Tascam DR-40

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Seems like screen induce interference on audio lines. You can write about this to manufacturer, as fix seems simple.

Fulgura

Yeah, quite possibly. The manufacturer has been informed about this already but so far the only response has been the comment sort of saying "Please use a balanced microphone on DR-40". It is either too difficult for them to implement or they do not consider that kind of a use typical on DR-40. We are still waiting.

Anyway, I have found cheaper solutions as stated in my earlier message and DR-40 is OK with GH2 and 600D so far.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

The manufacturer has been informed about this already but so far the only response has been the comment sort of saying "Please use a balanced microphone on DR-40". It is either too difficult for them to implement or they do not consider that kind of a use typical on DR-40. We are still waiting.

Just bombard them with requests. It is TASCAM, after all.

Cite from US-800 topic here:

This unit has one of the worse drivers in the world :-)

You can go to their site and get PDF for drivers update.

Interesting read.

"We have big memory leak that could cause instant reboot of your Windows 7. This is normal. Try to reboot your PC regularly before any unit usage."

"We also have other big memory leak, and you can just browse or watch movie and memory will still leak, so stop working like this and reboot your PC regularly."

"Also our drivers do not recognize unit after each reboot. And any power on/off cycle of the unit can cause instant reboot of your PC"

Fulgura

OK, will consider this Thanks...

@vicharris Sorry to hear that DR-40 went belly up. Have you checked whether it is some sort of a power issue? New batteries should be the first test. Also, try using a USB cable to connect it to a computer. The external power provided from the USB bus may wake it up. DR-40 operates with the external power perfectly.

Best

vicharris

@Fulgura Checked with a few batteries. Going to try external power in a bit. I'm first dealing with a bunch of bad footage that I shot yesterday with Moon. Trying to figure out what went wrong with that first!

No_SuRReNDeR

@Fulgura Ok so essentially your saying a Seinheisser M66 isnt a balanced mic?... I'm lost.

@vicharris just I just had the same thing happen with the audio technica lavs I use. Wound up having to record the audio on the old Xh_a1 and sinc the files in post. The funny thing is the internal mics on the DR40 are fine...but I get nothing on the XLR inputs now.

QuickHitRecord

Let me preface by saying that audio is not something that I know much about.

I have this recorder and I'm trying to find a way to record in Dual mode (single XLR into two channels of varying DB) while also recording in the GH2 (connected from headphone jack via mini cable). So far I have not been able to produce a satisfactory result -- the audio recorded on the GH2 has a significant hiss to it (and this is after I dialed down the in-camera gain). I read about bad pre-amps on these units, but is there any kind of workaround out there? I really could use some pointers. Has anyone posted about doing something like this?

smoke23

I finally purchased a Tascam DR-40 from B&H as they were on sale for $140 plus Pluraleyes 3 included. I've always used the Beachtek dxa-slr for run & gun work. I'm primary going to use this for interviews, wedding ceremonies, and when I need to capture clean audio. I have three questions:

If I plan to sync with the GH2/GH3, do I need to purchase the Sescom cable Sescom LN2MIC-TAS-MON or the LN2MIC-TAS-GH1 ? I plan on getting a GH3 soon so would the 3.5 to 3.5 be a better purchase?
I have a Audio Technica AT875 shotgun mic, are there any problems with the mic to work with the recorder?
Are there any tips & tricks I need to know about the DR-40 to work better with the GH2 & GH3?

Thanks!

B3D

You'll need one Sescom or the other if you plan on using the audio in the GH2. The 3.5>3.5 w/ a Hosa 3.5>2.5 adapter would be good if you do get that GH3.

We've not had any issues other than certain mic's sound better using the DR-40's phantom instead of their own. We power ours with a plug-in USB wall adapter, which works great & saves batteries. Turn the GH2's mic level down to lowest setting.

If you're only going to use the Tascam's audio, you won't need the Sescom. Pluraleyes will sync w/ just the camera mic's sound. If doing that, it can be helpful to turn up the GH2's mic some.

Btw, Dualeyes can do both syncing & stretching of the audio if it's very long... otherwise it gets out of sync from the video. You can manually stretch it though if you don't have Dualeyes (but it should have come w/ your Pluraleyes 3). I wish Pluraleyes had that feature built-in!

Sph1nxster

@b3d The DR-40 can be powered by USB cable with no batteries?

B3D

Yes, it works fine that way, as long as the AC>USB adapter provides enough juice. But I've used 3 different ones in the past and they all worked. We run the DR-60D the same way, btw.

fosterchen

I've started to also use USB to power the DR-40 if a wall plug was close and available at my shoot location.
Rechargeable batteries do last, but are not 100% reliable, as I found out one time on a shoot where the recorder turned off after 5 minutes. A tip on using rechargeable AA's, don't charge them way ahead of time or they might just loose charge, even new ones! Best to charge them the night before for immediate use for best results. And drain them COMPLETELY before the next charge!
I've had 5+ year old rechargeables work better than ones I just bought a month ago - Energizer 2300mah.
I have a handy Sony wall plug to USB converter that's from another camera (Sony TX100 point shoot) which works great for this purpose, and it's small and light. This thing also charges iPhones no problem! So vice versa, an iPhone wall charger should work fine too for the DR-40.

Thanks for the tip @Fulgura!

_OZ

Great tip, just tried it and will be using it for a gig this weekend.

mo7ies

Well, I have to vote against using the power supply, unless absolutely necessary. Reason: possibility of electrical noise (all those new 5V supplies are switching types, so emit EMI like crazy!), and also ground loops.

You may or may not run into this problem, but why set yourself up from the beginning?

I own and use Dr-40, it will work easily for half-day on one set of rechargeable batteries.

Yes it is best to charge them the night before the gig; however certain types will hold charge for months without a problem. Get this Eneloop, they are the best: http://goo.gl/p0fegK

B3D

mo7ies-- Yes, I was very concerned about possible noise/hum when the idea was brought up to use USB power on the Tascam 40 and the 60D. Fortunately, after dozens of shoots, we've never had a problem with it. But we still always check it carefully before each shoot, just in case.

Ironlungs

Power supply question - need correct connector:

I have the Tascam DR40, love it so far. Use it to record band rehearsals and some gigs. After getting my other equipment going and helping others / checking over PA system, I find that I often don't have time to do much more than turn it on and hit record. Unfortunately, this has lead to missed events due to the unit shutting off midway through (low batteries).

I need to use the power supply, but I don't know which to buy.

** Can someone please include some actual links of units that would work with the correct plug. **

I've heard a lot of people saying an AC adaptor from an iphone charger or ipod, but my ipod plugin certainly doesn't have the same connector as the DR-40. I've also tried to plugin my phone charger (htc EVO 4g), but its not the same... the phone connector is a bit slimmer than the DR40. Thanks!