Is my 744T broken?

[Brian Cares]

Hi remote recording forum,

i just got a SD 744T. Its a used one from our american partners.
I have never before seen or heard of these so i am trying to get my head
around it as ist seems the perfect device for what we are doing right now.

Well, the problem is: i think its broken.
I can not get any sound out of the headphones. The HP overload LED is light constantly. All i hear soundwise is a very bad distorted noise when i crank the HP output to max.

I also cant get any signal from a beta 57 on both mic inputs.

It might be broken or user error. I will defenitely talk to a dealer or repair service but atm i cant reach anyone around here and would like to hear, what the GS swarm intelligence has to say.

So any input would be appreciated.

[Subversounds]

voltage problems?

[boojum]

Go to the setup menu and load the factory defaults and try it that way. You also have four inputs: two for mic and two for line in. Make sure your mic is plugged into the "mic in" input.

Read the manual. If you did not get one, go to Sounddevices.com and download it. It might also be a good idea to DL the latest firmware. But make sure the machine is working before you apply the firmware update. And did I say to read the manual??

Keep us posted and we will help.

Cheers

[MichaelPatrick]

The HP overload light is normal in that it, at least, matches the loud noise you hear. I guess the challenge is to find the source of noise.

The switch above each XLR in jack needs to be set to the left (Mic). The HP output in the menu display should be set for Input 1,2.

There is definitely a learning curve with these recorders, but they will repay your effort with excellent recordings and reliability that's second to none.

I would definitely call SD. They have great service.

[Brian Cares]

Thanks for your replies.

Yeah. I went through the manual. Actually i do this for relaxation on a regular basis Its a quite complex device, so i thought i might be overlooking something.

I also loaded the factory settings and installed the newest firmware.
But still no success even with playing clean files copied from my HD.

So i called the german distro&service center. We went through a little troubleshooting sequence and the conclusion was that there is something wrong. Most definitely the headphone thingy socket is broken. The mic inputs seem to not be working as well so our conclusion is to send it in for service.

Unfortunately the unit was produced mid 2007 and most likely will be out of warranty time. But i think its worth it to invest a couple hundred bucks to get it up and running again as it seems to be a great little device.

We also think about selling this unit after repair as well as a spare SQN4 and get the 788...

At the moment i am stuck with a Motu Traveller and a Macbook for location recording which is a major PITA and i would love to take the 744 on a ride. But well, patience is a virtue to be learned again and again..

So, thanks for your input. And if you have any nice stories about the 744 and how it saved you from pulling out your hair... i am all ears

[boojum]

Brian, I do not have the 744, but I do have two other different model recorders. What I like is that it always works. Set your parameters and it is just "push to record" from then on. It becomes as easy as a Walkman.

SD service is excellent, also. And their support forums are worth a visit.

Cheers/Tschuss