Sound Devices 702 - Manual (Page 49)

702 User Guide and Technical Information
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fragmentation, and other factors. Use the speed test as a general, relative measurement from one
card type to another.
Few CF cards can sustain write speeds for reliable 192 kHz recording. Sound Devices strongly recom-
mends using only the fastest cards to record at sampling rates above 96 kHz.
Qualified CF Cards
Sound Devices does not specifically “qualify” CompactFlash cards for use in the recorder. From our
tests of numerous cards—including medium from Lexar Media, SanDisk, and Kingston Technolo-
gy—cards in capacities from 128 MB and above will successfully operate in the 702. The unit will
support up to 2 TB of data. Small capacity cards may not format as FAT32 and may not be usable.
Use the CF transfer speed test to verify that an installed card can support the needed read/write
speed.
Storage Medium – External FireWire Drives
The FireWire port on the 702 can function in either “host” mode or “drive” mode (see File Transfer
Using FireWire for additional information on drive mode). In host mode an attached FireWire storage
volume such as a hard drive or DVD-RAM can be used to record and play back audio files. To acti-
vate host mode select EXTERNAL DRIVE via the Setup Menu item FIREWIRE: CONNECTION. Because
the 7-Series can write to all available mediums simultaneously the ability to write to an external
drive reduces the need for post-record copying of sound files.
External hard
drive is attached
and is selected
as the recording
destination
External FireWire drives require 2.0-ready 702 hardware. Only recorders specifically labeled 2.0 ready are
able to connect to external FireWire drives as an available storage medium.
When to Use External FireWire Drives
The key benefits of recording to external drives include:
• the choice of drive types include DVD-RAM optical drive or hard drive
• near limitless recording capacity when a large volume external hard drive is attached (up to 2
TB)
• fast, no-waiting simultaneous record option
• post-record copying to quickly back up CompactFlash medium
Formatting
Identical to the CompactFlash card, attached FireWire drives are formatted as FAT32 volumes. Upon
connection to an unformatted (or non-FAT32 formatted) external drive, the 702 will prompt the user
to format the drive. If the drive is already formatted as a FAT32 volume the drive will be ready to be
selected as a storage medium. The front panel drive LED will illuminate to show which drives are
available for recording. To reformat an attached drive, follow the same procedure as formatting the
CompactFlash, substituting the external drive menu selection for the CF.