Fostex VF80 - copy rough mix to PC???

[Eddyx]

Hi there

Does anyone know if there is a way to copy a rough mix from the VF80 direct to PC??? I can write a mastered piece of music to the internal CD but just want to be able to copy rough mixes to a file to email to my music collaborator. I can write to minidisc - Sony MDS JB980 Net MD - via the coax digital out but then can't check this in to the PC - even though it's my original music!!!

[rboyce_boston]

If what you want to do is to mix down directly to your PC from your VF-80, and you want to keep it all in the digital domain, then you would need to pump the SPDIF digital output from your VF-80 into either a soundcard that has a a SPDIF input, or into an external interface/soundcard that uses either USB or Firewire to interface with your PC or notebook. A great, inexpensive USB interface is the M-Audio "Transit" - you can pump either an analog or digital 2-channel (stereo) signal into the Transit and it will be sent to your PC via the USB port. Remember, however, that you will need to have some sort of basic recording software on your PC (I use SoundForge; there are LOTS of other programs, too).

Also...I think the SPDIF digital output on your VF-80 is TOSLINK, not COAX. The M-Audio Transit interface supports TOSLINK; some PCI-based soundcards support COAX. TOSLINK seems to be more common these days, though COAX is preferred by most people.

HTH,

ray

[Eddyx]

Thanks for that Ray. I didn't have a sound card with digital input but have today bought an MAudio card with coax, midi et all! The VF80 digital output is definitely coax. I will be installing the sound card this weekend and probably just using the VF80 as a mixer if it all works out.

Thanks for your reply.

[Guitar Jim]

Wouldn't it be possible to simply run a stereo chord from the "phones" socket on the VF80 to a computer's mic input or line in? Then just record the VF80 stereo playback in stereo onto the computer using a free recorder like Audacity. Then when the recording is on the computer convert it to an mp3 file so it can be emailed.
Would there be any reason why this simple method wouldn't work?

[rboyce_boston]

Like I said in my reply to the original post...

If what the original poster wants to do is to mix down directly from his VF-80 to his PC AND keep it all in the digital domain, then he should do what I suggested.

Sure, you could mix down via the stereo phones output into a stereo line in on a soundcard (and thereby go digitial to analog back to digital), but the quality won't be nearly the same. There also might be some impedance issues using the phones output. In addition, the line-in on most basic PCI soundcards is going to be pretty noisy. It would work, but the result might be less than satisfactory.

-ray

[Eddyx]

Bought the M Audio Audiophile 2496, got it home and was up and running within about half an hour. Everything is working fine. I was able to copy all vocals from the Fostex into audio tracks in Cubase.

I'm now in the digital age and wondering why I didn't do this years ago.

Thanks for your advice Ray!