Review: Fostex MR16 Digital Recorder |
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May 12th, 2008 Ronz Gear Reviews | |
Wow, the Fostex MR16 Digital Recorder provides a wealth of features at a pretty affordable price- starting at $399. Again, a few short years ago a similar stand alone 16 track digital recorder would cost well over $1000 bucks. The reason that the price for these types of standalone recorders have dropped drastically in price is that basically the home PC market (hardware and software solutions) has gone through the roof.
So I suggest buying this recorder only if you want a portable recording solution rather than trying to build a nice home studio. If it is a home studio you are trying to construct, simply invest in an MBox or Pro Tools solution and you will be way more capable at editing on the fly. Editing the the Fostex is horrible. The scrub feature was so incredibly useless that I almost punched a hole in the device. Check out the specs and my full review below:
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Fostex MR 16 HD CD |  |
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US $320.00 | 6d 5h 53m |
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FOSTEX MR16HD CD MR 16 HD CD 16 TRACK RECORDER NEW | |
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US $499.00 | 16d 3h 22m |
Recording/reproduction
Recording Medium: 3.5 inch, hard disk (E-IDE type)
Recording Time: Approx. 472 minutes (16-track on 40GB)
Recording Format: FAT32
Sampling Frequency: 44.1 kHz
Quantization: 16-bit linear (non-compression)
A/D Converter: 24-bit Delta-Sigma
D/A Converter: 24-bit Delta-Sigma
No. of Recording Track: 16 tracks maximum
No. of Simultaneous Rec: 4 tracks
Recording/Reproduction Frequency 20 Hz - 20 kHz
Dynamic Range: 89dB or more (typical)
T.H.D.: 0.06% or less (typical)
Inputs/outputs
Analog In (4ch)
Connector: XLR-3-31 type (Pin2:hot) and › 6mm TRS phone
Input Level: -48dBV (MIC) - +4dBV (LINE)
Input Impedance: 1.5k ohm or more (MIC/BAL, 400k ohm or more
(GUITAR/UNBAL)
Phantom Power: P48V
Insert (Input A)
Connector: › 6mm TRS Phone
Output Level: -10dBV
Load Impedance: 10k ohm or more
Input Level: -10dBV
Input Impedance: 10k ohm or more
AUX Out
Connector: › 6mm stereo phone
Output Level: -10dBV
Load Impedance: 10k ohm or more
Stereo Out (L, R)
Connector: › 6mm stereo phone
Output Level: -10dBV
Load Impedance: 10k ohm or more
Headphones
Connector: 2 x › 6mm stereo phone
Max. Output: 50mW or more (@32 ohm)
Load Impedance: 16 ohm or more
MIDI Out
Connector: DIN 5 pin
Format: MIDI Standard
Foot Switch
Connector: › 6mm phone
Level: TTL level
Digital Out
Connector: Optical
Format: IEC 60958 (S/P DIF) 44.1kHz
USB (USB2.0 Hi-Speed)
Connector: B type (data save/load controlled from PC)
USB HOST (USB 1.1)
Connector: A type (external CD recorder)
General
Dimensions: (W x D x H): 19 in x 15 x 6.3 in, (400 mm x 264 mm x 85 mm)
Weight Approx.: 9.5 lbs, (3.2kgs)
Power Requirement: 100V - 230V, 50/60Hz
Power Consumption: 14W
Fostex MR-16HD 16-Track Digital Recorder Features:
Recording on built-in 40 GB HD offering 4-track simultaneous recording and 16-rack playback. Approx. 8 hours recording (16-track)
4 x analog inputs (mic line level) offer phantom power for use of condenser microphone. 1 Input among them accepts Guitar, etc. with built-in analog distortion, amp simulation or mic simulation. Input EQ is also available for various sound designs.
Input signals can be assigned to stereo buss to output through Monitor and Stereo Out together with playback audio.
2 x Aux Out
Built-in Digital Effects (3 x reverb / 1 x delay) on 1 4 tracks. Dedicated Mastering Effects (3 Presets) on Stereo Buss good for track bounce or stereo mixing.
In addition to track bouncing inside a Song file, track bouncing / mixing of recorded 16 tracks to a new Song file.
Easy file conversion of audio data on Track 15-16 to stereo WAV file. Together with bounce function, convenient for creating audio CD on PC or music file for portable audio player.
Editing function such as Copy/Paste, Move, Import, Exchange, Erase, etc of selected tracks or part.
USB 2.0 port for high speed file transfer to PC.
USB Host port (USB1.1) to connect an external CD-R for creating audio CD.
S/P DIF Digital Out (optical) for digital dubbing to MD/DAT recorder
MIDI output to send MTC or MIDI Clock to an external sequencer or recorder
