TASCAM MAN
New member
Just wondering if anyone still uses a Fostex A-8 (the one with 8 VU meters) man I just fired up mine that I had bought off of e-bay 5 yrs. back and its working/sounding like a charm !!! 
TASCAM MAN
New member
Also would like to know if its easy are a hassle to replace the little lights in the VU meters?? Anybody? 
P
pianodano
Guest
Nice recorder. I have an A2. Bought it brand new around 1985. The Dolby system that Fostex used sounds great and I never had the slightest bit of trouble when I sent tapes off for mastering and record pressing. Everybody seemed to be able to decode it.
Unfortunately I cannot find a Capstan belt of the correct length. I suspect that you will need one too if it has not been changed. I am currently using a Otari, but I really don't think that it sounds a bit better than the Fostex.
Unfortunately I cannot find a Capstan belt of the correct length. I suspect that you will need one too if it has not been changed. I am currently using a Otari, but I really don't think that it sounds a bit better than the Fostex.
TASCAM MAN
New member
Cool, I have the A-8 and the A-8 a perfect matched pair !! Bought em e-bay like 6 yrs. ago hardly did any recording on them.Had them in storage for almost 4 yrs.(went thru divorce) got em out of storage(and all my other stuff) and they seem to be no problems other than VU meters 2 thru 8 on the A-8 are out. Oh by bthe way,I just saw on e-bay the belts you are looking for !!
Blue Jinn
Rider of the ARPocalypse
There is an ebay seller who claims to have belts of the right proportion. It seems like a belt is fairly simple technology. I have an A-8 as well. got from a guy local, he wasn't sure of condition, (had sticky 456 with it) and wanted to get rid of it. Heads in pretty good shape, all the VU's light up. Did some scratch tracks with Ampex 641, and narrow gauge heads on lowest grade tape I have, sounded pretty good.
TASCAM MAN
New member
Evidently I have a roll of 499on my A-8 at the moment and it never seemed to have "sticky" problems
P
pianodano
Guest
Cool, I have the A-8 and the A-8 a perfect matched pair !!
Matched pair of A-8's. Ok, I'm confused.
Oh by bthe way,I just saw on e-bay the belts you are looking for !!
That would be great. I have ordered a couple from different sellers over the last few years, where they stated that what they were offering
was for the A-2 but unfortunately no. I will check Ebay offerings now. And thanks. I suppose I will eventually find one.
Danny
TASCAM MAN
New member
Matched pair of A-8's. Ok, I'm confused.
Oops my bad, I meant an A-8 and an A-2
That would be great. I have ordered a couple from different sellers over the last few years, where they stated that what they were offering
was for the A-2 but unfortunately no. I will check Ebay offerings now. And thanks. I suppose I will eventually find one.
Danny
Yeah they are still there to
Blue Jinn
Rider of the ARPocalypse
Evidently I have a roll of 499on my A-8 at the moment and it never seemed to have "sticky" problems
499 was never sticky, even Ampex branded. However, it requires different (higher) bias than 456 and is somewhat thicker, so you are potentially putting more stress on the transport, and operating it out of spec for wow/flutter, etc. There is debate here and no real consensus about using 1.5 mil tapes on decks that were designed for 1mil tape. I'd tend to take that advice though on the Fostex' which don't have quite as stout transports as e.g. an old Teac, and I think 499 might be a bit thicker than 456. I'd have to look it up to know for sure.
The Fostex 8 tracks are designed with 457 in mind: 1 mil +6 tape.
TASCAM MAN
New member
Thank you very much for that info....as long as I have recorded analog (since around 1974) I never realized that !! But I use to 'fudge" a little instead of trying to find someone to re-align my machines as you know ,it was and is hard to find a person that really knows how to do that and especially around Louisiana !!! So......I strated using 499 when they came out with it(456 prior to that)but just buryin the VU's with great results and no strain on the transport that I could ever tell. But dont be fooled,I just pulled this Fostex out of the closet that I bought off of e-bay like 6 yrs. back and only recorded on it once. It sounds pretty dam good (for such a narrow format/7.5 IPS/Dolby C) for not being touched in 6 yrs. !! I think it is a roll of 499 on it,but if you say it is aligned for thr thinner mil. tape thats what I will try when I buy some soon.I will have to find the homeade CD I had made with a few test tones (yrs. back) on it and run it on all 8 tks. and then check playback.....let you know what it reads soon ok!!!
jpmorris
Tape Wolf
I have on occasion put 499 and SM900 through the TSR-8 without changing it. Aside from the levels being offset, I haven't really noticed the difference. The noise reduction may help, though.
It's not something I do regularly, mind - the 499 came through it and the SM900 was an 'oh shit, I ordered the wrong one' moment.
It's not something I do regularly, mind - the 499 came through it and the SM900 was an 'oh shit, I ordered the wrong one' moment.
TASCAM MAN
New member
TASCAM MAN
New member
Ive been playing some 5" reels of mixdowns I did way way back, on a different 2 TK (Teac 15IPS mostly) and they sound perfectly aligned on the A-8 !!
Last edited:
TASCAM MAN
New member
Well why would anyone have to decode (it does not encode) the A-2 when it does not have a built in noise reduction?
P
pianodano
Guest
A2 has Dolby NR
TASCAM MAN
New member
Blue Jinn
Rider of the ARPocalypse
I'm thinking the 8 and the 2 have been interchanged in this thread. 
Also, when I mentioned before I was using 641, I think it was either 642 or 632...
None of my two tracks have ever had onboard NR either. BTW not sure if I asked. do you have the A8 or the A8LR (the one with 8 ins rather than 4?)
Also, when I mentioned before I was using 641, I think it was either 642 or 632... None of my two tracks have ever had onboard NR either. BTW not sure if I asked. do you have the A8 or the A8LR (the one with 8 ins rather than 4?)
TASCAM MAN
New member
I'm thinking the 8 and the 2 have been interchanged in this thread.
Actually I just looked at both of them and both of them just say A-series(the ones with VU meters) but I do know that the 8TK has only 4 ins and 8 outs plus Dolby C and the 2TK(no noise reduction which makes sense at 15 IPS) can do overdubs wow!! But anyways the 8TK has only one speed set at 15 IPS and the 2 TK beleive it or not is the one that has a choice of 7 1/2 or 15 IPS. I actually would like to see that reversed right?? But anyways they both sound great for the deal that i had got them for yrs. back on e-bay,they must have not had much mileage on them at all. Anyways I'll definately hang on to them ...
P
pianodano
Guest
Hmm. I just got out the manual for the thing and I can find no mention of NR at all. I bought it brand new, when they came out. I am (was, hell don't know) postive it used Dolby C. I do remember that I had owned it for a couple months and something went wrong. My dealer sent it back to the factory service center. I was pretty sure I was told that something had gone wrong with the Dolby circuit and it was replaced. I do know that when I replay tapes recorded on the A2 back on my Otari MX5050, there is a good bit of hiss. But zero hiss on the A2. Go figure, I am sorry if I have given you bad info. Maybe someone that services Fostex machines will weigh in and give a definitive answer.
TASCAM MAN
New member
I know for a fact that the A-series 2TK(with VU meters) does NOT have noise reduction built into it....Im looking at it right now and have been recording with it for a good while now and am very familiar with every button and switch on the machine....
