Sound Devices Expands 'Approved Media' List

Sound Devices has expanded on an 'Approved Media List' to identify media that is compatible with Sound Devices and Video Devices production recorders.

The company's products use a range of storage media including SSD, HDD, CF and SD cards. Sound Devices engineers have devised a six-step test to determine whether a drive meets the requirements for mission-critical product applications.

The first step, according to the company, is to determine which products the media is compatible with in terms of physical dimensions. The next step is Metric Testing, where the engineers scrutinise the read and write speeds of the drive to see if it can handle the speeds required by the recorders to write and read data.

"We created the Approved Media List because, quite simply, not all types of media are created equal," says Dan Desjardins, Director of Software Engineering, Sound Devices. "Some are too slow for reliable high-data-rate recording or multi-file simultaneous recording, and some don’t perform well in wide temperature ranges. This updated approved list will lead to fewer media-related failures in the field."

The next step is 'Recording' and 'Playback', in which engineers run several recording and playback tests in numerous configurations mimicking those found in real-world applications. This is followed by the Worst-Case Recording step, where the drive is pushed to the limits of the recorder’s capabilities, such as recording ProRes 4444 with 64 tracks of audio.

"We use custom automated programs that make hundreds of short 30-second recordings and long-duration recordings that span the entire capacity of the media, as well as test both single-file write and the more strenuous multi-file write capabilities," says Kevin Mancuso, QA Software Engineer, Sound Devices. "We also test playback of both short and long files, verifying audio and/or video integrity."

The engineers then subject the drive to voltage and power tests to uncover any voltage spikes or other forms of unique electrical activity during specific types of use, such as when the file is being closed. Lastly, they test temperature, placing the drive in an environmental chamber capable of producing extreme hot and cold temperatures and then running it though a barrage of speed, voltage, and other unique challenges.

"If the drive has met all of the Sound Devices and Video Devices requirements, then it’s added to our Approved Media List," adds Matt Anderson, CEO, Sound Devices. "Through this rigorous testing procedure, engineers gain the information about the drive they need to approve it for mission-critical production applications. Our team goes to great lengths during the approval process to subject media to the most extreme of tests so that we are confident they will perform reliably at all times. We encourage our customers to always refer to Sound Devices' Approved Media List."

The full list of approved media can be found here.

(IT/CD)