Luiz Kruszielski, a sound producer for Globo TV, a Brazilian free-to-air television network and the largest commercial TV network in Latin America, regularly utilizes a TASCAM Portacapture X8 multitrack handheld recorder in his work that includes more than 400 episodes of telenovelas, including for the International Emmy Award-winning show “Orphans of a Land.”
“For my manner of working, the Portacapture is the ideal ‘Jack of all trades’ tool that I carry in my backpack,” Kruszielski explains. “It’s a great tool for recording ambient sounds and sound effects in addition to some basic ‘on-set ADR’ (Automated Dialog Replacement). I work in a very fast-paced industry where the time between what is recorded on set and the date when the program airs can be very, very narrow. Imagine for a moment that the actor said a wrong word and it needs to be corrected. By finding a quiet place on set, the Portacapture and a reference video on one’s cellphone are enough to perform a quick dialog replacement. I also use it extensively for recording sound ambiances that complement the scene, such as some kids playing in the streets of a Favela or the insects in a nocturnal rural area.
“I’ve had the Portacapture X8 for about 8 months now,” he continues, “and I’ve come to really appreciate several of its features. The fact that it records in 32-bits is a great tool for unexpected sound variations while recording an ambience. You never know when a larger truck will pass by, or some kid will make a loud noise — and both can be interesting when it comes to creating a sound scene. I can keep the volume low and not worry about adding gain later during editing. I also love the recorder’s ability to connect with one’s phone via Bluetooth. This eliminates the potential for handling noise during recording when using the onboard mics. Further, when using external mics—once everything is set up—you can keep the Portacapture inside your bag and not have to reach for it at all. Equally important, power via USB-C is a great feature. Connect a good power bank and you won’t have to worry about how long it will last.
“The benefit of the Portacapture’s presets is that they enable the user to quickly and easily configure the recorder to capture sound for a specific type of application,” Kruszielski concludes. “Personally, I use the Portacapture in music mode when I record myself playing acoustic guitar because I like hearing that it adds reverb. My preference, however, is the unit’s Manual mode, as it gives me complete control over all the features. The routing, mixing, and panning of different mics is a great tool — especially if you are using M/S microphones or recording multichannel audio.”
