Hi Kim, Good! I guess I now have the information I need to make the right purchase, when the time comes - thanks again for your help! Yes, I can see how the NTG-2 has been helpful for you, and it sounds quite similar to the NTG-3. I'll probably start out with my new VideoMic Pro (and my old VideoMic) and upgrade when I need an XLR shotgun for longer cable runs or better outdoor sound. I could use the R-26 with my NT3 and NT5's for indoor recordings till then. I've watched a few videos on JuicedLink products, but it seems they're only available in the US? I suppose the JuicedLink is handy when you want to avoid dual system audio and instead feed an XLR microphone directly into the camera. I'll keep it in mind, if I should need something like that in the future. Yes, your way of combining audio from several sources sounds very nice. I've watched this interesting video comparing the sound of different lavalier microphones: However, I'll have to see where my videography takes me, before I make too many investments, as I find it so easy to be carried away with gear aquisitions My next investment will probably be a new camera. I own a standard definition tape based video camera and borrowed an HD camcorder for two small projects I made this spring, so I'm eager to upgrade on the image side as well. I wish you a happy new year Kim! Halfdan PS: I did a search and found Kcast 108, where you were interviewed about photography - interesting!
hi what is the input voltage on the Roland, is it 5 or 6 V ?? i will bring it with me out in the field and I will need to bring a batterypack of some sort. Is it possible to record for 6-8 hours in a row (nature sounds all night)? Hope you can give me this info Stein, tromsø, Norway using H4n and Telinga PIP Stereo mic looking for an better optional recorder.
Hi Stein, The rating on my powerblock for the Roland R-26 says 9V and 2A. I have not done any tests, but with 4 AA batteries the R-26 should be able to supply phantom power on both XLR channels for about 3h and 40min. See link: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/naturerecordists/message/47234 This is also Kim Vadskær's experience according to one of his posts in this thread (#15). On page 102 in the owners manual you can read about recording times with different number of tracks, quality settings and different capacity SD cards (it will accept up to 32GB cards): http://www.roland.com/support/article/?q=manuals&p=R-26&id=62153610 For my style of recording I am happy with the R-26. However, you should probably try it out before you buy, or buy somewhere that will accept returns. I hear that recording quiet sounds in nature require extremely low noise preamps. So maybe you should also test something more high end from Sound Devices or the like. Regards, Halfdan
Takk 9V is a bit tricky, a 12V motorcycle battery could be taken down to 9v on my H4n a 5V charger f.ex from dx.com works perfect. Thanks for quick reply. Telinga starts selling a preamp that should take care of the noise perfectly for this kind of recorders. see http://telinga.com Stein
Hi Stein, the input on the device says 9-16V/1.2 A so I guess you're ok with a 12v battery if it supplies 1.2A? A comment on the "record nature sounds needs hi-quality preamps". My experience with the Roland is that it's made for music and live music sound pressure/levels. I've tried to record nature sounds and it's simply not sensitive enough. Look into external preamps in your chain before the R-26. br, Kim
Glad you all have been sharing such thorough information. I have an NTG-2 and a Sony Lav system (UWP V-1 if I'm not mistaken) and I've had it with my H4N. It's great for recording live shows and music with the built in mic, but so far as recording interviews or narrative work with external mics it's far too fiddly and noisy. The two recorders I've been looking at are the Roland R26 and the Marantz 661. Leaning more towards the Marantz as the price difference is negligible and the preamps are supposed to be as good as you can get for this price range. Seems as though from your tests that either option will be a huge upgrade. Thanks for sharing!
@Stein: Yes, the power input on the R-26 does indeed say 9-16V/1.2 A, as Kim writes. I simply looked at the power adapter which came with the R-26. The input voltage can be changed in the menu of the R-26 to match the output voltage of whatever adapter you might be using (9-16V). Check the manual to see what else might apply. @Joe Filipas: As you can read, I've been helped a lot in this thread myself, so I'm pleased if any small thing I contributied was of value to someone else as well. I wish you good luck with your purchase decisions. And good luck with your Black Magic Pocket Camera when you get one this summer! I read on another message board that you preordered one
...and after considering the number of recording tracks on the Marantz versus the R26, I just ordered the Roland I'm looking forward to sharing some BMPCC footage as soon as the camera arrives - fingers crossed they hit their ship date!
Hello everyone, and especially you, Kim! I wonder about your statement that R-26 together with NTG-3 is "dead silent". I am a "newbie" in recording, I have just bought the combination of R-26 and NTG-3, and maybe I had had just too great expectations from these devices, but personally I am not so impressed about the first experiments I have just made. In order to get the sound level from the NTG-3 at least to the level comparable with the integrated microphones from R-26, I have to turn the gain up to more than 60, or rather to 70 or more. Above 60, the noise of the device is already quite clearly audible (even at low volume levels). I have not heard the H4n or any other device in this nor a higher class, but I would definitely not call this "dead silent". Is it my expectations or something else what is wrong? I have also made a comparison with an ancient Neumann/Gefell CMV-563 with M55k capsule (which landed by chance in my possession some years ago), and the resulting sound level is actually the same. So, there is probably nothing wrong with the NTG-3 itself. Actually, I was hoping to get a better "reach" with the external "shotgun" microphone than with the integrated ones. At the moment I can only confirm that the additional NTG-3 makes the sound more "complete" or "full" (especially in higher frequencies), but just on its own it does not seem to reach any further (rather the opposite). Am I just distorted by my experience from photography and zoom-lenses?
Is it possible to split one mono input to the r26 to two different mono channels in order to have them at different levels for safety? I am also considering the 326 or 661 and this feature is really useful. Even if it can be done manually. I checked with the r26 manual and it seems there is no way to split the mono signal to two channels. This is a big omission IMO.
