Tascam DR-1, or 7 or 8 idea

W

wheatgrinder

Just wondering what you pro audio dudes think of using a jucied link or beachteck as a premap with lineout going into one of the newer tascam portable recorders via the line in (they dont have xlr etc, hence the need for the juicedlink like device)

These device all come in under $150.

Might be a good option for dslr folks..


Evolutionary growth..

noob 1st gen --- on camera mic

noob 2g --- some cheap <$50 AA battery powered external mic going into 3.5mm camera input..

noob 3g --- budget shotgun mic into juciedlink preamp, output to camera mic input

noob 3.5g --- budget shotgun mic into juicedlink preamp output to Tascam DR-01

noob 4g --- budget shotgun mic into zoom h4n or similar

....
....

Pay someone to do audio.
 
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Budget solutions are just that - budget solutions. They will never sound as good as what professionals consider "budget," recorders like the FR2, PMD-661, R-44 or the HD-P2, which of course will not sound as good as the much more expensive professional gear.

The H4n has recently had a "bad" run of devices that are prone to crackling and other noises, it has also been noted that there are low recording levels when the H4n is used with the NTG-2, not to mention that the XLR connections are rather flimsy and tend break with a lot of usage (pulling on and frequent connecting/disconnecting of the XLR cable from the unit). The DR-1 has not been on the market long, so possible problems are currently unknown. It should also be noted that most of these units are aimed at musicians, not the film/video community.

The juicedLink and BeachTek mixers have good reputations when hooked up to video cameras, but when used with DSLRs - which have very substandard audio implementation - the results have been less than felicitous.

All that being said, most budget solutions will work if you take the time and effort to learn the strengths and weaknesses of the gear. Each piece of gear will have its own idiosyncrasies and may sometimes not be compatible with each other (like the H4n and NTG-2). On top of all that it takes some knowledge (of how the units work & interact, which mics for given situations, gain-staging, etc.) and skill (how to properly swing a boom, riding levels) to capture good audio.

For the most part the sound of budget solutions will be better than what you are used to but not as good as what you really wanted. As always my recommendation would be to hire or rent or at the least team up with an audio up-and-comer.
 
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I hire a soundman, who has mid level gear. NTG-2 and a Korg MR-1000. Far from pro, but pretty good rig for about $1500. He was my gearless 1st assistant on my first film, he went out and bought his own gear right after. As I told him, if sound is what you want to do, that level of gear will get you paying gigs every weekend if you want them, and it's proved to be true.
 
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