SD card buying hints

[Findlay]

Thanks again Sam for this great advice. I hadn't thought about wear on the DP-32sd card reader.

 

[-mjk-]

"Sometimes I can't avoid them though as I am incapable of playing the entire song without messing up"

Yay. I'm not the only one!

David, if punching capability and waveform editing were to disappear, music production would cease. Mario Lanza is dead.

 

[Mark Richards]

To put the cap on what SD card to use:

My Owner Manual is quite clear (page 9, OM version D01159020F):
"Use of SD cards that have not been verified for use with this unit could result in the unit not functioning properly."

 

[Findlay]

I thought I'd add that I bought an SD card extender hoping to insert this in the DP-32sd to enable me to swap cards without wear on the reader. Turns out it I can't insert it in the Tascam - it works fine my Dell Laptop but just won't go in to the Tascam. Just thought I'd warn anyone else trying this in case they force things and cause damage.

 

[-mjk-]

What is preventing it from mating with the Tascam?

 

[Findlay]

I just had another go and with a little sideways wiggle the adapter slid in ok. I guess I was just being a bit too cautious! Anyway, it seems to be working ok and tracks play back fine. Will try recording a few tests before anything serious.

 

[-mjk-]

Great! I would consider giving that a little spray of the Deoxit and then it should be maintenance-free for several years.

 

[Findlay]

So it should be ok to leave it in place after the spray? That is great! Only slight problem is how to best coil the cable up out of the way!

 

[-mjk-]

Oh yes! It leaves a nice film coating on the contacts.

 

[David L.]

I just ordered a new DP-24(SD) today from Sweetwater and am quite excited to receive it. I knew I wanted a 32 GB SDHC card, and this thread has been a wealth of info. Per the recommendations above, I just ordered the SanDisk Extreme Pro. Thanks very much!

 

[shredd]

I use these SanDisk Extreme Pro absolute MEGA high-speed 32GB cards in my OG DP-32...they're UHS-II, Class 10, and have a transfer speed of up to 300MB/sec. They cost a fortune (as of 2022, about US$45 apiece).
BUT - they are every bit as fast as advertised - and I found that it hugely minimizes the time after each "operation" (recording takes, etc) - and though it's probably just an incremental improvement, I found that using a "standard" speed card - y'know, 50, 80, 95MB/sec - seems to add an annoying slowness to my workflow.
So I have several...

 

[BazzBass]

had to search, mostly 100mbs cards came up but then i saw a 300mbs card, for 99 bucks .....

I thought the slow transfer rate from the DP to my PC was the USB link but you say it's the card that is the limiting factor, thanks for the tip.

Just bought two at 80 bucks each, downloading to the pc will now be three times faster so well worth the extra expense.

 

[shredd]

I hadn't thought of that - depending on the USB link speed, a faster card WILL make DP<->puter transfers faster.
My thing is just that when I'm in the middle of tracking, etc, the last thing I want is to sit through slow, lagging writes...when I do a track and hit "stop", it takes just a couple of seconds for the DP to close it up...as opposed the the seemingly eternal 12-15 seconds a slower card would take!!!

 

[-mjk-]

As as been beaten to death on this forum, the card read/write speed is not the primary reason for using approved cards and it not the most important consideration, although that seems counter-intuitive. If you are buying a card for a digital camera that is one thing. But these cards have to play back audio while recording it at the same time.

 

[shredd]

But these cards have to play back audio while recording it at the same time.

Yes - I did indeed read that here - that the SD card's function in a MTR is different than how it's deployed in a camera...and that it affects performance.
That said, I wouldn't dare use a generic or non-approved card...don't want to give the unit any reason to corrupt/lose my files, ruin my work, etc.

But - I have personally observed that very high-speed cards do measurably reduce the time sitting watching the "spinning reels"/unit-working icon...to the point that it reduces waiting. That keeps the workflow going, eliminates an annoying lag...especially 'cuz these operations are literally constant.

 

[shredd]

As mentioned (more like "sheepishly admitted"...) in another thread:

On the topic of the "super high-speed" cards that I'm sold on - and have paid a PILE of dough for - I think I'm going to have to begrudgingly admit that (as you suggested above) they are NOT necessarily worth the $:
I did some recording today with my super-duper SanDisk Extreme Pro UHS-II with 300Mb/sec speed...then put in some krapey generic 2GB I had sitting around, for comparison.
It definitely DOES have slower work-time/lag/etc for many DP operations than my nice expensive SanDisk's...
But - much as I hate admit it - the super-fast cards, while a 32GB costs about FOUR TIMES as much as a standard-grade SanDisk Extreme Pro...IS NOT four times faster!!!

So...I spent quite a stack on SD cards that I could've paid about 70% less for. Now I'm thinking I coulda used that money for mental health treatment, or perhaps a really killer nacho binge.

 

[BazzBass]

you bstard! guess what JUST arrived? My two 80 dollar 300mbs cards I bought on your advice lol

 

[shredd]

you bstard! guess what JUST arrived? My two 80 dollar 300mbs cards I bought on your advice lol

Yikes. I'm not sure how to handle this...someone actually listened to what I had to say, and didn't consider it the mindless blathering of a drooling idiot. There must be some sort of new World Order taking place!!!

Anyway - sorry if I tangled your wires, @BazzBass . If it helps: I stand by my contention that the ultra-high speed cards ARE "better"...not that they "handle" the data transfers any BETTER, but they ARE faster. I consider this valuable, considering the DP's read and write simultaneously. When connected to a puter via USB - FAST. When the DP is reading/writing to perform it's basic functions - FAST.

The quicky, COMPLETELY unscientific/casual experiment with the cheap-o SD card only proved to me that the DP WILL function just fine with a less-than-ideal, not-Tascam-approved card...even if a bit slower, which I hate (I wanna keep going, not wait for my card to finish writing!).
BUT: I'm sticking with the SanDisk Extreme Pro's...and other than the high cost, I have NO quibble with the UHS-II ones. I have two, and if I weren't already eating cat food and Netflix-password sharing, I'd buy as many as I could afford, before they stop making them. It seems like 92% of what's available these days is MicroSD cards, which have to go in an adapter to be put in the DP...I'd rather use the correct card (full size SD).
Maaaaaybe I'll buy a batch of "normal" (UHS-I, 100Mb/sec) SanDisk Extreme Pro 32GB's...they go for US$12-15, whereas the UHS-II's are more like US$60!!!

 

[Mark Richards]

The quicky, COMPLETELY unscientific/casual experiment with the cheap-o SD card only proved to me that the DP WILL function just fine with a less-than-ideal, not-Tascam-approved card...

Until it suddenly doesn't.

Do you suppose this quote was included in the OM on a slow day when there was nothing better to do?

 

[shredd]

Until it suddenly doesn't

Exactly.
That's why - despite my experiment - I'm sticking with real-live, Tascam-approved, SanDisk Extreme Pro's!!!