Anybody Regret Buying VF16?

[jvasey]

Haven't bought one yet, but am getting ready to order from KTJ. Just want to check if anybody thinks they didn't get thier money's worth from this unit.
It really appeals to me because I look to record a full band, and be able to augment/edit performances after the fact. I know that this machine is the best in it's price range for my purposes, and I expect a steep learning curve. I also plan to buy a separate digital mixer with ADAT out, so I can take advantage of 16 track simultaneous recording. Anybody got a recommendation?
Thanks in advance,
Jeff

[Wide Awake]

I was one of the first to buy the VF16 and I am very happy with it. I found the learning curve easy but unless you use some of the features regularly you forget what buttons to push. I use the effects a lot, reverb and delays mostly. The worst part of the VF16 is the mixer isn't very versatile. You only have inserts on two tracks and that's a pretty bad limitation if you want to patch in a compressor or EQ. It's easy to move whole tracks around and work around that limitation. The disc drive is a little noisy on my VF. Overall, I like the Fostex and I think having 16 tracks is great and if you use the onboard effects you are getting a lot for the money. I can tell that I will outgrow the mixer soon and have to buy a real one. Analog of course.

[jvdw]

check my post on vf16 computer editing - i described my VF16 with digital mixer hookup based on adat.
if it wasn't for the adat, i would have bought the KORG. It has more effects, more virtual tracks, and is more flexible, asnd 24 bit rec.
But it is a stand alone solution except for ther scsi port.
with vf-16 i can recors 16 tracks at once combing 8 ins from vf16 with 8 ins entered via digital mixer, AND
you don't even need to record it to VF16 but you can send it all to cubase via adat pc card and have all the plug-ins and more.
so to zwrap up, as a pure stand alone, i would choose korg now, but for the difference in money and the adata and pc i have, VF is a lot more versatile in different setups.

good luck with choice.
Johan

[Neptune]

I haven't used mine real estensively yet, but yes, I'm happy with it. CD quality specs, 16 tracks to play with, built-in effects, digital mixer, etc. - AMAZING for this price. The learning curve is rather steep, but that's mostly the fault of the manual, which is written in Englapanese, or Japanglish, or something. The hardest part for me was figuring out the difference between Buss Recording and Direct Recording. I've got it now. Also, the manual has some innacurate info on little things. If you get one, just check thru all the posts here.

[mic98]

For the price, nothing even comes remotely close to the VF-16.

[dobro.732]

I've used the vf16 for 4 yrs. now.
Here some drawbacks:
Low EQ is too limited. I.e. useless!
input mic preamps are not sensitive enough; you'll need an external mixer.
It accepts way too few brands of harddiscs
( I somehow blew up the original Quantum and a 40GB Fujitsu prints on the discs, and possibly lost 2 years of work. Now I'm having a hard time getting a new harddisc that it will accept. Most are no longer current/available.)
The Plextor SCSI CD-R burner for back-up is pretty expensive.
(Would be nice if the vf16 could make a back-up on to a PC.)

Still; a great machine considering the price....

[mharr552000]

I love my VF160. It's really easy to use and it sounds great.
I don't see why everyone is having trouble with the manual. It seemed perfectly coherent to me.
If you get one make sure you get the foot switch, and the gig bag is nice too.

[billisa]

Originally Posted by mic98

For the price, nothing even comes remotely close to the VF-16.

Assuming we're all talking about the VF160, thise statement is still very true. These machines are extremely well designed, reliable, and capable of truly excellent results. I doubt there will be a more proven, economical design anytime soon.

[carelessorc]

I agree with billisa. I had a VF16 and upgraded after a couple of years to a VF160CD, and I think that although there is a bit of a learning curve (even cassette 4-trackers had them) the VF is one of the easier machines to use.
If you want to exploit the full 16 track record you need something like the Behringer ADA 8000 which got a good review in Sound On Sound, and has had good posts on this and other boards.
If you find the mixer a bit limited you can always mix on computer, exporting via CD. (I would go for the VF160 with built-in CD burner.)

Orc

[johnsuitcase]

I had one of the original VF16s and it was pretty easy to use, and I got good results with it. I eventually sold it and went with a MOTU 828 and Cubase, for the VST plug-ins and editing capabilities. For portability and ease of use, though, the VF16 is nice.

I would recommend getting the CD upgrade. Had it been available back when I bought mine, I would have gone for it, especially in retrospect. Being able to move tracks to a computer easily, or even just burn mixes directly would have made things 100x easier.

And I have a Behringer ADA 8000, works great with the MOTU, as long as it is set to be the "master" in the sync chain (I think...). ;-)

[timboZ]

I have the VF160 and an ADA8000. If it broke I would buy another VF160. I love it for tracking.

Things that suck on it are
Low end EQ
Only 2 inserts
Only 2 XLR connectors
Slow CR burn time

I do most of my mixing on the computer but it can be done on the VF.

[billisa]

In the US, the VF160EX should be coming with a CDR built-in. You definitely want the built-in burner. Typically, these burners produce disks with NO ERRORS. Excellent. Plus back-up saving to wav files is easy...

[treymonfauntre]

i got an old vf16 on ebay for $300. works absolutely perfect for recording drums on location