fostex D-108 SCSI setup and OS upgrade

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MiXit-G

MiXit-G

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I'm just about to buy a D-108 off a freind but i need some help with some questions...

I want to upgrade the operating system to V1.12 so i can install a large capacity HD, i have downloaded the file but how do i install it on the D-108????

I want to record on location with the D-108 then come home and dump the audio files down to PC through the SCSI port, in the manual it says that the files are stored in a fat16 format but my PC is fat32 will i still be able to work with them? would i need to install another drive in my PC (in fat16 fomat) just for transferring my audio files or can i use my main drive?

From what i can gather you can record in two formats WAV. and the fostex standard(whatever that is) does anyone record in WAV. on this unit and then transfer to PC out there??? and if so is this a pain in the butt to do because im hopin that when i come home all i do is hook up the scsi cable and viola! its all there on my desktop ready to click and drag?????

Please any helpful comment appreciated.
 
You need to use a zip drive to install the OS. Simply copy the file system upgrade to a zip disk and then connect a SCSI zip drive to the D108 and power up. The D108 should recognize the upgrade file and install it.
 
I think you'd better dump the scsi stuff all together and get a soudcard with Adat interface. It's much more convenient to download tracks thru Adat IF than keep swapping external HD between computer and Fostex. Keep in mind that you have to boot the computer when you do the swap.

BTW, how much is your friend asking for the D-106?
 
MiXit,

Contact Syntec the Fostex distributors on 02-94174700, ask for tech support and see if they can assist.

I honestly think Skippy's post on this issue was "on the money" as he has a couple of "D" series recorders as well as considerable industry experience to back up his opinions.

Good Luck.

:cool:
 
Fostex uses a proprietary file system called FDM3. You can't just swap IDE HD's into a pc. However, you can swap in a SCSI HD and "rip" the files to .wav files. I've never tried the Skippy method, but I have attempted a Linux method that worked, but was not worth the effort and having linux on my machine.

There are some Fostex HD recorders that export .wav files, but from what I understand, they export to a SCSI drive.. either jaz, zip, etc. I can't remember if the D108 exports .wav's or not.

Either way, using an ADAT i/o on an audio card is the best way to go by far. That method also allows you to sync the HD recorder to your PC for easy transfers to and from the HD recorder/PC for such things as dumping midi tracks to the HD recorder, etc. The Korg 1212 can be found for under $100 on ebay. I use the Terratec EWS88D. Another good one is the Event EZ8.
 
Thanks guys.
It's on Ebay for $600 which is really cheap but if you add up all the extrs that im going to need to get it to PC i dont know if its worth the hassle.

I though about buying an external SCSI HD but they can be costly and an optical soundcard isnt cheap over here either.

Yeah i rang syntec in sydney they were helpful.

I'm after a rack mount digital recorder with no less than 8 tracks that i can take out , then plug into my PC easily and dump those waves down into my cubase...any suggestions?
 
Get the Fostex, and then get a Hammerfall or other ADAT-compatible card. Trust me: that is much, _much_ less hassle for getting tracks into a DAW. They come in in parallel, properly synced up- you can slave the DAW to timecode from the Fostex and get a very powerful rig indeed. You can take to Fostex into the field and do location recording, bring tracks back, and fly them in for editing and further processing at your leisure.

Buying that unit for cheap, and then buying a good soundcard to connect it to the DAW, is not a lot of hassle- compared to trying to do the equivalent things with a DAW alone, external converters, word clock, and so on. The Hammerfall or equivalent card isn't cheap in Australian dollars, but there's one thing that has proven itself to me time after time- you can do it right, or you can do it _twice_. And doing it twice is always more expensive- I've done so many things where I've cheaped out and then ended up buying the better hardware later, and being stuck with the cheap solution that I couldn't resell.

It's an investment. If you go that route, I think you'll like the results...
 
Thanks skipp.

I think im going to go the 250 external zip disk option because a freind of mine has one cheap plus i love the soundcard im using at the moment.

250 meg should be heaps i was going through some of my work and i can fit a whole song on to one which will keep me going for days and transfer is quicker than realtime unlike optical, not much but still a consolation.
 
MiXit-G said:
Thanks skipp.

I think im going to go the 250 external zip disk option because a freind of mine has one cheap plus i love the soundcard im using at the moment.

250 meg should be heaps i was going through some of my work and i can fit a whole song on to one which will keep me going for days and transfer is quicker than realtime unlike optical, not much but still a consolation.
Click to expand...

don't forget.. you can span back-ups across multiple zip disks as well.
 
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