Sound Devices, LLC - Portable, Professional Audio

The DE-15 connector on the back panel of the 788T includes several connections, including:

• AES3 inputs 1 through 8
• AES3 outputs 5 and 6
• DC power input (duplicate of the panel-mounted power input connection)
• logic input and output for remote control (more…)

The following tech note describes how to copy individual files from one storage media to another from within the 7-Series Recorders. There are two slightly different methods, one for the 788T/788T-SSD models, and one for 702, 702T, 722, 744T  recorders. (more…)

In early revisions of firmware for the 702, 702T, 722, 744T, and 788T recorders, a drive repair utility was an available menu item. This utility was removed from the recorders in firmware revision 2.61 (702, 702T, 722, and 744T) and 1.51 (788T).  (more…)

The internal drive of the 788T and 788T-SSD can be removed and replaced if the drive is damaged, a different capacity drive is required, or if upgrading to a Solid State Drive (SSD). In typical service conditions Sound Devices recommends hard drive replacement once every three years. (more…)

Firmware revision 1.71 for the 788T/788T-SSD recorders introduces powerful new control over the selection of recording tracks sent to recording media. Any recording track, from the 12 available, can be recorded to any recording media (CompactFlash, internal drive, or external FireWire drive). This means that each of the available recording media can be recorded with unique track configurations. (more…)

There are many advantages to recording to solid-state hard drives (SSD), including improved mechanical robustness, faster transfer speeds, and silent operation. Additionally, the 788T-SSD has 96 GB of additional on-board of storage space versus the 788T. Regarding power consumption, the power consumption (and therefore run time) between the spinning hard drive in the hard drive-equipped 788T and the SSD in the 788T-SSD is nearly identical. (more…)

Reliable, rock-solid recording is the single most important design criteria of Sound Devices recorders. 7-Series recorders are built upon a highly-stable, dedicated hardware and firmware foundation. Recording integrity is further enhanced through a process of periodic, automatic file directory and header updates written to disk during recording. This ensures file integrity in the unlikely event of a total loss of power. (more…)

Firmware revision 2.63 is now available for the 702, 702T, 722, and 744T recorders. This new firmware includes several fixes and numerous additional features. (more…)

788T firmware version 1.65 introduces the ability to record multiple tracks at 88.2 and 96 kHz sampling rates. These rates are typically used in ultra high fidelity recording applications, such as classical music recording, test & measurement applications, or sound FX recording. (more…)

Since our first Sound Note on solid-state hard drives, the technology of SSDs has improved. Drives continue to gain capacity, speed, while their prices continue to drop. This is Moore’s Law at its finest and the trend has no signs of stopping. (more…)

When 8 inputs and 12 tracks aren’t enough, multiple 788T recorders can be connected for multi-unit recording. The note below describes the process of linking three 788T recorders together for a total of 24 inputs and 36 tracks. (more…)

7-Series recorders have the ability to save a user-defined Setup File. This Setup File includes all settings selected in the menu and can be saved to the recorder’s internal hard drive or to a CompactFlash card. (more…)

Wine is a Windows application loader for the Linux operating system with a well-established history. Using wine, it is possible to install and run the Windows version of Wave Agent beta on Linux, with a few limitations. Wine is available in the official repositories of most popular Linux distributions. (more…)

With revision 1.60 firmware for the 788T,  the unit has gained four record tracks, for a total of twelve. Each of the eight 788T inputs can be routed to any of the twelve tracks in limitless combination. (more…)

The 7-Series recorders are powered by either a removable Li-ion battery or external DC sources. Sound Devices includes a DC power supply with the unit. The specific supply and its output power varies, based on the time of purchase. (more…)

All 7-Series recorders, including the 788T, operate from removable, rechargeable Li-ion batteries. On power up, the 788T briefly draws more current from these Li-ion batteries than during continuous operation. This “in-rush” current is caused by the numerous circuits initially being energized. (more…)

Sound Devices has released revision 1.05 of its powerful Wave Agent file utility software. This new revision adds several new features and includes numerous bug fixes. Download Wave Agent Beta 1.05 here. (more…)

Before file-based recording technology was introduced for portable recording, planning storage needs was straight forward—buy enough medium (tape) to cover the recording time. In analog, a 7-inch reel at 7-1/2 ips lasts 33 minutes. A 120 minute DAT tape lasts…120 minutes, whether recorded in mono or stereo.

Sound Devices has a powerful web-based record time calculator available here. (more…)

Sound Devices introduces AES 42 digital microphone support in the 788T with firmware revision 1.5 beta. AES 42 is a protocol for direct digital interconnection between microphones and devices, such as mixers and recorders. (more…)

In the short time since the release of the 788T, Sound Devices has made several small, but important improvements to the recorder’s electrical design. These changes come both from the experiences of our users and our own internal focus on continuously improving our products. We are offering to apply these hardware updates to all 788T recorders at no-charge. (more…)