Recording from the vf-16 to a cd recorder

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nick kincade

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Im trying to record from the vf-16 to a phillps cd recorder using a opitical cord. Im trying to cd-sync the two so i dont have to keep stopping and starting over and over. Can anybody help me?
 
Question 4 u

Nick
Sorry, can't help with your question, but have one for you if you have time to answer. I have the VF-08 and am planning on getting a cd recorder soon. How do you record onto cd if you want to put down one song now, one a week later, etc. Do you have to do that kind of thing on a cd-rw? Does your Philips recorder let you do that? I have a Philips external on my computer and have to do the whole cd at once if you use cd-r.
I'm pretty stupid when it comes to electronic crap, appreciate any reply, thanks.
 
Nick Kincade,

Just to see if i understand you correctly, you want to line up different programs in your VF16 and then record them to your CD-recorder in one session? If that's the case, i think you might be out of luck. You have to pause the CD-recorder, stop the VF and change program, and then start both machines again.

Or do you want to sync the start of the VF and the Philips? Then you'll have to look into the "REC TYPE" (manual recording/sync recording) and "AUTO TRACK" functions on your CD-recorder. I've had problems doing this with songs or tracks that have long silent parts.


R_tikul8,

It's a CD-RW disc you're looking for. Remember that the CD-R/RW for your computer is very different from a standalone CD-recorder. The latter uses specially encoded CD-R/CD-RW discs and won't take the discs you use for your computer CD-R/RW.

I've found the CD-recorders RW-discs being a bit unreliable, though. Once, the CD-recorder didn't recognize the previously recorded tracks and just recorded the disc as if it had been an empty one. It just happened that one time, and i had back ups, but still.
 
micmac.
Thanks for the reply. So your saying if I bought just a cd burner that wouldn't work? I need to get a recorder capable of cr-r and cd-rw? Once I get everything recorder to cd-rw, how then do I get it to a regular cd I can play on any cd player? Excuse my ignorance, trying to learn this stuff and still have a million questions about my fostex digital recorder, but don't want to overwhelm the forums with my stupid questions.
Rtik.
 
R_tikul8,

You can divide CD-R/RW burners/recorders into two main groups:

1. The ones for your computer.

2. The ones for your stereosystem. Often refered to as "Standalone CD-Recorder". Nick was talking about one of these.

If your CD-burner for your computer can burn CD-RW discs, the burner itself is most likely labled "RW" or "R/RW" somewhere.

If you have a standalone CD-recorder (these look like a regular CD-deck, only with more buttons), it can usually handle CD-RW discs even if it's just labled "CDR", like for example the Philips ones: CDR775, etc.

The discs for these two types are somewhat different. Technically speaking, they're the same, but discs for standalone CD-Rs includes somekind of code that's necessary to be able to record on them. If you try using a regular CD-R or CD-RW disc, like the ones you use for your computer, you'll get a "Wrong Disc - Use Audio CD"-message. This is because the price of the standalone discs are padded with a fee that goes to the record companies, making the discs more expensive than discs for your computer burner. (When the first standalones came out, it was _assumed_ that all music recorded would be already copyrighted music...).

With your VF08, your main concern is how to get the songs out of the VF and onto CD.

-If your computer has a coaxial S/P-DIF input (look on the back of your VF to see what it looks like) you could hook up the VF to it, load the songs over and burn CDs from there. Some PC's have optical S/P-DIF, the VF08 doesn't, then you'd need an optical/coaxial S/P-DIF adapter (maybe $30-50???).

-If you have a standalone CD-R, just connect the S/P-DIF output on the VF to the S/P-DIF input on the standalone and you should be ok.

There are other ways of getting the material on your VF onto a CD, but then you'll need the SCSI-card that goes in the sideslot on the VF08. You'll also need either a ZIP-drive or a CD-writer compatible with the VF.



Hope this wasn't too basic or too confusing.

If you have VF08-specific questions, post them in a new thread and maybe i can help you out.
 
Thanks a bunch micmac! I'm starting to get it. So you're saying if I get a stand alone cd-r that I would be able to put down one song at a time here and there?? I would like to try it first going through the computer, but I have a crappy sound blaster live card and from what I understand, you can only record 2 tracks at a time on it. I've tried to run the stereo outs from the vf to the line in on the SB card, which works great with my old 4 track tape recorder and with a friends 8 track mini disc, but it will not record onto the hard drive off the vf08 that way. I know I need to be running from the s/pdif out, but can't figure out which input on the sb card to run that into. would just the line in work? again, excuse my ignorance and thanks a million for the help. Rtik
 
R_tikul8,

The S/P-DIF won't work with the line inputs. They look like they're the same kind of connectors, but it ends with that. S/P-DIF is digital, your line inputs are analog. S/P-DIF carries Left/Right on one single cable, the line ones need one cable for each side.

Hooking up the line inputs to the VF's L and R ST OUT (next to the footswitch jack) will work fine. It's a compromise, though, since that means one more time of converting digital to analog and back to digital. It definitely won't improve the sound, rather the opposite.

I don't know about the SB card, but what you need to find out is if it has S/P-DIF and if that S/P-DIF is coaxial or optical. The VF08 only has coaxial S/P-DIF in and out.

I'm attaching a pic to this post. In the middle you'll see two optical S/P-DIF connectors, one IN and one OUT. On either side of those two there are two connectors that look like regular RCA-phono jacks. One side is coaxial S/P-DIF, the other is Analog outs, but as you can see they look similar.

If your SB has the coaxial S/P-DIFs, all you need is a single cable to hook up from your VF08. The cable should be like the ones you use for video (75 ohm), the one with the yellow plug if we're talking TV or VCR. There are special cables to buy, but a regular video cable will work fine to start with. I'm sure you can find out more about your SB card in a manual or at www.soundblaster.com or somewhere else.

Only optical and no coaxial S/P-DIFs on your SB means you'll have to get a coaxial/optical S/P-DIF converter. Fostex makes one, and there's a bunch of other brands.

No ignorance detected.

micmac
 

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Hooking up the line inputs to the VF's L and R ST OUT (next to the footswitch jack) w

micmac.
Thanks again for all the help. The above is what won't work for me, it works fine with 8 track fostex tape recorder and yamaha mini disc, but when I try it with the fostex digital the sound card will record nothing, that's where I'm confused. I realize doing this I will lose sound quality, but I'm just confused as to why it won't work. I guess my sb card just has S/PDIF out, so understand to use the S/PDIF out from the digital recorder will need to get i/o add on or another sound card. You've been real helpful, I'm sure I'll be buggin you again. R_tikul8
 
? VF08 more newbie than u R_micmanHELP!

ok, here we go,
Before I start, sorry if u guys covered this and I didn't understand. Anyway I think my question(s) is similiar to yours, thats why Im posting it here. I have an imac, which comes with its standard sound card (I dont really know much about soundcards.) I use Reason to creat music on the computer. OK, I want to mix vocals, possibly some other instruments to my tracks, but I dont like useing cubase, or other mixing software like that, so my thought was maybe I could get something like the VF08 to mix everything together. Question 1- Is it possible to get my music off the computer into the VF08? 2-Then mix in vocals/instruments on the VF08? 3-Then put it back into my computer to burn CD's? regardless of sound quality loss.(In case your not familiar with imacs it just has a mic in,2 USB ins, and a firewire in.) Sorry if this too "newbie" but I am new to this stuff and your help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
KOS
 
Re: ? VF08 more newbie than u R_micmanHELP!

KOS said:


I use Reason to creat music on the computer. OK, I want to mix vocals, possibly some other instruments to my tracks, but I dont like useing cubase, or other mixing software like that, so my thought was maybe I could get something like the VF08 to mix everything together.



Almost any software mixer will be far more powerful and give you more options than mixing on a VF08. The VF is very limited when it comes to EQ, effects, automation and basically anything else you'd want to have handy when mixing. Not to mention the XXS-size "calculator display".


Question 1- Is it possible to get my music off the computer into the VF08?

Yes. Without having to spend too much money, and not regarding sound quality, you could use a Y-cable, stereo miniplug on the imac end (speaker out, next to the USB-ports etc) with two 1/4" plugs on the other end going into the VF.

Or you could burn a CD with your imac, then hook up the VF to a stereo system (preferably directly from the CD-player's digital out to the VF's digital in, but any line out from the CD/stereo to the VF's analog in's will also work).

2-Then mix in vocals/instruments on the VF08? 3-Then put it back into my computer to burn CD's?

#2 Yes, but remember that the VF is pretty limited when it comes to tracks also. Going over six tracks will most likely mean that you have to bounce tracks at some point.

#3 This will be your main problem. The imac's only (mic) input doesn't work for this purpose. Option 1: An USB audio interface like the Edirol UA-30 or something similar. The UA-30 has some problems with earlier imac versions (before summer 2000(?)). I'm sure there are other USB interfaces also.

Alternatives are a standalone CD-recorder like the ones mentioned in the other posts or the Zip-drives and CD-burners that are compatible with the VF. The latter two will introduce other problems: 1- your VF will need an optional SCSI-card ($80-100(?)). 2 - If you get a SCSI Zip-drive/CD-burner that's compatible with the VF, your imac won't have a SCSI-port to hook it up to... I went through all this about a year ago and it's a mess... If you're even more confused after having read this, i don't blame you...

I just use the VF to record whatever tracks i need, then i dump them into the mac via a standalone CD-recorder, arrange, edit and do a raw mix on the mac before i burn it to CD. The only thing i touch on the VF mixer (except the faders and input gain, of course) is the L/R pan to separate the tracks before i import them into the software mixer.
 
KOS
I'm trying to figure out this vf08 myself, but in reply to your question, I think you would need an S/PDIF I/O card on your computer to run into the vf08 S/P dif in port . I may be wrong, but I think that's what I'm gonna need to do also to finally get stuff down to CD from the computer.
 
KOS,

Have to correct myself, if your imac is a newer one you also have an analog audio input, not only a mic input. This means you could do the Y-cable thing both ways. Forgot about that. Here's some things you might want to read about imacs/macs and recording audio.

www.sospubs.co.uk/sos/jun01/articles/qanda.htm

www.sospubs.co.uk/sos/nov00/articles/g4s.htm

www.sospubs.co.uk/sos/dec00/articles/newmacs.asp

www.sospubs.co.uk/sos/jan01/articles/usingnewmacs.asp

www.sospubs.co.uk/sos/feb01/articles/newmacs.asp

A lot of the stuff on the pages above is about the higher end macs, but they discuss imacs as well.

What R_tikul is suggesting would definitely be the best way, easy and convinient. Unfortunately the imac doesn't have S/P-DIF Out or In, that's what the USB audio interface would provide.

R_tikul, how are the things with the VF working out for you?
 
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micmac.
I love the vf08, but sure wish I would have dropped an extra $200 for the vf16 now. Still trying to figure some things out as the manuel really suuuuxxxxxx, Japenglish is so hard to translate. I hope to post some mp3 stuff in the near future soon as I can hook up with my bass and lead playing buddies to come do their parts. Working for a living must really sukkk...........
 
Thanks guys

Thanks for all the input, I really appreciate it. Micmac thanks for the links too youve been really helpful. Sometimes all this digital music stuff seems too damn confusing doesn't it?

Thanks again
KOS
 
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