X48 results so far....

[HughH]

Hello,
This was also posted on the Nuendo post forum.

The X-48 is finally out, and we've been hoping it would be our dtrs-killer. Our recordings for later post average between 64 and 96 tracks wide and while we sometimes use SloTools or Nuendo systems, the media of choice for later import into daw's has been dtrs because everyone has one. We've been waiting for a good alternative that functions like a toaster - you plug it in, you push record, you get good audio. It will record 48 tracks of 48k/24 to an external fw drive, and supposedly at 96k as well.

We're using it this weekend in NY on a well-known popular tv show. It comes standard with tdif and we're using the tdif fed from a dm2k, switching to analog fed from multitrack busses of the Calrec Q2, depending on the act. Here's what we've found -

Video sync "...aligns the audio playback and and time code to exactly a frame edge." It is NOT a clock source. If you want to clock to something external you have to use wc.

The tdif card in the sending device has to be set for tdif 1 or 2 (forgot which). It won't deal with the other. Annoying.

When you start the machine and it comes up with the Startup or Last project, or everytime you load an existing project, the front panel comes up indicating 44k1 and no TC options. The hardware appears to be operating at 48k correctly, the gui indicates 48k, and the settings dialog says 48k, but no panel indication. The settings dialog indicates the wrong tc settings however. You have to go into the settings and change it to some other sample rate, then back to 48k, then change the tc to what you want. Neil from Tascam says that bug will be fixed in a coming update.

Recalling a project does NOT recall the input mapping.

Using the front panel key combo (shift + sw) to select All Input, there's no indicator on the panel to show this so you don't know which mode you're in. The Gui indicates correctly.

You can only format an NTFS drive, not Fat32. Pita for Mac users. I always copy the original anyway so importing isn't an issue, but I can't copy my stuff back to the original drive as Macs don't write NTFS.

It only exports OpenTL and AAF. For OpenTL -
When you select the OpenTL export there's no progress dialog, the only indication being disk activity, but you're locked out of the machine until it's finished. Appears to be locked up but it's not.
The export process takes enough time and disk activity to be combining every audio file into an embedded file, but it's not embedded. Have no idea what's taking so long.
OpenTL in Nuendo imports tracks, but the tracks are named per the directory structure under the OpenTL project folder, so you get -
"\wonky\showname band dig\Track files\Track 1_0_0" = label on Track 1
"\wonky\showname band dig\Track files\Track 2_1_1" = label on Track 2
"\wonky\showname band dig\Track files\Track 3_2_2" = label on Track 3
etc. for EACH track name. Kind of unuseable.
The audio files have unnecessarily long names as well but they are identifiable per track number and take number.
However, Nuendo OpenTL doesn't import ANY media no matter how you select the few options available. The empty tracks are there but no media is positioned in the Nuendo project, nor are they in the Pool. OpenTL works in Nuendo, so I suppose Tascam changed the format a bit.
Manually importing the audio files into the pool then importing into the project, you get the usual "one track / different track" dialog, and putting them on different tracks results in a track for each file. They are positioned at the correct tc locations, so consolidating the tracks is not hard, but it's pretty silly to get hundreds of tracks until you combine them.

AAF - has a Tascam-acknowledged bug that won't export anything beyond 2G. This limits you to less than 5 minutes of recording. Hmm...

The unit will only import OpenTL, not AAF.

The Bwave files have correct timestamps so you can import them raw into whatever you'd like.

The Disk Management tool is the XP disk tool, and it shuts down the machine after it's used.

There's an I/O Reference Level item that you can change between several settings ranging from 20dB to 9dB. It appears to make no difference at all.

We won't try the workstation functionality as there's not time.
Despite the front panel, there are a number of items that you need the gui for unfortunately.
After all this time I expected better. It's v1.00 software so we're hoping it improves.

If I find more in the limited time I have for testing I'll post.

H

[Geert van den Berg]

Nice report so far.

[HughH]

Hello,

Used another unit (v1.01) on a large TV show May 25-27 and we found some more problems -

The timestamps in the bwf files seem to be 1 or 2 frames behind where they should be.

TC chase is not fully invented.
With offset set to "0", if the received tc starts before audio files then the machine syncs quickly. About 1 time in 7 it jumps to 4 seconds behind and continues there.
With offset set to "0", if the received tc starts in the middle of an audio file then the machine chases correctly for a few seconds, then jumps to where it was previously playing before tc stopped and plays for a few seconds, then jumps to 4 seconds behind the correct tc and continues incorrectly behind. The tc display on the machine always indicates correctly but the audio does not.
With offset set to "4 sec", the machine chases 4 seconds ahead for a few seconds, then jumps to where it was previously playing before tc stopped and plays for a few seconds, then jumps to approximately where it should be. The tc display on the machine always indicates 4 seconds ahead, to match the supposed offset.
If you set the offset to "4 sec" (!?) you end up with chasing approximately correct, but it can take 10 seconds to lock up due to jumping around.

Deleting files in the File Manager app is very slow. Deleting a bunch locks the machine up. Deleting a folder full of files is quick.

The Track Overview does not always indicate correctly, often not showing files. They're still on the timeline but not the overview.
Overview resize is very buggy, doesn't resize correctly.
When resizing the scroll mode often turns off by itself, so you have to turn it back on.

Disabling the "Disable Mixer" function allows mixing the channels to the output for monitoring, but the individual track outputs (1-48) are post-fader, so you can't use it as a monitoring mixer if you're monitoring through the machine. There should be an option for this.

I can't find an option to remove unused files in a project.

The File Manager window doesn't show file sizes so you can't make decisions about what to delete.

H

[Geert van den Berg]

It seems you're checking this unit very thoroughly, while I can understand you like a standalone machine better, have you tried the latest version of PT? I like it's new destructive punch mode (allthough I does think that some limitations should be overcome, like having to render a audiofile of a pre determined length before recording and also the file has to start at the session start, which I also find annoying, but still it works great).

[BenLoftis]

Another option is to use the Ardour ( ardour | the new digital audio workstation ) workstation on a mac with an RME MADI card for I/O. Depending on what type of I/O you need, this could be way cheaper.

Ardour syncs really fast and well to MTC ( reportedly within +/-60 samples ). It has a really solid destructive record mode, and of course you can expect file deletions, etc to work on your Mac :)

If you need more horesepower you can get the same thing plus 9pin/video sync, more I/O, and factory support from the Harrison Xdubber ( Harrison X-Dubber ). This is a turnkey product for film dubbing. Not sure if that's what you need but since this is the Post forum.....

[HughH]

Hello,
I appreciate your comments on the latest PT versions - for a number of shows we bring in a PT or Nuendo system(s) to record and/or playback, depending on what the client wants. I also use daw's in post, usually Nuendo (I'm fastest in that format), with PT when needed. Everyone has their favorite daw's, often the subject of religious-like fervor. The issue is that unlike a studio environment live large-scale entertainment television production is very fast. Any daw requires bookkeeping that occupies a full-time operator. Also a huge amount of rack space unless it's a Nuendo madi system. In a production truck the 2nd engineer often is doing patching, audio cue loading and playback, and up to 96 tracks of live recording, sometimes with a duplicate backup system. Putting all that into a truck is done but it's tight and there's often no room for the time overhead of a daw.

The "audio appliance" concept - small, plug it in, turn it on, record good audio - is an ideal that everyone in this community is looking for and the x-48 has that potential but it's not there yet.

H

[Geert van den Berg]

I get your point of a hardware recorder opposed to a PC/Mac based DAW. You just want a machine where you hit record and then it'll start to record and also no file housekeeping.

But to me there's not such a large difference, except for the amount of space a setup takes... there you got a valid point.

If you'd work with easy templates most PC DAW's are as easy as standalone machine, and to some point easier because you can see more easily what's happening, while with a standalone machine something can go wrong too, and you won't notice it till after the show (I've witnessed this one time... in this case with a MX2424, we had to resort to less quality backups on DA88).

Also troubleshooting on a standalone machine can be very troublesome, troubleshooting on a PC isn't a lot of joy either, but you can always resort to putting back a disk image of a fully working operating system + software install.

And also if you don't install any 3rd party plugins and such it can be remarkedly stable as well.

Still I understand your point and enjoyed reading your report. How about an IZ Radar or like I mentioned before a Tascam MX2424?

[No4PCs]

" Computer is good to make buildings, not for music " - Chet Baker-

[philper]

Originally Posted by HughH

Hello,
I appreciate your comments on the latest PT versions - for a number of shows we bring in a PT or Nuendo system(s) to record and/or playback, depending on what the client wants. I also use daw's in post, usually Nuendo (I'm fastest in that format), with PT when needed. Everyone has their favorite daw's, often the subject of religious-like fervor. The issue is that unlike a studio environment live large-scale entertainment television production is very fast. Any daw requires bookkeeping that occupies a full-time operator. Also a huge amount of rack space unless it's a Nuendo madi system. In a production truck the 2nd engineer often is doing patching, audio cue loading and playback, and up to 96 tracks of live recording, sometimes with a duplicate backup system. Putting all that into a truck is done but it's tight and there's often no room for the time overhead of a daw.

The "audio appliance" concept - small, plug it in, turn it on, record good audio - is an ideal that everyone in this community is looking for and the x-48 has that potential but it's not there yet.

H

Did you guys look at the Sadie LRX2? I assume you looked at the Tascam MX2424--why didn't that fly for you?

Philip Perkins

[synthetic]

Some those problems were fixed in version 1.02, like the front panel LED problem.