Teenage Engineering TP–7 field recorder(teenage.engineering) |
Teenage Engineering TP–7 field recorder(teenage.engineering) |
but as an actual practicing field recordist who also does home recording, some critical information (or features?) are missing,
namely,
- the availability of plug-in power for electret microphones on any of the inputs;
- whether the analog inputs are line-level only (no mention is made of integrated preamps)
- whether the 3x analog inputs can be configured for 4-channel recording (e.g. A-format for Ambisonics)
If there were four high-quality preamps providing plug-in power... you could use this for recording surround in the field, and transcode to B-format and then deliver via the Ambisonics ecosystems in AR/VR. E.g. record single-point surround video with a 360 camera, with surround audio—now you have a pocket kit that can give you surround video with audio that tracks etc.
But I don't think this does that. I think it's very pretty but would require external preamps (maybe this is provided on their companion mixer?) and mic power... :|
If anyone familiar with their line can comment I'm curious, I am in the rare subset of people interested enough in this specific area to drop coin on lovely gear...
...but I don't really want to carry two or more devices no matter how pretty when uglier single-device solutions exist already :/
Fancy seeing you here, thanks for stopping by.
But there are a range of mixers on the market, not as beautiful, from Zoom (F4 and F8) and SoundDevices (MixPre 6, 8, 10) that have integrated A to B format converters. With the SoundDevices also having a binaural renderer integrated into the headphone out.
The larger issue is the one you have already identified, the lack of pre-amps. IIRC the field mixer they sell does contain preamps and DSP, but unsure if it can provide 48v that most Ambisonics mics from any manufacturer will require.
EDIT: In looking at the site for the field mixer they make [0] it appears it doesn’t have pre-amp except for a headset input. I was confused because their large diaphragm condenser that they have coming out will absolutely require a pre and power to operate, but it looks like it has an 3mm out with integrated battery operated pre-amp in addition to XLR and 48v phantom. [1]
Core now does second-order...
I think my quibble is simply, "the thing" it does is not my thing :)
People will complain about the price, as per usual, but keep in mind that this is a small company making low volume products for professionals.
With that said, I certainly won't be buying one :)
Certainly not :)
Nevertheless, some people just prefer to use products that spark their creativity, however irrational it may be. This can easily turn into a never ending discussion :P
Thanks but I will stick with my Zoom field recorder.
I don't think that makes it bad.
Just built to a price point that makes economic sense.
And for market segments where $1500 is not a non-starter.
At $1500, I would like to see symmetry or ease of use for the opposite hand.
But then they forget about people who are left handed...
One use case might be holding the device in one hand and taking notes with the other... It's designed to be held in the right hand, but do you write with your right hand too?
"You're holding it wrong"
Even people with serious disposable cash had issues withe 'op1 field'. This is a far larger price differential with competing products in the same quality/feature bracket
I don’t think there is anything wrong with the price. It’s not a lifesaving drug or something like that.