Which 16 track Recorder??

J

jouannyr

New member
Hello all, I'd like a little advice on which 16-track recorder to purchase. A while ago I was after going 8-track, but I've decided to go to 16-track now!
At the moment, I've got offers of a Fostex G-16, or the TASCAM MSR16 - they're both in good condition. Which one would you guys recommend? Or is there another model I should be looking at etc....?

Any advice is massively appreciated.

Cheers,

Rich
 
The Fostex uses 1/2" tape, the Tascam 1". You'll get better quality from 16 tracks on 1", plus the Tascam will probably be better built.

Bill, Dan Dave and FM will be here to back me up shortly; no doubt :)

Incidentally: how much do you have to spend on this item?
 
The TASCAM MSR16 is a 1/2 inch machine. But, I do agree that it is a better built unit and offers superior noise reduction with dbx or the newer Dolby S version.

If you are wanting a one inch model, the MS16 or ATR60-16 would be the ones to consider. They would offer the same track width as a half inch, eight track machine and offer the same or, slightly higher level of fidelity.

Cheers! :)
 
Thanks for the replies Mark and Ghost of FM. To answer your question Mark, I've not really set a budget aside, but I'm think I could get the TASCAM for around £500 which sounds good as I'm assured it's in mint condition.

I'm a little confused by what you meant when on the subject of 1 inch 16-trackers you said "They would offer the same track width as a half inch, eight track machine and offer the same or, slightly higher level of fidelity." (Sorry I'm still an amateur at the moment!)

Thanks again for your reply, I think I'm gonna go for the TASCAM as everyone has said they're the best!

Cheers,

Rich
 
When I made reference to track width , I was referring to the individual width of one track.

So, if we assume the lotus position, clear our minds and think deeply here for just a sec, we will quickly see that if you have 8 tracks spread out on 1/2 inch tape, we will also have the same track width with a 16 track, spread across one inch machine.

Of coarse, if you weren't considering a 1/2 inch, 8 track machine prior to your posting of this thread, this will all sound like sheer madness on my part.

Cheers! :)
 
Well, if you think about it the width of the heads on a standard semi-pro 1/4" R2R 4 Track is about 0.043". If you double the width of the tape to 1/2" and double the number of tracks to 8 the size of the heads stays the same. Likewise, if you double both again. I think the reason a 1" 16 track is likely to offer a higher level of fidelity than a 1/2" 8 track is because with 16 tracks available you're less likely to need to bounce tracks to make room for more material.
 
Ahhh I see! It's making more sense to me now. Would there be any difference in the sound quality of a 16-track 1/2 inch, and an 8 track 1/2 inch? I'm presuming there wouldn't be?

Cheers for your help guys, this is my last question I promise!
 
The recording and reproduction quality on a 1/2" 8 Track will be higher than on a 1/2" 16 Track, simply because the heads will be wider on the former. However, you have to weigh that up against the possibility that you're more likely to bounce tracks to make room for more material on an 8 track than on a 16. So, it probably evens out in the end.
 
Hello, one thing the MSR has to offer. IF you ever get a midiizer control, it is easy to synch 2 MSR's togeather. Although, it sure makes for a lot of cables. So who said analog is easy:D
fitZ
 
Excellent! That's cleared up the little niggle I had in my mind (I was scratching my head wondering about the differences in quality between the 8 and 16 track machines that were both 1/2 inch!).

Cheers for your help guys, much appreciated.

I may be back in the future with more stupid questions, but for now, I'm off to buy some more gear!

Cheers,

Rich
 
Not yet, that's the beauty of it all, i'm still setting up.

I'm constructing a studio, and for starters i'll be using a TASCAM 38-8, and then after a while, I'll add a 16-track (probably gonna go for the 1 inch now!), and then I'll have the options of either (depending on what I'm doing).

But I'm gonna get a mixing desk that will be sufficient from the start.

Any recommendations?
 
If you're looking for a 1" 16 track good luck with finding one on ebay UK. Your best bet would probably be to trawl the SOS Classifieds or try some of the Pro Audio Brokers' like Gear On Line. There are more but I can't recall them offhand. Try posting a message in Gearslutz (which tends to have more Brit Audio Pros hanging around) as they are more likely to be able to give you the names of some good Brokers than I am.
 
If you don't mind paying for shipping from Germany (well, at least it's nearer than the US) this seems to be cheap: though there's probably a reason for that (are the Record and Playback heads missing!? :confused: ).
 
The Ghost of FM said:
The TASCAM MSR16 is a 1/2 inch machine. But, I do agree that it is a better built unit and offers superior noise reduction with dbx or the newer Dolby S version.

If you are wanting a one inch model, the MS16 or ATR60-16 would be the ones to consider. They would offer the same track width as a half inch, eight track machine and offer the same or, slightly higher level of fidelity.

Cheers! :)
Click to expand...

I have had both. The Fostex is better built and more reliable than the MSR16. The man who designed the Fostex E-16 left Tascam because of their insistance on useing thos funky relays and other design issues. My Fostex was bought in 1989 and is still in mint condition. My Tascam has moved on and is in heaven now. The Tascam was a great machine until the end where it had a different problem every time I powered it on. Sticky relays, missing tracks, etc.
 
acorec,

Are you suggesting that the Fostex 16 track recorders have no relays in them?

If so, how do they accomplish the task of switching 16 channels of circuitry from monitoring input and switching to the head's output?

Cheers! :)
 
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