So this morning as I was trying to figure out which day I’d made a recording on an went looking through the various directories of files I’d pulled off the Deity PR-2, I realized that the lack of dates in the file names it creates are a real problem.
It’s not a unique problem, it’s common on equipment made for the film industry where everything is apparently named “scene name”-“take number” stuffed into a directory with a date name. The problem is for us who aren’t filming scenes and takes, it’s all too easy to end up with multiple directories filled with files with the same name. Sure, it’s no big deal for the film people but it get’s confusing as hell when you:
a. Dump the files into iTunes, or
b. Look at them in Soundly, or
c. Pull several of them into an editor
Ugh. Do the people who make these products ever use them?
I’d chosen the Deity PR-2 over the Zoom F2-BT because it seemed like a nicer unit, but the Zoom not only has the ability to add notes to files but also allows them to have date names. And film types can also do word+index.
The SoundDevices MixPre recorders have the same problem, but at least there you can easily change the filename from the bluetooth app, and you can do it while it’s recording or after the fact. Deity’s app is nowhere near that capable.
I got a Deity PR-2 belt pack recorder, and so far it’s a keeper it’s revealed a fatal flaw. While I’m a hobbyist/general purpose audio guy I thought this could be a nice recorder form factor to have. Here are my thoughts:
Like
Size is great. It’s small, fits in a pocket easily.
Can connect to iPad to offload files.
Audio quality is as good as I expected.
I can do everything on the unit – no need for an app to make adjustments.
Mic has good sound. Not as good as a decent stick mic, but that’s more about placement than the mic. I like the way the environment/background sounds.
Takes stereo mics, and Clippies and Usi mics sound fine – same as they always do.
32 bit, but mono only.
Upgrade firmware from phone.
Can be a USB interface – input only.
Can playback over unit, but the headphone amp is mid at best. Really, it aspires to be mid.
Battery life is great, and lithium batteries are included. Deity provides a pair of lithium iron batteries, and they sell them for $15/8pk. I will probably switch to NiMh when the provided batteries die.
Dislike
UPDATE: There is no easy way to get unique filenames, and no way to edit the filenames using the app. I’ve ended up with many files with the same name, which is confusing and also causes problems when making a project that needs more than one of those files that has the same name. It would seem that you can change the device name from the app, and since the files are named <device name><3 digit counter> that might offer a solution, but the device name is limited to 7 characters which is too short for Year, month, day. Really a poor design.
No ability to add metadata to recordings. A crime! Really, why leave out this very basic functionality? UPDATE: The Zoom F2 control app has this function. I hadn’t wanted to get the Zoom for a few reasons, but now I might have to check that out.
No in-device charging. The USB C is right there.
Mic accessories are slim. The mic clip is ok, but clearly they’re thinking is customers will have a large assortment of lav accessories on hand already.
The headphone amp is pretty awful. Don’t judge the sound from it. It’s basically there to tell if it’s recording. Sure you can tell what someone’s saying, but you’re not going to make any sort of mixing decision from it.
32 bit on mono only. Stereo is 24bit. Not really a big deal given the self noise of the recorder being quite low.
Mic cord a bit too long, but better too long than too short
Bluetooth doesn’t auto connect. You shut off the recorder and turn it back on, you’re reconnecting in the app.
There’s no way to default to mass storage when connecting via usb. You have to select this buried menu item every time. This is really annoying.
Filmmaker style recording – no pause, no restarting a recording.
Belt clip holster is not very secure in clipping to anything, and doesn’t hold the recorder very securely. Not a good design. Why a holster instead of a clip on the unit itself?
No auto shutoff, no way to turn off the unit via Bluetooth
No way to delete a file on the unit
The battery door is hard to open. You really need to jam a fingernail into the gap between door and body to pry it open. Very secure, but it means the micro sd card is not very accessible.
Living with it
UPDATE: Unfortunately, after living with the unit for a bit longer, I’m finding the filename limitations to be a real problem. If I make a recording or two every day, I end up with PR2-001.wav every day. No way to tell them apart, no metadata, no way to change the filename. This is a deal killer for me. Hopefully the Deity folks will give this recorder at least the functionality the Zoom F2 has.
I really like being able to clip a mic to my shirt, and talk while walking or whatever, and getting pretty decent sound. Mind you, my tastes may be a bit simpler and of course it doesn’t have the close narrator sound you get from any stick mic properly, but this is a heck of a lot smaller and easier.
It picks up ambiences well enough, and I can bring a pair of Clippy or Usi mics and be well ahead of any handheld recorder.
Always vs manual record. Which is better? Always record means it records as soon as it’s turned on. But this means lots of short unintended recordings piling up with no way to delete them or abort them once started. Manual means having to start recording manually. I’m thinking about switching to always mode to give it a try.
No metadata sucks. Really sucks. Now I’ve got to go back and add notes later. Ugh. If this unit wasn’t so good in other ways, I’d be sending it back. I need to see if the Zoom F2 allows notes to be added via their app.
Timecode is really nice for organizing and arranging files. Drop sound files & video files into an editor and they end up in the right place relative to each other.
I really like hands-free. I’m happy with the sound quality. The unit feels good. The lav mic is a bit fiddly relative to a stick mic, but it’s a lot lighter, hands free, and sounds nearly as good. I’m looking forward to giving this a try on an upcoming trip.