Sound Devices 744T User Manual

High resolution digital audio recorder with time code

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744T

High Resolution Digital Audio Recorder with Time Code

User Guide and Technical Information

ﬁ rmware rev. 1.74

Sound Devices, LLC

300 Wengel Drive • Reedsburg, WI • USA

+1 (608) 524-0625 • fax: +1 (608) 524-0655

Toll-Free: (800) 505-0625

www.sounddevices.com

1.8" HDD

2.5" HDD

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Page 1 High Resolution Digital Audio Recorder with Time Code User Guide and Technical Information ﬁ rmware rev. 1.74 1.8" HDD 2.5" HDD Sound Devices, LLC 300 Wengel Drive • Reedsburg, WI • USA +1 (608) 524-0625 • fax: +1 (608) 524-0655 Toll-Free: (800) 505-0625 www.sounddevices.com...
Page 2 backside - front cover...
Page 3: Table Of Contents
Introduction Table of Contents Quick Start Guide ......3 Audio File Formats ......34 Powering the Unit WAV / BWF Menu Navigation Basics...
Page 4 LLC. SOUND DEVICES is not responsible for any use of this information. SOUND DEVICES, LLC shall not be liable to the purchaser of this product or third parties for damages, losses, costs, or expenses incurred by purchaser or third parties as a result of: accident, misuse, or abuse of this product or unauthorized modiﬁ cations, repairs, or alterations to this product, or failure to strictly comply with SOUND DEVICES, LLC’s operating and installation instructions.
Page 5: Quick Start Guide
Quick Start Guide Quick Start Guide The 744T is an extremely powerful and ﬂ exible portable audio recorder. Before recording, please familiarize yourself with the product. Several settings should be veriﬁ ed or set based on individual recording needs. Powering the Unit Apply power to the unit by attaching the (included) removable, rechargeable Li-ion (lithium ion) bat- tery to the back panel battery mount.
Page 6: Routing Inputs To Tracks
Routing Inputs to Tracks Before recording, inputs must be assigned to tracks. Each of the 744T’s four inputs (1, 2, 3, 4) can be assigned to any of the four tracks (A, B, C, D). These 256 possible routing combinations are shown on the front panel with 16 blue LEDs.
Page 7: Recording
Files on the 744T can be treated as if they are local ﬁ les, including renaming ﬁ les, copying, deleting and playing directly from the 744T hard drive. In general, it is good practice to copy audio ﬁ les from the 744T to a computer before any processing is performed on the ﬁ les.
Page 8: Front Panel Descriptions
744T User Guide and Technical Information Front Panel Descriptions All 744T settings can be accessed and monitored through the front panel LCD and navigation keys. This allows the unit to be placed in a production bag along with ﬁ eld mixers and wireless transmit- ters and receivers.
Page 9 Hardware Descriptions Power Key Fast-Forward Key Press and hold to power up the 744T. Performs fast-forward (FF) scrubbing Press and hold to power down. through the played ﬁ le when pressed in playback and play-pause mode. Play- Charge LED pause indicated by ﬂ ashing A-time on Indicates the charge status of the on- LCD.
Page 10: Panel Lock
Panel Lock Press and hold the backlight key then the tone key to bring up the front panel Button Lock Screen. Button lock prevents unintentional changing of settings or record status. The 744T will display the current mode the LCD screen.
Page 11: Lcd Display Descriptions
Not available on version 1.xx ﬁ rmware. Alternating display between the set date graph indicates amount of record time and time of the 744T. This information is remaining on the external FireWire vol- written as the creation and modiﬁ cation ume.
Page 12 For all three media types, an asterisk in front of the media descriptor indicates that the me- The 744T is locked to a valid external dia is selected for record. Highlighted media digital or word clock source when the L descriptor indicates media selected for record is in the display.
Page 13: Left Panel Connectors And Controls
Headphone Volume Mic-Line-AES3 Input Switch Adjusts the headphone volume. NOTE: Selects the input level and mode of the the 744T is capable of producing ear- associated XLR input connector. damaging levels in headphones. TA3 Channel 3&4 Line Inputs Tape Output Active-balanced line-level input connec- Unbalanced tape (–10 dBv nominal)
Page 14: Right Panel Connectors And Controls
744T User Guide and Technical Information Right Panel Connectors and Controls Time Code Multi-Pin Word Clock Input and Out Time code input and output on 5-pin Provides clock input and output for the LEMO ® connector. 744T. Word input accepts sampling rates between 32 kHz and 192 kHz.
Page 15: Back Panel Descriptions
Hardware Descriptions Back Panel Descriptions Security Slot Battery Mount Compatible with the Kensington ® Secu- Accepts Sony ® InfoLithium L- or M- rity Slot speciﬁ cation. Useful for secur- Series batteries. Also accepts batteries ing the recorder to a ﬁ xed object with a conforming to this mount.
Page 16: Input Setup And Control
Input Setup and Control The 744T has four inputs and four record tracks. Inputs can be analog or digital sources. Analog inputs 1 and 2 use XLR connectors; inputs 3 and 4 use TA3 connections. Digital inputs can be either AES3 (balanced at the XLR) or AES3id (on BNC) inputs.
Page 17: Input Linking (Stereo Or Ms Decoding)
Input Setup and Control pressing the HDD key. If the inputs are in line level mode, phantom power will not activate from the shortcut keys and must be activated from the menus. Input Limiters (mic-level only) Microphone inputs 1 and 2 each have a limiter circuit designed to prevent input overload. In nor- mal operation, with proper gain settings, the limiters should rarely engage.
Page 18: Analog Inputs 3 & 4
744T. The 744T clocks itself to the ﬁ rst digital signal presented to it. If the 744T detects a digital signal on the BNC inputs and locks to that signal, a digital signal applied to the XLR input will be ignored until the ﬁ...
Page 19: Signal Presence And Peak Indicator
LEDs illuminate when signal levels reach –3 dBFS or greater. Input Delay A digital delay is selectable on each channel of the 744T. Delay time per input in one microsecond (µS) steps. 1,000 microseconds equals 1 millisecond (ms). The Rotary Switch and menu arrows are accelerated.
Page 20: Routing
744T User Guide and Technical Information Routing Hold down the STOP key then press the key to cycle through the six preset input-to-track routing combinations. These presets are factory set and cannot be changed. The last preset selection brings up the Custom Route option. Press the EDIT soft key to enter the custom routing menu. Cus- tom routing allows any input to be assigned to any record track.
Page 21: Sampling Rate And Bit Depth
See Time Code section for more information about the 48.048F and 96.096F rates. Bit Depths The 744T records at bit depths of either 16 or 24 bit. 24 bit recording provides greater dynamic range and addition headroom for signal peaks relative to 16 bit recordings. 24 bit recording (versus 16 bit)
Page 22: Word Clock
16 bit, meaning the least signiﬁ cant 8 bits are discarded. Once a ﬁ le is recorded its sampling rate and bit depth can not be changed in the recorder. The 744T does not perform sample rate conversion or bit depth changes. File conversion must be done in another environment, such as an audio workstation.
Page 23: Link - Multi-Unit Linking
Outputs - Analog and Digital proper speed. For reliability, we recommend you set the 744T to the same sample frequency as the word clock source. Loss of the word clock signal in this case will most likely cause a glitch in the ﬁ le, but the ﬁ...
Page 24: Outputs - Analog And Digital
744T User Guide and Technical Information Outputs – Analog and Digital The 744T has two two-channel output buses , the Master Output Bus and Output Bus 2. Each of these buses is assigned audio sources independently, enabling the 744T to feed multiple outputs with unique program.
Page 25: Output Bus 2
40 dB. Headphone Output The 744T headphone output is a ﬂ exible tool for monitoring audio in the ﬁ eld. The 744T allows the user to monitor inputs, tracks, and post-record tracks in a number of combinations. MS stereo and B-format surround decoding are also available in headphones.
Page 26 744T User Guide and Technical Information HP Sources Description Inputs 1,2 Stereo monitoring of input pairs. Inputs 1 and 3 are assigned to left headphone output; Inputs 3,4 inputs 2 and 4 are assigned to right headphone output. Tracks A,B Stereo monitoring of track pairs.
Page 27: Ms Stereo Monitoring
You can exit the selection process by pressing the stop or cancel (backlight) key at any time. If you press (done) in the ﬁ rst headphone slot, the 744T will select a single option (Tracks A, B) for head- phone monitoring.
Page 28: Rotary Switch Behavior
If all warning tones are turned off, no tones are sent to headphones, including low battery warning tones. Metering and Display The 744T features a 76 LED (4 x 19) output meter. The DSP-controlled output meter provides a selec- tion of ballistics and lighting intensities. In addition, separate peak indicators on input channels show clipping activity.
Page 29: Output Meter
LEDs (0 dBFS to −20 dBFS) The meter uses energy efﬁ cient LEDs which are viewable in full sunlight. The 744T output meter is unaffected by shock or extremes in temperature and humidity. Meter ballistics are setup menu select- able among VU, Peak, Peak-Hold, VU + Peak and VU + PeakHold.
Page 30: Peak Leds
Input Peak The 744T has a peak LED associated with each input. These LEDs illuminate when input signal reaches –3 dBFS. There is no user-adjustment to the Input Peak LEDs. These LED’s also function as indicators of input mute activity (see Input-to-Track Routing).
Page 31: Record Indication
All ﬁ les generated by the 744T have time code numbers begin on the 0 frame (or 02 in DF modes). If necessary, pre-roll is dynamically applied to accomplish this. This simpliﬁ es synchronization in post-pro- duction.
Page 32: Frame Rate
29.97ND. Time code stamps will properly match the original time code start times. Time Code Modes The 744T includes the following time code modes: The time code generator is disabled. The front panel time code display is blank. Free Run: The internal time code generator runs continuously without regard to the record mode.
Page 33: Jam Menu
Time Code Record Run The time code generator runs only when the 744T is recording. Time code in this mode defaults to 00:00:00:00 at power-up. When switching to record run from another mode, the internal generator will stop at the last number generated. A user-deﬁ ned value can be jammed into the internal genera- tor from the jam menu.
Page 34: Jam Menu
LCD screen; the 744T internal generator, user bits, and frame rate are shown at the bottom of the screen. To jam the 744T from an external value, press soft key next to the jam button or the Rotary Switch button. The screen will display JAMMING. Once the 744T is jammed to the external time code, the external and internal numbers will match and run in sync.
Page 35: Jam Menu
2 frames = 108 frames per hour. To sync the 744T to a video camera, ﬁ rst determine if the camera is in drop frame or non-drop frame mode. If you, the DP or the producer are unsure about what setting to use, check with post-produc- tion, if possible.
Page 36: Audio File Formats
Jam the camera using a LEMO-5 to BNC adapter cable connected to the time code input on the video camera. Switch the camera to free run time code. The 744T time code should appear in the time code display on the camera.
Page 37: Recording
When removing the CF from the 744T, always observe the amber CF activity LED. If it is lit, wait until it goes out before removing the CF. If you remove the CF while the LED is lit, the ﬁ le will be corrupted and there is a possibility of FAT corruption as well.
Page 38: Display Options
AutoPlay The 744T can be set to play back all valid audio ﬁ les in a directory. Files will play back in their order in the directory. Autoplay can be set with the following options: • Disabled – auto playback is off •...
Page 39: File Naming / Numbering
“-” or “T”. Take numbers can be overridden and a new take number can be set in the setup menu. If the 744T detects a ﬁ le with a duplicate name in the destination folder, a letter sufﬁ...
Page 40: Mono Track Name Designators
Duplicate File Names When the 744T detects that a duplicate ﬁ le name is going to be generated in any speciﬁ c folder, the 744T changes the ﬁ le name by adding of a letter sufﬁ x before the extension. For instance, if take numbers are reset but ﬁ...
Page 41: File Finder Navigation
HDD key. By default the folder where the last recorded ﬁ le or played ﬁ le is located with be the folder ﬁ rst opened. The 744T knows this ﬁ le name by reading a .txt ﬁ le written to each time the unit records or plays audio.
Page 42: Folder Actions
File Time and Date Similar to a computer ﬁ le system, all ﬁ les recorded by the 744T are stamped with the time and date of ﬁ le generation. To ensure that accurate time-of-day and ﬁ le generation dates are written for each ﬁ...
Page 43: Flag (Archive) Bits
FAT32 has a maximum individual ﬁ le size limitation of 4 GB. While it is possible to have thousands of ﬁ les on the 744T storage medium(s), the largest any single ﬁ le may be is 4 GB. The 744T automati- cally splits an audio ﬁ...
Page 44: File Deletion
Error Conditions: If a ﬁ le is to large for the destination storage medium, the 744T will give you the option to skip the it or cancel copying. If an error occurs during ﬁ le copying, the 744T will prompt to cancel the transfer.
Page 45: Take Number Incrementing
Storage Media Take Number Incrementing To advance to a higher take number hold the STOP button and press FastForward. The ﬁ le name to be recorded is indicated above the ﬁ le time. Indicates Indicates next active take upcoming take Take List The take list shows a sequential listing of the last 200 recorded ﬁ...
Page 46: File Transfer - Firewire
The 744T’s FireWire (IEEE-1394) port makes transfer of recorded ﬁ les to a computer quick and easy. When connected, the internal hard drive of the 744T will mount to a Mac OS X or Windows comput- er as a local, removable mass storage volume. Using Mac Finder, Windows Explorer, or any other ﬁ le utility, ﬁ...
Page 47: Storage Medium - Internal Hard Drive
Formatting the drive prevents fragmentation and reduces the likelihood of directory cor- ruption. Be certain that all ﬁ les on the 744T drive have been backed up to another media before formatting. Once formatted, all data on the drive will be erased.
Page 48: Media Repair Utility
744T User Guide and Technical Information Media Repair Utility Included in the software for the 744T is a basic media repair utility. The utility is similar to Windows “scandisk” with added capabilities speciﬁ c to WAV/BWF ﬁ les. This utility can be run after improper media removal, or in the event of a write error during recording.
Page 49: Drive Replacement
The mechanical construction of the 744T is designed to minimize the transmission of shock to the hard drive. The drive is isolated from the chassis using special shock-reducing closed-cell foam. This material increases the amount of shock the hard drive can withstand.
Page 50: Storage Medium - Removable Compact Flash
Compact Flash (CF) is a practical, portable storage medium for audio recording. Its speed, capacity, and price continue to evolve to the beneﬁ t of portable recorders. The 744T can write to and read from CF cards as either its sole storage medium or simultaneously with the internal hard drive.
Page 51: Cf Media Repair
The 744T is powered from either removable, Li-ion rechargeable batteries or external DC power. The included, removable 7.2 V Li-ion cell can be used as a primary or backup power source. The 744T automatically chooses the power source based on the voltage level of the external power supply. If it falls below a factory-set threshold, the unit will transition to Li-ion power.
Page 52: Time Code Clock Battery
744T senses a low voltage condition from an external DC source the power LED and battery voltage display ﬂ ashes, to alert the user. When the external DC reaches 9 volts, the 744T will automatically switch over to the removable battery. If no battery is installed the unit will shut down.
Page 53: Firmware Upgrades
ﬁ rmware ﬁ le is present on either the internal hard drive or CF the recorder will prompt if the path is the proper ﬁ le to use. Press the Rotary Switch or the tone key to say yes. The 744T will begin ﬁ rmware upgrade and validation.
Page 54: Setup Menu Presets
Verify the ﬁ rmware version using the Info:Software menu. Reset the time-of-day clock, time code generator, and verify any recording parameters. It is best practice to download the latest user guide from the Sound Devices web site, since the changes to functionality are documented.
Page 55: Setup Menu
Setup Menu Factory Film Reporter Music Parameter Preset Preset Preset Preset Sampling rate 48 kHz 48 kHz 44.1 kHz 44.1 kHz Bit Depth 24 bits 24 bits 16 bits 16 bits Input 1/2 Gain Controls Unlinked Unlinked Unlinked Linked Record Dither Pre-Roll Recording Buffer Time Input 1 Delay Input 2 Delay...
Page 56: User Setup Data File
By entering the Get/Save Setup Menu, the user can save or restore parameters to and from this data ﬁ le. This binary ﬁ le is named 744T.SUP and is saved in the SOUNDDEV directory on the medium selected in the setup menu.
Page 57: Setup Menu
Setup Menu Setup Menu The setup menu controls a wide range of parameters for the 744T, including all audio routing, recording settings, and time code options. The setup menu is a single, ﬂ at architecture with no sub- menus, easing navigation. Each setup controls a speciﬁ c parameter with several selections. The chart below shows the setup number, a description of the control, and the menu options available.
Page 58: Setup Options
744T User Guide and Technical Information Setup Name Setup Description Setup Options Rec: Dither Selects whether to dither is added to 24 bit • Off digital signals while recording 16 bit files. • On (16 bit only) Rec: Timer Start Sets a specific start time/date for unattended <enter time, date>...
Page 59 File: Max Size Selects the file size where the 744T will close, • OFF (4 GiB) 3.6 GB then start a new file. The 744T will not record • 4 GB 1.8 GB a file larger than the selected size.
Page 60 744T User Guide and Technical Information Setup Name Setup Description Setup Options Time Code: Frame Rate Sets the time code frame rate. All common • 23.976 – used with high definition video cameras time code frame rates are available. • 24 – to sync audio to film where no transfer to NTSC video is expected •...
Page 61 Selects the date syntax of the recorder. • mm/dd/yy • dd/mm/yy Time/Date: Set Sets the internal date and time of the 744T. <time, date> Resetting the time re-jams the internal time Clock is not set until <done> is selected code generator to the set time. Setting the internal clock during a production day will require time code devices to be re-jammed.
Page 62 744T User Guide and Technical Information Setup Name Setup Description Setup Options Meter: Ballistics Selects among five different meter ballistics • VU only • Peak+VU settings • Peak only • Peak-hold + VU • Peak-hold only 0 to −20 dBFS (1 dB increments)
Page 63 Caution, while various PC utilities are able to recover files from a re-formatted drive, once formatted old audio data is not accessible by the 744T. In HDD: Repair Runs a utility to repair minor errors in the directory (FAT) of the drive.
Page 64: Speciﬁ Cations
744T User Guide and Technical Information Speciﬁ cations System Sampling Frequency internal: 32, 44.1, 48, 48.048, 88.2, 96, 96.096, 176.4, 192 kHz external clocking: 32–192 kHz via word clock input Internal Data Path and 32 bit, 192 dB dynamic range...
Page 65: Dimensions And Weight
Recording Time Calculations Inputs/Outputs – Digital AES3-id 75 ohm, 0.5 V p-p, S/PDIF compatible with RCA adapter Digital Storage Internal hard drive ATA-5 interface 1.8-in or 2.5-in hard drive 4200–7200 RPM supported, FAT32 formatted, up to 2 TB addressable Compact Flash CF type I, II, and + (microdrive) compatible, FAT32 formatted, up to 2 TB addressable File Types WAV or BWF (AES-31 format), mono or polyphonic, at supported Fs, 24-bit or 16-bit...
Page 66: Connector Pin Assignments
744T User Guide and Technical Information Connector Pin Assignments Each connector type, electrical characteristics, and pin assignment is shown below. Connector Pin Assignments Notes 1 – ground 7.5k ohm input impedance, mic level (Analog Inputs) 2 – signal (+) 20k ohm input impedance, line level 3 –...
Page 67: Power Consumption Variables
The best determination of your run time is to experiment with a given record- ing setup. The 744T power consumption varies over a range between 4 W to 20 W (12 volts), depending on ac- tive functions. The following functions have the most signiﬁ cant affect on power consumption: Inputs Active analog inputs increase power consumption.
Page 68: Mp3 Compressed Record Time In Hours
1185 The chart above shows recording time available with the 744T when recording to an MP3 ﬁ le. Time is expressed in hours at the speciﬁ ed MP3 supported by the 744T. Note that all recordings are two- channel recordings.
Page 69: Accessories
CS-442, CS-302, and CS4W mixer bags XL-1A (sold as pair) • TA3F to TA3F cable, used to connect the direct outputs of the a Sound Devices 442 mixer to the channel 3/4 analog line-level inputs XL-2 (sold as pair) •...
Page 70: Front Panel Button Shortcuts
744T User Guide and Technical Information Front Panel Button Shortcuts To speed navigation the 7-Series has numerous navigation “shortcuts”. For combinations, hold down the ﬁ rst identiﬁ ed key and continue to hold while pressing the next keys. Key Sequence...
Page 71: Software License
Software License Setup Menu Shortcuts The setup menu can quickly be navigated by using the Rotary Switch to scroll up and down through the menu. Additionally, shortcuts, or “breadcrumbs” can be placed on often-used menu items. A breadcrumb is set by holding the play key. A small dot is shown to the left of the setup number. Any number of breadcrumbs can be set, but their utility is reduced with too many applied.
Page 72: Warranty And Technical Support
Sound Devices cannot guarantee that a given computer, software, or operating system conﬁ gura- tion can be used satisfactorily with the 744T based exclusively on the fact that it meets our minimum system requirements. Please check with your software editing application to make certain that it is compatible with the ﬁ le type selected.
Page 73: Ce Declaration Of Conformity
Sound Devices, LLC 300 Wengel Drive Reedsburg, WI 53959 USA declares that the product, 744T Professional Digital Audio Recorder is in conformity with and passes: EN55103-1, 1997 EMC-product family standard for audio, video, audio- visual and entertainment lighting control apparatus for professional use.
Page 74 Sound Devices, LLC product, even if Sound Devices, LLC has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
Page 75 Software License Notes...
Page 76 744T rev. 1.74 - Printed in U.S.A.

Sound Devices 744T User Manual

Quick Start Guide

Front Panel Descriptions

LCD Display Descriptions

Left Panel Connectors and Controls

Right Panel Connectors and Controls

Back Panel Descriptions

Input Setup and Control

Input-To-Track Routing

Sampling Rate and Bit Depth

Word Clock

Outputs - Analog and Digital

Headphone Output

Metering and Display

Time Code

Audio File Formats

Recording

Playback

File Naming / Numbering

File Management

Storage Medium - Internal Hard Drive

Storage Medium - Removable Compact Flash

Powering

Firmware Upgrades

Setup Menu Presets

Setup Menu

Speciﬁ Cations

Connector Pin Assignments

Power Consumption Variables

Recording Time Calculation

Accessories

Front Panel Button Shortcuts

Quick Links

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Summary of Contents for Sound Devices 744T

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