Anyone mixing OTB to a solid state recorder?

[rboyce]

Hey all.

I'm looking for recommendations for a solid state recorder for OTB mixdown. Currently, I use a Masterlink, which I like, but I'm thinking that a solid state recorder would be more convenient and efficient. For quick, rough mixes, I'll use my handheld Tascam DR-07 via the analog line-in, which allows me to distribute rough mp3 mixes quickly and easily. But (obviously) for hi-res mixdown, I'd love to find a solid state recorder that has digital I/O and that supports 24/96 - basically, something to replace my Masterlink. I've checked out the specs on a few of the lower-priced Tascam rackmount units, the SS-R100 and SS-R200, and from what I can tell, they only support 16/44.1, which won't cut the mustard.

Any recommendations or experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[MikeRivers]

For quick, rough mixes, I'll use my handheld Tascam DR-07 via the analog line-in, which allows me to distribute rough mp3 mixes quickly and easily. But (obviously) for hi-res mixdown, I'd love to find a solid state recorder that has digital I/O and that supports 24/96

The TASCAM DR-100 MkII supports high resolution recording and has a S/PDIF input but I don't think it has a digital output. The digital input shares the remote controller mini jack, and an adapter cable is supplied.

[rboyce]

For quick, rough mixes, I'll use my handheld Tascam DR-07 via the analog line-in, which allows me to distribute rough mp3 mixes quickly and easily. But (obviously) for hi-res mixdown, I'd love to find a solid state recorder that has digital I/O and that supports 24/96

The TASCAM DR-100 MkII supports high resolution recording and has a S/PDIF input but I don't think it has a digital output. The digital input shares the remote controller mini jack, and an adapter cable is supplied.

Thanks for the info. Do you own the DR-100? I checked out the specs for the DR-100 on the Tascam web site, and it says "(3.5mm stereo to RCA digital conversion cable included)". I'm puzzled - does it (the conversion cable) actually convert the digital signal back to analog (via the 3.5mm input) before the DR-100 records? Thx.

[ivanovich]

i use an SD 744t. i used to record onto it but it was a pain to the. transfer it to the computer so i just use its ad converters and send the output direct back into the session....

[Jim Williams]

These days I mix from my analog console (all OTB) into a quality converter. That is sent to the PC sound card S/PDIF inputs.

I use a BurrBrown PCM4222A eval pcb from Texas Insruments, the PCM/DSD 4222A EVM. They cost $149. You do need a power supply, that's it.

www.ti.com

The console analog outputs are fed into the converter via a pair of Kimber pure silver AGSS cables. The converter S/PDIF outputs are fed into a RME 9632 PCI card via another Kimber AGSS pure silver cable wired with 75 ohm Canare RCA connectors. I also have a $60 M-Audio Audiophile 2496 PCI card that works the same.

CD prep and mastering is done via Sonic Foundry. So, if on a budget, the $149 converter, a $75 power supply and a $60 M-Audio PCI card will give you world class conversion and results for far less thn any stand-alone recorder, plus you get the best converter chip-sets.

Now, if you don't want to bother burning fingers, Ross Martin Audio offers a PCM4222 based BurrBrown converter already built for $330. Add the $60 M-audio card and you are there. These are better converters than you will find in most high end stuff so you can get better, for less that way.

[vvv]

Elegant!

[Jim Williams]

It doesn't look that elegant with that pcb and wires hanging off it. It looks kind of sloppy and home-made.

I prefer to call it good and cheap. Looks don't matter much when you sell music though. It seems to matter more to some when buying gear. Stevie Wonder taught me none of that stuff matters, the playback is the only thing that counts. It's not about how you get there, but about what you bring when you arrive.

[klangtone]

I mix down to a Tascam HD-P2 via a Lavry AD-10 converter.
The HD-P2 is way overkill. It's really meant for field recording, but it supports up to 192kHz/24bit recording, has a digital input, and when you're done recording you can just transfer the file back to your PC via Firewire. Since Firewire is out of style now, there are probably better options. On the flip side, you might theoretically find other uses for the HD-P2 (like... well, field recording!). The Lavry definitely sounds great, though!

Roy