Recording with your FD-4

[Trippalot]

Help. I am getting obvious signals from whatever my source is on the FD-4, but when I begin to record, I'm just getting blank silence and no signs that what I've inputed has been recorded. I'm also having trouble recording signals by the optical input port. How would I go about doing this? What tracks will the info be recorded to?? Any help would be much appreciated. Thanx.

Tripp

[bbbmusic]

Trippalot,

You have to go into the setup and set your digital in to the optical port. Just hit the setup button, page thru the choices and pick the digital in. It's fairly straight forward. Is that the only input you are looking for? Or are you direct recording also? If you see a signal on the LCD, do you have each channel you want to record on the input mode (switch by each channel)? You may know this already but, be sure to pan each channel to a separate side. It's the only way to prevent bleed on the FD-4.
Later
Bruce

[wildman]

bbbmusic,

Sorry to butt in here, but it seems that you're pretty knowledgable on the FD-4 and digital. I think my question is fairly straightforward...I'm trying to go Digital Out from the FD-4 into a Roland UA-30, which in turn is USB connected to my Mac G4.

I've read the FD-4 manual frontwards & backwards (terrible read), and still haven't been able to get the Digi Out setup beyond "Digital Out?". I have gotten it to the point where "Digital" flashes, but according to the manual, I'm supposed to check my connections...yeah, right!

The UA-30 is set for digital, same sample rate, and fully recognized by the Mac. Currently, I'm using Peak LE to record into the Mac. According to the Fostex manual, once I'm set to record on my digital device, I simply go into Digi Out on the FD-4, and it will recognize the receiving device. It dosen't. If I simply hit "play" on the fd-4, Peak LE will receive a signal, but it's severely faint.

Any ideas?

Wildman

[bbbmusic]

Wildman,

The only way you can get to USB from the FD-4 is to go optical out, to an opcode converter which converts to digital, then you can go to your Roland or to a digital to USB converter. Of course, you have to buy the opcode converter made by Fostex.....sucks but, it works very well. The digital outs on the FD-4 is only through the "light pipe" (optical out). You have to get the converter. I got mine at Mars Music cheaper than from Fostex.....Good luck
PS...it will only deliver 2 channels out at a time (the FD-4 that is).
Later
Bruce

[wildman]

Bruce,

I have heard about this extra Fostex convertor as needed....I believe it's called COPS II or something? Anyway, I'm wondering why the UA-30 can't convert by itself. It has RCA, 1/4, and Optical I/O already on it. Do you mean that even though the SPDIF optical connector on both the fd-4 and UA-30 are exactly the same, that they're not communicating via Lightpipe?

Roland claims that the UA-30 is made specifically for converting all signals.

How much is the COPS convertor? (I believe OpCode is another product entirely).

Thanks for your info.

Wildman