|
Current
Broadcasts Courses
and Broadcasts
|
Columbia Graduate School of Journalism Radio DepartmentPMD660 Technical Guide
PMD660 Intro The Marantz PMD660 is a portable digital compact flash recorder. It does not utilize tape and has no internal moving parts to improve both the quality of field recordings and to speed the efficiency of transferring audio to an editing workstation. Power The Marantz PMD660 can be powered through the AC adapter or the 4 AA batteries. The 660 can use both rechargeable and regular alkaline AA batteries. We have had issues with rechargable batteries so we only use alkaline AAs. The kit includes 4 batteries, but the tech staff recommends keeping 4 extra AA batteries available in case you run out of power during a recording.
For best results, make sure that the correct battery setting is set in the 660 menu. This setting has already been set in the presets. This will be explained fully in the next section.
The PMD660 has three presets. Each preset can be programmed by for use various scenarios. There may be a time when a preset will have to be changed to suit a recording situation. After making a change to the preset, please be sure to set the preset back to its original configuration when you are finished recording. To switch from one preset to another, turn the unit on. Then press the “Menu” button.
Scroll through the presets using the “Track Jump” arrow buttons. When you have reached the correct preset hit “Play/Pause.” Press the “Menu” button one more time and the preset will be initiated.
Here is the standard configuration for the settings in Preset-1 and explanation of their purpose: Preset 1 There are two additional Presets that can be configured to the user's preference. If you plan on using your own configuration please use one of these Presets and leave Preset-1 as is. If you need to make changes to Preset-1, please return it to it’s original state when you are finished. A common change is switching the Level Control setting from ALC to Manual. To change a preset, Press “Menu,” select the preset and press “Play/Pause.” Use the “Track Jump” keys to scroll through the menu options. Press “Play/Pause” to select and option then “Track Jump” to change the settings, and then press “Play/Pause” to finalize the change. Youcan cancel a menu option by pressing the “Stop” button. To check if your recorder is properly configured for Preset-1, the display shoud read: ALC, ATT, 44.1K, and MIC. For more information on menu items in the presets, please review
the PMD660 manual available in your kit and also available online
at: Recording Audio The Marantz PMD660 uses a compact Flash card to store the audio recorded through a microphone attached to one of the two XLR connections on the rear of the machine. Attach the RE50 microphone to the rear of the 660 recorder with the XLR Cable. Use the left “Mono” channel.
Select your preset from the menu and press “Rec Pause” to check levels. Adjust levels using the “Rec level control” on the front of the unit while observing the level meter when in manual mode Once levels are set. Press the “Rec” button to begin recording. If during a recording you wish to create a new track, hit the “Rec” button again and a new track will be created. WARNING: Do not press this button in the middle of an audio recording. Wait until you have a break (in between interview questions) as it may briefly disrupt the recording. To pause a recording press “Rec Pause.” When finished recording, press “Stop.”
The 660 records audio to individual tracks in a linear sequence of as many as you choose to create.To select a track press “Track Jump.” Then press “Play/Pause” to listen to the track. To fast-forward or rewind hold down the “Track Jump” buttons. Deleting Tracks To delete a track or format the card (fortmatting deletes everything!!!) hold down the Shift-Menu/Edit button. This will allow you to either delete a track, all tracks, all track marks, or format the card. Make a selection of the commands by pressing “Track Jump.” Then press “Play/Pause” to execute. Importing 660 audio into Pro Tools Plug in the PMD660’s AC adapter. Hold down the “Copy/USB” button and turn the unit on. The LCD display should say USB.
Connect the USB cable (included in the kit) from the 660 to a free USB port on the side of the Dell LCD monitor or the front of the Mac Pro. Wait a few moments, and the PMD’s flash card should mount on the desktop. Create a Pro Tools session in your class folder on the StudentWork drive. Navigate to and open the Audio Files folder in your project. Double click the Flash Card and drag and drop the audio tracks from the flash card into the “Audio Files” folder. This is also a good time to drag and drop the files to a CD for backup.
Return to the Pro Tools session and use the "File" menu to import the audio in the "Audio Files" folder to Region Lists.
Then select “Done.” To unmount the flash card you have one of two options. Close the Pro Tools program and simply drag the flash card icon to the trash, just like you would with a CD. This will eject the drive. If Pro Tools is still open, then you must follow the procedure below. WARNING: Failure to properly unmount the Flash card could cause the data to be corrupted and irretrievable. To unmount a drive while Pro Tools is open, go to “Windows” and select “Show Workspace.” Highlight the drive to be unmounted and select the toolbox above the list of drives. Select “Unmount.” When the drive disappears from the list it is now safe to unplug it from the computer.
1. If the 660 unit freezes up, turn it off and remove the batteries
from the battery compartment. Return the batteries and turn it back
on. The problem should be fixed when the unit reboots. |
