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The Fostex D2424 has basic digital on-board editing including cut, paste and copy. Beyond that, the company includes the versatile Hammerfall PCI card as part of the standard package. (This same card is supplied with Steinberg's Nuendo.) It features three pairs of adat-compatible optical I/O - one I/O pair also speaks S/P DIF - plus coaxial S/P DIF and Word I/O. Their C-Console software does more than add MIDI remote control. A voice-recognition plug-in is also available for visually or physically challenged users - or any application that requires control beyond the 30-foot limitation of the remote cable.
I tested the Fostex D2424 along with the Hammerfall PCI I/O card interfaced with Cool Edit Pro (CEP) - an affordable (about $300), intuitive workstation that is remarkably powerful. Achieving the best configuration with any NATIVE product / hardware combo can be randomly gnarly or surprisingly easy but I did eventually nail it down, importing tracks from the D2424 all at once as well as 8 tracks at a time just to confirm CEP's ability to sync. It works. The software choice is yours.
HOW DOES IT SOUND?
Whenever I review a digital project, invariably the question of sound quality arises. First, you should know that I like "digital" and do not expect it to be like an API console or a vacuum-tube tape recorder. I carefully choose outboard or plug-ins for "color," currently the Crane Song HEDD192 delivers vacuum tube and tape emulation better than any product I've heard so far, but that was not used on this project.
Hi-Res SESSION: Mics
The aforementioned tests used the Fostex D2424 just as a "data" recorder via its digital I/O. During the second round the D2424 travelled to LatchLake, a local studio, for a traditional session. Since hi-res can record or playback only 8 tracks at once, a quick stereo test was made using a pair of Neumann TLM 193 cardioid mics. (They look similar to the U89.) I placed them two-feet in front of the kit just above the top rim of the kick drum.
Hi-Res SESSION:
Preamp and monitoring The mic preamp was a four-channel transformer-less Ampria model (a local company that shares its design knowledge with Great River Electronics). The preamp was connected directly to the analog inputs of the D2424. Recording at 88.2kHz, 24-bit, we monitored through the stereo analog tape returns of the Yamaha 02R via Westlake monitors and a subwoofer.
Hi-Res SESSION:
Recording The single Neumann stereo pair, in an intimate setting, also captured electric bass and guitar (through their respective amplifiers). The kick was massive on the bottom with plenty of beater. The stereo imaging was deep. I believe both the studio owner and the band were impressed, each for their own reasons. I don't think Jeff expected the mic position to generate such intimacy and space at the same time. For the band - who played quite well for their age (15~22) - it was their first official recording. I thought they did great work.
Standard SESSION:
More tracks and overdubsWe then switched to "standard" mode, recording at 48kHz 24-bit as dictated by the Yamaha 02R. Starting with the same mics and configuration, a Sennheiser e609 was added to snare, an AKG D-112 on guitar amp plus a DI on bass. Recording the basic tracks went smoothly.
OOPS: Punch-out
Everything went well EXCEPT during a "rolling" punch-out, the machine did not return to the originally recorded signal, the only flaw encountered during all of the D2424 tests. I did not try the punch-in / punch-out feature nor did I try the foot pedal "punch option."
The D2424 firmware is only at V1.03. I am awaiting confirmation from Fostex that a newer version is available, and if so, what issues have been addressed.
WORK-A-ROUND
The punch-out bug did not stop us from recording. My preference (and a less-distracting work-a-round) would be to record multiple takes and edit the best into a composite. Still, punching - in and out - is a standard feature for all multitrack recorders (and should be remedied in this case, sooner than later because this is otherwise a great product).
FOSTEX REPLIES:
Blah, blah, blah… (awaiting reply)
ONE PRODUCT, MANY SOLUTIONS
I see the Fostex D2424 as a solution to many applications. As a stand-alone 24-track recorder it is simple and reliable. In high-resolution mode it does what no digital 8-track tape machine can do - 88.2kHz / 96 kHz and 24-bits. Both the D2424 and the "media" are affordable and portable enough to do exactly what we did - using it as an intermediary, transferring all 24 tracks rather than three 8-track tapes then importing to a workstation in another part of town. Had the tracks not required surgery, I would have been happy to mix directly from the D2424.
The Fostex D2424 is equally at home in a video facility or a project studio - it's responsive and full of features for each application. The PCI interface opens a whole world of creative editing options, interfacing the D2424 directly with your workstation reducing the "load" on NATIVE-based systems so they can start behaving a bit more like dedicated hardware. Depending on the application, the D2424 may also free up the host processor to run more plug-ins.
THE WHEEL KEEPS ROLLIN
'The D2424 is not the first hard disk recorder from Fostex but the culmination of experiences gained from developing and supporting several previous models. Rather than make it "almost a workstation," they wisely chose not to reinvent the wheel but to use existing (editing) wheels. The D2424 is simple and easy to use stand alone or when integrated with your existing workstation.
The time is right to combine the power of NATIVE editing and processing with the stability and versatility of a dedicated piece of hardware. The Fostex D2424 is fully functional, stable and ready now. Don't let this stealth multi-track digital recorder slip under your radar.
Reprinted with permission from Eddie Ciletti, Tangible Technology, 2001
© 2001, All Rights Reserved
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