PMD660 Data Sheet

Flash recorders are becoming quite popular. There are so many out there in the marketplace that I couldn’t begin to tell you all the names. The most popular are the iPod, iRiver, iAudio, i …oops I mean Edirol R-1 and the list goes on.

However, there is a field recorder that stands out from a long lineage of use in ENG (Electronic News Gathering), broadcast, corporate, industrial, government and many other professional uses. You may remember the name from your 1970’s stereo receiver; Marantz. They are now D&M Pro (Denon & Marantz), but the PMD line of durable field recorders still proudly display the same Marantz logo and have evolved quite nicely from the old days.

These recorders are unique because they look and feel professional. A glance at the 2 XLR connectors and the Phantom power switch tell you right away that this is a serious recorder. Times have changed and we no longer need a cassette tape transport. The latest line will burn a CD-R and the model we will look at uses Compact Flash memory.

The PMD660 records MP3 files right to its internal flash and then allows you to “mount” the recorders memory as a removable drive to a Mac or PC file system using the included USB cable. Included in the box is a 64MB CF memory card, carrying strap, AC adapter, line (in or out) audio cable and the USB cable. You’ll also be able to lock the CF door in case someone feels like swapping the CF card in your absence. You’ll also get a CD that holds the manual in PDF form (also downloadable from D&M) along with a basic audio editor called PMDedit. I edited the files using open source program, Audacity.

It’s a digital world and I learned right away that the 2005 version of my PMD worked slightly different than my old PMD201 cassette recorder. You used to be able to get away with some tape saturation and had to put up with limited bandwidth, dynamics and hiss. With the 660, levels are critical. It’s important to match this fine recorder up with the proper microphone. My large-diaphram condenser is very hot and, as you’ll find from the recordings we made, you’ll need to back way off on the record gain. On the other hand, the internal condensers worked well but sounded a bit hollow. My Electro-Voice RE-20 felt quite at home and sounded smooth. The bottom line is, the AGC will only help you only so much, so you really need to match this recorder up with a good dynamic for interview type recording. If you want to record subtle ambients or nature sounds, a hot condenser will do fine. I plan on using my 660 exclusively with a handheld omni-dynamic and will post some more files when I get the mic. While the EV RE-20 sounded good for a test, it is just too large for field recording.

Well, PodSqod 12 posts tonight and we’ll get into more details on the PMD660. I’ll also be taking this one to the Podcast Expo, so hope to see you there!

Best,
MarkJensen & Laura

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