D1624mkII????

[Cratinus]

Fostex JAPAN lists the 1624mkII as one of its standard multitracks (all specs are in Japanese).
it is an all black (gray?) unit like the D2424 with a remote in matching color. i understand that the D1624 has been discontinued (at least in terms of distribution) in the states (although D1624 units can still be found). anyone aware of this "mkII" upgrade for the D1624 and what it might be?? i assume it to be mrerely a software upgrade (unit color not withstanding) but i am not sure.

 

[skippy]

I checked into that (with the help of Ausrock) when they first introduced it. There doesn't apear to be any way to upgrade a D1624 to a D1624 MkII here in the US, nor is there any obvious way to obtain the MkII units here. Fostex US has put all its support behind the D2424, and won't even acknowledge the existence of those units. If you're going to get one, you'll have to go gray market and buy it overseas.

The MkII units appear to be based on the D2424 design, with different drive bay hardware and significantly different firmware. I don't think that the firmware is compatible with the older 1624s, due to the different disk support hardware needed to achieve the bandwidth required by 24-track operation. It's a shame, too, because the D2424 appears to have addressed the punchout mute issue that annoys me from time to time- that would be the primary reason I'd want to upgrade.

I'm still calling Fostex US from time to time to encourage them to make at least that firmware rev available, but with no positive response as yet. Feel free to call them and beat on them as well- if enough people do that, pehaps they'll rethink their decision and look into an upgrade path for us...

 

[ausrock]

Skippy,

Thanks for the acknowledgement .

I rechecked this out again with the Aust., distributors some time back with the same results............they were still unable to assist. So I think that as you said, just keep hassling Fostex and see if they eventually "give in" to pressure is the only hope.

ChrisO

 

[Cratinus]

thanks for the replies. skippy, the "punch-out mute" issue,..is it THAT much of a problem? i "presume" it to be a moment of silence after the punch-in has been completed,...but is unnoticeable upon playback. is this correct?

for the record,..i don't currently own a Fostex "d" series unit. my analog 8-track has just recently sputtered to an unfortunate demise and (since then) i've been doing some research. i have a Mackie 1604vlz mixer which is the center of my home studio. i know every quirk,..every routing capability,...every insert/aux send/bus option.........i really like this board. i KNOW it well. "I" can mix on it and get the results "I" want. i've considered a few "all-in-one" units but have been frustated due to lack of an "immediate" contol interface and very INFLEXIBLE aux/bus issues AND the fact that i have a rather LARGE pile of effects processors (that i am PARTICULARLY fond of) that sound TONS better than the "effects boards" on some of these units.

SO,..i've decided on a 16-track "mixer-free" digital recorder. Fostex is really the only choice (i DON'T need extensive editing and i prefer to mix with my HANDS and EARS).

would i be disappointed if i picked up a used D-160v2 (as opposed to a D1624)? the recording resolution on the 1624 is obviously higher (by the way,..DOES it play back 16 tracks at 24-bit???). are there SIGNIFICANT differences between the D160v2 and the D1624 (other than 24-bit capability)? what is the MAXIMUM hard drive capacity of each unit? i'd appreciate any guidance. thanks.

 

[ausrock]

Cratinus,

I'll tell what little I can as I'm "technically retarded" .............Skippy on the other hand, apart from being a bloody nice guy, is also over endowered with this kind of knowledge .

OK, I own a D160v2. I believe that with a distributor installed software upgrade that the H/drive can be up to 40gb.........it would be wise to check that out with Fostex US's Tech Support. DON'T RELY on their website for accurate info.

The D160 is a 16bit system..........the lower data storage requirements as opposed to a 24bit obviously give you considerable more recording time per gigabyte.

Without getting into a 16bit vs 24bit debate, my personal take is that while there are discrete and subtle "improvements" with 24bit, the majority of people won't notice the difference in a normal listening environment, consequently my D160 is fine for my purposes.

I would love to have 3 or 4 grand ($Aust) to spend on getting a 16 trk reel to reel synched to my D160.............but for now that is just a dream.

 

[ausrock]

Also.............the D160, well mine at least, doesn't seem to suffer from the noisey H/drive problems that Skippy encountered with the 1624's, although I don't think there is a fan in the D160 drives.

I have a Fostex VC-8 AD/DA converter set up in conjunction with the D160............this allows me to record up to 16 tracks simultaniously............not a common occurence, but good to have the ability if needed.

I am running through a Soundcraft Spirit 24/8 and apart from the fact that my concole needs a damned good service, the system is great.