Nagra VI "Burgundy Red"

[Pete Horvath]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this "red" digital audio recorder to compliment Red Cameras.

http://www.nagraaudio.com/pro/pages/products_nagra_vi.php

scroll down to see the burgundy one :w00t:

Cheers,
Pete

[Sound Sorcerer]

Not sure... Maybe because the faceplate color it's just a cosmetic option for the Nagra VI? or maybe because the RED's body is actually BLACK :usd:

[Brian J.M. Rytel]

Or to make that interface a little easier to read.

Not the most human friendly or intuitive devices ever designed.

[Tom Visser]

Just to chime in, I ordered my VI with the standard gray faceplate, but it is an outstanding unit. It seems expensive, but once I added up the value of all the parts, and form factor, it was actually quite a good deal. I used to use a Sound Devices 744t and strongly considered purchasing the 788t. If you believe that the Nagra sounds better than the 788t, then it is worth the slight extra expense, 2 fewer channels, and bigger size / weight. Because I do the not too infrequent music remote, sound quality is important to me. If I was just doing cinema or TV work, then the 788t should be for all intents and purposes equivalent to the Nagra VI from a quality standpoint and would be a piece of kit I would heartily endorse.

If I order a second VI down the road, it will surely be red, to differentiate my 2 units.

I wonder with the new modular system, if I will be forced to purchase the DMSC IO box to synch SMPTE time code and WC or if there will be a way to do this without that interface, as I don't really need HD-SDI or analog inputs on my camera.

[Brian J.M. Rytel]

If you believe that the Nagra sounds better than the 788t, then it is worth the slight extra expense, 2 fewer channels, and bigger size / weight. Because I do the not too infrequent music remote, sound quality is important to me....
I have heard this about the Nagras. Do you know (or have) any sound comparison tests? I'd love to compare them with my own ears.



I wonder with the new modular system, if I will be forced to purchase the DMSC IO box to synch SMPTE time code
As the specific modules are subject to change (a redundant statement after all this time) it's possible a separate minimal module will be made. What I however would hope for is wireless TC sync through the REDmote or some other module. Wouldn't that be fun!

[Tom Visser]

I have heard this about the Nagras. Do you know (or have) any sound comparison tests? I'd love to compare them with my own ears.


As the specific modules are subject to change (a redundant statement after all this time) it's possible a separate minimal module will be made. What I however would hope for is wireless TC sync through the REDmote or some other module. Wouldn't that be fun!

Ultimately you really must compare the units in your own space / workflow and only take other's opinions with a moderated amount of veracity. You should be able to find a dealer with both units to demo side by side?

Things that I know...

I **feel** that I'm getting a **better** sound now with the VI than I was with the 744t that I used to use. Supposedly the 788t's preamps are improved over the 744t, but I also know that they were modified to draw less power / produce less heat than the 744t.

I am not thrilled by the monitoring section of the VI. The output levels were very low, and once they boosted them in a firmware update, I'm not sure that I'm getting the clarity that I would like. I use a Grace m906 back at my desk and also have a prototype Nagra MX which both have much better monitoring chains. I heard from a second hand source that Nagra was at one point in time sued for their loud monitor outputs. Perhaps that is a contributing factor to the weak output? Or it could just be unfair to compare the VI's headphone outputs with a full blown monitor controller like the Grace. Regardless, I'm not too concerned, as it is mainly used in the field for checking levels, and one can only get so critical in that environment - having a certain trust in the pres and A/D section allows me to get over it.

So to recap, I know that I think it is better. I know that I have other gear that outperforms certain parts of the VI. But in any event, I don't have direct comparisons between the VI and the 788t. I came very very close to purchasing a 788t as I liked its form factor better. The nail on the coffin was lack of 24/96 support by the 788t. If delivering 24/96 is a requirement for a job, then the 788t simply is not the right tool, independent of my own view of 24/48 vs 24/96.

EDIT: with a recent firmware update, the 788t now does in fact record 24/96. having lived with the VI for a bit more, I am now more convinced that the sound is top flight and it would have been very difficult if not impossible to assemble a collection of mic pres, A/D converters, mixers that would best the performance of the VI at its price or significantly more money, making the VI a very good value for those that need ultra high performance.

[Pete Wesenberg]

Hello, thought I'd chime in with my experiences here. While I generally like the Sound Devices units, I've found their durability to be lacking. Knobs falling off, connectors too easily bent from minor shock, etc. On the flip side, my old Nagra V worked like a tank. As a result, I picked up the Nagra VI and I can't say I'm unhappy about the choice.

Like everyone else, I feel that the signal is pretty clean, it sounds better than my old Nagra, and it sounds better than the SD products I've used.

While the design is a large departure from the previous Nagra units, I still get the sense so far it's a durable unit. Time will tell, I've only had it since October 08.

Oh, and they didn't have any red ones at the time, so I picked blue. The next one will be red.

[Catherine Drive]

Having this in mind, Burgundy wine glasses (http://www.myburgundywine.com/) should be not too big, not too small, this is because there are no established rules regarding this, there is nothing else but pure common sense, and of course, you don’t want your Burgundy wine glasses to be greatly huge, nor you want then to look pity, you want a glass of wine that looks in a proportional size that is not vulgar either.

[Sanjin Jukic]

http://www.nagraaudio.com/pro/images/NVI_Red_case.jpg
"Burgundy red" Nagra VI.

"This picture shows a "Burgundy red" Nagra VI in its textile carrying case with the plastic cover folded back.
The carrying handles have been replaced with the padded shoulder strap. Both sides of the case are equipped
with Velcro-edged openings for all the cables, and a large pocket is fitted on the top. The "legs" above can also
be installed while the case is fitted if desired."

LINK>>> (http://www.nagraaudio.com/pro/pages/products_nagra_vi.php)

[Sound Sorcerer]

The Nagra VI is a rather large machine:
http://www.productionrecording.com/Tools/Nagra/NagraAaton.jpg

Check out this extensive review on the Nagra VI (http://www.productionrecording.com/Tools/NagraVI.html)...

[Sound Sorcerer]

Interesting "RF-spray" facts about the Nagra VI (http://www.productionrecording.com/Tools/NagraRFtest.html) from the same source...
http://www.productionrecording.com/Tools/Nagra/Block27n28_Over.jpg

[Pete Wesenberg]

Just thought I'd throw in another update. I'd like to again stress my favor of the Nagra unit, and I have a specific example to put in place:

The last two times I used my Nagra VI, I was on a shoot for the NFL/Reebok, and I had a problem with it not recognizing the hard drive. No problem, I threw in a CF card and worked away regardless. As soon as the shoot was over, I contacted Nagra via their website and let them know about the issue. The next day, I received a call from the tech department, and he was completely apologetic. They'd had a problem with a batch of hard drives, and mine was one of them. I was 4th down on his list of people to call, if I hadn't called him I would have heard from him in the next 24 hours anyway. Regardless, he emailed me a overnight shipping label, and made damn sure I would be ok without it for a day - even offering to ship me a temp unit if I needed. It didn't matter. I shipped it on Tuesday, and had it back on Thursday. Not only did he replace the HD with a larger (160GB instead of 120GB) unit, he also performed all the other upgrades (USB now accepts external HDs and keyboards for metadata) in one afternoon and got the unit out to me.

I cannot say enough about how I feel I was treated as a customer, both by the tech dept. AND by sales, I ordered a carrying case at the same time, and it was packed into my unit upon return. The people at Nagra are amazing, and really seem to care about you as a customer. In my business, that's invaluable. Worth every penny I spent.