Fostex E16 or 1/2" 8-track?

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WarmJetGuitar

New member
What's the sonic difference between a Fostex E16 and a 1/2" 8-track like Tascam 38, TSR or similar? Will the 8-track be beefier soundwise? Or will the difference just be in the degree of spill-overs among the tracks and shittier edge tracks?

I got an E16 on my hands for a good price given it's in good condition.
 
Not sure about the E16...but I have a G16, and it certainly does a great job with little shortcomings. Yeah, wider track width is always better than narrow, but that's not the whole picture. Lots of it is in the electronics, and of course, do you want/need 16 tracks or 8.

While I use my G16 all the time and (knock on wood) after 20 years it has never failed me or shown any issues, I've been keeping an eye for a decent 1/2" 8 track lately, probably an Otari if. Not 'cuz I don't like the G16 or anything, just 'cuz I have tons of 1/2" tape and I wouldn't mind having the wider tracks for occasions when I only need 8 tracks.
 
I did a lot of work on an E-16-30ips and aside from the fact that it is a drag to align, it sounded fine and was very reliable. I still use it on occasion when a client comes in with something on that format.
 
Ive had both a 38 and a G16. Prefer the Fostex. Still have the G16 and use it regularly. The 38 though bought brand new spent most of the 2 years i had it in the shop. The G16 on the other hand has never seen a repair shop. The main difference youll hear between the two is the difference between dolby and dbx. Dolby sounds a little more natural to me but doesnt give quite as much noise reduction.

Thats my story and Im sticking to it.............
 
I'll test the beast and go for it if it's running smooth, has a reasonable amount of head wear and sounds good. Thanks so much for your valuable feedback guys :)
When browsing forums like this it seems the E and G series is the Fostex models being loved by most people.

Almost sure this is the mode beingl used by The Brian Jonestown Massacre in the 90's and they had an awesome sound back then.

I suppose it's belt driven? Looking forward to get this machine - R8 for hard times moneywise or stuff that simply don't need more than 8-tracks and the E16 for the bigger setups. Our small studio is getting quite nice.
 
E16

I think the e16 is direct drive and the g16 is cam drive. Dont quote me on any of this though. But drive isnt what matters, its sound, and for me Fostex is it. Yes I wish I had an Otari but my fostex G16 and Model 20 have never held me back in my estimation, as much as my lack of recording skills. If you want to hear my Fostex gear in action go to youtube.com and type in Wilbur Niles Thrust Downunder and tell me what you think.
 
The E16 is a very nice machine. The biggest difference between that and a half-inch 8-track is the crosstalk is a bit worse on the 16 and you really must use the noise reduction, Dolby C. Low cost noise reduction made these narrow track machines possible.

The 38, 48, etc, can be used without noise reduction (depends a bit on the type of music) and it doesn’t come with it onboard anyway, so you can use something other than dbx if you like. The TSR-8 is even better… a bit quieter without noise reduction than the 38 and it has great onboard dbx. A well tuned dbx system as found on the TSR-8 not only eliminates tape hiss, but also reduces crosstalk and reduces the apparent print-through with no side effects.

16 tracks on half-inch tape works well with the onboard NR engaged, whether you have a Fostex E16, G16 or Tascam MSR-16. 8 tracks on half-inch works even better, but if you need more than 8 tracks, 16 on half-inch has proven itself in many studios over many years.

All the above assuming that the machine in question is in good working condition.
 
The E16 was messed up, it couldn't FF/RW without me messing with the tension rollers and the heads looked like they wouldn't sound good forever so I skipped it. If the seller figures a way to make it run smooth I'll get it later.

So I'll continue the quest. It appears almost all there is on the second hand market here is quarter inch Fostex 8-tracks, expensive Studers and Lyrecs. Either Tascam and 16-track Fostex didn't sell well here - or people just hold on to them because they like them. Don't know.

Speaking of noise reduction I actually prefer the sound of my R8 without, sounds warmer and more natural to me - does the older, fancier Fostexes have a more musical sounding NR? Maybe it's just my ears being weird and my hiss tolerance quite high but the other technically minded guy in our band feels the same.
 
I never tried my G16 without NR. Cant comment on how it would sound, but whatever sounds best to your ears is the best way to use it. Ive heard an r8 before and it was a good sounding machine. One of my favorite jazz artists recorded his first major label release on one back in the 90s. All Fostex machines use the same dolby c system except the G16s and G24s which used dolby s which I have heard can can become problematic after long periods of time. But the dolby c used by fostex never bothered my ears. Sometimes things that stick out when listened to soloed or out of context dont make much differenc in the final product. I prefer the sound of dolby to DBX but Id be lying if I said I could tell the difference listening to a CD.
 
The very first wave of Fostex G-series decks were Dolby C, then they switched to Dolby S

My G16 has the Dolby C, and I've never thought it was bad sounding at all....and I too have never recorded without it.
 
I've got both, I think the TSR8 has a thicker, more broader sound, seems to make the soundscape larger, the E16 sounds almost as good although slightly less thickness. The noise reduction works fine on both machines & I don't really notice either.

I'd say the E16 might even be better for a band with the extra tracks, just double up the lead vocals & it sounds great, lots of bands used to make records on these in the late '80's & 90's. A good console & outboard would make a real difference, more than the difference between these machines IMO.

The TRS does sound bigger & seems to be built more sturdy. Maybe sounds more "professional" but I reckon it's a similar choice to some making a fuss about better digital converters & should they spend more!!!!! In most cases better outboard, mics & performance is what really counts. And make sure there's some valves in the signal chain!!!
 
Not meaning to steal the tread...but I would be curious how folks compared any of the TASCAM 1/2" 8-track offerings to the Otari 5050 stuff.

As I mentioned in the thread and in some previous threads...even though I have my Fostex G16 and absolutely love it and have never had a single issue with it...I've been casually shopping for a 1/2" 8-track just to have as a standby/alternative...so I'm curious about the pros/cons people have between the TASCAM and Otari decks.

I have the last generation Otari 5050 1/4" machine, and think it's quite good...but have never had any real hands-on time with any of the TASCAM decks.
 
1/2" is the way to go for 8 track. the track width for 8-track on 1/4" or 16 in 1/2" is just too narrow, more hiss, harder to align. Sure tape cost is an issue vs number of tracks. But i think 1/2" 8 track is the sweet spot for semipro
 
fgonza2 said:
1/2" is the way to go for 8 track. the track width for 8-track on 1/4" or 16 in 1/2" is just too narrow, more hiss, harder to align. Sure tape cost is an issue vs number of tracks. But i think 1/2" 8 track is the sweet spot for semipro
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Ended up with the Fostex G16 because of tape expenses and availability. Very pleased with it so far. Have not experienced any drop offs so far and the Dolby C seems to keep the hiss down quite well.

Don't have the gear for alignment just yet but yeah, these two head narrow track machines sure got a reputation for being a horribly experience to align. But well, if we learn it the hard way then it'd be easy if we ever switch to a fully pro three headed 24-track :D
 
fgonza2 said:
1/2" is the way to go for 8 track. the track width for 8-track on 1/4" or 16 in 1/2" is just too narrow, more hiss, harder to align. Sure tape cost is an issue vs number of tracks. But i think 1/2" 8 track is the sweet spot for semipro
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1/2" 8 track does sound slightly better per track than 1/2" 16 track does, but not enough that it makes a critical difference in sound quality. Performance & decent outboard & console make more of a difference IMO.

3 top ten UK singles & a No 2 UK album sounds good enough to me as I posted above!
 
WarmJetGuitar said:
Ended up with the Fostex G16 because of tape expenses and availability. Very pleased with it so far. Have not experienced any drop offs so far and the Dolby C seems to keep the hiss down quite well.

Don't have the gear for alignment just yet but yeah, these two head narrow track machines sure got a reputation for being a horribly experience to align. But well, if we learn it the hard way then it'd be easy if we ever switch to a fully pro three headed 24-track :D
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Glad to see you in the Fostex camp. Ive used every machine mentioned in this post and you can make great music with any of them if you know how. Get a decent mixer and some pro outboard gear and you will be ok. If your like most recordist you will always be overly critical of your own personal equipment. The shortcomings are usually with the engineering or the talent though, not the equipment.
Dont get me wrong I wont be doing any CDs on 4 track portastudio but a G16 wont inhibit you. Or at least mine never inhibited me. As long as your Fostex machine is in good shape it will be an asset to obtaining your goals. My Fostex recordings sound far superior to any of the stuff I did in the 80s at numerous studios that had the recorders that people on the net swear sound better. Good recording techniques sound good on any format. Good luck with your machine and your music.
 
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