At the end of last year, I got tired arguing the merits of 1/4" tape over DAT with people who didn't really want to know and finally took the plunge into Digital. I considered the Deva hard disk recorder, but after a lot of research, I bought two brand new Fostex PD4 DAT Recorders. They struck me as the best of the bunch, comfortably replaced the Nagra in my aluminium transit cases and on my recording trolley - what better reason? Seriously, friend and colleague Chris Munro helped me make up my mind. He has used Fostex for several years on major productions and is very happy with both the machine and service from Fostex, an important point. 
Sandy's attention is momentarily diverted as he awaits "Turn over" while on location for the BBC drama 'A Likeness in Stone' Pic: Alex Bailey I had field tested the StellaDat some time ago and quite liked it, and in spite of some nasty software quirks that needed sorting out, it felt like it was built for the job, made from a solid aluminium block like the Nagra. However, this was not an option since they are no longer in production. Also all servicing has to be done in Switzerland since there is now no UK agent. Moreover, they were costing over twice the price of the Japanese competition. This would not normally be a consideration if it was the right tool for the job but it is still a DAT machine! Is my prejudice showing, perhaps? Now what DAT stock to use? I had heard that brand was not too important and it would be best to aim at using one DAT per day on the production. Again with Chris Munro's advice, I opted for 94 minute Quantegy (Ampex) tapes but I have also tried several other brands without any problem. I really believe that the less the machine has to be opened up on location, the better. The mechanism is a precision instrument, and any dust or contaminants could play havoc - studios and locations are not noted for their cleanliness! There is a school of thought that suggests you shouldn't have all your eggs in one basket and recommend using shorter tapes and a reload at lunch, but I feel that to | keep the machine sealed as long as possible is not a bad plan - leave well alone. Next, I had to make the decision to run a backup or not, as some colleagues still do. I have never done it with my Nagra and I felt that if the DAT was going to replace it, the DAT had to do the same job in the same way. I've had bad experiences with earlier DAT machines eating tape so I was nervous about this decision but, with fingers firmly crossed, it turned out fine. A trick the Nagra 4S could never perform was Record Run Timecode. The advantage is that a tape with continuous Timecode can be fed into a workstation as a Master Clip in one pass for synching up. I set this mode up on the PD4, along with the software facility to put a unique index number in the User Bits, incrementing each time the machine went into record. Combined with the Automatic Program Number (PNO), location and identification of individual takes is a breeze! However, we now have to log all this information. From my early days working in a transfer suite, I have believed that good sound reports are the mark of a good sound recordist, but we have all these numbers to log - Scene, Slate, Take, Timecode, User Bit Index and PNO numbers for each turnover! So I reached for my trusty portable PC and wrote a bit of software that fills in some of the numbers automatically. It also allows me to change Scene and Slate numbers and add track any notes, then print the lot out to pre-printed forms or onto a floppy disk in an industry standard database format. I'm currently expanding the software to include automatic logging of the Timecode and User Bits each time I turn over or stop, via a cable from the Timecode Output of the DAT to the parallel port on my computer. But hang on here, what have I just said? We need a computer to keep up with the administrative work now that we have DAT? Talk about Topsy.... The next problem was the power requirements. I found that new 2.3Ah NP1 batteries gave me just over two hours recording or standby - not bad, but not good enough for today's endurance test that is called film making. I decided to build a 17Ah sealed lead acid battery unit for my trolley with a float charger that also took overall other equipment power requirements. This is magic and works for a whole day's shoot and never gives me a problem. If there is no genny or mains available and it needs recharging, it can be done in about 5 hours plugged into a mains socket with automatic charge reduction after that. I later discovered that similar units are commercially available from Black Box Video. A problem I still have is a random 'glitch' in Record Run Timecode on the PD4 on start-up. This is not serious and only occurs occasionally for no reason I can determine, causing a momentary red |
