Field recording engineer Sunny Lau is employing a TASCAM Portacapture X8 32-bit float portable audio recorder in his work of capturing sound for documentary films.
In addition to his audio work, Lau is a computer programmer who is actively involved in the creation of tools for E-commerce. His penchant for music and sound led him to sound acquisition, as it enables his creative side to contribute to one of his favorite subjects, documentary film making.
“I have been using the TASCAM Portacapture X8 in the creation of a sound library,” he explains, “as it enables me to go out and capture just about any sound one can imagine. Since film creators are always looking for new and unique sounds and effects to support their creative efforts, there is a seemingly endless amount of opportunity for me.”
Lau reports that he has been working with the Portacapture X8 for more than a year and has discovered several attributes that match his manner of working: “The Portacapture’s four mic/line inputs with phantom power can handle practically any combination of sound sources. This gives me the ability to use everything from microphones—be it the onboard mics or external ones—to a variety of line level sources. I find the onboard mics to be excellent because they can be configured for either A-B or X-Y style recording. This capability, combined with the 32-bit floating point recording, enables me to capture sounds with a high degree of detail.”
He also points to the Portacapture X8’s onboard presets, which help in quickly optimizing the recorder for capturing various types of audio such as multitrack recording, podcasting, music, voice, and field recording. “The presets on the Portacapture X8 are terrific,” Lau reports. “I actually prefer the presets — particularly the field recording one — as it enables me to maximize the recorder to the type of recording project that I am typically involved with.”
“The Portacapture’s Manual mode provides all the customization capability that I need,” he concludes, “but to do things right, it requires more time and effort. While I am gradually getting comfortable with it, I find it quicker and easier to use the presets. I can, of course, start with a preset and fine-tune it more to my liking. And there lies the real value of the Portacapture. It enables one to work in whatever manner is most comfortable.”
