I also posted this question at Elektronauts, so sorry if someone reads this twice …
Is it possible to know if a certain track from a multitrack file in the TP-7 has already something recorded on it? I don’t know the actual workflow on the TP-7. So, for example, if you create a new recording project and record from 1 input, will it create 1 file with only one single stereo track, or it will create 3 stereo tracks with only one with audio and the others with silence?
I’m thinking about buying one to record long multitrack improvisations, and I guess this could be a problem if I go back to a project where one track has sounds already recorded on it and I overdub or erase them. I don’t want to scrub the whole file to detect whether or not it has sounds on all tracks …
If you have three inputs connected (and have set how you want those inputs to function) it will automatically create a multi-track file. However, if only one input is active, the unit defaults to single track files. You have to decide before you start recording to create a 1,2 or 3 track file (which you do in “record edit” mode). Not super clear in the manual (shock, horror!), but was pretty straight forward to work out by instinct.
Sorry… forgot to mention the recording modes… there’s “mix”, which will layer new audio on top of what is already recorded on that active track (kind of like the tape machine in the op-1), or “replace” which will wipe your original audio and replace it with what you’re currently recording…
just got my tp-7. im very new to it and definitely enjoying it so far trying a few different of the many possible recording configurations.
the only thing that seems strange is the motorized reel makes a very quiet scratch sound while rotating during recording, that is only audible when you put your ear up to the device, which i thought was no problem when i first noticed it, but i now tried the built in mic and actually that scratch sound is quite loud/audible in the recording! is this normal and/or something that just subsides on its own after the motor has been used a bit and broken in or is this a defective unit?
I would not accept that as being normal.
You should not hear the motor in any kind of recording. But maybe ask TE whether this is the intended behavior or not.
That’s the response from TE, and it is normal. Of course a microphone right next to a moving mechanism is going to pick that up. Same as if you put a microphone next to a rolling tape reel…
Forgot to mention, can you also turn off the rotating disc (either completely, or just when in either recording or playback mode… I keep mine off for recording, but on for play-back) which removes the issue completely.
As mentioned, not an issue at all if using external inputs.
thanks for the quick reply. i emailed them last night. lets see what they say. @instantjuggler did you have to return or replace or repair your at all until you got a “pristine” unit?
given what you just said that yours is whisper quiet, if they say its normal and/or won’t replace it part of warranty. ill prob return it for a refund for now until they have had time to improve the device’s design. its def a upgrade in my setup but not essential and i can live without it for a while.
so i actually bought 2 units when i initially placed the order… i had already seen a ton of reports of tp-7 hardware issues and as well tx-6 issues and i personally went through 4 op-1f’s so far. then i knew that maybe the tp-7 would also have issues… and sure enough, one of the units i received was broken in 3 ways. luckily the other unit i got seems to be flaw free so far.
wowza. can you explain how your other device was broken? what were the 3 ways? (i just realized you are the same person from the other forum haha sorry for making you type twice this whole time!)
but, for the record, and in relation to your initial post here recently- the motor on that broken one was also totally quiet. when i could get it to turn on and stay on, the motor would run and i could not hear anything. i could not test how that one recorded because there was some software (or hardware?) glitch.
wow te support says this is normal. it kind of ruins a key use case for me, and it’s exactly the use case they advertised on their site with interviewing and briefly pausing while holding the motor reel. can’t justify the price with this flaw so i’ve started the return process. maybe down the road they’ll improve on it and i’ll revisit in a few years time.
I get it, but it does make sense that the internal microphone would pick up even the slightest noise at that proximity. Like if you gently rubbed your finger on the unit whilst it was recording, it would pick that up.
You can turn the motor spinning off when in record mode and just keep it on for playback and this removes the issue all together (and its not an issue at all when using external microphones or other inputs).
I guess TE thought it was a fun/characterful touch to have that noise picked up when using the internal mic… it does give it an “old movie” type of feel which is actually kind of fun for certain applications. It is super quiet, and if you were recording louder sources than just dialogue in a quiet room I don’t think you’d notice it.
You’ll get much better sonic results using an external microphone anyway… or you can just turn the rotating off when in record mode.
that is a great point. my issue is that this noise characteristic was not at all part of their marketing and in my case was misleading. some of my interviews need to be redone bc folks are getting bother by this weird scratchy noise every 2-3sec. and the motor being enabled is a huge help bc i was able to briefly pause while they adjusting things in the room without having to hit stop and rec and play.
for now one of my key use cases is a bit vitiated by this so im going to return it, but maybe it will get imrprovements one day
Gotcha. Yes, that is far from ideal. They need to change their marketing to say you can recreate the sound and feel of the surveillance recordings from Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 film, The Conversation.
I can’t see TE making a 100% silent mechanism short of developing some insane tech involving superconductors or the like.
i’m honestly shocked by their response… i just personally don’t get it- like the only thing it can be is they can’t get QC good enough so they have to just roll with it and say yeah its supposed to scratch and grind and make noise every revolution and the internal mic will totally record this?? there’s no way this was part of the original design goal!!! there’s no way this was a “happy accident” they found due to manufacturing issues… its definitely not turning a bug into a feature. so sorry to hear this!
i was surprised as well. and likewise i dont get it either. i agree that it was not likely a feature but rather a bug that they just have to live with.
i dont mind the noise too too much, but not at this price point and with this being one of the key aspects of the device. the noise was off-putting to my colleagues and the interviews do sound a bit weird with this scratchy cyclical sound. its not quite the same warble as old cassettes. its a shame because the workflow with this thing was so nice, i could briefly pause by placing a finger on the rotating wheel, and the recording has absolutely no clicks or pops during those pauses. saves me hours of editing, scrubbing through and stitching together files etc.
it’s the most neglected piece of the field kit but has so much potential.