M-Audio Microtracker.. reviews anyone??Anyone have one?

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http://www.dandugan.com/downloads/MicroTrack_Input_Noise.pdf

anyone here used it?? From what ive read about it, it seems to be really moody, has random dropouts, the digi in is not robust...the "phantom power" out put is only 30v(why they chose that number, I dont know...that number underpowers a lot of mics..why not 48v??) In some european versions 48v WAS actually advertised in the manual. The level meters are horrible, the battery charge process is confusing, digi noise on recording, random shuts off, the unit freezes up,....so right now it isnt looking too good. My votes go with the marantz pmd 671 at the moment, or the sound devices 722.

Anyt input would be great.
teddy
 
The 722 street prices at just under $2,400, and the Marantz streets at a little under $1,000. They are really not comparable devices to the M-Audio unit, based on price. There is a cheaper version of the Marantz that doesn't have digital inputs that is around the same price as the MicroTrack, and of course Edirol sell the R1, which also doesn't have a digital input. These two units are the two that are in the same price category as the MicroTrack.

I've also read user reviews from people that love the MicroTrack. It's a new product and I would expect it to take a little time for M-Audio to sort out the bugs. There's a lot going on in a very small package. Apparently the OS is user upgradeable, so as M-Audio fixes things the MicroTrack owners can update the OS. If people are still complaining in six months then I would be a little worried.

I'm planning on waiting a while and then seeing how solid the MicroTrack is, because the feature set is pretty much perfect for what I need. I hope they get it sorted out.
 
While I agree with you totally about the minor bugs, Albert...Advertising something as having 48v phantom(which some of the units did) and putting out 30v is unacceptable. The fact that it has so much going on in such a small package is a weakness, in my opinion. At that price point you have to sacrifice something....I , like you, hope that it is everything that it is supposed to be. However, the more I read about it, the less hope I have. I have read reviews from people that love what the microtrack COULD be and what it is SUPPOSED to be, but are irate that it is so unreliable right now. The only hope I have for it is that My friend Doug Oade is selling it. He is legendary for modifying consumer gear with better components for great performance. Normally he wont sell something that he doesnt thing have potentiall...And the fact that he is selling is a good sign. Lets hope it turns out as expected. These people using them now are basically beta testers(God Bless em)...and the 722 had bugs too, I am not claiming the 722 to be perfect..But it at least had functionality....what I read about it was that it wouldnt even stay on, charge, record, meters wouldnt work...all kinds of MAJOR issues. Not minor stuff. More R+D should have been done before they released this on the public. I know several folks who are PISSED because of glitches and what they percieve to be wasted money...I just hope it becomes a good "bit bucket" ,a storage device.., I dont have hope for anything else other than that. Want it to do 24/96 reliably, no dropouts, and robust digi in.
 
I'm planning on giving it time. I've learned from hard experience that it's often not wise to buy a brand new product as soon as it is released. The MicroTrack has a great feature set, so I'm going to revisit the product in 6 months and see how it is doing then.

The big issue for me is that most of the affordable flash recorders don't have digital inputs. That's crucial for me because there are scenarios where I'll want to use my own preamps and converters.

The 722 is nice, but for $2,400 it should be.

Another unit that seems interesting is the Edirol R4, priced at around $1,500. If Edirol releases an R1 with a digital input I'll jump on it. The lack of digital input is the weakness of the R1 in my opinion. That and I understand the plastic case is rather fragile.

I'm still going to hold out for the bugs to get worked out of the MicroTracker. The 30v phantom doesn't really bother me that much because I plan on using outboard preamps with it anyway. However, if they are advertised as 48v they obviously *should* be 48v.
 
albert..clean out your PM box...i cant send any messages to you. :D
 
Hi,

I have a Microtrack that I used for a month now, with no significant problems.

First of all, the digital input works fine, I tested it with several different SPDIF capable gear. I read the review of Dan Dugan, and I'm still baffled.
Perhaps, Mr. Dugan overlooked the fact that SPDIF in is not automatic, you have to select either 1/8, 1/4 or SPDIF input.

I did have problems with the input meters in SPDIF mode, they are always in the red no matter how low you set your recording level. Also, there is no monitoring in SPDIF mode. I sent a letter to M-Audio and they are aware of both issues indicating they are working on a fix.

Regarding the phantom power issue, I don't know the actual voltage they provide, but all my condensers seem to work OK with it. I use a Sennheiser shotgun most of the time, which is not an easy mic to please.

The 1/4 mic inputs worked a little better for me than the 1/8 input, they seem to be cleaner. On the other hand the supplied 1/8 "T" mic is quite usable.

And finally there is the price. Sure, there are probably better portable recordes out there, but for how much? The lowest priced Marantz is around $700, the Edirol R1 is around $450, but you can get the Microtrack at GC for $299+tax any time. That's about the max I would spend on a gadget like this to record environmental noises.

Just my 3 cents, adjusted for inflation.

-aspirin
 
I am also waiting paitiently to see how this baby flies. Right now I have to hump my MD8 roadcase and gig bag (besides all my guitar gear...) up and down two flights of stairs twice a week just to capture schetches at band practice. Then when I get home I have to record everyting onto my Mac in real time and trim it up to make practice discs. What a process, I am looking for quality but functionallity is king with the Microtrack. I hope it delivers, nothing else has come close for the money.
 
aspirin said:
Hi,
Perhaps, Mr. Dugan overlooked the fact that SPDIF in is not automatic, you have to select either 1/8, 1/4 or SPDIF input.
Click to expand...
Guarantee he didnt overlook it.Others have similar problems.

Regarding the phantom power issue, I don't know the actual voltage they provide, but all my condensers seem to work OK with it. I use a Sennheiser shotgun most of the time, which is not an easy mic to please.
Click to expand...
The issue is that they advertised 48v phantom on some units...and even advertising just "phantom" to most people means 48v, as it is a worldwide standard. Working "OK" is not acceptable. Working to full potential(which in most condensers is 48v)is.

The 1/4 mic inputs worked a little better for me than the 1/8 input, they seem to be cleaner. On the other hand the supplied 1/8 "T" mic is quite usable.
Click to expand...
both inputs should work well. why put em there if they dont work?

And finally there is the price. Sure, there are probably better portable recordes out there, but for how much? The lowest priced Marantz is around $700, the Edirol R1 is around $450, but you can get the Microtrack at GC for $299+tax any time. That's about the max I would spend on a gadget like this to record environmental noises.
Click to expand...

price is not an issue, what IS an issue is that they went on and on about how it was going to be this and that...well, it isnt. For enviromental noises and a shotgun microphone, it sounds like it is working well for you, and that is great. There are those who are dissapointed with it, because they had much higher hopes that it would perform much better than it does. All the bad reviews intially and the bottom line that they FALSELY advertised specs left a bad taste in my mouth.
Just my 3 cents, adjusted for inflation.

-aspirin
Click to expand...

my cent, paid on my credit card. :D :D
 
bileshake said:
I am also waiting paitiently to see how this baby flies. Right now I have to hump my MD8 roadcase and gig bag (besides all my guitar gear...) up and down two flights of stairs twice a week just to capture schetches at band practice. Then when I get home I have to record everyting onto my Mac in real time and trim it up to make practice discs. What a process, I am looking for quality but functionallity is king with the Microtrack. I hope it delivers, nothing else has come close for the money.
Click to expand...

at this point, bileshake..you can pick up a creative nomad jukebox 3, which records up to WAV 20g hard drive, digi/optical in, level meters, and is bit perfect, and proven over 3 years of use by tapers and archivists alike.
150 bucks for it. I owned two. Loved them, built solid, reliable, and transferring to a pc/or mac was VERY easy. to start a new file you just hit the stop button and press record again.

If you are just doing practice stuff....the jb3 is much cheaper, and I dare say MUCH more reliable, and proven for recording. it also records mp3. if you feed it an optical signal, it automatically records 16/44.1 .

Teddy
 
aspirin said:
Hi,

I have a Microtrack that I used for a month now, with no significant problems.

First of all, the digital input works fine, I tested it with several different SPDIF capable gear. I read the review of Dan Dugan, and I'm still baffled.
Perhaps, Mr. Dugan overlooked the fact that SPDIF in is not automatic, you have to select either 1/8, 1/4 or SPDIF input.

I did have problems with the input meters in SPDIF mode, they are always in the red no matter how low you set your recording level. Also, there is no monitoring in SPDIF mode. I sent a letter to M-Audio and they are aware of both issues indicating they are working on a fix.

Regarding the phantom power issue, I don't know the actual voltage they provide, but all my condensers seem to work OK with it. I use a Sennheiser shotgun most of the time, which is not an easy mic to please.

The 1/4 mic inputs worked a little better for me than the 1/8 input, they seem to be cleaner. On the other hand the supplied 1/8 "T" mic is quite usable.

And finally there is the price. Sure, there are probably better portable recorders out there, but for how much? The lowest priced Marantz is around $700, the Edirol R1 is around $450, but you can get the Microtrack at GC for $299+tax any time. That's about the max I would spend on a gadget like this to record environmental noises.

Just my 3 cents, adjusted for inflation.

-aspirin
Click to expand...

Well said, aspirin. I bought one. I like it for what it is, but M-Audio needs to work out the bugs. Microtrack's way better than a portable tape and cost hundreds less than a Marantz.
 
mindbuzz said:
Well said, aspirin. I bought one. I like it for what it is, but M-Audio needs to work out the bugs. Microtrack's way better than a portable tape and cost hundreds less than a Marantz.
Click to expand...
I hope it works well too. I have a LOT of friends that bought them. Dont want to see them waste their money. I was hoping to get something cheap as a backup patch to my 722, but its not looking good at present.
I like what it could be, but it aint there yet.
 
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