Sound Devices SCORPIO: Why do Pros Use Gear Like This?
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- čas přidán 3. 08. 2019
- In April 2019, Sound Devices announcement their new flagship audio mixer/recorder called Scorpio. Sound Devices caters to TV and film production sound mixers - the professionals working on large budget productions. The Scorpio has a lot of new features which are really exciting and help production sound mixers do things that they haven’t been able to do before or it simplifies things that were previously more complicated. But all this comes at what would seem like a hefty price from the perspective of a self-funded, passion project filmmaker: $8995 USD. In this episode, we run through the features of the Scorpio, and why for some pros working on the larger budget projects, the expense is easily justified.
#SoundDevices #Scorpio #Sound
If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses at school.learnlightandsound.com including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F8 and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders.
Gear used and mentioned in this episode:
Sound Devices Scorpio - B&H bhpho.to/2Uy4qDv
Sound Devices 688 - B&H: bhpho.to/2rABgTo
Sound Devices 633 - B&H: bhpho.to/2UCbZJ6
Sound Devices MixPre - the more affordable line of high quality recorders for indie filmmakers - B&H: bhpho.to/2FvugNY
Allen & Heath DT168 Dante Stage Box - One example of a Dante device with 16 inputs and 8 outputs, all controllable by Scorpio - B&H bhpho.to/2MAW2Ok
DPA 4017b Shotgun Microphone - B&H bhpho.to/2m0N3HA
Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K - B&H bhpho.to/2JB7W5V
Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 OIS Lens - Amazon geni.us/uMsKam
Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: geni.us/G7by
Copyright 2019 by Curtis Judd
Ethics statement: Some of the links above are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, or other affiliate links.
You're one of the only people on youtube with enough experience to make such a detailed and fair video about this equipment. Solid work Curtis!
Thanks Tommy!
Thanks for covering sound gear. This is one of the most important elements in production but everyone seems to ignore it.
👍 Thanks!
This makes me realize how much I have yet to learn about this subject (a good thing). You are scary knowledgeable. 😁
Me too - so much to learn! Thanks BFM!
@@personalview7388 Interesting. Hadn't heard that. If I had to guess, Sound Device's main market is the production sound mixer market whereas Zoom serves primarily consumers/prosumers. If anything, I would think that Sound Devices has moved only slightly into the prosumer market which I believe is growing at the moment while the majority of their business is still mostly with pros.
Personal View Arri also is beaten and matched in the spec game to many cameras at many multiples cheaper. Yet like sound devices they offer an infinitely more reliable professional standard. Arri is booooooming. Sound devices has nothing to worry about, like Arri they were never a one man band prosumer product.
@@personalview7388 It's funny, Sound Devices were struggling with Zoom hitting their amateur market. But because the Sound Devices brand among professional film sound recordists is still highly coveted they have been able to keep going long enough to make the Scorpio, which is essentially a brand realignment, instead of going for the prosumer market, they've adjusted to hit the really high end sound professional. With Dante, the high track I/O, wireless integration, power safety and tons of other features this is going after Aaton and Zaxcom. But I agree this won't save Sound Devices as a brand.
Thanks for this! I love learning more about the high-end industry equipment :)
👍 Thanks EposVox!
thank you so much for the consistently outstanding quality in every one of your videos.
🙏
love videos like this, I don't know anyone else who does high end audio gear in such depth. Great content, learning so much
Thanks John!
Hey Curtis! Just want to tell you "Thank you" for producing these videos and your channel. I appreciate it. Subscribed!
Thanks MrConcord75!
Sound Devices give this man a Scorpio NOW!!, Curtis great job describing the Scorpio Im sold.
Thanks Technoober!
This is so cool! Thank you for teaching me about all these new features and tech!
👍
Always love Sound Device products. Built solid, and always reliable. Great company with great products. This unit adds extreme flexibility to deliver the requirements of all shooting department demands. Don’t need it, but totally respect the design and build engineered to meet an audio engineers field shoots needs.
Agreed on all points, thanks Clurk.
Curtis thank you for the excellent insights on the Scorpio! It was really interesting to learn about the power and flexibility of the FPGA’s and how the power management was carefully considered. I’m keeping a close watch on user experiences and updates from SD on Scorpio as it develops. I think the future is bright for all of us with this new SD eco system!
Thanks Michael, and thanks for sharing your insights on your CZcams channel as to why tools like Scorpio enable production mixers at the highest level to get the job done and deliver good, consistent sound.
Even though I never see owning one myself, love seeing high end gear like this! Awesome vid as always!
Thanks Casey! Agreed, always interesting to see what the higher end productions use.
Another excellent review Curtis. Thank you
Thanks Mark.
After 6 years with 633, I bought a Scorpio, I was one of the first in Italy. It's great but it's not 100% "ready" yet. It must still be perfected on a software level.
Congrats! Their track record of refining the software over time is good so hopefully we’ll
See the same here.
Very good review, Curtis, thank you.
Thanks Bebop Beluga!
Great video, I'm going to test a scorpion right now and this overview give me something to follow
Happy recording and mixing!
Thanks for the vid bro!!)
You are welcome!
Excellent Description of the Scorpio, Curtis. I'm a pro location mixer/supervisor and there's always a line between using a bag or being on a cart. The Scorpio, although cart-oriented, will work in a bag also. I'm now working with the 888 as it has all the features of the Scorpio, but a few less channels and extras. My backup kit ( I was once recording a reality show in a boat that capsized and drowned an entire Zaxcom DEVA Fusion 12 setup with all the Lectro wireless, power, etc... so I preach and practice redundancy - my good old SD 302 kit kept us rolling for the rest of the day - no downtime for production.) is an SD MixPre 10T and it has been a cool, simple and powerful little workhorse. I love the touchscreen! Now that we're getting a slight handle on COVID-19, small location productions are starting to pick up speed and it's good to be working again! Keep up the great equipment and industry descriptions it's very helpful to us all!
Hi Tom, thanks so much for your comment. Oh my! I'm hopeful that the production's insurance covered the cost of the Deva kit! Thanks so much for dropping by and best wishes as the jobs get rolling again.
still really informative and interesting! that's what I call quality content :)
Thanks Benjamin.
Oh man...and to think I grew up following my dad around on sets while he rocked a Niagra reel-to-reel. And to think i thought DAT was high tech. I do love Sound Devices products. The last one I rented worked like a dream.
Wow - you've been in this for a while! I wish I could try out a Nagra!
Thank you very much! It's really very interesting to know something about "how the PROs doing it" to grow :)
👍
Thank you Curtis. Excellent example of pro equipment. Being a prosumer (not in the business) I'm dreaming!!
Thanks Joe. Just hoping to educate so that we can do our best on whatever jobs we take. Thanks!
Man I so want 1! Sounds like pure epicness.
Me, too! Someday!
@@curtisjudd Thanks for the video Curtis! Could you do a video on XLR cables from the lower end to higher end like Mogami Gold and Audio Quest to see if there's a difference when using them with mics on a recorder?
Hi NorthlandDWJ, Thanks! I can say that I don't generally notice a difference in sound quality between decent cables from any manufacturer - as long as you're working in ideal situations where you're not running XLR cables parallel to large power cables and such. The biggest differences in my experience seem to come down to build quality, durability, and shielding which can save you if someone does move your cable into a bundle with some big power cables.
@@curtisjudd Ahhahaah just refound this here vid. Funny you should mention the mixer desk thing cause that's what I always thought when I heard Neal demo his 744-T with the Rode NT1-A. Man that thing is silent like a studio mixer. But when he demoed it against the Olympus LS-100 $300 recorder surprize surprize the LS-100 has slitely more hiss then the 744-T did. I was surprised. I was like ah so the thing had some but almost no hiss then after all. Verry curious.
This is a very powerful box.People that choke on the price don’t need it.It is very advanced in it’s capabilities.Thanks for the great video.
You bet, thanks AJ.
Thanks for the insight Curtis! Been a 633 user for about 3 years now. The Scorpio use is above what I need for the work I do. However, if they do come out with the miniature version of Scorpio than I would highly consider upgrading. By then they would probably have perfected the firmware. Very excited for the future of Sound Devices.
Hi Josh, thank you! I too, am looking forward to what Sound Devices has in store for us in the future!
That's a DREAM Machine! Cool 😎
👍
Amazing!! Only the professionals who already do this kind of work would have the expertise background to even understand what this device can do. Even then it would take a full time professional some time to sort it all out and set it up to do what it is capable of and or required on set. Nice review, enjoyed it as always.
Thanks GrumpyWiseGuy! 👍
FWIW, the talking head shots here look really nice. What camera? BMPCC4k?
Thanks Tim, yes, Pocket 4K.
Thanks Curtis for all those great videos! One question: suppose you have a wireless mic receiver with variable output level. You could set the receiver to, say, to -30dBu and use a Mic input on the recorder with some amount of input gain, or set the receiver to 0dBu and dial some amount of input attenuation, or keep the receiver at 0dBu and use a Line input on the recorder, with 0dB of gain. Which would you use and why?
Hi Axel, generally it is best to not re-amplify if you can avoid it, so if your wireless receiver has the ability to output line level, I'd generally go with that.
Wow! That thing is INSANE! But yes, this is a perfect example of why real professionals charge as much as they do. On top of the experience and skills. However, I'm glad you mentioned Curtis that this is a device you can use for the next decade and beyond. And probably at a very high level all that time. Brings the yearly cost of ownership to a high but non-insane level. :-)
Thanks for the perspective, Ricardo!
Bro! Did you get a new camera? The new look is great.
Hay Ken, not a new camera, just a new light: Aputure C300DmkII. Thanks!
Hello there, I'm sure I can find an answer to this simple question on the internet but I might aswell ask since I just finished your video. What's the difference between "all" and "iso" on media routing? Also, L-R Poly means I'll have a file for Left and Right channels right? whereas L-R mono will be an only file with both channels compiled into it (as far as I understand it is not very useful on a two channel recording) I'm entirely new to video and audio production and I'm learning through internet, CZcams, and manuals, and your vid helped a lot, I think your channel will be a very useful tool for me in the future. Cheers !
All records all isolated channels, buses, and the LR stereo mix. Isos just records the isolated channels.
Something to dream about
Indeed!
The capabilities of the Scorpio are insane for the form factor. Any audio interface with similar I/O count would at least be a full rack unit if not more and still wouldn’t be able to record internally
Agreed!
Thanks a lot for your review and channel Curtis.
You mentioned that if you use the AES output from the Scorpio to an AES input of a camera that syncing isn't required.
Are there any issues with latency from the A/D conversion itself? Would that create a possible sync issue in and of itself?
Hi Cameron, thanks. I did not find any perceptible sync issues when I did this with the Blackmagic Ursa Mini Pro and the 633. I did not scientifically measure it but my sense is that the latency was well under 10ms and thus not perceptible.
@@curtisjudd Thanks a lot for replying to me Curtis. I appreciate it!
I understood your name and then you starting taking gibberish but I found it fascinating and watched it all.
Hahaha! That probably means you can save the nearly $10,000 this thing costs. 😉
Holy crap! I have the same Sound Devices shirt!
👍
Hey Curtis - love your channel. Quick question: You mention [15:15] using the Allen & Heath DT168 breakout box to the Scorpio via Dante. I like this concept a lot - for many reasons. But can you control the A&H pre-amp gain and phantom on/off from the Scorpio ? I'm sold if you can - but worried that you actually need an A&H mixer for this functionality. Looking to change from Zaxcom Nova to the 888 or Scorpio. Thank you !
Hi Beyond - that's a fine question. Short answer: I'm not sure. Longer answer: Since I created this video, I purchased a Sound Devices 888 and made another video using a much smaller Dante input box: czcams.com/video/uc2Qgt8SMpM/video.html
On the M8RX which I tested, gain is set at the input box, not at the 888. I'm not sure how that would work with the Allen + Heath Dante stage box. I'm hoping at some point I'll get my hands on it so I can figure that out.
@@curtisjudd Thank you for your response - indeed, watched your excellent M8RX video. Thanks to your video - this is likely the route I will go - really like the specs and small size. 4 XLR ins would have made it perfect :-). Further research indicates that the DT168 pre-amps cannot be adjusted remotely without additional A&H hardware. Hopefully there will be an App based solution at some point.
Hi Curtis! Do you know if the internal SSD is user-replaceable? That might be a concern down the line, especially given the long estimated service life of these devices.
I always learn so much from your videos! Thank you for doing what you do!
Hi Arhan, no, it does not appear to be, however, Sound Devices has an excellent service department as they cater to pro users. They also have several authorized dealers which can do some of the repairs if I understand correctly, but would need to confirm that. (e.g., Gotham Sound, Trew Audio, etc.)
Curtis Judd The only other Sound Devices machine that has a SSD is the 788T and it is user replaceable. So maybe Scorpio will be too.
@@RallenMan Perhaps there is a hidden door I didn't see.
Curtis Judd No, you have to take out all the screws on the top plate of the 788 and open it up. The Scorpio looks to have a similar design.
@@RallenMan Ah, got it, thanks! 👍
Can you explain in detail about the sampling rate and bit depth?
Sample rate is how often the analogue to digital converter captures the current state of the audio waveform. Bit depth is the resolution at which the converter records each sample.
Like your new intro..
Thanks Ken.
Please do a review of the Zaxcom Nova when it comes out!
I hope I can!
nice intro !!
Thanks!
Hey Curtis great podcast as always. I am subscribed to the channel and watch all the videos as you always do a thorough job. I'm sure this device will be a hit with many sound techs although i do believe it is not worth the hype. The main reason for dante or AES50 is the ability to have more than the 12 native inputs and Dante's claim to fame is that its a routable protocol meaning you can connect it to a TCP/IP network such as your home router and it will work (useful when you want to add gear and use the existing network in a facility) However I fail to see the usefulness in a field environment as you said if the production is so big that more inputs are required then the sound engineer will be in a stationary location in which case he can use a MUCH MUCH less expensive sound mixing board that will have all the functionality of this device and more as it will be much easier to mix on a board rather than a sound bag sized device especially if you need to quickly move in the menus changing routing and muting and un-muting buses etc. Again that is not to say you can't do it I just think that anyone in the broadcast world will be putting something like an AVID S6L or an M32 on their rider rather than a Scorpio and if they do end up using it I suspect it will be only for smaller channel counts. I may certainly be wrong but I work in the Production industry and we have never had anyone who needs more than 8 channels and request a portable mixer. Sorry for the long comment you can rip me apart if you want lol all the best.
Hi Rishi, Thanks for the input. No doubt many productions, especially in studios, will use the Avids. I think the Scorpio is going to be more of a hybrid type of option where the mixer will need to operate from a bag at least some of the time. Many of the mixers I know will operate much of the day from a cart, but then need to be mobile for a scene here and there. That's where the big boards are going to be problematic.
In short, I don't disagree, but I think the Scorpio fits the use case for production mixers who need to move between bag and cart fairly regularly.
Just learned about the donte system on the fly (fake it to make it... hahaha) got it done so far but that was going through a sound board. I feel I could have done all that I needed using a scorpeo. I’m biting my nails anxiously on buying a new toy I mean tool. I can’t wait this will confuse me and help my production way more than I can think. Luv that the Dugan feature is now accessible. Goodbye 442 ur use now is only for chasing hurricanes and getting wet it’s time to upgrade again.
👍
Question: at the end you mention R64 file formats. Is this RF64 and MBWF or something different?
!
Apologies, yes, I misspoke. I meant to say RF64 but I was so excited I unintentionally dropped the F. 😀
That was the first time I heard of the standard and started looking. Amazing that the hobby tier is running into this limit/issue as well and can't wait to see this trickle down.
Thanks.
!
Do the BlackMagic Pocket4k and Ursa G2 have FPGA's for future firmware updates that could potentially give the camera increased functionality?
(I know it's not Scorpio or sound related, but you like and use BlackMagic cameras, thought you might know). Thanks!
I don't know for sure but I strongly suspect they do use FPGAs which is probably why they burn through batteries.
@@curtisjudd Thanks!
hi. how much do you think that the scorpio can be used as a mixer to use it in live shows?
I think it can very much be used for live shows. The auto mix feature is super helpful for live discussion panels. You might like to add the CL-16 control surface. But I have to add that I wouldn't probably invest in the Scorpio if the main thing I did was live sound. I'd probably look at something more like an Allen & Heath SQ digital mixing board.
It would be interesting to see a comparison list against it's competitors, Zaxcom and Anton. I can see people upgrading even they don't need all the extra channels. Just this one piece of kit could open up new fields of work for many sound folk.
Great idea. I’ll need to get some hands on time with the others to make that happen.
I wonder if this makes the 688/788 a relative bargain. Pros get paid, need something they can count on. Support that is excellent, and build is excellent. Lastly versatility. Anything electronic has self noise is right. I am amazed how fast Sound Devices has stepped it up for more of us, while keeping the pros happy. Do I want one? Nope, because of the above that are not me. But thinking about what the SCORPIO will bring down stream maybe. One can hope. Good to see your thoughts Curits.
I still want one. :-D Thanks Vincent, always good to hear from you!
Is the internals of Scorpio the same as the 800 series sound devices? I guess the point of my question is that If I would buy 833 do I also get the newest preamps etc?
It is my understanding that all of the Scorpio/8xx series recorders share the same preamplifier design.
@@curtisjudd amazing, thank you for the quick response!
What a beast. The thought of shooting reality would negate some of the thrill of using this device.. 🤔 or maybe the use would negate the agony of reality haha. Moving channels of audio and recording to your device via one ethernet is just fantastic.
Lots of way needed features to save your butt like the 10 second post stop recording and arming a track in record, outputs galore. If it comes in a smaller package I’d definitely consider it as a main recorder.
Hahaha! Reality is brutal work indeed! The Scorpio may take the edge off. 😉
@5:30 drops the SD card.... ha, that is why you're recording to dual media! ;-)
(although of course a two inch drop shouldn't ever do it any harm!)
btw @19:00 , am pretty sure the Zaxcom Deva 24 already has this feature as well?
@22:00 you got that back to front! 633 was in 2013, then the 688 was released in 2015
Thanks for the correction re: 688 vs 633 timeline. Must have been 664, 633, then 688.
@@curtisjudd correct! And as the 664 was the first of 6 series, it shares a lot with the other two, but also it is definitely the "odd one out"! Because it is the oldest, and leans more to an analogue based design rather than having much digital power to it, for instance the 664 will never get Automix or 96KHz recording. (which is why I probably won't ever buy it, even though the 664 is the most attractively priced of the three on eBay!)
It looks like it can only receive 16 ch via Dante... outputs 32 but only receives 16 inputs from a stage box. That may be enough... but say you are working on a production with a live performance... if you use 8 to mic a drum kit... that leaves 8 for vocalists or other acoustic instruments. Obviously, wireless from the stage wouldn't come to the recorder via Dante.
If you are using the Allen & Heath box you pictured, then you are not using Scorpio's PreAmps but ones that are built into the Allen & Heath stage box. Does Scorpio communicate with the Allen & Heath box to tell it whether to use phantom power on a channel or not, etc? Or do you still need say an SQ-5 Allen & Heath mixer to communicate to the stage box?
All great questions. Unfortunately I'm not sure as I don't have the Dante card for the A&H yet. I suspect that if you can control things like phantom power, you'll need a laptop and the Dante app to get that level of control.
how do you guys do the false take on this engine?
Press headphone knob +
Hopefully your pure speculation is as pure as mine, I wish SD makes a 633 Scorpio
Hahaha! We shall see!
We've all got a fingers crossed for a Scorpio Micro!
Am sure Sound Devices will, the only question is "when"? Early next year or maybe as late as another five more years? Most likely somewhere in between those two extremes.
Charlie 👀
833 !
@@CamelloFeo I've got it! ;-)
Does the built in wireless pick up 16 microphones channels?
The built-in wireless is just for controlling the mixer via app. Have to add wireless systems to record wireless mics.
@@curtisjudd okay - finally got that straight.
I did notice SD has some purpose built for the Scorpio, so i was wondering ...
Hi Curtis, I am Tenzin from India and we have a Scorpio in our office. I am completely new to it. The purpose of buying this machine is to be able to record all the 12 language translation tracks of teachings by the Dalai Lama independently. We are getting about 6 translations from across the globe through Unity software into our Yamaha QL1 mixer. We have translator’s audio coming into Unity server computer first in our office and then via dante into the Yamaha QL1 from the Unity server. My question is that, i was able to set all the inputs on the Scorpio to Dante. I have also named the channels based on its language input..Ie Channel 1 is Tibetan, channel 2 Chinese and so on. I see that meters for all the languages are peaking but only in greyish color and when recording i only get one file instead of all the individual channels. I have set in the recording settings to record ISOs to card and drive too… What should i do to able to record all the input channels with its channels names in one folder….I am sorry to bother you and hope my question was clear. I am not a native english speaker, so please let me know if it is not clear…Thank you for your time and attention
Hi Tenzin, it seems that the individual tracks are not armed. You will need to arm each of the inputs. On the main meter screen, in the tablet app, or in each of the input menus you can arm each track. Best wishes!
@@LearnLightAndSoundSessions Thank you Curtis…It turns out that in the TRACT TO MEDIA ROUTING, Selecting or highlighting ALL some how doesn’t record all the tracks…I had to highlight the ISO to record all the input tracks…Another question is how do we save the channel name we have assigned to each channel when saving the ISOs. I only get channel numbers and not the names of the channels i assigned in the file name….I read that it is embedded in the metadata which is great..but having the ability to save the file name will be great too to identify the files easily…Any tip? Sorry to bother you…We have limited resource here in India and especially in the area we are located ( Dharamsala)…You help is much appreciated..
@@exilelens4548 The Scorpio only records a single poly wav file with each of the isolated tracks embedded in it as far as I am aware. So there isn't a way to name the wav file based on the recorded tracks. I'm sorry if I misunderstood your question?
You scored a T-shirt. 😀
Yes! The sum total of gear that Sound Devices has given me. 😂
Atmos shogun is the same as Scorpio?
No, the ATOMOS Shogun is a video recorder, the Scorpio is an audio recorder.
I'd love if you could do a review of a Sonosax recorder, like the SX-R4+
So would I! 😉
I'm never going to have a need to touch one of these, but that built-in screen interface looks so incredibly cramped. For that kind of money I would have thought it might come with a larger rugggedised flip out screen similar to modern DSLRs or maybe a flip-up.
That's what the tablet app is for. They had to keep the form factor for fitting into a sound bag.
Curtis Judd But they could have made the unit 0.75 - 1.0 inch taller to have a larger screen and ditched all the TA3 and TA5 connectors and used XLR’s. And it would have still fit in a bag just fine. I think as it is the form factor and screen size is totally ridiculous for such a powerful machine. How did being tiny get to be so important?
@@RallenMan Everyone's opinion on this is valid. Personally, I wouldn't want the overall unity to be any bigger for bag work. I have middle-age eyes and didn't find the screen size to be an issue in the 2 weeks I worked with it. But others may be willing to go bigger and that's legit too. The Cantar X3 has a larger screen but seems like it would be pretty rough to use in a bag.
Curtis Judd Yes although some have run an X3 in a bag (and I have a local friend who did it) it is not a bag machine, too big and heavy among other issues. Sound Devices knows a lot more about what works in a bag than I do but I have a hard time seeing the Scorpio on a cart being so squashed down in size having to use TA3 & 5 cable adapters and that tiny screen which is farther away when you run a cart because you sit back. So yes you have to run that external screen to see what’s up. Maybe not a bad thing but maybe not needed if the screen were bigger.
They should've added a 32bit floating recording feature as the new zoom F6. Gives you a lot more headroom since its 32bit floating point.
Under the hood, the processing is actually 64 bit.
No, 32-bit would not give more headroom while recording. Bit depth does not change the quantization level, which is still referenced to the +4 dBu line level, and analog clipping does not allow headroom to magically go upward forever. Because of thermal (Johnson) noise, 24 bit samples are more than adequate. The actual noise floor is equivalent to 20 bits, so sampling at 24 bits is already overkill. Sampling more bits only samples more noise, and that wastes recording capacity for no reason.
During tracking, float becomes useful because the 24-bit samples can remain as they were in the mantissa, and the exponent can be used to manipulate the gain without disturbing the sample. The added theoretical dynamic range envelope inside the DAW is beneficial for number-crunching, although in the end the rules of math still apply, and it all must be rounded down to the number of least precision. After a lot of summing, that number of bits could be several less than 20. People who believe that they can create precision merely by selecting a data type will not like this reality, but that is how it works.
StringerNews1 F6 is not groundbreaking because of 32bit format, but because of using two AD converters at the SAME time to output to ONE file (one converter is for high level audio one is for low level audio) which results in higher dynamic range than other recorders
@@pitkoholy2274 I tried to verify your claim, and found that the F6 is vaporware, with no published specs. It's fun to have blind faith in things that can't yet disappoint, but let's look at real numbers: A quiet room is 30 dB. A 20-bit sample yields 120 dB of dynamic range. In competent hands that is good for sounds up to 150 dB. That's much louder than any human would want to subject themselves to. Why would anyone need more?
StringerNews1 try to bring very quiet sounds around 40db up to the level of some louder sounds around 120db (common with gun recordings where you bring tail up, sport cars passes, explosions, or even very dynamic dialogue ->screaming and sudden whispering), you will get sound with lot of harmonic distortion because it was recorded with few bottom bits only and there is not lot of information there (imagine how nice 6bit audio sounds). Until Zoom f6 will be released, you have to use limitters to flatten the dynamic range(which are sometimes not desirable), manualy ride the gain knob (not possible with fast sounds), use two separate microphones with different gain (lot of money), or use zaxcoms dual AD converters and then manually pick softer and louder parts you need (lot of time). I am not saying zooms recorder is not vaporware, I am saying that 2AD convertors into single file is good idea for some sound recordists, it may not be you.
It can be used simply trough USB to laptop ?
Thank you
You can use it as a 2 in, 2 out USB interface, yes. But not as a multitrack interface. Not really made for that.
@@curtisjudd You mean you can't use it simultNesouly on 2 channels in Ableton with 2 instruments?
Thank you very much
@@abelmoreno5549 You get 2 inputs and 2 outputs. You could pan one input hard left and the other hard right on the inputs if that's what you mean?
@@curtisjudd what you ment not as a multitrack interface? Not made for that?
Thank you
@@abelmoreno5549 This is a field recorder for film production. Everything about it is optimized for that purpose. If you are looking for an interface for Ableton, there are a lot of better, less expensive options for that purpose. Have a look at Universal Audio Apollo interfaces, for example.
Either FPGA/ASIC can contain/implement “any” logic, for example: peripherals, system busses, and processors (zero, one or many).
ASIC can do things like include analog logic, have different technologies and power rails etc.
FPGA *generally* are digital logic only and have less power options. And the smallest/fastest logic components in an FPGA is a bulkier unit than a corresponding ASIC due to its reconfigurability.
Design choices typically are between:
1. commercial off the shelf processor/MCU (i.e. zero custom logic, extremely fast time to market). As long as your application is easy enough to implement without custom logic (hardware) it makes sense.
2. FPGA (custom logic, so unique features, pretty fast turnaround)
3. ASIC (more customizability, slow development projects, expensive).
ASIC is perfect for extremely mature products where performance, power budget or unit price cannot be met by alternatives, and you typically go ASIC only in mass production with very many units to be developed. Niche product and new products definitely are safer to implement in FPGA for the first generations.
If this device isn’t for mass market, Sound Devices may never have a reason to move from FPGA to ASIC. Also interesting when you look at Canon who produce one ASIC and then put it into every camera for a couple of generations, seemingly their ASIC design turnaround & choices being part of their horrible inability to deliver improvements quickly.
It’s very interesting with you, and Sound Devices, and PS Audio etc actually bringing FPGAs and ASIC to consumer discussions. It is a bit weird to hear when this used to be engineering topic no mortals even was aware of previously. :)
Wow, thanks for the electronics deep dive! Much appreciated.
Curtis Judd thanks :) my university had a department focusing a lot on power efficiency and low-clock designs. If you move much of your application from software to hardware logic, and most of the logic can be on a slow clock (e.g. 10MHz), your power consumption and heat dissipation goes down a lot. And then there are several other tricks to limit power consumption especially when some logic is known to be idle. So even with same physical base clock clocking the FPGA, different configurations can have very different power behaviors for same application.
thanks! Knew very little about this... always interesting to find stuff like this out. Even though I will have a vanishingly small need to know this, or indeed, need to buy one of these Scorpios!
Hi Curtis,
I am curious about why you buy so many field recorders. I know that you are a professional sound guy, but from my perspective it looks a lot like GAS. I am not trying to offend you, I just wanted to hear your perspective.
Thanks.
I don't buy all of them. This one, for example was loaned to me so that I could make this video. Also, I review recorders to help others so I do own more than most for that reason.
If the motorized fader is controlling a VCA, well hopefully the quality is not reduced.
Hopefully.
You say at the end you won't be buying the Scorpio, but you "probably" would buy a miniature version of the Scorpio.
Sooooooo............ when are you getting the 833? ;-)
Tuesday. 😀
@@curtisjudd that's what I like to hear! ;-)
👍
Hey, I have an SQ5 as the audio interface for my bedroom computer - what are you talking about large installations?
I still make mistakes with routing ><
I bought and imported that for concerts and no sooner than it arrived, Covid-19 showed up and our concerts were dead! So it got stuck with this inglorious bedroom job...
And basically, you're telling me, that the SQ5 is an awesome bargain compared to the Scorpio!!
It is an awesome bargain compared to the Scorpio for cases like yours. But it’d be tough to get that SQ5 into a sound bag. 😉
@@curtisjudd :D ...Good thing you can balance the heavy bag by putting the bag with the diesel generator on the other shoulder :D
@@Pharesm 😂
Mr. Judd is the real deal.
🙏
they released a 32-channel/16-fader control surface meant for the Scorpio after this lol.. $6k
Yep.
I'm not interested in this device, just wanted to say that your light setup is really beautiful
Thanks
Super detailed and easy to understand. SUBSCRIBE to this channel!
Thanks Derek👍
It is a Sound Devices, so you know two things: it works as it should and it's expensive. Still going for the f6 though, as my credit card allows.
Hi Isaac, good luck and happy recording!
Price went up on this device. $11,500.00
Indeed, not unusual in niche markets like this.
But this mixer cannot microwave my dinner
If you use all the inputs, it might generate enough heat to warm your dinner. ;-)
If I may state the obvious, some pros use these, some don't.
Hahaha, fair point. Not every pro uses a Scorpio. "Why do Pros Use Gear Like This" is the name I use for this style of video where I want to clear that I'm not trying to convince indie filmmakers that they should be a pro-level mixer/recorder, but that pros do find value in products with this type of feature set.
now I know why it is so expensive....FPGA....
Since I shot this, they’ve added some interesting features including real-time noise reduction. They seem to be making good on their promise to put those FPGAs to use.
@@curtisjudd I bet is based on some AI as NVIDIA RTX Voice or something like this.
(I used to mine crypto so I know how this thing is powerful in endless ways)
you are zero % pretentious and just tell it like it is without any fluff which why your videos rule!
Thanks Jared!