I was looking for some old commentary tracks I recorded for a film I worked on a few years back and ended up having to dig this old beast out of the closet. Meet the Fostex VF-16 multitrack recorder
. This monster is capable of recording up to 16 tracks of audio simultaneously (with optional adat interface
) while saving everything to an 80GB hard drive. These stats aren’t as impressive as they were 6 or 7 years ago, but it still does the job and you can find them for pretty cheap on ebay.
The down side to the Fostex VF-16 is that the only way to export tracks is to save the wav files to a SCSI Jaz drive
. Thankfully I still have an old Jaz drive with a few 1gb cards laying around. But once you get your files onto the Jaz drive, then you have to figure out a way to get them onto your computer. Luckily I have this handy dandy SCSI to USB adapter
that still seems to work with windows 7. The adapter used to be around $20 and you can still find them used on ebay, but there are a few sites trying to charge almost $200 for these things so watch out for that.
If you’re a musician, podcaster, or just have a need to record more then 2 tracks this could be a very affordable option. It seems like a lot of these newer multitrack recorders only record 2 tracks simultaneously, which is fine for a single person recording. But if you need to record 4 or 5 people, a drum set, or anything else that requires a lot of microphones, something like this is the way to go. If you’re looking for something a little newer, you might also want to take a closer look at the Zoom R16
. It records 8 tracks simultaneously to SD cards and also acts as a computer interface. Although I will say there is something retro about using a Jaz drive to record something, I might have to put this thing to work recording a few songs before I pack it back in the closet.
Tags: Fostex VF-16, Fostex VF-160, Jaz Drive, SCSI to USB
November 11th, 2012 at 9:25 am
FYI, the Zoom H4n can record 4 tracks simultaneously: 2 via XLR (or 1/4″ TRS) inputs, 2 via on-board mics (OR the stereo 1/8″ mini jack on the back) and works as a computer interface.
I am glad to see I am not the only one with old stuff in my closets!
November 11th, 2012 at 9:45 am
Very true, add an XLR to 1/8 adapter box and you have 4 XLR inputs ready to roll.
Every few years I have to do something with this old stuff so that I can’t be called a hoarder. Although it might be time to through a few things away.
November 11th, 2012 at 9:57 am
When would you choose something like this over a simple software solution – such as cakewalk, fruityloops and the like?
November 11th, 2012 at 11:11 am
There are a few reasons to go this route. First is latency, most of the apps out there record in real time but monitoring can add anywhere from 10 to 45 milliseconds to what you hear which can bother some musicians. In a unit like this the monitor output is off the main audio bus so you don’t get any noticeable latency.
Second would be the hardware interface. Once you’ve recorded something it’s probably easier to mix down in Sonar or Ableton, but when you’re trying to record tracks and set levels to create a simple monitor mix, many feel it’s easier to work with physical hardware.
The other thing to think about is price. You can mix down on a lower end computer or laptop without much problem, but it takes more horse power to record audio then it does mix it. A dedicated device like this that’s designed to record audio can take a load off your computer and save you some money on expensive interfaces adapters.
August 3rd, 2013 at 1:47 am
1) Zoom H2n also records 4 channels (can include 2 external-in)
2)”the only way to export tracks is to save the wav files to a SCSI Jaz drive”
Others replay 8 VF16 channels at a time to ADAT-out and use an ADAT-PC interface like Scarlett 18i8, 18i6, Saffire PRO 24 etc
Of course, with ADAT-PC and ADA8000, you could just record direct-to-PC – see above for advantages, as well as 16 not 8 channels.
August 3rd, 2013 at 2:03 am
Or use an ADAT-PC interface like E-MU 1616, M-Audio ProFire 2626 etc
November 21st, 2013 at 5:36 pm
I still use this device along with an ADAT interface for 16 track band recordings on location. As someone responded above, I also pump the tracks through the lightpipe and copy 16 tracks (2×8 in one stream). Splitting up the two copied 8 tracks in the computer and syncing the pilot tone in the beginning of each to allow the music for extra editting. Or in case of super budgets I mixdown straight from the recorder. Nice device.
November 21st, 2013 at 5:48 pm
Mine still works great, they even still sell replacement 40 and 80gb hard drives for it ($10 on newegg) and I still have a pill of jazz disks that are big enough to copy over 3 or 4 16 track songs at a time.
February 17th, 2014 at 8:36 am
Does anyone has or know where to find a key/fader. P.C.B for the VF-16? Cheers!