Fostex vs. Yamaha vs. Korg digi recorders

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ACIDBANDIT

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I was looking at purchasing a Fostex VF160 because I want to get into a 16 track, my 8 track is already showing it's limitations. VF160 goes for around 700-800, yet I can probably get a Yamaha aw16g or even a Korg D1600 for a reasonable price as well. Any yamaha/korg users out there got any input on these 2 units for me, as far as ease of use and features goes?

-dave-
 
Yo Bandito:

"Ease of use" would be the oxymoron of the year when refering to SIAB units or PC digital recording.

I use the Yam 2816 and I can get around on the unit but everytime I turn it on, I learn something. The Yam 16G is very popular and has a site devoted to its use and understanding -- pretty good information site for the unit.

Units running in the 1k range all do a decent job as far as I know -- you need to be sure that the unit you get will record, say, 4 tracks at a time or more. And, will the unit have the bells and horns that you want.

My unit has very good FX; now I'm stuck with two outboard FX units that I don't use -- but as technology gets better, maybe, just MAYBE the manuals will be written in a clear forward and succinct manner understandable by we common folk.

Kind of like Lawrence Welk and and one-a and a two-a....

Green Hornet :eek: :eek: :eek: :cool:
 
Everyone's personal needs are unique to themselves. What you need to do is find the differences between the candidates and decide what features are most important to you.
 
Yep, and search this site, search www.aw16g.com and search www.soundonsound.com (and Google for other mags) for loads of comparison opinions regarding these machines. A few hours of research will yield plenty to guide you--I know because I've done it.

Best,

J.
 
Acid - I went from a VF80 to a Yammie AW16G. My own view - this is highly subjective and I can't support it - is that I (and others in the band) noticed a definite improvement in recording quality when we used the Yam. Nothing to do with 8 vs 2 simultaneous inputs - we were just tracking a vocal and a guitar for working out a song part. Just sounded more transparent somehow. The manual is so bad its funny, but there are user friendly versions on the AW16G site. You could save cash by getting a used one - they are pretty robust. Likewise the VF160, would be solid.

Just another thought, you might prefer to go a 24 bit route, have you looked at the new 24 bit SIAB's? Might get something better than the three you mentioned for not a lot more money.
 
i checked out the yamaha aw16g a little. everyone who owns it seems to love it, however it seems to have a bit of a learning curve and everyone complains the manual is garbage. i was also looking at the tascam 2488, which is a 24-bit 24 track that has a ton of features but seems to have alot of shit to it as well. i guess it doesn't matter quite yet, since i won't have the income to purchase one of these mofo's for another month, however the fostex still seems like a great buy and is about 200-300 cheaper then the yamaha and the tascam. now i'm starting to wonder if 16-tracks will suffice for my needs. haha, this is really noodling my brain :)
 
Check whether that VF160 price is with or without the CD Writer, when you compare with the others. If you buy any of them used and sell / trade in your MR8 you would get a fantastic bang for your buck upgrade. Don't worry about the Yammie manual - the work's been done for you (and me :))
 
Garry Sharp said:
Check whether that VF160 price is with or without the CD Writer, when you compare with the others.
Click to expand...

i'm pretty sure the new asking price for a vf160 WITH a 40 or 20 gig HD AND a cdr is around $700. Sounds pretty sweet ass sweet to me. Then again the Tascam 2488 is a full 24 track for about a grand with a hd AND cdr as well. what it really comes down to for me is what my needs will be for this machine, and how much time i will have to slave in front of the box before i really get the hang of it :rolleyes:
 
Garry, I agree with your thoughts although I've never found the manual to be quite as bad as some folks feel. Yes, it could be much clearer in many ways, and it has an impersonal tone that detracts. Still, most information is indeed there if we take our time in figuring out the manual's approach. I've just finished re-reading the manual (18 months later) and found a certain inherent logic to its layout this time. In fact, my second reading gave me a lot more knowledge to work with and I kept thinking, "well, this manual's not as bad as I'd thought."

But I agree with you that it could be much more helpful for G-newcomers, who can be thankful that so many revised sources are available now via
www.aw16g.com We early G-buyers didn't have such sources, yet we did survive admirably--even with many of us (like me) coming to the digital recording world for the first time. My own move from a Tascam cassette portastudio required a major shift in focus that moved beyond the Yamaha to the entire digital recording world itself. My early reading of the very basic "Home Recording for Musicians (Dummies)" really helped me a lot in making this early adjustment. I'd recommend such a text for newcomers.

I'd also tell anyone new to digital recording to begin slowly, do your homework each day, and understand that you're learning recording skills that will pay off for a lifetime. Learning the craft will in many ways be more important than the particular machine purchased--I really believe this.
I think it would be foolish to think that one particular machine will eliminate this required learning (i.e., some necessary work over weeks, months, and years). It's a long, slow process, but thankfully, this work can be a hell of a lot of fun, too. Mastering something that we enjoy almost always is.

To return to the original post: I'd suggest choosing the machine that best meets your needs--and not worrying about which machine might take some extra hours of learning. In the long run, a few extra hours out of months/years of rewarding learning and use seem absolutely insignificant to me and not the basis for any wise decision.

Best,

J.
 
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