I'm thinking of defecting to Yamaha!

C

carelessorc

New member
I'm looking at the Yamaha AW 1600. I figure that with its better EQ, effects, dynamics, pre-amps, 24 bit capability, and pitch fix, amongst other things, it's time to trade-in my VF160 for one.
What do y'all think?
Anybody used the AW 1600?

Orc
 
If I were to move to another system I'd consider one of the Korgs. I believe they use 3.5" HardDrives, not 2.5" (that are more easily exchanged). The old Yamaha aw16G didn't take many different brands of drives (like the VF160). Also, the Korg have 16 faders plus master on the D1600. I've also heard the Yamaha learing curve is steep. Plus you should check how many tracks can be played back at 24bit (16?). But I imagine the Yamahas are nice in any event.
 
Also, there's a forum for the AW1600. I forget the exact address. But it'd be worth checking out the Bugs section.

I think a lot of the things we take for granted with the VF160 may not be something available on other machines. For instance, the VF saves as you go. So, even in the unlikely event of a crash/freeze, you don't lose your work. In 3 years, I've never lost a note, even when I've frozen the machine. Other machines seem to crash more frequently and lost work is much more common. You have to remember to frequently save.
 
Thanks for the response, Bill, especially the 'save as you go' tip.
The VF is a great machine, solid and simple (and I think those virtues are often not given enough weight when comparisons are made with other SIABs).
Tha fact that on the AW1600 8 tracks are tied as 4 stereo pairs does bother me a little - but when I look at most of my projects on the VF, I often have that many stereo pairs anyway (since track-pairing came in): not just keyboard and drums, but also electric guitars (effects sound much better in stereo) and double tracked vocals. Plus there are 112 extra virtual tracks (yeah - I know - I'd probably fill them up with junk!)

Orc
 
I'm sure the Yamaha is a great box. Yamaha doesn't make anything that's bad. Really, they all are. I was only showing my own biased tendencies. If I was switching from the VF160, I'd be tempted to wait for a Fostex 24bit version, or get one of the Korg XD units. To me, they look great.

One thing to try: Give Yamaha tech support a call and see what that experience is like... Korg... I say this because we know Matt at Fostex is nice, but he's only one guy. I know Korg has had excellent tech support (usually a live person right away). TASCAM is apparently not good at all.

Lastly, will wav files saved on your Fostex be importable to a new machine? I'd assume they should be, but it'd be nice to know for sure.
 
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