Deity PR-4 Detailed – Six Tracks, Wireless Timecode Master, and Dual-Media Recording

Audio NewsIBC 2026

by Alexandra ThompsonSeptember 14^th, 2026

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The Deity PR-4 is a four-input, six-track field recorder measuring 98 x 80 x 41mm (3.9 x 3.1 x 1.6in) and weighing 218g (7.7oz) without a battery, with 32-bit float recording, simultaneous capture to an SD card and an internal 64GB SSD, and the ability to act as the wireless timecode master for a small crew. Nominated in the Audio Equipment category in CineD’s Best-of-Show Awards at IBC 2026, it sells for $449.

The category Deity is aiming at is the one the company describes as “better than camera” audio: small recorders, usually with two XLR inputs, bought either as a companion to a camera or as a standalone unit for interviews, boom work, and receiving wireless microphones. Deity’s own positioning for the PR-4 is that it doubles the input count inside that same footprint, adds automatic mixing at no extra cost, and brings timecode transmission into a device a small crew was going to buy anyway.

Deity’s audio and timecode line is familiar territory for us. We have covered the TC-1 timecode box and TC-SL1 slate that the PR-4 now drives, the SPD-Mini power distro, and the BP-TRX transceiver recorder. The PR-4 is where several of those threads meet in one box.

Four inputs in a two-input footprint

The input count is the starting point. Two XLR combo inputs handle microphone level with 48V phantom power, line level, or digital audio over AES3 and AES42, and a stereo 3.5mm TRS input adds channels three and four for a pair of wireless receivers or a playback source. Six tracks come from those four isolated channels plus a two-channel mix bus.

That layout covers the situations where a two-input recorder runs out of room. An on-camera shotgun and a two-person wireless kit can run at once, or a board feed can sit alongside microphones on the same recording, which is what Deity’s wedding example is getting at: nobody has to pass a microphone around.

Digital input works on a different basis. Both XLR inputs accept AES3 or AES42, with AES3 carrying channels one and two on the first input and three and four on the second, so a four-channel wireless receiver can be fed in digitally to reach all four channels. Deity’s manual notes that switching any channel to AES puts all four channels into digital input and disables the 3.5mm TRS input, so the digital and analog routes are alternatives rather than additions.

Outputs are two stereo 3.5mm TRS main outputs, which Deity counts as two balanced or four unbalanced outputs and which can double as extra headphone jacks, alongside a headphone output and 3.5mm timecode in and out. A routing matrix covers output one, output two, the headphone feed, and the stereo mix separately, so the signal going to a camera does not have to be the signal going to the operator’s ears.

Preamps and recording formats

Deity calls the preamp design ReGain and quotes up to 60dB of gain from a dual-ADC architecture, with an equivalent input noise figure of -127dBV, measured A-weighted at 60dB gain with a 150 ohm source impedance. THD+N is listed at 0.005% maximum and input dynamic range at 137dB or better. The company’s practical claim is that the preamps will drive a dynamic microphone such as an SM7B without an inline booster, which is the usual reason people add hardware to a recorder in this class. These are Deity’s own figures, and we have not measured the PR-4 ourselves.

Recording runs at 48, 96, or 192kHz in 24-bit, 32-bit, or 32-bit float, written as polyphonic or stereo WAV in the 64-bit addressable RF64 format. Sessions are logged automatically with metadata for track names, folder and scene or take naming, notes, frame rate, bit depth, and timecode, with the reports written to both media.

Two media, two files

Dual recording is one of the PR-4’s more practical features. The recorder writes to an external SD card and a fixed internal 64GB SSD at the same time, giving the operator a second copy of the recording without relying on a single piece of removable media.

The two media do not have to receive the same thing. A client asking for a stereo mix can have exactly that from the card while the polyphonic file with every isolated channel goes to the SSD, or the other way around.

Wireless timecode master

The timecode function is the feature Deity puts forward as a first. Rather than only accepting or outputting timecode over its 3.5mm jack, the PR-4 can generate it and send it wirelessly over a 2.4GHz link with eight wireless channels (A–H), with accuracy specified at plus or minus 0.5ppm with algorithm compensation, which Deity gives as one frame of drift every 72 hours. Camera operators switch their boxes on and the units sync to the recorder.

The receiving end covers most of Deity’s current range, with the company listing the DBTX, DXTX, and DLTX transmitters, the PR-2 and PR-2ii pocket recorders, the TC-1 timecode box, the TC-SL1 slate, and other PR-4 units. Wired jamming over the 3.5mm port uses SMPTE LTC or ATC, across frame rates from 23.98 to 60 including drop frame. For a two or three person crew that changes the shopping list, because the recorder and the timecode generator stop being separate purchases.

Automix, denoising, and app control

VoiceAware Automix is included with the recorder rather than sold as a paid upgrade. It prioritizes whichever microphones carry active speech and reduces the presence of the inactive ones, with the aim of handing an editor a usable stereo reference mix rather than four channels that need work before anyone can watch the cut. It does not run in every configuration: according to Deity, Automix is available at 48kHz only, and it is unavailable in AES42 mode. A separate voice-focused noise reduction function, LiveHit DeNoiser, runs on the recorder as well, aimed at traffic, wind, and low-frequency ambience.

Control runs through the Sidus Audio app on iOS, Android, and macOS, which Deity describes as a single hub rather than a one-to-one connection to each device, covering timecode sync, wireless transmitter coordination, remote record triggering, wireless audio monitoring, level metering, metadata, and battery status. The recorder also works as a USB audio interface, at two channels, 48kHz and 32-bit PCM.

Power, screen, and how it mounts

Power comes three ways: an NP-F550 in the battery bay, USB-C PD at 5, 9, or 12V, or a four-pin Hirose-compatible input which Deity lists at 12 to 18V. The NP-F charges in place over USB-C without being removed, and external USB-C or Hirose sources can be swapped while the NP-F stays mounted, so pulling a power bank does not interrupt a take. Runtime depends on the NP-F550 battery used and the recorder settings, with Deity describing it as capable of covering roughly a working day on a suitable battery.

The screen is a 456 x 280 AMOLED color touchscreen, and it sits on the side of the unit rather than the top, with connectors and controls along the sides as well. That is a deliberate choice for camera-mounted work, where a top-facing display is the one thing an operator standing behind the camera cannot see, and it keeps the top surface free for accessories. An RGB LED in the rear logo acts as a tally so talent can see when the recorder is rolling, and a first-party metal cage adds cheese-plate mounting points on the top and bottom, with ARRI-style 1/4″-20 mounts and locating pins, for microphone mounts, receivers, or a camera rig.

Price and availability

The PR-4 is shipping and sells for $449 in the US, with European retail around €391 and UK pricing at £335 excluding VAT. A battery is not included. The PR-4 Cage and a compact field audio bag are available as separate accessories.

For more information, please visit the Deity Microphones website.

Would the PR-4 replace a larger recorder in your kit? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!