![]() ![]() Voice boost adds some equalization to the Sony’s stereo output, collapsing it to mono in the process. This is where many S-VHS decks still hold an advantage. ![]() You can’t lay down the PCM sound track first–say a narration or music track–then go back and drop in your shots. Like its 8mm predecessors, the EV-S7000 does not allow this. Here’s a larger wish: video dub capability. As it is, the Sony mutes audio output for every speed but standard play. Common on professional Hi8 decks, this feature allows you to select edit points based on the soundtrack. Those are the gripes, and here’s a small wish–the EV-S7000 would be an even stronger editing deck if it offered an audible search mode. To avoid this, you’ll have to remember to turn the PCM input level control all the way down during editing. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up with the same audio on both PCM and AFM tracks–mix these together, and the slightly out-of-sync result sounds terrible. This is only a problem if you’re editing to the EV-S7000 and plan to overdub an occasional sound. Second, I could find no way to defeat PCM recording. If you’re fading or crossfading the audio tracks, you’ll have a hard time pulling off gradual, smooth volume changes. The first lies with its knobs–they’re small, inset and hard to control. I have two minor complaints with the EV-S7000’s audio features. Bravo, Sony–this is much better than the VHS-family’s straight linear/hi-fi mix. Thus you can add just a touch of natural sound from your camcorder underneath a music or narration dub. When monitoring both AFM and PCM channels at playback, this control allows you to adjust the level of the standard AFM audio relative to the PCM. In addition to manual PCM record level and balance controls, the Sony offers a STD Audio Level knob. The EV-S7000 lets you dub to the digital PCM tracks, which boast outstanding audio performance. With VHS formats, you can dub only the relatively low-fidelity linear track. What a welcome relief to see an Audio Dub button on a piece of consumer Hi8 gear. The EV-S7000 reads and writes to this PCM track, allowing for high-quality, stereo audio dubs. 8mm camcorders and VCRs reserve a section of the tape for digital audio, but this area has gone unused in consumer products. The 8mm family’s inability to audio dub has been one of its biggest drawbacks for editing. You can use these effects in your videos without sync problems. Thanks to the built-in TBC, still frame and 1/5th slow are pristine. Visual search modes stay very clean with the EV-S7000, all the way up to 35x speed. High Speed Rewind zips through a 120-minute tape in about 60 seconds. The Sony is nimble when locating scenes as well visual search modes range from 1/5th speed to a whopping 35x speed. This unit moves the tape with authority, yet appears gentle enough to avoid excessive dropout. Regardless of editing mode, the EV-S7000 consistently impressed me with the smoothness and accuracy of its transport. Accuracy with RCTC: +/-2 frames with counter: +/- 5 frames. Preroll is as low as 3 seconds on some edits, which makes for a very speedy assembly. The Sony then cues up and prerolls the source for clean edits. ![]() ![]() You shuttle your source around, picking the in and out points for up to eight scenes. In assemble edit mode, the EV-S7000 functions as the record deck. In counter mode, results depend on the quality of the playback unit’s transport. I disabled RCTC on my source camcorder and did a few edits. Synchro-editing with an RCTC source delivers consistent accuracy within about 3 frames. Another plus–you can shuttle around your tape while the Sony is in record/pause mode. Press LANC Remote again, and you’re back in control of the EV-S7000. Pressing this button sends all transport commands down the cable, allowing you to cue up your source to the perfect spot. Sony put a nifty little button on the panel, LANC Remote, which allows you to control any LANC device from the EV-S7000. It’s most convenient to use the EV-S7000 as the record deck, and let it generate the commands. If you use the Sony as a source deck with an external edit controller, you can write time code to older tapes for optimum accuracy. In addition to automatically writing time code while recording, the EV-S7000 will add RCTC to any prerecorded tape. You can control it, either as source or record deck, from control-L capable edit controllers. For simple deck-to-deck editing, the Sony will either generate or receive Control-L commands. Thanks to Sony’s Control-L protocol and RC time code, the EV-S7000 is capable of editing with surprising speed and accuracy. ![]()
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