Fostex A8 with Allen & Heath ZED R16

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chipotle CEO
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Hey guys. How in the hell do I set these two up together? Send the R16's adat out to a adat in on a lightpipe? If I need a lightpipe, I was looking at the Presonus Digimax D8, I only need 8 channels. But yeah how would I set them up together?
 
Those don't really go together. The mixer is designed to record directly to a computer via Firewire, not be connected to an analog multitrack tape deck. Using a Digimax would involve a pointless round trip through the AD/DA converters.

Rather than the Digimax you could use "insert tap" cables to send 8 of the R16 channels to A8 tracks. Return the A8 outputs to the other 8 channels of the mixer and you would have a basic analog multitracking setup.
 
Awesome thank you! Could you link me to inster tip cables and go a little more in depth? I would need an RCA to 1/4, correct?
 
The inserts on the mixer are on TRS (tip/ring/sleeve) connectors. They are two-way output/input connections that are "normalled" so when nothing's connected they just pass the signal on to the next stage of the channel. The trick is to tap (like a keg) a copy of that signal, sending it to the recorder while also retaining the "normal" path. So what you need is eight special cables that act as splitters. On one end they would have the RCA connectors and on the other end they would have TRS plugs, with the tip and ring wired together. That TRS end would act as the splitter, keeping the internal signal path intact but also connecting it to the recorder.

I don't know if there's an appropriate cable on the market, but it's an easy build if you can solder. It might be most cost and time effective to buy an RCA snake and replace one end with appropriately wired TRS. Tip of the RCA end connects to tip and ring of the TRS end, that simple.
 
If you want to get going on the cheap just use standard guitar cables and plug them in partially. Some TRS sockets have pretty strongly sprung ring contacts that can hold the plug in place quite well, others not so much. It can be unreliable but it can work. Take the low budget approach up half a level and make spacers you can slip on the plugs to keep them at the right depth. I used 1/4" ID fuel hose, cut to 1/4" length.
 
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