Tascam DR-07 digital audio field recorder, tested in production (documentary) environment.
I have been checking out a number of digital (sound) field recorders for use with my Canon 7D or 5DmkII; both cameras that record sound but in such a way that the resulting recordings are useless for professional production. The 5D as well as the 7D use automatic leveling, and compress the audio in the same stream as the video using the H.246 compressing codec.
The alternative and definitive solution is using both the cam mic (or external mic connected to the camera) for syncing in post, and a digital field recorder. There is a number of digital field recorders available today, the Zoom H4 being the most famous.
The Zoom H4 looks hip, but has a hip price tag too, of approx.. 300 dollars/euros/pounds. Also, the brand Zoom is new to me; it's just another branded OEM product with little "street cred".
I decided to look for an alternative among brands that have decades of experience building audio recording devices and i found the Tascam DR-07 to be of comparable quality and functionality, against a much more affordable price.
About the DR-07
The DR-07 is essentially a cut-down ('lite') version of their popular DR-1. It offers good recording quality and easy operation at an affordable price. The built-in stereo microphone enables you to record directly in MP3 or WAV format. Alternatively, an external mic can be connected through a mini jack, or you can use a stereo line input with adjustable level for other sources. It has a headphone monitoring output.
The recorder features auto gain control and an analogue limiter, a low-cut filter with three switchable frequencies, playback pitch and key control (combined or independently), loop playback, a 2-seconds buffer to start recording before the record key is pressed, a file divide function to cut unwanted parts of a recording, a USB port and a screw socket on the bottom to attach the unit to a tripod, flash shoe or microphone stand.
The DR-07 comes with a 2GB SD card and windshield and can be operated by two AA alkaline batteries or AA NiMH rechargeables – perfect for 7 to 8 hours of recording on the road. An AC adapter is available as an option. See Features Overview at the end of this article.
UPDATE: people have advised me to emphasize on the point, that the DR-7 does not have XLR connections. It DOES have a phantom power supply for electret microphones built in.
Unwrapping... what's in the box:
Testing
I've tested the DR-07 in a real production setup. For our running documentary production "A life of mothering", i interviewed my own mother (84 yrs. of age) earlier today. I operated the Canon 7D camera and Karien Huybregts did the interviewing.
Recording both an interviewer and a speaker was relatively simpel. I positioned the DR-07 on the table at which the interview was held, out of the picture but still close enough; approx. 1,5 meters from each speaker, right in the middle of the two, under a 45 degree angle. The stereo mics picked up each speaker perfectly, without too much of a stereo ping-pong L/R effect. The DR-07 was put on medium manual gain, with the windshield attached. My mother's voice was very soft from time to time, specially during the emotional bits, e.g. talking about the death of her parents. The DR-07 recorded in raw uncompressed WAV and produced a beautiful noise-free well-balanced recording, that will need little or no adjustment in post. I used rechargeable batteries (2000mah nimh) and after 4 hours of operation the battery gauge is only two points down.
Test footage: I have picked a piece of test footage that had the lowest voice levels; i had to boost it 4 DB in post because my mother was whispering a lot. Apart from echoes from the (sparsely dressed) room, the audio stays acceptable. Although i must say that i regret putting the DR-07 on that distance; i took the 1,5 meters to avoid too much of a stereo effect between interviewer and interviewee, but it could have easily been put much closer now i hear it back. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtG43GBgosk
I only had a quick try at syncing the audio in FCP, but it turns out to be fairly easy because i recorded the "live audio" also with the camera's Rode microphone. I did not run in any sync problems; both camera and DR-07 continue to run in perfect sync in FCP for at least 11 minutes (longest shot i had).
I can heartily recommend this nice and affordable device! It makes the perfect christmas gift: buy from one of the links above!
Cheers,
Martin.
FEATURES OVERVIEW
Selectable recording formats:
- WAV: 16-bit, 24-bit
- MP3: 32-320 Kbps
48-kHz or 44.1-kHz recording resolution
Built-in high-quality stereo condenser microphone
Switchable low-cut filter (40Hz, 80Hz, 120 Hz)
Analogue auto gain control
Analogue limiter to prevent clipping
Pre-recording buffer (2 seconds) allows a recording to start before the record key is pressed
Stereo mic input for an external stereo microphone (mini jack)
Stereo line input with adjustable level to connect an external source (mini jack)
Headphone/Line output (mini jack)
Loop, repeat and single playback
Folder or playlist playback
MP3 ID3 tag display (up to version 2.4)
Pitch control (–50 % to +16 %)
Key control (to tune the playback sound up or down by 1–6 semitones)
VSA function (change the tempo without affecting the key)
File divide function (e.g. to cut unwanted noise)
Create a new file during recording (manually or by file size)
2-Gigabyte SD card included
USB 2.0 connection for file transfer to/from computer
Powered by two AA size Alkaline or NiMH batteries (up to 7.5 hours when recording in MP3 format)
AC adapter available as an option (PS-P520) - see Accessories below
Mic stand adapter on bottom side to attach the unit to a tripod or microphone stand
Windshield included as standard
