Table of Contents Quick Start Guide ......3 Recording Pre-Record Buffer Powering the Unit Failure During Recording Menu Navigation Basics Display Options...
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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.
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.
744T User Guide and Technical Information 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.
FireWire File Transfer to Computer Sound Devices strongly recommends shutting down equipment before connecting to or from any FireWire device with a connection that carries power (6-pin). Reports have come to our attention of isolated problems when hot-plugging IEEE 1394 (FireWire) devices.
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.
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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.
744T User Guide and Technical Information Link LED Phantom Power LEDs Indicates that channels 1 and 2 are Indicates that phantom power (48 volts) linked as a stereo pair. In link mode in- is active for the individual input. Phan- put 1 potentiometer controls gain, input tom can be applied to microphone or 2 potentiometer controls left-to-right...
LCD Display Descriptions Battery Level Indicator Time Code Rate Shows voltage level of the removable Shows the set time code frame rate. If a battery or external power sources. fi le has time code information embed- External power overrides battery power ded, the playback frame rate is indi- when present.
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744T User Guide and Technical Information note the white-on-black number option to indicate recording (menu-selectable) Internal Hard Drive Status Input 1/2 Level (space remaining/record ready) When input 1 or 2 gain is turned this indicates the gain level in dB for inputs Bar graph indicates amount of record 1 and 2.
Left Panel Connectors and Controls XLR Input 1/AES3 Input 1&2 TA3 Master (L/R) Analog Outputs Dual function input connection. Input Active-balanced, line-level analog L/R type set with switch above. Active-bal- outputs for the Master Output Bus. Pro- anced analog microphone- or line-level gram source and attenuation level are input for input 1.
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.
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.
744T User Guide and Technical Information 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.
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. Phantom power is linked when the inputs are linked. (See Input Linking) Input Limiters (mic-level only) Microphone inputs 1 and 2 each have a limiter circuit designed to prevent input overload.
744T User Guide and Technical Information When the inputs are linked, phantom power and the high pass fi lters also act as linked pairs. Engag- ging and disengaging phantom power or the high pass fi lters on input one will force the same func- tion upon input two.
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...
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 rout- ing combinations. These presets are factory set and cannot be changed. The last three preset selec- tions are CUSTOM ROUTE options.
spectively. If, for instance, track B is muted but tracks A, C, and D are still selected, the resulting fi les will be named “_1, _3, and _4.” and track B will not be recorded, saving storage space. When polyph B being a blank track. Blank tracks in polyphonic fi les take up the same amout of stor- age space as tracks that are assigned.
744T User Guide and Technical Information accomodate more dynamic range. A quick estimate of maximum dynamic range capable of being represented by a given word length is dynamic range ~= no. of bits x 6 dB. Bit depth is an exponen- tial measure (exponent of 2), so as bit depth increases, the amount of data it represents increases exponentially.
Multi-Unit Linking Via C. Link The proprietary C. Link (control link) connection enables multiple 744T, 722, 702T, and 702 record- ers to be connected for recordings requiring high track counts. C. Link also enables connection to the CL-1 Remote Control and Keyboard Interface. When linked, the 7-Series recorders have a master/slave relationship.
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.
The format for the AES3id output is selectable between professional AES and SPDIF. In either case the SCMS bit is not set. Attenuation to the Master Output Bus affects both analog and digital signals. Output Bus 2 Just as with the Master Output Bus, Output Bus 2 can be assigned signal sources from inputs or tracks.
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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.
Once the chosen source appears, press the Rotary Switch or the soft key ENTER (tone) key to move to the next slot. Continue down the list to select the source for each slot in the list. Once all sources have been chosen, select DONE and press ENTER. This will exit the headphone monitor mode setup.
744T User Guide and Technical Information Rotary Switch Behavior The action of the Rotary Switch during recording and playback is set from among the three available options: • Disabled: pushing the Rotary Switch has no effect. • Selects Favorite Mode: places the headphone source into the mode selected in the HP Favorite menu.
Output Meter 0 dBFS track LEDs are programmable as peak 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.
744T User Guide and Technical Information Peak LEDs input peak LEDs input signal present LEDs headphone peak LED In addition to the main LED output meter, peak LEDs show input peaks, track peaks, and head- phone peaks. Input Peak The 744T has a peak LED associated with each input. These LEDs illuminate when input signal reaches –3 dBFS.
Record Indication The position of the A-time numbers and time code numbers can be exchanged in the setup menu. When BIG TIME CODE is selected in the menu the time code is displayed in the main numeric dis- play. If time code is turned off A-time is shown as large numbers, even with BIG TIME CODE set. To provide for additional visual indication that recording is in process the big numerals can be set to reverse contrast or to fl...
744T User Guide and Technical Information • 25 – to sync sound to PAL video • 29.97 – to sync sound to NTSC video shot in non-drop frame mode and Panasonic high defi ni- tion cameras • 29.97DF - to sync sound to NTSC video shot in drop frame mode •...
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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.
744T User Guide and Technical Information Jam Menu external time code/u-bit value received by 744T press to jam menu selection current 744T timecode/u-bit value Time code setup is done from the jam menu selection, TIMECODE JAM MENU. Pressing the drive key and menu keys simultaneously quickly enters the jam menu.
Jam Zeros This menu selection resets the internal generator to zero. value to jam, or zeros press to jam menu selection 744T current timecode value Jam Value Press enter (tone key) or the Rotary Switch button to jam the user-entered time code start value into the internal generator.
744T User Guide and Technical Information Set the 744T to either 29.97DF or 29.97 respectively. 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.
Pre-Record Buffer To prevent missing record cues or up-cutting takes the 744T has an available pre-record (or pre-roll) buffer. When active, pre-record begins recording at a set number of seconds PRECEEDING the re- cord key being pressed. The amount of pre-record is sample-rate-dependent. At 48 kHz, ten seconds of buffered audio is available.
744T User Guide and Technical Information 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: •...
MP3 Files The 744T can play back MPEG-1 Layer III (MP3) audio fi les. The 744T has a high-quality MP3 de- coder that can play back both fi xed-rate and variable bit rate MP3 fi les with 44.1 or 48 kHz sampling rates.
744T User Guide and Technical Information If all characters are removed, no scene name will be written to fi les.If Scene Folder is selected for fi le management, all takes will be placed in the root of the drive. Take Numbers Take numbers are integers between 01 and 32000, with or without preceding zeros, which increase by one each time a new fi...
numbers are reset but fi les are recorded to the same directory as previous fi les, a suffi x “A” is added to the fi le. If additional duplicate fi les are generated the letter suffi x increments, to B, C, etc. File Management The 744T, like a computer, saves audio recordings to a fi...
744T User Guide and Technical Information File Viewer Navigation Moving from fi le to fi le is similar to navigating among fi les on a computer. Enter the fi le menu by either selecting FILE:VIEW FILES fi le in the setup menu or by pressing the front panel HDD key.
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...
744T User Guide and Technical Information All fi les recorded by the 744T have their archive bit set to on. The 744T can be set to clear the fl ag bit of copied fi les automatically. When enabled in the FILE: COPY FLAG RESET menu, all fi...
False Take Control To identify a take as a false take, perform the following: Press stop to end recording. Hold down the stop key and press rewind to be prompted to delete the most recent take. Press the soft check box to delete the take. Files that have been deleted as false takes are moved to the FALSETAKES folder.
744T User Guide and Technical Information From the take list several controls are available. Take Number Incrementing is available, as well as False Take deletion. Soft keys move among take numbers. Circle Take Take names can be altered to include the “@” symbol preceding the fi le name. This can be used to highlight a take as a “circle take”.
Drive Type The 744T ships with a 2.5-inch ATA-5 interface, 5400 RPM hard drive. Sound Devices has chosen the specifi c mechanism for maximum vibration and shock resistance. Most 2.5 inch drives conforming to the ATA specifi cation can be substituted for the factory hard drive. When choosing a substitute hard drive, note that higher RPM hard drives draw more current, reducing battery run time.
If the recorder is used in applications subject to extreme motion, Sound Devices recommends recording to Compact Flash only. The hard drive will park its write heads to reduce the chance of failure.
The 744T includes a drive speed test to measure the throughput speed of CF medium. Few CF cards can sustain write speeds for reliable 192 kHz recording. Sound Devices strongly recom- mends against recording to Compact Flash if 192 kHz sampling rates are required.
The same media repair utilities available on the internal hard drive are also available for CF medium. Qualifi ed CF Cards Sound Devices does not specifi cally “qualify” CompactFlash cards for use in the recorder. From our tests of numerous cards—including medium from Lexar Media, SanDisk, and Kingston Technol- ogy—cards in capacities from 128 MB and above will successfully operate in the 744T.
IDE) to FireWire. Sound Devices has tested and qualifi ed enclosures and card readers which use the Oxford 911 and 922 chipsets. Other chipsets may operate, but Sound Devices does not offi cially support them. To check for compatibility with the 744T attach a FireWire drive and run the media speed test selected from the User Menu.
744T User Guide and Technical Information File Transfer Using FireWire FireWire port FireWire cable - 744T to computer The 744T’s FireWire (IEEE-1394) port makes transfering of recorded fi les to a computer quick and easy. When connected to a computer, the internal hard drive and Compact Flash card of the 744T will mount to a Mac OS X or Windows computer as a local, removable mass storage volume.
ing the setup menu select FIREWIRE: CONNECTION. Alternatively, press the STOP key and HDD key together to begin a FireWire connection. Different than when dismounting the 744T in Windows, with Mac OS, if a 744T is disconnected from FireWire by pulling the FireWire cable without fi rst dismounting the drive the following error will appear.
744T User Guide and Technical Information External DC Input Wiring Operation pin-2 to negative (–) operates the on-board Li-ion charger when the unit is both turned on and off. Use when pin-3 to positive (+) plugged into AC power pin-1 to negative (–) operates the on-board Li-ion charger only when the unit is turned on—there is no exter- pin-4 to positive (+) nal current draw when powered off.
BWF audio fi le generated by the 744T. Upgrading Firmware From time to time Sound Devices may issue revisions (new versions) of fi rmware for the 744T. Firm- ware is user-upgradeable. To upgrade fi rmware follow the steps below. Download the fi rmware fi le from the Sound Devices web site.
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.
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Factory Pre- Film Reporter Music 744T Presets Preset Preset Preset Keep Recording, to a Keep Recording, to a Rec: Error Handler Keep Recording, to a new file Keep Recording, to a new file new file new file Rec: Record Indicator Normal Numbers Normal Numbers Normal Numbers...
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.
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744T User Guide and Technical Information Setup Name Setup Description Setup Options Rec: Take Reset Mode Defines when take numbers are reset. Reset • Never brings take number to <1>. - take numbers do not reset • When scene is changed - take resets when scene name is changed •...
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Setup Name Setup Description Setup Options Input 1,2: Linking, MS Selects whether the input 1 & 2 levels are • Unlinked controlled independently or grouped as a pair Inputs 1 and 2 operate independently with or without mid-side decoding. • Linked 1/2 Inputs are linked, channel 1 pot controls level, chan- nel 2 pot controls pan •...
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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 •...
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Setup Name Setup Description Setup Options Time Code: Jam Menu Allows the user to jam or edit the internal time • Jam RX TC – jams the internal generator to code generator and user bits. (Also accessible received external code by pressing HDD and Menu keys simultane- •...
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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) Meter: Peak Threshold User-set level in dBFS where track peak LED’s illuminate.
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Setup Name Setup Description Setup Options INHDD: Test Performs a write/read speed test on the Caution: Drive test will disable processing and mute internal hard drive. Data transfer speed is outputs for duration of test. Outputs will not return measured in KB/s. until test is exited.
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744T User Guide and Technical Information Setup Name Setup Description Setup Options Power: Ext Power Function Controls the behavior of the unit when power • Do Nothing is applied to the external DC jack. • Power On Unit • Power On and Start Record •...
744T User Guide and Technical Information 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...
744T User Guide and Technical Information Power Consumption Variables The 744T draws power from either its on-board Li-ion battery or from external DC sources. Two factors need to be considered to calculate battery runtime—battery/power supply capacity and unit power consumption. The best determination of your run time is to experiment with a given record- ing setup.
the 744T supports additional sampling rate / bit depth combinations, however, only the most com- mon are included below. Record Time The chart shows that when recording 24-bit/48 kHz audio to a 40 GB hard drive the maximum amount of recording time available roughly 80 track-hours. If recording a stereo two-track fi le, this yields 40 stereo hours of record time.
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. Function Key Sequence Action Record Tone Record and Tone...
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.
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744T User Guide and Technical Information Function Space Bar toggles play/pause of the current file Sleep/Power/Log Off powers down the recorder Escape cancel - exits without saving in all menus Enter OK - exits with saving in all menus (check mark or EDIT) Up Arrow duplicates the LCD up arrow in all menus Down Arrow...
Specific Setup Menu options can be programmed if multiple options are available. If a single key or key combination is programmed for multiple shortcuts, the shortcut with the lowest number will take precedence. Logic Inputs and Outputs Identical to shortcuts assigned to computer keyboard key sequences, the CL-1 has six contacts that can be programmed to perform Setup Menu items or control the record, play, and stop functions of the recorder.
FireWire power fi lter to eliminate noise induced from bus-powered FireWire drives into analog audio on the 744T 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) •...
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XL-LX • 5-pin LEMO to XLR-M and XLR-F, used to connect the time code output to SMTPE time code inputs and outputs XL-B2 • removable, rechargeable, Li-ion battery; 4800 mAh battery; it’s good to have several spares XL-WPH • power adapter included with unit; 100–240 VAC input, 12 VDC output; it’s good to have a spare...
ONE (1) year from date of original retail purchase. This is a non-trans- ferable warranty that extends only to the original purchaser. Sound Devices, LLC will repair or replace the product at its discretion at no charge. Warranty claims due to severe service conditions will be addressed on an individual basis.
CE Declaration of Conformity According to ISO/IEC Guide 22 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.
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