with weak output mics. For sure, the 680 needs an external battery. I use a Tekkeon with good results without busting the bank. The 680 is plasticky, but has been good enough for me since I use it in a bag (with Tekkeon). I have come to think of the 680 as the minimum standard for pro work, but nowhere near the quality of say a Sound Devices product. But a 6 channel SD recorder will cost a lot.

One other thing about the 680, if you do want to use all the inputs, you will need a mixer. You can mix a couple of channels on the 680, but any more than that and you need some pretty agile fingers.

The 680 does deliver value, but by the time you ad a bag and battery, some of the bargain disappears. Then again, you need power and a bag for anything.

Grant
 
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A little bit unfair here.
If you get the Busman mod the 680 becomes very viable for the mic pre-amps and frankly where are you going to get a 6 input system at this price?
The new Zoom H6's pre-amps are not even close. If you are running a lot of lavs and only booming a single mic, it is a very practical little machine.
I have a Sound devices 442 which I pipe into the 680 on occasion for the ease of mixing, but actually the difference is only minor compared to the naked 680 machine in terms of pre-amp quality, now that I have the mod.
In terms of batteries, I bought two 16 packs of Eneloops ($40 a pack at b&h), and in the end I only usually need to change out the batteries once during a typical session.
 
My first reaction from reading your original post, is that if you are doing run n gun and are doing fine with a DR100mkII, then going for a bigger recorder with more tracks (do you need them?), that is heavier, draws more power, and isn't any more durable than what you have, doesn't seem like much of an upgrade. The lower noise floor is nice, but depending on your mics and environments it might not be very noticeable.

If you can see the 680 as an investment, that meets your requirements right now and is able to make you some money, then go for it. If not, then I would save up for a professional recorder (such as a sound devices, zaxcom or sonosax).
 
Thanks all for the advice. For now I will hang on to the MKII because I would say I am doing 80/20 outdoor versus indoor work on the particular project I am working on and we are out in the bay/ocean a lot on boats where the slightly better noise floor/extra inputs on the 680 may not be worth being stuck in the Atlantic with no power:)
 
Even with the preamp mod, the UI is the same. I obliviously use external preamps.. and batteries.
Having three or four sets of rechargeable AAs would work, but disconnecting/removing the 680 from the bag (and re-connection) would be 10 minutes at best.. (waiting for sound) Then there's the risk of a mis-connecting something, wear and tear, ect.
As much as I don't like the 680, I just recently wrapped a 64 day (12-14 hour days, 6-day week) feature shoot without any malfunctions with the recorder.
 
With the DR-680, since it doesn't have dedicated pots for each channel, wouldn't it be somewhat impossible to ride levels as required?
 
starcentral said:
With the DR-680, since it doesn't have dedicated pots for each channel, wouldn't it be somewhat impossible to ride levels as required?
Click to expand...

It's not impossible. Those extra channels are very helpful for lavs, which tend to need less attention than the boom. Additionally if you are booming and mixing at the same time (lord only knows how you are doing all of this and DP'ing as well), you are not going to be riding much more than your boom at any giving moment. If you have a dedicated mixing person then, it's going to be easier obviously if he spots a track which is a little hot. I find too that I am often creating safety tracks, with a -10db backup if I fear something is going to go hot. Lastly, you can always put a 442 (or a cheap mixer) in front of the Tascam, and instead of spending $3000 for the recorder, you have spent $500.
 
No I definitely wouldn't be DP'ing, booming and mixing all myself, lol. I hire crew as needed but am providing most, if not all of the equipment required for a production. So lately I have been thinking of either an in-line mixer directly to camera (no separate recorder) or perhaps a dedicated recorder seeing as to be honest te DR-680 costs less than most professional mixers. ie. SD 302, midpre-d, etc..

The Edirol-44 is a 4 channel recorder and has separate pots for each channel so I have been looking at that too as an option, but the DR-680 does look way better, plus I might be inclined to swap out the pre-amps on it and gain a slight improvement on noise.
 
I have done a few projects now with the 680 in combination with a 302 mixer for the boom. The lavs went straight into the 680. I had a 150 Wh v-mount camera brick battery that will power it all day.
It's a solid recorder especially for the price. One nice feature, that is slightly cumbersome to work with is the ability to name the tracks with a custom name. It's better than nothing!
The portabrace bag works well with it, but tends to slip around, covering the power button, if you have other bags attached.

The thing I dislike most about the recorder are the output options. It's very limited and only has RCA outs. I would rather send a mix to the camera, but instead I ended up sending only the boom, direct from the mixer. Then I use the tape out of the 302 to feed the 680.
 
You guys helped me with all sorts of questions with my 680 and after reading this thread I'd like to hear your thoughts once again. It concerns which bag to use. I plan to add a mixer in front of the recorder soon but before I do that I need a bag that will hold the 680 and be sized for the future. The bag will need to hold the recorder, a Tekkeon battery, a mixer say the size of a 442, several lav's, cabling, etc. Once I'm in the bag I plan to buy a hard case to put the loaded bag into for travel.

But back to the bags.... Which bag do you recommend and how come? I'm looking at both the Porterbrace and the Petrols leaning to the latter.

Thanks for all your recommendations and discussion. Super helpful.
 
I use a Petrol PS607 Deca bag which fits a SD302 and a 680 (or) 744 + NP1 battery/distro system. It has two optional (dual) side pouches for receivers and an IFB transmitter.. the front and rear pockets can hold additional wireless and/or other items. The top flap opens to access the recoders's top panel controls. The fit is tight but usable and protects well... more room would certainly be nice though and I need to put clear plastic bags over the side pouches in wet weather as there's no room inside for all the wireless. A harness should be factored in as well if you have a full rig and/or long periods of wear. My setup weighs about 20+lb.s with five receivers, an IFB transmitter, cables, ect.
 
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Rick R said:
I use a Petrol PS607 Deca bag which fits a SD302 and a 680 (or) 744 + NP1 battery/distro system. It has two optional (dual) side pouches for receivers and an IFB transmitter.. the front and rear pockets can hold additional wireless and/or other items. The top flap opens to access the recoders's top panel controls. The fit is tight but usable and protects well... more room would certainly be nice though and I need to put clear plastic bags over the side pouches in wet weather as there's no room inside for all the wireless. A harness should be factored in as well if you have a full rig and/or long periods of wear. My setup weighs about 20+lb.s with five receivers, an IFB transmitter, cables, ect.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info Rick. I'd been looking at the 602 but it's really big. If I use the 607 in your experience will it fit the 680 and SD442 (or SD302) and the Tekkeon. Wish I'd checked out the NP1 earlier but the Tekkeon should get the job done. Hear what you're saying on the harness. I've rad a few posts other places that complain about the clear cover on the 607... that all your gear is exposed to clear view while in transit making you somewhat of a sitting duck.
 
I use a Petrol PS601 Deca Eargonizer Mixer Bag (Small) and have a Tascam DR-680 and Sound Devices 442 in it.
Works well and is not too big. The clear cover is not so much of an issue when the handle is folded into place.
Kinda tightens things up and is less visual. That said, it is a velcro based piece, so you could always replace it with
some other kind of waterproof fabric and a couple of strips of the velcro yourself.

Don't forget to get a good harness! Try them all and pick the one that feels most comfortable to YOU.
 
yoclay said:
I use a Petrol PS601 Deca Eargonizer Mixer Bag (Small) and have a Tascam DR-680 and Sound Devices 442 in it.
Works well and is not too big. The clear cover is not so much of an issue when the handle is folded into place.
Kinda tightens things up and is less visual. That said, it is a velcro based piece, so you could always replace it with
some other kind of waterproof fabric and a couple of strips of the velcro yourself.

Don't forget to get a good harness! Try them all and pick the one that feels most comfortable to YOU.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I'm not in a place where these are in stock and have to rely on when I'm working with a team where someone has them. Looks to me like the 601 is twice the bag of the 607. Good idea on the velcro piece so no big deal there. Guess I need to take a drive and get these in my hands. Thanks for the help. BTW which harness do you like, the Petrol?
 
I don't think a 442/680 would fit in the 607 bag. The 302/680 combo fits.. though it's tight, and external pouches are necessary for multiple wireless. There should be enough space underneath for the Tekkeon 3450 battery though. I would recommend a larger bag than the 607 if I was buying a new (or used) bag.
PS- A 58Wh (Tekkeon 3450) battery will likely not last all day. Even for a lone 680.
 
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