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Shoot Review: Sound Devices 702T

May 1, 2008 12:00 PM, Reviewer: Gary Eskow

Fully professional two-track field recorder offers a plethora of capture options.

Audio pros who capture sound in the field know that we're in the midst of a fertile period. Manufacturers release products targeted to this market on nearly a monthly basis, and anyone who needs to record high-quality audio can find a device that suits his or her needs. Even the least expensive digital recorders — several of which have been reviewed in these pages (see digitalcontentproducer.com/soundforpic) — offer pristine sound quality and connections that allow the user to transfer files to a computer for editing and enhancement.

Perhaps you need to record only interviews that don't need to be synced to picture, for example, or you don't demand inputs and outputs that reach the highest professional standards. If your requirements are simple, this review may not be for you. But if you plan on doing serious audio field work, the Sound Devices 702T is a recorder you should investigate.

Founded in 1998, Sound Devices manufactures audio products aimed exclusively at the film, video, and music markets. The 702T is a lightweight, portable recorder that can be powered by the included Lithium-ion rechargeable battery or standard, external DC power. Using the battery as your primary power source, you can expect to get about 2 hours of operation between charges. Should the battery dip below its functional level and you have the DC connections in line, the unit will automatically switch power sources without a loss of signal.

Dislike manuals? I can relate. Generally speaking, I prefer to get my hands on a piece of gear and see what I can learn directly from it. The 702T itself tells you a lot; it's a beautiful box with a simple set of transport functions on the front that are comfortably spaced along the unit's 7.5in. width. The connections on both sides are clearly laid out and easy to understand. But there's so much to the 702T (87 selections in its menu alone) that you may want to keep the manual by your side.

The 702T records to CompactFlash. You can also bring a laptop with you, hook the 702T to it via a FireWire connection, and make a safety recording simultaneously. The 702T has a Confidence Monitoring feature that lets you monitor in realtime the media to which you're recording. If you're recording simultaneously to CompactFlash and an attached hard drive, you can switch between the two by punching the File Viewer (HDD) button on the unit's front panel, and make sure that both media are recording properly. The File Viewer is where you'll handle file management. The software has a False Takes folder, for example, and you can assign dead takes to it whenever you like and dump them at any point.

If you choose to live dangerously and record only to CompactFlash, you'll want to keep track of data choices. The unit can record .wav files at the CD spec of 16-bit/44.1kHz, and if you're simply making a mono recording (of a conference speaker, perhaps) you'll get about 3 hours of recording time for every gigabyte that your card holds. Of course, the 702T can track all the way up to the pristine 24-bit/192kHz standard. If you're recording the Los Angeles Philharmonic in stereo at these rates, you'll definitely be recording to an external hard drive. (Higher-end members of the Sound Devices 700 line can handle quad recordings.) For those down-and-dirty assignments that don't require high-quality audio recording, the 702T allows you to record .mp2 and .mp3 files at various bit rates.

The headphone output gain stage is often overlooked, particularly on less expensive recorders, but the 702T shines in this area. Although it sports a mini-jack rather than a 1/4in. headphone output, this output offers all the volume you could ever want. The gain controls for both the input level and headphone output are well-sized, accessible rotary controls that have a smooth throw. (The unit does ship with a mini-jack-to-1/4in. adapter.)

While we're on the topic of gain, the 702T's front panel features a pair of input-gain controls. Their serrated surfaces make fine adjustment easy. Obviously, if you're recording in mono, only one of these rotary controls is active. If you're making a 2-channel recording, you can manipulate the input levels independently, or make a selection in the software that links the two. The controls can also be popped into the surface of the unit and locked in place, making it impossible to change the levels accidentally while you're recording. Additionally, the 19-segment track level meters are detailed, and the unit handles digital clipping nicely; I had to seriously crank up the source level before I was able to distort a recording beyond usability.

Being a two-track device, the 702T includes a pair of XLR inputs on its left side. Phantom power for these inputs is provided. Connections on this side of the device include both +4dBV and -10dBV analog outputs. A nice addition, the -10dBV output lets the user make quick transfers to a consumer-quality unit, mostly for reference. A pro-level AES3id digital output is also included.

If timecode is essential to you, you'll appreciate the 702T's ample LED display. The unit shows the timecode of any files being played that have this information embedded, and if you're syncing the unit to an external timecode generator, that unit's code will also be displayed. If you're using an external timecode generator and have inadvertently set the 702T's internal clock to a different rate, the timecode rate will flash, alerting you to the discrepancy. The Sound Devices 702T can operate as a clock master as well as a slave, and if your needs grow, you can also link multiple Sound Device recorders together using a proprietary code link. The 702T's Jam capabilities let you jam to an external source, jam zeros, or select a jam value by entering numbers via the rotary switch.

I made several recordings using the XLR inputs and my own microphones. As expected, the audio quality was excellent. One of the clear advantages that a professional device such as the 702T enjoys over budget recorders is the fine control over the gain structure. I recorded several passes of the spoken word, with speakers situated at different distances from the microphones, and stereo music recordings, and I was able to obtain maximal level and signal-to-noise ratio quickly.

I did, however, note the absence of even the most primitive editing capabilities. At some point in its development, a manufacturer has to pull the plug on a device's feature set, and it's clear that Sound Devices chose to build as many recording features into the 702T as possible and to forego postproduction features completely. Nonetheless, it would have been easy for the company to include basic head-and-tail-trim functionality. If you're doing a job in the field and have some downtime, it's always productive to do some basic edits before importing tracks into your postproduction computer.

Notwithstanding this reservation, and the fact that the headphone jack is a mini-plug and not a professional 1/4in. output, the 702T is an extremely impressive device. Odd how things have changed: A decade or so ago, the quality of a recorder's audio would be the first and most important feature any review mentioned. Today, it's a given that even the cheapest recorders capture outstanding audio. The distinctions now lie in feature sets, the quality of the physical components, and ergonomic layout. If you're in the market for a fully professional two-track recorder, the Sound Devices 702T must be on your short list.

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bottomline

Company: Sound Devices
www.sounddevices.com

Product: 702T

Assets: XLR inputs, complete timecode functionality, confidence monitoring of recorded media.

Caveats: Mini-plug headphone output only, no editing functions.

Demographic: Audio pros who need a fully professional two-track recorder for in-field capture.

PRICE: $2,495 (STREET)

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© 2008 Penton Media, Inc.