Proper Oade Brothers Upgrade?

M

movieman1005

Hello,

It seems Aclove and others out there?) have highly regarded getting an Oade Bros upgrade for sound recorders. I was going to post this question just to Aclove, but figured it would be less annoying to not post yet another question to just him. I am looking at getting the Tascam HD-P2 or the Marantz Pmd-661. On the Oade Brothers website they have different "levels" of upgrades. I looked on their list or best uses for each upgrade, but couldn't find one that I was looking for (film or video, something similar). Maybe I'm just not familiar with their wording, but can someone tell me the best upgrade for my uses for either recorder or point me to what my "use" is for? I have a ntg-2

link to page matching upgrades with uses



http://www.oade.com/Tapers_Section/faq-general.html
 
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Okay, first things first... It's A-L-C-O-V-E; Alcove. A recess or small room adjacent to or opening out of a room. My first recording "studio" was an alcove of my apartment living room, that's where I got the name.


It really depends upon your specific application. For the HD-P2 you want the High Definition upgrade for production sound work and the Super MOD for sound FX, Foley, ambient/nature, etc. For the PMD-661 you want the FET MOD for production sound work, and the Super MOD for sound FX, Foley, ambient/nature, etc.

The differences are very slight and most cannot tell one from the other. The units I rent or borrow are the Super MOD versions as I use them to collect sound FX and ambiences. I used a FET MOD PMD-661 and it was just fine as well. The biggest reason to get a modded unit from Oade Brothers is there is much less hiss and distortion in the sound; again, most will not notice - that is until you hear everything on a few thousand dollars worth of speakers in an isolated, treated room.

BTW, you can contact Oade directly with these type of questions. They are a very cool bunch of people who really believe in their products and support them extremely well.
 
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:eek: My bad, that was a pretty bad mistake on my part.....


So in saying that the differences are very slight and most will not notice, are you talking about between the different upgrades or just between having an oade bros mod and not having one altogether?







On a side note for you or anyone else, I've been looking at getting a new xlr cable. I have some sort of microphone cable fro Mogami (suggested at a music store) but it doesn't seem to quite be along the best. Found this type that seems to be the best among Mogami, but would it also be the best for my specific application? (with ntg2 on dialogue, etc.)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0XTFK8ECFQY374GZ3CBK
 
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What I'm saying is most will not hear the difference between the stock units and those modded by Oade. This is because they are listening on audio systems that are noisy themselves in rooms that are not properly treated and isolated. There is a substantial difference when you hear it on a nice system in a proper room. Once you are in that room the average listener will not hear the difference between the modded versions, although to a professional ear the differences are subtle but noticeable.

Mogami are okay, but my personal preference is Pro Co cables; I've used them for years, love them. Canari and WhirlWind cables are also nice. Monster cables are very nice, but very overpriced.

BTW, get a 30 foot, you'll love the extra five feet.
 
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If you're using the cables really hard every day six days a week they're going to get chewed up no matter how good they are. When I was touring they lasted almost as long as the more expensive LifeLines, so in the long run saved me a few dollars. You have to understand, I was using 16 cables for my keyboard rig; that's a lot of cabling to replace on a regular basis. Most of the time it was the connectors that wore out, not the cables. $25 each as opposed to $38 each two or three times a year is a lot of money (16 * $13 = $208 * 3 = $624).
 
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When you're on the road you don't carry around a stack of receipts; my time on the road was the '80's and early '90's - pre-internet, pre-cell phone, etc. Plus, back in those days, you had to return the cable to the store where you purchased the cable to get the replacement. Also, as it was a business expense, it was tax deductible (expense receipts were mailed to my home). It was just easier that way and didn't really cost me anything. I did, in fact, get replacements for the initial batch of cables (the ones before leaving on tour) which I used to cable up my home studio.
 
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Actually I had one more question for Alcove and/or others. I see the oade brother upgrades for the hdp2 are significantly higher than the regular price (almost 1200 for HD upgrade vs 700 regular price). Other devices like the pmd66 only have about a $75 dollar difference. I believe that Alcove said that the Edirol R-44 was even better in his opinion than the hdp2, but the regular price for the device is 1000 and the super upgrade is only a little over 1100. I realize the upgrades probably have differences, but this is by a few hundred dollars. I guess my overall question is why the hdp2 upgrades are so much more expensive than for other devices?



HDP2 comparisons

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/404262-REG/Tascam_HD_P2_HD_P2_Portable_Stereo_CF.html

http://www.oade.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=OBA&Category_Code=HDP2HD



R44

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...4_R_44_Solid_State_Four_Channel_Portable.html

http://www.oade.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=OBA&Category_Code=EDIR44-Super



PMD661

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...MD661_PMD661_Professional_Portable_Flash.html


http://www.oade.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=OBA&Category_Code=PMD661SM
 
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movieman1005 said:
I believe that Alcove said that the Edirol R-44 was even better in his opinion than the hdp2,
Click to expand...

Never said the R-44, was better. I said if and when my business model necessitates buying a field recorder I would definitely like four channels.

movieman1005 said:
I guess my overall question is why the hdp2 upgrades are so much more expensive than for other devices?
Click to expand...

Don't know. Give Oade a shout and ask them. Like I said, they're very cool people over there.
 
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Ok. Do you have a preference between the r44 and the hdp2? I don't necessarily find the extra 2 tracks useful to me specifically, looking more at audio quality and ease of use/versatility.
 
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As I said, I would prefer the extra tracks of the R-44. I also like the separate volume knobs.

The stock HD-P2 is $300 cheaper than the stock R-44 and is time-code capable.

The sound quality of both units is very nice, especially with the Oade mods.

When I purchase I always think towards the future; you may not need the extra tracks of the R-44 now, but they will be very nice to have if you run a boomed mic and a few lavs. However, you may want to get the HD-P2 and use the $300 to get a nice hypercardioid mic or a better boom-pole or better wind protection for your shotgun or...

My first advice is to hire a pro, or, second, to rent. If you really have to own your own audio gear what you really need to do is look at your current needs and your future goals, and then balance that against your current budget and the future costs of upgrading.
 
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