New HHB PortaDrive Location Recorder in Development
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April 22, 2002
HHB Communications announced the development of a sophisticated new 8-track location sound recorder. Scheduled to ship later in the year, the HHB PORTADRIVE combines pristine 24-bit/96kHz multichannel recording with flexible on-board mixing facilities in a compact, portable package to provide TV and film sound recordists with a rugged, 'all in one' solution for professional location recording applications.
The PORTADRIVE records audio onto a compact, robust, shock resistant removable 2.5" hard drive in industry standard BWF and SDII formats, allowing full compatibility with Mac and PC-based digital audio workstations, connecting via a drive docking station. Over 2 hours of 8-track 24-bit/96kHz recording, or more than 9 hours of 4-track 24-bit/48kHz is possible on the supplied hard drive.
A comprehensively equipped 6 into 2 digital mixer is built-in, enabling the simultaneous recording of a stereo mix alongside 6 discrete inputs. Microphone inputs are of the highest quality with 6 high-gain, ultra-low noise balanced XLR Mic/Line inputs with individual phantom powering, 'gangable' limiters, attenuation, high pass filter, delay and phase reverse. The 2-channel return input and both the main and auxiliary analog stereo outputs are balanced.
Digital connectivity is equally comprehensive with the 6 main inputs selectable to 3 AES pairs the first input pair being switchable to SPDIF, and one stereo pair of AES or SPDIF digital outputs.
The PORTADRIVE is equipped to read and generate timecode in all popular international frame rates, and to synchronise to word clock, video sync and digital inputs. A SCSI interface is provided for data transfer to and from external storage devices, and both USB and Ethernet ports are included for control, logging and upgrades. Comprehensive remote control is facilitated via RS422 and a parallel remote socket, and a keyboard port is also available for easy logging and labelling.
Consulting a team of experienced location sound recordists during the development process, special attention has been paid to the handling of the PORTADRIVE and the easy accessibility of essential facilities in the field. Central to an intuitive operating interface are large, illuminated top and front panel mounted LCD screens with wide viewing angles, and 6 multi-function rotary encoders. Flexible 8 channel metering includes selectable ballistics, clip and limiting indicators. Headphone monitoring facilities are equally extensive. The PORTADRIVE also includes a built-in slate microphone and oscillator, input and output MS decoding and a pre-record buffer. The PORTADRIVE is powered by an industry standard 50 watt hour Lithium-Ion NP1 battery which can be charged in the recorder by the supplied universal voltage power supply.
With more than 20 years in the industry, Tim White is one of a panel of experienced international location sound recordists / mixers assisting HHB by providing valuable insight from the professional users perspective during the development of the PORTDRIVE. Already a committed fan of hard disk recording, Tim's recent involvement in large format films that are shown in Imax movie theatres has heightened his requirement for multiple channels and more sophisticated mixing facilities.
"I need a device that will record 6 tracks with a comprehensive built in mixer, that is also light enough to be used over the shoulder" says Tim. "Times have moved on and the use of multiple wireless microphones on location is now commonplace. 4 channel recorders are already in existence, but the 6 + 2 channels of the PORTADRIVE is real step forward, particularly with 24-bit/96kHz performance. The ability to interface with analog or digital mixing consoles, and the facility to plug the HD caddie straight into a Pro Tools system is also a tremendous advantage."
Speaking for HHB, Managing Director Ian Jones says "Our timecode equipped PORTADAT portable DAT recorder was a great success and put us in close contact with the film and TV sound recording community. We've taken a lot of time and care to understand how their needs have changed before developing the PORTADRIVE, which we confidently believe will become the new standard for location sound recording."
Production units of the PORTADRIVE are expected to ship December 2002 and although pricing has not been
set, the retail should be just under $10,000. For more information, visit their web site at www.hhb.co.uk. | 
