Help! DR-40 Hiss with External only/internal fine

Wondering if anyone has had this happen? I went to hook up my AT6550 to record some ambient and I got major hiss. Dropped the record level, checked batteries, and reset to factory settings. Internal (built in mic.s) work as normal. Even when no mic is plugged in I get the same hiss, it does go down with record level but will not allow an audible recording when set low enough to remove the hiss.
Any suggestions would be appreciated, it might be time to upgrade...?
 
Post an example, please; hard to diagnose from a verbal description.

The $200 DR-40 will have a lot more self-noise (hiss from the mic pres) than, say, the $2k+ Sound Devices 702 audio recorder. Now, that said...

It worked fine for a while?. Was the unit subsequently dropped or otherwise damaged in any way? There is always the possibility that the unit is defective. There is also the possibility that it is operator error. Did the unit always have a lot of hiss? Have you checked the compressor/limiter settings? Maybe it defaults to AGC mode.
 
Thank you Alcove, always appreciate your help here. Very sorry I didn't think to supply examples. Will do my best to get some set up. It worked fine previously but is used often by my teenage sons who normally treat "Dad's" stuff very very carefully. They only use it with the internal mic.s and rarely if ever change settings. I don't remember ever having to make any adjustments when I first got the shotgun microphones, but I am getting older...
For now using shotguns plugged in to the Teac version of the Tascam DR-08 as a substitute or the in camera audio recorder.
 
It worked fine previously but is used often by my teenage sons who normally treat "Dad's" stuff very very carefully.

Well, there ya go.....


I just want to remind you one more time that the DR-40 is really a consumer product. It was not meant to be used "hard" in a professional manner - many hours of usage in "tough" conditions, but treating it with as much care as possible. So having it just "wear out" after a year or so of steady usage shouldn't be too much of a surprise.

Just as an example... Many, many moons ago, when I was a working musician on the road, one of my pieces of gear malfunctioned after three years of faithful service. While it was in the shop for repairs I bought a cheap unit to replace it temporarily. The cheap unit was almost ready to give up the ghost by the time my piece was repaired six weeks of one night stands later. But it was a hell of a lot less expensive than renting for a month and a half.
 
Point taken. Thank you Alcove. Will be "giving" the DR-40 to the boys for their unhindered usage and saving my "film maker" pennies for a better replacement. Unfortunately now is not a great time to need a replacement...
So onto the big question:
What to replace it with?
Zoom H5/H6 or Tascam DR-60/100 ----------- $200 to $400 range (preferably most for the least, like everyone always wants, haha)

Unless there are better options in those price ranges???
 
The FR-2, PMD-661 and R-26 are all in the $600 range. Far, far superior than the $250 and under crowd. Each have their quirks, plusses and minuses. Yeah, I know, that's a lot of scratch. But you're getting better quality builds, better preamps, better routing & monitoring, better power management (batteries) and, best of all, they are repairable.

If you have to stay under $400 the obvious choice (for me, anyway) is Tascam. Which unit you get will depend upon your needs. The -60d can mount on your tripod under the camera; the -40 and -100mkII are probably better options if you have a person who can handle sound. I haven't tried the new Zoom units as of yet, but I have a bias against Zoom; I find the builds to be very flimsy, and dislike their user interface.
 
Thank you once again Alcove. It's going to take me a while to get the money for any replacement so hanging on a little longer will be worth the wait I think. I am partial to the PMD-661 after doing a bit of reading, and at least I can continue to practice techniques while I save me pennies.
 
Check XLR input #2 for the same hiss. If it's not there, check input #1 for debris. Maybe blow it out with some canned air (although be careful -- if there is debris, you don't want to blow it into the case).

The H4n has a pretty crappy interface, but I'm really liking the Zoom H6. It has good battery life and is built well, as long as you're not using the detachable mics. I guess the xy is fine, but the stereo ball seems like it'll fall apart with a minor bump. I think the tascam 60D has a slightly lower noise floor, but I believe it eats batteries at a crazy rate, and doesn't have as many inputs as the h6.
 
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Check XLR input #2 for the same hiss. If it's not there, check input #1 for debris. Maybe blow it out with some canned air (although be careful -- if there is debris, you don't want to blow it into the case).

The H4n has a pretty crappy interface, but I'm really liking the Zoom H6. It has good battery life and is built well, as long as you're not using the detachable mics. I guess the xy is fine, but the stereo ball seems like it'll fall apart with a minor bump. I think the tascam 60D has a slightly lower noise floor, but I believe it eats batteries at a crazy rate, and doesn't have as many inputs as the h6.

Thank you stef!
I have the noise with or without anything plugged in, whether port one or port two is used. I have been looking around quite a bit and think that saving a little longer for an even better unit than the Zoom or Tascam is worth my while. The PMD-661 seems to be a good compromise of budget and quality for quality recording for years to come, pricey for an indie guy yes, but rebuild-able, modifiable, and has acceptable levels of noise as is. If it does come down to getting one right away I do think the Tascam DR-60d would be my emrgancy choice...
 
Tascam just announced the 70D, which addresses some of the issues I had with the 60D.

4 XLRs, 2 built-in omnis, and camera passthrough for sync. Sounds pretty nice if you ask me, especially if the batteries last longer, and assuming all the "good" was kept from the 60D. I cannot tell if they have good volume control knobs or not, though.

http://www.tascam.eu/en/dr-70d.html
 
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