Battery powered multi-track recorder? Is there such a thing?

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A Reel Person said:
The dirty little secret is that the Porta 02mkII, 414mkII, MF-P01 (and comparable decks) run on 12V-DC, so actually a simple car cig-lighter adapter plug with the right polarity would do it! No inverter necessary!
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I know in the older days, motorcycle batteries and electrical systems were 6 volts, not 12. Maybe with the advent of all the electronics they put onto bikes now, the voltage has been stepped up to accommodate that?

Cheers! :)
 
The Ghost of FM said:
I know in the older days, motorcycle batteries and electrical systems were 6 volts, not 12. Maybe with the advent of all the electronics they put onto bikes now, the voltage has been stepped up to accommodate that?

Cheers! :)
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Yep. I've got a 12v sealed gel cell battery in mine. I should be okay if I wire up a fused direct connection to the battery.;)
 
For the cig lighter adtpr (if it wasn't the right polarity) you could always snip the wire in the middle , strip the ends and reverse crimp them back together, use a little heat shrink and yer good. This should work. Same thing as a universal wall wart..... how some have the tip you can reverse.
 
jjones1700 said:
I currently have a 424mkII recorder, which is wonderful. However, what I am looking for is a smaller, battery powered version..........if there is such a beast. The 414 mk series is smaller, but still AC powered. The Porta 02 is AC powered.

Basically what I want one for is to record ambient noises such as rainstorms, the surf at the beach, trains, etc. I could use my little MD recorder/player, but I would like to stick with analog. The 1/8" mic jacks are kind of prohibitive for a good mic on the MD recorder anyway.:p

I've read something..........somewhere.........about a Porta 01 that might have been battery powered? Any truth to that? I guess if all else fails, I'll have to spring for a Nagra E.:eek::D
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Doesn't actually sound like you need multi-track. If not, you could use something like my Sony Walkman D6C. It's a standard stereo compact cassette machine that runs on 4 AA batteries. It has Dolby B and C and settings for normal, high bias and metal tapes. It has the 1/8" stereo mike input for little stereo mikes, including those that need about 5V power. It also has an 1/8" stereo line input, which I use with the consumer format output from my Sound Devices MixPre. However, I use my MicroTrack more often for this sort of purpose, since it has a much higher S/N ratio.

Another set of options would be the various portable cassette machines made by Marantz. I don't have the details on those, but they made mono and stereo units and some if not all had balanced mike inputs.

Cheers,

Otto
 
ofajen said:
Doesn't actually sound like you need multi-track. If not, you could use something like my Sony Walkman D6C. It's a standard stereo compact cassette machine that runs on 4 AA batteries. It has Dolby B and C and settings for normal, high bias and metal tapes. It has the 1/8" stereo mike input for little stereo mikes, including those that need about 5V power. It also has an 1/8" stereo line input, which I use with the consumer format output from my Sound Devices MixPre. However, I use my MicroTrack more often for this sort of purpose, since it has a much higher S/N ratio.

Another set of options would be the various portable cassette machines made by Marantz. I don't have the details on those, but they made mono and stereo units and some if not all had balanced mike inputs.

Cheers,

Otto
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I was looking for something similar to my 424 because I'm fairly comfortable with it, as far as layout and/or capabilities. Ideally I would like to have at least 1/4" inputs so I don't have to put another "break" in the audio chain by having to use an adapter on each of the mics. Faders are a must as well. I think the 414 or Porta Two will do the trick.;) Thanks for the suggestion though.:cool:
 
If you're just trying to record ambient sound effects, one possibility is the UHER 4200.
The mono version was used by the BBC and basically everyone who couldn't afford a Nagra. The 4000L is also the machine Raoul Duke carries in the film version of Fear and Loathing (in the book it was a cassette machine... state of the art for 1971 I guess...)
 
If you're just recording ambient sounds, go find a portable Minidisc recorder!

Aaaaggghhh!!! Wrong forum!!!................:eek:;)
 
jpmorris said:
If you're just trying to record ambient sound effects, one possibility is the UHER 4200.
The mono version was used by the BBC and basically everyone who couldn't afford a Nagra. The 4000L is also the machine Raoul Duke carries in the film version of Fear and Loathing (in the book it was a cassette machine... state of the art for 1971 I guess...)
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The UHER looks interesting. How big is that thing and how hard it is to find one (along with parts/accessories)? Would probably be cheaper than a Nagra E.:eek::D
 
jjones1700 said:
The UHER looks interesting. How big is that thing and how hard it is to find one (along with parts/accessories)? Would probably be cheaper than a Nagra E.:eek::D
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Mine is about 26.5cm x 21.5cm x 9cm - or in inches roughly 10.5" x 8.5" x 3.5"
It can be powered from 5 D-cells or a rechargable UHER battery. The PSU/battery charger is a bit rare - I adapted mine to run off a cheap variable supply since I don't usually take it outside.

In Europe at least, they are everywhere. Basically, if you wanted to do professional portable recording before about 1995 you either had one of these or a Nagra - that was basically it. The stereo models are a bit less common, though.

There are three basic types, the 4000, 4200 and 4400, which are mono, 2-track stereo and 4-track stereo respectively. There are a number of variations since they were produced from about 1963-1997 or something. Generally they are 2-head machines, unless it has 'MONITOR' in the name e.g. '4000IC Report Monitor'.

They do only take 5" spools.
 
jpmorris said:
Mine is about 26.5cm x 21.5cm x 9cm - or in inches roughly 10.5" x 8.5" x 3.5"
It can be powered from 5 D-cells or a rechargable UHER battery. The PSU/battery charger is a bit rare - I adapted mine to run off a cheap variable supply since I don't usually take it outside.

In Europe at least, they are everywhere. Basically, if you wanted to do professional portable recording before about 1995 you either had one of these or a Nagra - that was basically it. The stereo models are a bit less common, though.

There are three basic types, the 4000, 4200 and 4400, which are mono, 2-track stereo and 4-track stereo respectively. There are a number of variations since they were produced from about 1963-1997 or something. Generally they are 2-head machines, unless it has 'MONITOR' in the name e.g. '4000IC Report Monitor'.

They do only take 5" spools.
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Very cool. Thanks for the info.

5" reels shouldn't be any problem. It should give me enough time to capture what I'm after.;)
 
Seriously? Get the Tascam Pocketstudio 5 !!! It Rocks !!!

... & does e'thing you need!
Aaaggghhh!!! Wrong forum again!!!

Anyway, for what you specify, I'd seriously get the PS5.
Wait,... I already have one!:eek:;)
 

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Monstrosity? No, it's a cute, diminutive, friendly & unthreatening little thing!

The Pocketstudio 5 records multitrack (up to 2-simul/4-total) in a 64 kbps modified mp3 format, along with other proprietary format files to keep track of the system settings and arrangements, onto CF flash memory cards. It renders 128kbps stereo mp3's from the multitrack files internally, as well as outputting a line level stereo audio signal & headphone output. It records directly in stereo onto 128kbps mp3 format files, as an alternative to multitracking. It also plays SMF files for MIDI arrangements from it's internal MIDI tone generator. It can load and play "commercially" available 128 kbps files as an mp3 player. It has an internal condenser mic, as well as a mic & line in, plus internal effects & USB file transfer. As an aside, it has faders, 1/4" inputs, and is battery or AC adapter powered. (Hint: this thing is perfect for 'field recording').

The bottom line? I think it's incredibly versatile for such a small package & sounds pretty good, despite what you may assume about the format and specs! Good enough to create wav format files from it's line out or to dub to tape, as well as rendering mp3's internally, and has sound quality that would stand it's ground against your faithful 4-track cassette.
You heard it here first!


PS: It's handy and pocket sized!:eek:;)

Aaaggghhh!!! Wrong forum again!!!:eek:;)
 
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That it seems to only ever store the master tracks in lossy MP3 format was enough for me. Perhaps 'monstrosity' was too kind :D

Now if it could record in lossless format, that would make it a useful little gadget...
 
... uhuh,... uhuh,...

My friend, in digital there's no such thing as a "lossless" format. You, of all people, should know this point will be endlessly debated in analog/audiophile circles. Even your "standard" CD quality has a data & frequency cutoff point, as well as the ever hailed 24-bit/96k.

Do we really want to go down this road again?

For the question, what I've suggested are good tools, and I'll stand by that!:eek:;)
 
Ps:...

If I really, really wanted to have field recording portability in analog with some good sound & versatility, I'd get a Porta One or Porta Two. Forget the rest and call it a day!

Wait,... I already have those!:eek:;)
 

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The strap buttons are really the icing on the cake!

... of a true field recorder!:eek:;)
 
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