Edirol R-44 or Tascam DR-680 for Film work?

[MttDvs]

hey all,

Just got pulled onto a production where the ProdCo producing it want to replace their existing Tascam P2-HD with something that can do 4 channels.

No go on spending $3000+ on and SD744T...we're looking at a sub $1500 budget if possible...low, I know.

So that leaves the Edirol R-44 and the Tascam DR-680.
My gut says that the Edirol R-44 seems higher end in it's features, but the DR-680 is getting a lot of fuss made about it.

This is going to be used for vocal work for an indie horror film, so clarity, accuracy, location reliability are all important.

Any thoughts/suggestions (other than an SD744t)??

Thanks!

[Winter]

I'm using an Edirol R-44 modded by Oade. I can only say that i'm very happy and the results are pretty decent when compared with serious high end stuffs like sonosax or sound devices.
IMHO well worth the price (about 1000$).

[philper]

The DR680 will work, but its TC is very incomplete and not jammable etc.. There are some threads here about its sound and operations, I would check those out ASAP. Like any complex portable recorder, you'll want to train yourself up on it before trying it on a fast-moving production, but if you are ok with what it lacks TC wise then it seems like a good choice for the $$. But make sure it will work with the workflow the production you are joining has mapped out for post, and maybe even do some live-fire testing before you start the job.

phil p

[MichaelPatrick]

A colleague bought an R-44 before the DR-680 was released and he now uses my DR-680 quite frequently. He doesn't do film so there's no need for timecode. He told me just a few days ago that he would buy a DR-680 if he could do it over. The reason he mentioned first was less noise. He also, of course, likes having 8 channels.

[leddy]

Originally Posted by MichaelPatrick

A colleague bought an R-44 before the DR-680 was released and he now uses my DR-680 quite frequently. He doesn't do film so there's no need for timecode. He told me just a few days ago that he would buy a DR-680 if he could do it over. The reason he mentioned first was less noise. He also, of course, likes having 8 channels.

I have two R44's, but no experience with the DR680. I could see the 8-channel thing being a benefit. I don't think the R44 preamps are noisy at all. Properly setting the sensitivity dial is key. Leave the middle gain knob at "noon" and adjust the outer sensitivity knob to set level.

I've been tempted at the idea of having one box instead of linking two for 8 tracks, but I also have the option of using two 4-tracks (having one for a backup).

Then again, I could have two DR680's...

[johnsound]

The R-44 build quality is better than the DR-680, but there's a custom PortaBrace available for the DR-680 which provides adequate protection. Since the last firmware upgrade, the DR-680 has the edge on the R-44 in terms of functionality and versatility and I'd say (having owned both) that the DR-680 also has the edge in terms of noise performance. The DR-680 is more power hungry (six channels of Phantom rather than four, for instance) but can be powered easily by a separate battery without having to fritz around with reverse polarity connectors. I use a Tekkeon, which gives me good mileage, depending on how I'm working.

I've just taken delivery of a Busman Audio modded DR-680 but haven't had a chance to use it anger yet. (Although it did arrive with one of the XLR latches broken, which is a pity.) I'll report at length when I have some time to make comparisons.

And my unmodified DR-680 will soon be for sale.

Regards,

John

[MttDvs]

This is all great info everyone! Really helpful!
Seems like the consensus is the Tascam 680, and I think for this production it'll be fine. The shooting schedule is VERY laid back and drawn out, so I'm not worried about getting up to speed (pun intended) on using it.

My second question is: Are any of the upgraded boxes offered by companies like Oades etc, that significant? I know this is a subjective question...

thanks again!

[philper]

Originally Posted by MttDvs

This is all great info everyone! Really helpful!
Seems like the consensus is the Tascam 680, and I think for this production it'll be fine. The shooting schedule is VERY laid back and drawn out, so I'm not worried about getting up to speed (pun intended) on using it.

My second question is: Are any of the upgraded boxes offered by companies like Oades etc, that significant? I know this is a subjective question...

thanks again!

A lot of people like them. However, Oade mods are only avail on new equipment bought from Oade. Also, they will not discuss what their mods are, and only describe them in the most general terms. The only comparison files easily available are from them, so unless you know someone who has both a modded and an unmodded unit it is impossible to do any sort of meaningful comparison yourself. I would be interested in hearing about some double-blind testing done re these mods, but haven't heard of any.

phil p

[johnsound]

For me, one of the biggest advantages of the DR-680 over the R-44 is the accurate, repeatable and gang-able input gain setting. I use mine for A & B-Format recording and it's important that the input gains are matched. This involved recording tones on each channel of the R-44 and matching in the DAW: the DR-680 uses digital control of an analogue input gain control and you can match the gains and then gang the four controls together. I also tend to have a M/S set-up plugged in to the remaining two mic inputs and these can also be ganged, separately from the others. Now that there's M/S decoding on the DR-680, which was lacking in early versions of the firmware, it's become a very versatile machine.

Finally, when the DR-680 came out, a number of us got in touch with Tascam to make requests for future firmware upgrades and got a response first of all, and what we'd asked for shortly afterward, which was pretty good service, I think you'll agree.

With regard to the Busman mod, Chris will mod your own unit for $300 for all six mic inputs. He claims that the mod lowers the noise floor in the high-gain setting by 12dB, but as I said, I haven't had a chance to listen properly yet.

My R-44 was an Oade Brothers mod, that I picked up whilst I was in the States and I was very happy with the results, but I already like the DR-680 better in terms of work-flow.

Regards,

John

[Tommy-boy]

I have an R-44 and like it a lot. I use it mainly for recording classical ensembles. However, here are a few niggles:

M/S Decoding - if used during recording, it will cause what's recorded to the card and what's monitored to be the decoded signal. There's no option to monitor MS only, without recording a decoded signal. Currently I use a separate line mixer to monitor my MS recording so I don't record encoded tracks. The Tascam unit is reported to be able to monitor M/S (without affecting the recorded tracks - still not decoded).

Level setting - this is a little wierd, but OK once you get to know how it works. Each gain knob is really two knobs in one (outer and inner). The outer is the only one that matters as the inner adjusts the signal in the digital domain (after converters), but strangely the inner effects the level hitting the meters. The answer is to leave the inner knob alone, and just use the outer so that reading the meters is accurate. If the inner knob acted as an analog stage fine tuning adjustment, it would be immensely more useful.

If the R-44 had MS monitoring and a more logical (useful) gain setting, I would have no complaints at all.

The plusses for the R-44 is that it's extremely easy to use (aside from my niggles above). Mic pres are good and the sound quality is good. I've hit the limiters a few times and they seemed to work reasonably well. I also like the angled display because mine is almost always sitting on something like a chair or table and this makes viewing the screen easier.

-Tom

[leddy]

Originally Posted by johnsound

For me, one of the biggest advantages of the DR-680 over the R-44 is the accurate, repeatable and gang-able input gain setting. I use mine for A & B-Format recording and it's important that the input gains are matched.

I did not know this. I use a Tetramic and I would like to have this ability without messing with recording tones first.