Marantz PMD661 Professional Solid State Recorder User

Guide

On receipt of the recorder, open the case and check that you have the following items:

- Marantz PDM661 Professional recorder.

- Recorder should contain 1 4Gb Kingston SD memory card.
- Recorder should contain 4 x AA batteries.
- Carry case for recorder.
- Audio TechnicaATM10a condenser microphone.
- 1 x XLR cable to connect microphone to recorder.
- 1 x USB cable for connecting recorder to computer.

Before leaving to record on location, ensure that the batteries hold enough charge for your
recording session. The display shows a battery icon that indicates the battery charge level.
The display also indicates the time and date.

If your recordings need to be time-stamped ensure that the time and date are set
correctly.

Battery charge indicator

Power Switch
Installing and Removing SD Cards

Before removing or installing and SD card please ensure that THE POWER IS SWITCHED OFF.

The SD card slot is to the left of the recorder.

Setting the Date and Time

- Press the F1 button (will show MENU at this point).

- Press PITCH + or PITCH – to select Time/Date.

- Press the ENTER button.

- Press or to select the item to be changed.

- Press PITCH + or PITCH – to change the values.

- Press the F1 button (will show EXIT).

- You will be asked if you want to Store?

- Select YES or NO as appropriate and then press ENTER.

F1 Button
SD Card
Slot

ENTER
Setting Up To Record

To record to the Marantz PDM661 you need a sound source to record. You have four
options to record from.

1. Using the built in stereo microphones.

2. Using external microphones connected via an XLR cable.
3. Using the digital co-axial input.
4. Using the Line In connection.

Using Built In Microphones

Left built in Right built in

microphone microphone

To use the built in microphones you need to access the recording options menu with this
sequence in the menu:

- Press F1 (MENU).
- Select 1 Presets and press ENTER.
- Select Preset-1 and press ENTER.
- Select 2 Edit and press ENTER.

You are now in the record options menu.

To select your input source select 01 Input and use to select INT MIC.

You can also select different recording formats, e.g. MP3 or WAV (PCM), mono or stereo,
and sample rate (44.1kHz or 48kHz). Options will be explained later in the tutorial.
Using External Microphones

External microphones are connected using XLR connections. There are two connection
options:

MONO – only the left channel connector is used.

STEREO – the two channel connectors are used.

If condenser microphones are being used you will need to make sure that they have power
supplied to them by switching the P48 switch to ON.

XLR Connector XLR Connector

Mono recording only

If using a condenser
microphone this switch must
be set to ON.

To set up for using external microphones you need to access the recording options menu
with this sequence in the menu:

- Press F1 (MENU).
- Select 1 Presets and press ENTER.
- Select Preset-1 and press ENTER.
- Select 2 Edit and press ENTER.

You are now in the record options menu.

To select your input source select 01 Input and use to select MIC/LINE.

You can also select different recording formats, e.g. MP3 or WAV (PCM), mono/stereo, and
sample rate (44.1kHz/48kHz). Options will be explained later in the tutorial.
Using Alternative Inputs To Record

The Marantz PMD661 has two other ways of inputting a signal to record:

- LINE IN 2, which is a stereo input using a mini jack connector.

- DIGITAL IN, which is a stereo input using a co-axial RCA digital connector.

DIGITAL IN
LINE IN 2
connector
connector

Analogue Digital
Stereo IN Stereo IN

To set up for using alternative audio sources you need to access the recording options menu
with this sequence in the menu:

- Press F1 (MENU).
- Select 1 Presets and press ENTER.
- Select Preset-1 and press ENTER.
- Select 2 Edit and press ENTER.

You are now in the record options menu.

To select your input source select 01 Input and use to select Line 2 or D.IN.

You can also select different recording formats, e.g. MP3 or WAV (PCM), mono/stereo, and
sample rate (44.1kHz/48kHz). Options will be explained later in the tutorial.
Setting Record Levels

The record for any of the inputs may be set manually by using the record level control at the
bottom of the recorder. The optimum record level is when the level meter goes as close to
0dB as possible - BUT NOT OVER

Alternatively you can use Automatic Level Control (ALC).

To set up for choosing Automatic Level Control you need to access the recording options
menu with this sequence in the menu:

- Press F1 (MENU).
- Select 1 Presets and press ENTER.
- Select Preset-1 and press ENTER.
- Select 2 Edit and press ENTER.

You are now in the record options menu.

To select your input source select 06 Level Cont. and use to select ALC.

Retrieving Audio Recordings from the Marantz PDM661

The PMD661 appears as a hard drive when connected to a computer using USB. Connect as
shown in the diagram.

USB connection

When USB is on you will see a message “USB CONNECTING” on the Marantz display. The SD
card will appear as a removable device on the computer.
Recording Procedure

To begin recording, press the REC button. The Rec indicator will be lit and the display will
show record information.

To pause a recording, press the REC PAUSE button.

To stop recording, press the STOP button.

To listen back to your recording press the ENTER button.

ENTER

STOP

REC

REC PAUSE

Recording Formats

The Marantz PDM661 has the ability to record using two file systems:

- MP3. This is a compressed file format.

- PCM. This is also known as the WAV File format.

MP3 is known as a ‘lossy’ file format. That is it makes audio files smaller by ‘losing’ some of
the audio information that is regarded as unnecessary. This saves space on the SD card
allowing for lengthier recordings.

PCM, also known as WAV, is a lossless format that records all audio information, and as such
requires more disc space.
Which File Format?

Your choice of file format will depend on what you want to record. If recording a musical
performance or sound effects, when the audio quality is a priority, PCM would be a good
choice as it does not discard any audio information. If recording an interview, a high bit rate
MP3 format will suffice.

Mono or Stereo?

You also have the facility to choose between mono and stereo recording. Again, your choice
will depend on the audio source to be recorded. A musical performance will be better
represented by using stereo, for something like an interview mono would be a good choice,
for ambient sound effects a stereo recording will give superior results. Obviously, a stereo
recording will take twice the memory space as a mono, so your choice will be important if
the recording is going to be lengthy.

Sample Rate and Bit Rate

Your choice of sample rate is quite important. Your choice will depend on the final
destination for your recordings.

For recordings that will be put on to CD format, a bit depth of 16 bits and sampling
frequency of 44.1kHz will need to be set. If your recording is to be used in broadcasting then
a bit depth of 16 bits and a sample rate of 48kHz should be used as this is the broadcasting
standard.

Find out where your recording is destined for and ensure that the format you choose is
usable by that medium.

Changing the file Format

To change the file format you need to access the recording options menu with this sequence
in the menu:

- Press F1 (MENU).
- Select 1 Presets and press ENTER.
- Select Preset-1 and press ENTER.
- Select 2 Edit and press ENTER.

You are now in the record options menu.

Scroll up or down to select which parameter needs to be changed.