Marantz PMD661 Professional Solid State Recorder User

Guide

On receipt of the recorder, open the case and check that you have the following items:

- Marantz PDM661 Professional recorder.

- Recorder should contain 1 4Gb Kingston SD memory card.

- Recorder should contain 4 x AA batteries.

- Carry case for recorder.

- Audio TechnicaATM10a condenser microphone.

- 1 x XLR cable to connect microphone to recorder.

- 1 x USB cable for connecting recorder to computer.

Before leaving to record on location, ensure that the batteries hold enough charge for your

recording session. The display shows a battery icon that indicates the battery charge level.

The display also indicates the time and date.

If your recordings need to be time-stamped ensure that the time and date are set

correctly.

Battery charge indicator

Power Switch

Installing and Removing SD Cards

Before removing or installing and SD card please ensure that THE POWER IS SWITCHED OFF.

The SD card slot is to the left of the recorder.

Setting the Date and Time

- Press the F1 button (will show MENU at this point).

- Press PITCH + or PITCH – to select Time/Date.

- Press the ENTER button.

- Press or to select the item to be changed.

- Press PITCH + or PITCH – to change the values.

- Press the F1 button (will show EXIT).

- You will be asked if you want to Store?

- Select YES or NO as appropriate and then press ENTER.

F1 Button

ENTER

SD Card

Slot

Setting Up To Record

To record to the Marantz PDM661 you need a sound source to record. You have four

options to record from.

1. Using the built in stereo microphones.

2. Using external microphones connected via an XLR cable.

3. Using the digital co-axial input.

4. Using the Line In connection.

Using Built In Microphones

To use the built in microphones you need to access the recording options menu with this

sequence in the menu:

- Press F1 (MENU).

- Select 1 Presets and press ENTER.

- Select Preset-1 and press ENTER.

- Select 2 Edit and press ENTER.

You are now in the record options menu.

To select your input source select 01 Input and use to select INT MIC.

You can also select different recording formats, e.g. MP3 or WAV (PCM), mono or stereo,

and sample rate (44.1kHz or 48kHz). Options will be explained later in the tutorial.

Left built in

microphone

Right built in

microphone

Using External Microphones

External microphones are connected using XLR connections. There are two connection

options:

MONO – only the left channel connector is used.

STEREO – the two channel connectors are used.

If condenser microphones are being used you will need to make sure that they have power

supplied to them by switching the P48 switch to ON.

To set up for using external microphones you need to access the recording options menu

with this sequence in the menu:

- Press F1 (MENU).

- Select 1 Presets and press ENTER.

- Select Preset-1 and press ENTER.

- Select 2 Edit and press ENTER.

You are now in the record options menu.

To select your input source select 01 Input and use to select MIC/LINE.

You can also select different recording formats, e.g. MP3 or WAV (PCM), mono/stereo, and

sample rate (44.1kHz/48kHz). Options will be explained later in the tutorial.

If using a condenser

microphone this switch must

be set to ON.

Mono recording only

XLR Connector

XLR Connector

Using Alternative Inputs To Record

The Marantz PMD661 has two other ways of inputting a signal to record:

- LINE IN 2, which is a stereo input using a mini jack connector.

- DIGITAL IN, which is a stereo input using a co-axial RCA digital connector.

To set up for using alternative audio sources you need to access the recording options menu

with this sequence in the menu:

- Press F1 (MENU).

- Select 1 Presets and press ENTER.

- Select Preset-1 and press ENTER.

- Select 2 Edit and press ENTER.

You are now in the record options menu.

To select your input source select 01 Input and use to select Line 2 or D.IN.

You can also select different recording formats, e.g. MP3 or WAV (PCM), mono/stereo, and

sample rate (44.1kHz/48kHz). Options will be explained later in the tutorial.

LINE IN 2

connector

DIGITAL IN

connector

Analogue

Stereo IN

Digital

Stereo IN

Setting Record Levels

The record for any of the inputs may be set manually by using the record level control at the

bottom of the recorder. The optimum record level is when the level meter goes as close to

0dB as possible - BUT NOT OVER

Alternatively you can use Automatic Level Control (ALC).

To set up for choosing Automatic Level Control you need to access the recording options

menu with this sequence in the menu:

- Press F1 (MENU).

- Select 1 Presets and press ENTER.

- Select Preset-1 and press ENTER.

- Select 2 Edit and press ENTER.

You are now in the record options menu.

To select your input source select 06 Level Cont. and use to select ALC.

Retrieving Audio Recordings from the Marantz PDM661

The PMD661 appears as a hard drive when connected to a computer using USB. Connect as

shown in the diagram.

When USB is on you will see a message “USB CONNECTING” on the Marantz display. The SD

card will appear as a removable device on the computer.

USB connection

Recording Procedure

To begin recording, press the REC button. The Rec indicator will be lit and the display will

show record information.

To pause a recording, press the REC PAUSE button.

To stop recording, press the STOP button.

To listen back to your recording press the ENTER button.

Recording Formats

The Marantz PDM661 has the ability to record using two file systems:

- MP3. This is a compressed file format.

- PCM. This is also known as the WAV File format.

MP3 is known as a ‘lossy’ file format. That is it makes audio files smaller by ‘losing’ some of

the audio information that is regarded as unnecessary. This saves space on the SD card

allowing for lengthier recordings.

PCM, also known as WAV, is a lossless format that records all audio information, and as such

requires more disc space.

REC

REC PAUSE

STOP

ENTER

Which File Format?

Your choice of file format will depend on what you want to record. If recording a musical

performance or sound effects, when the audio quality is a priority, PCM would be a good

choice as it does not discard any audio information. If recording an interview, a high bit rate

MP3 format will suffice.

Mono or Stereo?

You also have the facility to choose between mono and stereo recording. Again, your choice

will depend on the audio source to be recorded. A musical performance will be better

represented by using stereo, for something like an interview mono would be a good choice,

for ambient sound effects a stereo recording will give superior results. Obviously, a stereo

recording will take twice the memory space as a mono, so your choice will be important if

the recording is going to be lengthy.

Sample Rate and Bit Rate

Your choice of sample rate is quite important. Your choice will depend on the final

destination for your recordings.

For recordings that will be put on to CD format, a bit depth of 16 bits and sampling

frequency of 44.1kHz will need to be set. If your recording is to be used in broadcasting then

a bit depth of 16 bits and a sample rate of 48kHz should be used as this is the broadcasting

standard.

Find out where your recording is destined for and ensure that the format you choose is

usable by that medium.

Changing the file Format

To change the file format you need to access the recording options menu with this sequence

in the menu:

- Press F1 (MENU).

- Select 1 Presets and press ENTER.

- Select Preset-1 and press ENTER.

- Select 2 Edit and press ENTER.

You are now in the record options menu.

Scroll up or down to select which parameter needs to be changed.