4-track fostex as mixer??

[sir ludwig]

I need a mixer te get a half-ass drum sound. Can I use an old fostex 4-track as a mixer??. Let me know if this will work, or do I need to pull out my wallet??. I have used midi drums in the past,but as a drummer I find that limited to what I can do.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
peace.

[E-money]

You can probably use it, if it accepts and passes mic signals.
My old 4 track could accept 4 mic inputs and pass them to 4 individual outputs. The limitations were: No phantom power (dynamic or battery powered condensors only), no XLR inputs, and poor signal to noise ratio, but if it's all you have, give it a whirl.

[Leotian]

I use my Fostex FD-4 digital 4-track as a mixer, and it works pretty well and pretty quietly, even though I send the finished signals out over analog outs to my soundcard. I don't have digital in's on my card. When I upgrade my card, I'll be in better shape. Don't think it will work to send 4 individual tracks over, though. The FD-4 has 2 XLR and 4 regular 1/4 inputs, so it works well if I do a multi-mic thing on my guitars.

[tntkemp]

I tried to use my old Fostex X-26 with it's 6 inputs and it's monitor out to submix my 2 keyboards and old Roland MT32 module down to 2 channels, but it extrememly sensitive on levels and noisy. This is a temporary patch until I can afford another mixer. I'm using a Fostex VM200 for the rest of my inputs....

Tom Kemp

[sir ludwig]

thanks for your replies. I am going to borrow a mixer off a freind,just to see the differance between the two. Thanks again for your advice.



.............peace.

[PFDarkside]

Yeah, it will work, sort of. That's how I'm recording drums now, but the problem is that you have to get all the eq, balance and relative levels perfect before you actually record. I thought it all sounded pretty good, until I put some guitar and bass over it. The bass drum was EQ'ed way wrong, plus it could use some compression. Live and learn, right? On my 4 track, you put the inputs to "mic", then plug RCAs into the "Stereo Out" jacks, that goes into a RCA->1/8" jack into the sound card.
Good Luck