Roland R26 portable audio recorder

RRRR

I just recorded a quick test with a Rode m3 using the built in phantom power so if anyone is interested in checking it out - send me a PM.

spacewig

@rrrr

Ok, will PM in the a.m. when I'm on my PC. Thx again...

RRRR

I can't promise anything, but I'll see what I can do. I don't have such a mic myself but with a bit of convergence such a test should be possible to do.

Come to think of it, I possibly could go make a test at my local sound store.. Next week, that is. Whilst picking up the binaural mics I ordered.

qwerty123

One of the things that is a problem with H4n is that it's terrible with the Rode Ntg-2 and maybe other low sensitive mics. The volume is way too low even with mic levels all the way at 100.... so this would be a big deal to me if the R-26 is better in this regard. So reiterrating Vitaliy's request!

RRRR

@spacewig and others who'd like some test sounds - send me a PM and I'll mail the files.

The test: folder 1-3, 4 channels xy+omni (separate) on 50%, 75% and 25% level. Folder 4-6, 2 channels xy+omni on 25% 50% and 75% level.

Sounds: ambience, gentle tapping of a pencil on a table close to the recorder, candy paper wrinkle..

I had the recorder part of the time standing up, part of the time directed away from me (towards the street outside).

I did the test in that way to determine how the recorder performs with picking up ambient sounds / sound effects.

spacewig

@rrrr

OK, thank you, much appreciated!

RRRR

@spacewig I'll see what I can do! I can propably make some test files from the internal mics today. The stuff I used it for so far won't be much good to you anyway since it was a line in recording.

spacewig

@rrrr @sohus

Test files, if you have any, would be much appreciated. If you can make a quick sample recording using the preamps (xlr inputs) and make a note of how much gain you applied and the specs of the mic you used, this would be very helpful. There are none of these units for rent yet in my city so I have to rely on the opinion of users.

Muchos gracias

sohus

I will try to record some Interviews soon. Have been really busy lately with another project that was already shot.

RRRR

I've only used it very briefly so far, but I think it seems very promising and it certainly has a better signal / noise ratio than the 4n. I have not tested the internal mics yet, so I can't say anything about them.

First impressions where - good build quality / sturdy, a bit bigger than h4n (may be an issue for some who want to keep their rig minimal - though it's not heavy). Easy to navigate and set up..

I've ordered Roland's binaural mic/earphones so I'm looking forward to trying them out soon. I'll see if I have some time tomorrow to record ambient sounds with the internal mics and compare them to my previous experiences with h4n, h4, h2... (I've basically only used Zoom recorders to any larger extent before).

spacewig

@sohus @kavadni @all_other_R26_owners

Anyone else have feedback (NPI) on this unit? I am particularly interested in pre-amp noise and noise floor of built-in mics.

Thanks in advance. Any info/opinion/suggestions you could share would be highly appreciated.

evero

My initial impression after recording sound for a short documentary (not commercial project) with R-26 (Disclaimer: I'm not a soundguy, and my opinion should not be concidered as conclusive). Nice device, better to handle and better preamps than zoom h4n or tascam dr-100. Still could have wished for a even better preamp (introduces some noise when you go up to a certain level), but I'm not sure how much I should expect from it.
I didn't handle the device too much myself during recording, but from what I understood there was some strange behaviour with the battery indicator on lcd showing full power (even when it should have started decreasing) but I'm not sure about this. The other thing was that we experienced various degree of noise floor on different recordings, and I wonder if this actually was the R-26 or the mic / cable / wrong settings causing this. We used a sennheiser shotgun (don't recall the model right now).
If any others have similar (or oposite) experiences, please share :)

kavadni

Mine arrived yesterday. I will try, but will not promise tests .. rather busy for the next few weeks.

I found this while browsing, it may be useful for some.
http://www.videoguys.com.au/Shop/p/25132/rycote-041119-portable-recorder-suspension-ry041119.html

evero

@sohus thanks for testing. would be great to read some of yours (and others) opinions after some use aswell. have you used more it after the first tests?

tosiabunio

Could you record some ambient sounds with the internal mikes?

strongpower

Thanks sohus!
From the test files it seems that the internal mikes are rather nosiy.
Can you let us know what gain settings did you use?
Waiting for further tests! :)

danyyyel

It is important to have at least 10 sec of silence to judge the noise level of the preamp with the microphone.

sohus

@vitaliy_kiselev
I will do such a test later on. Planning a more thorough test with all my microphones and whispering ;)

Vitaliy_Kiselev

@sohus

Thanks for files.

Can you make systematic test with NTG2 (it is not very sensitive mike).
I mean speaking loud initially in low gain and go to highest gain and almost whisper (but trying to maintain level peaks on same level).

mkp

Thanks sohus! Seems to have potential so far! It's hard to tell without being there of course and knowing your gain settings/distance from mic/etc, but it appears to be much more quiet than the H4n. I've been checking out the noise tests on Wingfield audio ( http://www.wingfieldaudio.com/portable-recorder-noise.html#samples ). Not sure where it sits relative to those but can't wait to hear more about the recorder.

stefanos

@sohus
what's your opinion so far?

sohus

I have upload some test files:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/626671/Roland%20R26%20Sohus%20for%20Personal-View.com.zip

Mics used:
ATW-1821 wireless
Rode NTG2 shotgun
On-board (X+Y & Omni)
The .txt file in the folder gives info on the input type.

stoney

Also the built-in speakers performance. Thanks.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

@sohus

We'll be waiting :-)
Especially interesting how it behaves with low sensitive shotgun mikes.

sohus

I have received it but I need to test it. First impression: a bit big, a bit too much plastic but great touch screen and menu system and plenty of choices. They say the battery lasts 10 hours without phantom power. The combinations you can make with the different inputs (X/Y+Omni+Analog 1/2+Mic Input) are awesome. Going to see if I can do some testing tonight or tomorrow.

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