Deva II and Nagra V

Ready or not, tape is nearly history.

Tape is well on its way to being a novelty. Granted, even analog tape is still being used on some film productions, being as reliable as it ever was and sounding as good as it ever did, but it is more and more accepting the realization of the retirement home.

The good news is that there are now two very good options for an improved format: the DEVA II and the Nagra V. Different enough that there is a need in the market for both machines, they offer a substantial improvement over previous formats.

Deva II

A four input (mic, line, and/or AES), four track, internal hard disk recording system with safety features galore, the DEVA has successfully outlived any initial skepticism, and has earned a permanent place in film production history. To date, hundreds are in use around the world. Millions of moviegoers have now enjoyed high quality tracks that originated on DEVA, and untold amounts of production and postproduction dollars have been saved with the DEVA process. All this while improving the quality of the production dialog tracks. More on Deva

Nagra V

A four input (two mic and two line or two AES channels), two track, direct to removable media recorder, the Nagra V is intended as a direct replacement for the Nagra IV-STC and the portable timecode DAT, and does this very well. The name "Nagra" conjures up a well-deserved respect from experienced sync sound mixing engineers. No other name yet carries the industry-wide reputation of reliability, audio quality, engineering precision, and esthetic detail. The new Nagra V carries the flag in the same time-honored tradition. More on Nagra V

…more on DEVA

When describing the abilities of what has become the DEVA recoding system, it’s hard to know where to start because the DEVA has so many unique features and capabilities. But, here goes:

The DEVA always records first to its internal (removable) hard drive. Originally, the idea was to turn in the hard drives as if they were DAT or 1/4" Nagra tapes, but that was unsettling to most. So, a SCSI data port was added so that the recording could be "mirrored" to the digital media of choice. For the last two years or so, the media of choice has been the DVD-RAM, which has proved to be extremely reliable and well suited for the task. Its cost per track-hour is about the same as a DAT tape. Add this to the fact that the DVD-RAM has a 100-year shelf life and 100,000 re-recording cycles, and even a producer has to take notice. Future formats, whatever they happen to be, will only be better, and the DEVA will be able to handle them as well.

One fantastic benefit of the mirroring system is that it leaves a safety copy (actually, the original recording) on the internal hard disk. With the size of hard disks now available (up to 40G), ten production days (more than a one-hour episodic) can be stored inside the recorder. Add a second hard drive and you can store and entire TV movie! A third hard drive will take care of most features.

The safety ramifications of the DEVA system far exceed the comfort of recording to two DATs or even two 1/4" tape recorders. If the DVD-RAM is lost in shipping or whatever, an exact duplicate is created from the original, with absolutely no degradation.

Speaking of safety, it is impossible to inadvertently record over a previous take. For example, if you are playing back for the Director a take from the beginning of a two hour recording, you can press record at any time and the new take will always begin after the last previously recorded take.

Still want tape? Well then, consider this example: Let’s say that you are about to record take #167 when script supervisor wants to hear take #3 for timing. With the DEVA, you press "3", "CUE", then "PLAY". While listening to take #3, the Director calls "roll", you press the record button, and #167 begins recording. Still want tape?

It is incorrect to say that the DEVA system requires "backup" to DVD-RAM. The fact is that DEVA owners usually mirror to DVD-RAM because they can. As for any perceived inconvenience of the "two box" system, when the time comes to strap the DEVA over your shoulder and run, having the ability to go without the DVD-RAM drive will immediately change the perception of "inconvenience" to "versatility".

So that’s the DEVA recording system. Here are some of the details:

Four inputs: mic, line, AES digital, or any combination. The DEVA has an internal "virtual mixer" that allows any routing possibility of any or all four inputs to any or all four tracks at varying levels (read this as many times as needed for it to absorb it all). The mixer also allows the same versatility for the DEVA outputs, whether while recording or playing back. Like other portable mixers, the DEVA has selectable input low freq roll-off at a variety of frequencies.

Using high quality 20 bit internal converters, The DEVA will record 24 bits from an external source.

Wait, there’s more: When using the DEVA with an external mixer, it has the option of virtually "locking" the input levels so that the knobs cannot accidentally change the levels. Four tracks means a host of monitoring combination options. The DEVA accommodates fourteen, including M/S decoding, and gives the use the option of three single-button presets.

When mirroring, the DEVA has the file-type options of ".sd2" or ".bwf mono" (each track is a separate file) or ".bwf poly" (up to four tracks appear as a single file).

The DEVA has full timecode capability for film production including the drop-frame or non-drop frame rates: 30, 29.97, 25, 24, and an optional 23.976. It will "pull up" or "pull down" with sampling frequencies of 48.048 and 47.952. It can be ordered with an optional 44.1 sampling frequency.

The most novel feature that originated with the DEVA is what has become known as "PRE-RECORD" (now also available in the Nagra V). This allows recording to begin up to 10 seconds before the red button is actually pressed. Quick example: If a sound occurred before the red record button was pressed, press RECORD within ten seconds, and the sound is recorded anyway.

"AUTO LOAD" is another feature very useful and unique to the DEVA. When the AUTO LOAD option is selected, the DEVA will begin recording as soon as it sees external timecode moving. Possible application: Double system video production or when using timecode film cameras. When feeding the DEVA external timecode from the video camera, the DEVA will automatically roll and stop with the camera.

The "Oh, by the way" category:

The DEVA can be powered internally with an NP-1 battery or from an external 10-15VDC source. When used with the Cameo mixer (also from Zaxcom), the Deva’s capabilities include text entry, remote roll, metering, and timecode display. Trew Audio’s service shop is fully equipped for DEVA software updates and repair service.

Another detailed article on the DEVA is available online at: http://www.trewaudio.com/articles/deva/

…more on the Nagra V

The Nagra V designers had a specific mission: Build a modern, direct replacement for the Nagra IV-STC and the portable timecode DAT, while continuing with the Nagra tradition that always commands respect. Mission accomplished: The Nagra V emulates the capabilities of the renowned analog IV-STC in simplicity, quality, and esthetics. All this with a price several thousand dollars lower than four-track options.

The Nagra V is a two-channel recorder that records directly to removable hard disk media. Originally outfitted with the ORB removable media, the Nagra V now comes installed with an easily removable and robust hard drive, enclosed in a compact caddie by DN-Boy. The most common size at this point is 20 gigabytes. To play or transfer the recording for editing, there is no need for post production to buy Nagra. The hard drive is simply slid into a mating drive bay in postproduction, and the files are transferred or played from the original hard drive. After this transfer has been done, the hard drive are ready to be re-cycled back into production. The Nagra V writes its data in BWF (Broadcast Wave) files.

Like its predecessors, The Nagra V is physically as much a work of art as any machine ever made. A resent visit to the Nagra factory in Switzerland confirmed my suspicions as to why: An immaculate machine room, assembly areas, and testing stations with real craftsmen giving personal attention to each detail. Transformers made by hand on the spot. Plastic lids are formed, cured to perfection, and quality inspected in the same building.

The Nagra V has a pre-record feature of up to 30 seconds. Its two mic pres can power 48V phantom or T powered microphones. Two line inputs can be used at the same time as the mic preamps, accessed through a sub-D connector (looks like the Tuchel connector has finally passed the torch to the computer industry).

Need four tracks occasionally? Since the Nagra V has full chase and sync lock features (with the timecode package) a second machine can easily be attached for four tracks. Need a four track machine all the time? Then a Nagra D or DEVA are your choices. But the point of the Nagra V’s design is that the vast majority of productions only need, at the most, 2 tracks. In fact, most US television movies want mono production tracks, preferring that the Mixer use their mixing skill (earning their title) and, well, "mix".

Need a high quality, great sounding, reliable, two track, timecode machine that records directly to something you can pop out and turn in, all while saving a few thousand dollars? Then it’s the Nagra V.

The "Oh, by the way" category:

The Nagra V has a built in speaker (for playback or input monitoring). There are four powering options for the Nagra V: 4 pin external (9-14.8VDC; Lithium Ion packs (7 hours), 8 D-cells (4 hours), double NP-1 compartment (up to 8 hours). Metering is via a real moving needle meter with backlight option (visible in any conditions) combined with signal-present and overload LEDs. A bit of a surprise, and unique to any recorder, is the tape return stereo input intended for video camcorder monitoring during double system video production.

Trew Audio is an authorized Nagra service center and is equipped to install software updates as they become available.