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elropo
3
Apr 7, 2016
Laurence is right - as soon as you have units trying to do too many things compromises are made. I've used all sorts of portable recorders - 2-, 4-, 6-channels by Tascam, Zoom, Sony, Roland, Olympus and the D100's onboard mics cannot be touched. If you want XLR capability buy a recorder for that or a smaller pre- you can run into the D100 (I recommend the SoundDevices USB pre). If you are looking for an all-in-one and don't mind making compromises on quality look into the Zoom H6, but fair warning the preamps and capsules are ~70% relative quality to a dedicated unit. The reason I got one of these was to have the highest possible quality recording in a self-contained unit for times when I can't lug around a real recording rig. I've traveled with mine for years and it's a beast, my only regret is that I hung onto my Tascam for so long before switching!
elropoIf that is the case, how come Sound Devices manage to put it all in one in the 702 for example? You might say that the SD 702 and the other 7xx series are larger and more expensive, but they've been around for about 10 years - if price is not an issue, isn't it time to make a smaller 702?
elropo
3
Apr 8, 2016
simonelvladtepesThe 7xx's are completely different machines and completely different use cases from what we're looking at here. They are also not at all "all in one" but only the preamp and recording backend, you still have to buy and carry mics (and if you're paying for the 7xx preamps, the cost of microphones that would really take advantage of them would put the whole rig in many thousands of dollars just for your first two channels). I take my 702 or 744 out on specific occasions with a microphone rig tailored to whatever I'm capturing that day. The D100 is with me at all times.
Now, if the Zooms and Tascams of the world can't hold a candle to the quality of the D100, the D100 isn't going to approach the quality of a real field recording rig, but the purpose of the D100 is to have the best quality-to-convenience so I can always carry it with me. I don't ever want to miss a cool sound entirely or record it poorly to the point I can't actually use it in my projects.
The adage "the best camera is the one you have on you" totally applies to field recording, and you might as well set yourself up for success with the best recorder you can have on you at all times. My 2 cents! (Promise I've got no ulterior interest in this drop - I already have one)
Packgrog
9
Apr 11, 2016
simonelvladtepesUm, yeah, more expensive by a rather significant factor. Two to three times the price for a much larger device without built-in mics? Not really comparable. If you want to sell a Sound Devices 702 for under $700, I'm sure that loads of people would be stoked to buy it.
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