Fostex D2424 - January 2001

review
multitrack
recorder
FOSTEX D2424
black
magic?
omething that quite often happens in the
world of hi-tech music recording is that
several manufacturers working on a new and
(we always hope) exciting development
cross the finish line almost together. So, where we
had hardly any choice at all in a given sector, we
suddenly get three or four — which theoretically is
great, but in practice can mean quite a lot of
head-scratching. As Devo said so eloquently,
“Freedom of choice is what you’ve got / Freedom
from choice is what you want”.
And it’s happened again with affordable
stand-alone hard disk 24-tracks. We’d been
wondering for a long while what had been keeping
them, when stand-alone 16-tracks seem to have
been around for ages, and now, sure enough, three
have turned up since August of last year. Tascam
made it first, with their MX2424 (reviewed in SOS
August 2000) and Mackie followed close behind with
S
126
SOUND ON SOUND • january 2001
Derek Johnson & Debbie Poyser test
Fostex’s new hard disk 24-track. The D2424
may not have quite the feature set of its two
main rivals, but the facilities it does have may be
very well targeted towards the intended users.
the HDR24/96 (reviewed SOS October 2000). And
now there’s Fostex’s D2424, which is really a double
breakthrough, in that it offers not only 24 tracks, but
also the 24-bit, 96kHz recording that seems to be
preoccupying the market at the moment.
At the outset, it’s probably just as well to say
that, happily, even though these three machines
seem to offer similar basic powers, they’ll probably
be easy to choose between. Their respective ideal
users should be able to look at what each offers and
Photos: Mike Cameron
FOSTEX D2424
24-TRACK HARD DISK
RECORDER
Unlike its direct competitors, the Fostex
D2424 comes with a wealth of analogue
and digital I/O as standard — eight
analogue inputs, 24 analogue outputs
and 24 channels of ADAT digital I/O,
as well as MIDI, word clock, RS422 and
SCSI connectors.
feel instinctively which they should go for. SOS
editor Paul White, who reviewed both the Mackie and
the Tascam machines, felt quite strongly that we
might see a fairly tidy split, with the Mackie going to
more serious music recording and project studios,
and the Tascam finding its way into professional
broadcast and post-production environments. The
D2424 brings a couple of extras to the party that,
for many, will set it aside from the other two: firstly,
it’s a more straightforward replacement for a
24-track tape machine than either of its competitors,
which offer significant visual editing powers, and,
secondly, it’s a lot cheaper because it doesn’t have
all their bells and whistles.
Facts & Figures
FOSTEX D2424 £2819
pros
• Costs a fair bit less than its
competitors.
• Lots of audio I/O as standard.
• Front panel forms remote control.
• 88.2kHz and 96kHz recording
available right away.
• Good range of backup methods,
plus DVD-RAM option on the way.
• Stable and trouble-free operation.
• Can export and import audio in
WAV format.
cons
• Only 32 (or 48) virtual tracks.
• Recording modes can’t be mixed
on one drive.
• Video sync only available from
optional board.
• Drive emits mechanical noise.
summary
A really nice, straightforward
24-track that should slot into many a
studio with no trouble at all and give
the minimum of hassle when it’s in
there. While not as packed with
features as its competitors, and with
no built-in big-screen editing
capability, the D2424 is an excellent
tape-recorder replacement with just
enough digital convenience and
flexibility.
Up & Running
When it ships, the D2424 has no hard drive fitted.
However, there is one in the box with it, and this
must be installed into a ‘ruggedised’ caddy that fits
into a drawer behind the front panel. Extra caddies
cost about £40 each, and with hard drives now so
cheap it may be a viable proposition to fill them up
one at a time, archiving them as you go.
The drive must be formatted to the desired
recording mode. Unfortunately, once a drive has
been formatted for a particular mode, say
16-bit/44.1kHz, all Programs (songs) on that drive
have to be at that bit depth and sampling rate.
january 2001 • SOUND ON SOUND
127
▲
The D2424 belongs very much to the constantly
evolving Fostex hard disk recorder family, and is a
logical development of their stand-alone eight-track
and 16-track machines. It’s almost identical in
appearance to the new D1624 (see the ‘Keep It In
The Family’ box), except that the 16-track has a
charcoal-grey case and detachable cream front
panel, while the D2424 is finished entirely in
charcoal grey. The front panel is still detachable,
though (it would hardly be a Fostex if it wasn’t!), and
forms a neat remote control which necessarily
duplicates all the D2424’s front-panel controls,
because it is the front panel. This is one of the keys
to the D2424’s lower total price when compared to
the Mackie and Tascam machines: you don’t have to
budget extra (anywhere between £250 and £1155 in
the case of the aforementioned two) for a remote.
You might have to budget for a 10-metre extension
cable, though (at around £35), as you can’t get very
‘remote’ with the supplied five-inch one. The D2424
also features an RS422 port to support the Sony
nine-pin protocol for compatibility with standard pro
video and digital video workstation remote controls.
The second reason why the Fostex works out
rather more cost-effective is found on its back panel:
quite a lot of I/O as standard, right out of the box.
To be specific, you get eight analogue inputs and 24
analogue outputs, on balanced jacks (which can be
switched for unbalanced operation, if desired), plus
24 channels of ADAT I/O on three optical
connectors. These can also operate as stereo S/PDIF
in and three pairs of stereo S/PDIF outs. This
supplied audio I/O starkly contrasts with the Mackie
and Tascam machines, which come with little or
none, instead requiring you to purchase what you
need on optional cards. The Fostex has optional
extras too, of course, mainly geared towards those
with specific applications in mind (see the ‘Optional
Boards’ box for details).
To give a basic idea of its capabilities and
features, the D2424 is a 2U, rackmounting 24-track
which records uncompressed digital audio to a
supplied internal 15Gb IDE drive. A second drive bay
can accommodate another hard disk, or a DVD-RAM
option, and there’s also SCSI as standard. However,
you can only back up to these supplementary drives,
rather than being able to record direct to them. The
comprehensive array of backup options is completed
by DAT and ADAT methods.
Alongside its 24 playback tracks, the D2424 has
32 virtual tracks — one area in which it really doesn’t
match up to the Tascam or the Mackie, which offer
loads more. It provides a total of six recording
formats: 24-bit/96kHz, 24-bit/88.2kHz,
24-bit/48kHz, 24-bit/44.1kHz, 16-bit/48kHz and
16-bit/44.1kHz. Four things happen if the 96kHz or
88.2kHz options are used: recordable tracks are cut
to eight; virtual tracks are increased to 48 (the total
number of available tracks in all cases remaining at
56); DAT and ADAT backup become unavailable; and
the ADAT ports become inoperative —
understandably, because the ADAT format doesn’t
currently support audio at sample rates above
48kHz. Recorded audio can be edited directly from
the front panel, with the help of the large fluorescent
display, and though the operations available are
quite basic, they certainly allow tracks to be
chopped about and reassembled in a different order,
with bits repeated if required. If more detailed
editing is needed, tracks can be exported as WAV
files via a fixed or removable drive attached to the
SCSI port, or transferred out of the ADAT ports to an
ADAT-equipped soundcard, say, for computer
editing with a favoured software package.
The D2424 benefits from the latest version of the
Fostex Disk Management System, FDMS3. This
should be familiar to anyone who’s used a Fostex
digital machine, even one of the all-in-one
multitrackers. Desirable added features include
unlimited undos (dependent on disk space), a big
improvement over Fostex’s previous
less-than-generous one level of undo; copying and
pasting of material between songs (Hallelujah!);
better video sync capabilities (with an optional board
set); and Program Chain Play, which allows you to
automate sequential playback of a number of Songs,
presumably for on-stage use.
review
multitrack
recorder
FOSTEX D2424
▲
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SOUND ON SOUND • january 2001
All functions of the D2424 are
accessible from the controls on its
detachable front panel, and the
associated display shows the level
meters, along with the current time
position and other information.
keeping, or upgrading, their analogue consoles.)
Assuming the desk can accommodate the
D2424’s digital connectivity, there are some
digital interfacing and clocking jobs to do. Ideally,
the D2424 would be the digital clock master and,
in some cases, setting the target desk to be a
‘slave’ to its ADAT inputs might be sufficient; if the
desk is equipped with a word clock input, however,
the D2424’s word clock output would be connected
to this.
Record & Play
Basic recording with the D2424, as with other Fostex
multitracks, is essentially very tape-like:
record-enable the desired disk track (using the enable
buttons under the display), then press the Record
▲
Unlike the flexibility of, say, the Tascam MX2424,
the D2424 doesn’t allow 16-bit and 24-bit recordings
to be mixed on the same drive, let alone within the
same Program. At this time you can also choose
between one level of undo and unlimited undos. It’s
nice to discover that Fostex now provide a drive
optimisation routine, possibly because unlimited
undos could lead to rapid fragmentation of the disk.
The next step depends on what kind of mixer is
being used with the D2424. If it’s analogue, it’s just
a matter of hooking up the desk’s eight subgroup
outputs to the D2424’s analogue ins, and the
D2424’s analogue outs to 24 mixer channels. If
you’re wondering how you can record to 24 hard
disk tracks with only eight inputs, each input is hard
wired to three disk tracks: input 1, for example,
feeds disk tracks 1, 9 and 17. This begs the question
of how you could record different audio to tracks
1 and 9, say, at the same time. Basically, you can’t
when using these analogue inputs — but you can
use the Track Exchange feature to move audio about
to the tracks of your choice once it’s recorded.
Anyone who’s desperate to record more than eight
analogue tracks at once could invest in Fostex’s
AC2496 option, which attaches to an ADAT port and
provides eight more balanced inputs. All 24 tracks
can be recorded at once via the ADAT inputs,
however, providing your desk can output audio on
three sets of ADAT output connectors.
There are a few things to consider if the D2424 is
to be used with a digital mixer. First, can the mixer
handle 24 tracks of digital audio coming from the
recorder on mixdown? There are a number of desks
that are compatible with 24 tracks of ADAT-format
digital audio, though all of these need some form of
optional card or external adaptor box. Mackie’s D8b,
Yamaha’s 02R, Tascam’s TMD4000 and TMD8000,
Roland’s 7000-series V-Mixers, Sony’s DMX R100 and
the Ramsa WR-DA7 all fall into this group. If the desk
in question can’t do it (like the lower-cost Yamaha
digital desks, for example), it would be necessary to
send the audio out through a mixture of digital
outputs and analogue outputs (going through a D-A
conversion in the latter case). The by-now analogue
tracks would then go into the desk via its analogue
ins, passing through an A-D conversion. Not quite in
keeping with the all-digital dream, though you
probably wouldn’t hear any difference. (In fact, it’s
quite a common thing to find pros replacing
analogue recorders with digital multitracks but
Computer Love
Obviously, the D2424 doesn’t have the built-in
ability of its 24-track competitors to plug into
a computer or monitor for direct ‘online’ audio
editing, but it is very well set up for offloading
audio into a computer for editing there. The
simplest method is to transfer tracks directly
to the computer as WAV-format files, using
DOS-formatted media. This requires either that
both the D2424 and your computer have
access to the same type of removable media,
or that you have an external fixed SCSI hard
drive that can be dedicated to transferring
audio. Remember, though, that when using
a fixed SCSI drive, the D2424 and computer
need to be shut down before connecting or
disconnecting it. The process is quite
straightforward, and is aided by the fact that
Fostex audio tracks can now be named.
The second audio transfer technique is
available to anyone with a PCI audio cardequipped computer, as long as the card has
S/PDIF or ADAT-format optical connectors.
D2424 audio can be piped two or eight tracks
at a time to any compatible audio application.
Rather than streaming the audio directly to a
sample editor, it’s best to first import the
audio into a MIDI + Audio sequencer, so that
it’ll be possible to maintain some form of sync
when moving the audio back to the D2424.
Most digital audio cards aren’t equipped with
sophisticated digital sync options, so the user
is reliant on the sync information inherent in
the S/PDIF or ADAT stream, and MTC for
locking the target sequencer and D2424
together. This is necessary in order to
maintain actual track length, so that the
audio, once tweaked on the computer, can be
precisely replaced in its original track. It also
helps if you don’t cut any audio from the
beginning of a file. We have, with a little
practice, successfully moved audio back and
forth between a Fostex digital recorder and
Pro Tools LE software on an Apple G4, via
Digidesign’s Digi 001 hardware. The
combination of PCI card-equipped computer
and D2424 might work better for some people
than doing all audio recording on a computer,
leaving the computer to handle just MIDI,
rather than audio, sequencing.
Fostex in the USA, seeing the computerlike capabilities of the D2424’s competition,
have assembled a bundle that includes the
multitrack, a Mac/PC-compatible RME
Hammerfall PCI card (which offers 24
channels of 24-bit digital I/O) and C-Mexx’s
C-Console software. The latter is sadly PC
only, but aims to provide full remote access to
the D2424’s transport (via MMC), metering,
settings and more. The TCP/IP plug-in adds
remote control over a network (including the
Internet) and there’s a speech plug-in that’s
an ideal option for blind and handicapped
users, or for anyone requiring hands-free
operation. Versions will also be released for
the D1624 and D824. While it’s unlikely that
UK Fostex distributor SCV will release an
identical bundle, D2424 users can come up
with something similar under their own steam
if they like. Watch the SOS news pages for
any activity regarding the C-Console software.
review
multitrack
recorder
FOSTEX D2424
▲
button to audition whatever’s being recorded. There
are only eight record-enable buttons, but these are
shifted into three groups to account for all 24 tracks.
Metering is provided by the display, as the
D2424 doesn’t have dedicated hardware metering
like the Tascam and Mackie machines. However, the
metering provided is clear and accurate, with the
peak-reading bargraphs showing green until the
audio level hits 0dB, when they turn red to indicate
that clipping is about to occur. There’s no user
control over peak hold, but it seems to hold for long
enough anyway. While we’re on the subject of
metering, the fact that the Fostex remote is the front
panel means that full metering will always be in
view, even if the user and remote are situated quite
some distance from the machine. This isn’t
guaranteed with the Tascam MX2424 remote (whose
only metering is clip LEDs) or the Mackie HDR24/96
With the Fostex D2424 there is no need for a separate
remote controller — an optional 10-metre extension cable
allows you the flexibility to widely separate the main rack
unit and the detachable control surface.
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SOUND ON SOUND • january 2001
Tracks are armed for recording
using an assignable bank of eight
buttons which can be allocated to
tracks 1-8, 9-16, or 17-24 by using
the Track Shift button.
▲
at the time of its review, when the only remote
available had just one meter switchable to reflect its
24 tracks one at a time. A bigger remote was
planned, though, and metering for the Mackie is
duplicated on any connected monitor.
The D2424’s built-in metronome derives its
tempo from the onboard tempo track, of which more
in a moment. As with other Fostex digital recorders,
using the metronome takes up one track, which can’t
be recorded to or monitored while the metronome is
on; in this case, it’s track 24. If there is audio on this
track, you don’t lose it by turning on the
metronome; it’s just not accessible while the
metronome is in use. When the 24-bit/96kHz
recording mode is being used (which, as we’ve said,
reduces the track count to eight), the metronome is
still output from track 24, so track count is never
compromised in this mode.
With levels and metronome (if required) set,
pressing the Record and Play buttons together
initiates recording, and if the take is unsatisfactory
the dedicated Undo button consigns it to history.
Punching in and out can be done manually (with
front-panel controls), via footswitch, or can be
pre-programmed, producing excellent results with no
pops or clicks. It’s possible to set punch-in/out points
very precisely and when you’ve established a
personal procedure this is very fast too. There’s no
facility for multiple punches in one pass, though.
The nice Jog/Shuttle wheel helps during track
navigation, with the inner Jog part performing audio
scrubbing in both directions, while comprehensive
fast-wind options are accessed with the outer,
sprung Shuttle collar. The other functions of the
Jog/Shuttle wheel are parameter selection and value
changing.
As you’d expect, it’s possible to set more locate
points per Song than you would reasonably need —
up to 99 — though if your requirements are modest,
the six ‘Edit Memory’ buttons (used to set punch
in/out points, edit points and so on) can be used for
quick auto-location; and, of course, you can locate to
the beginning of a Song by pressing Stop plus
Rewind, or to the end by pressing Stop plus Fast
Forward, just like on every other Fostex digital
multitrack. If locate points have been set in a
haphazard way, and their position in the numbered
locate memories doesn’t correspond with their
correct chronological place in the Song, there’s even
a Direct Locate function that sorts the locate
memories into chronological order. Finding the next
one is then just a matter of using the front-panel
Prev and Next keys.
There are few complaints to make about the
D2424 recording process, which is easy and quite
intuitive, though the new colour scheme is perhaps
not as conducive to comprehension as that of
previous Fostex digital machines — mostly charcoalgrey buttons on a charcoal-grey background, with
small legends. The button layout is still slightly
disorganised, too, so initially you do poke about
Keep It In The Family: The Fostex D1624 & D824
Fostex have also just released updated
versions of their D-series professional standalone eight-track and 16-track hard disk
recorders. Both benefit from the same FDMS3
operational improvements as the D2424, and
also gain the ability to record at a variety of
sample rates and bit depths (as with the
D2424, a maximum of eight tracks at
24-bit/96kHz). In fact, the only combination
they can’t do that the D2424 can is 24-bit,
88.2kHz. They also have 128x oversampling
delta-sigma 24-bit A-D/D-A converters to
match their new 24-bit recording capabilities.
Most of the features mentioned in this
review for the D2424 also go for the D824 and
D1624, though they have fewer virtual tracks
— 16 for the eight-track and eight for the
16-track — and don’t appear to have the
D2424’s Program Chain Play feature. They
also come with a 15Gb hard drive, but
(obviously) less I/O. The D1624 features
eight analogue inputs on phonos, 16 analogue
outputs on phonos, two sets of ADAT I/O,
doubling as stereo S/PDIF; SCSI; an RS422
port for Sony nine-pin support; MIDI
In/Out/Thru; and word clock I/O. The D824
makes do with eight analogue outs and one
set of ADAT I/O, but otherwise has the same
connectivity. Both can also accommodate a
balanced analogue I/O option, adding eight
ins and 16 outs to the D1624 and eight ins
and eight outs to the D824. They accept the
8345 video sync board and the AES-EBU I/O
board too. The D824 retails for £1499, and
the D1624 at £2231.33 (prices including
VAT).
It’s interesting to note that if 24/96
recording is specifically what you’re after, the
D824 with the balanced analogue I/O option
is as good a bet as the D2424, since it offers
the same number of tracks at 24-bit/96kHz:
eight. And it’s a lot cheaper.
review
multitrack
recorder
FOSTEX D2424
▲
trying to find things. Still, it’s nothing to make a big
deal about.
Hack & Slash
One area in which the D2424 stands out as being
radically simpler than the Tascam and Mackie
competition is digital editing. By ‘simpler’, we mean
not only that its editing facilities are easy to use
(which they are), but also that they are fewer and
less sophisticated. Tascam and Mackie have both
gone out of their way to compete with DAWs (Digital
“Even though the
D2424 may not
provide as featurefilled a hard disk
24-track as its
competitors, the
bottom line is that it
does the job, in an
uncomplicated,
efficient,
economical and
reliable way.”
MIDI & Sync
Out of the box, the D2424’s MIDI spec is identical to
other Fostex multitracks. It can generate MIDI Clock,
for sync’ing simple MIDI sequencers and drum
machines, and can respond to and generate MIDI
Time Code, with the same range of frame rates as
offered with the optional 8345 video sync board set:
24, 25, 29 and 30 frames per second, with 29 and
30 drop-frame options. MIDI Machine Control is also
▲
Audio Workstations), offering the ability to connect a
computer running dedicated visual editing software
in the case of the Tascam, and the ability to directly
plug in a monitor, keyboard and mouse with the
Mackie. As the Mackie is practically a full-blown PC
anyway, you can imagine how impressive its visual
user interface is. Both machines provide something
akin to the computer recording experience, though
they don’t go as far as something like Pro Tools.
By contrast, Fostex’s hard disk editing is more
like a digital razor blade, but for a great many
people this will be quite sufficient. If what you’re
after is really an analogue tape machine
replacement, you might not need it to be able to give
you a display like a computer sequencer. The editing
features Fostex do provide offer more flexibility than
any analogue machine, but they don’t try to compete
with dedicated audio sequencers. Many Fostex users
apparently do run their disk recorders sync’ed to
computer sequencers, and for these people it should
be relatively easy to swap audio between multitrack
machine and computer-based software editor (see
the ‘Computer Love’ box).
So what can be done? Audio can be Erased and
its space returned to the general pool, Moved And
Pasted, or Copied And Pasted, to another point in the
song or — new for FDMS3 v3 — even to another
song (the last is great news!). It might also make the
virtual track limit easier to live with, as an entire
other song could provide an auxiliary store for
alternate takes. Audio sections can be automatically
pasted up to 99 times, making song extensions
easy. Multiple Erase operations are possible too.
We’ve lost count of how many times we’ve moaned
about the fact that Fostex machines can’t insert a
section of audio, pushing subsequent audio along to
make space, and
this ability still isn’t
present, even after
the recent FDMS
update — are we
really the only
people asking for
it?! By the way,
editing is not
‘playlist’ style, but uses up actual disk space with
every new copy.
Searching for an edit point is facilitated by the fact
that the bar-graph meters in the display can turn into
a strange but useful representation of a waveform
that you scroll through using the Jog wheel. Audio
feedback is available at the same time, its speed
dictated by how fast the Jog wheel is twirled. This
makes it easy to home in on the right spot.
The last ‘editing’ feature to mention is Track
Exchange, which is used to move all the audio on
one playback track to another playback track, and
also to swap virtual tracks with playback tracks. This
operation is easier because tracks can now have
names of up to eight characters.
D2424 Expansion Options
• MODEL 8345 TIMECODE/SYNC
OPTION £581.63
While the Tascam MX2424 and
Mackie HDR24/96 both come with
video timecode features as standard
(which may say something about
where their manufacturers see their
major markets), with the D2424 you
have to buy the Model 8345 option if
you’re working to picture. This board
set allows the D2424 to chase and
lock to incoming LTC (Longitudinal
Time Code in SMPTE/EBU format)
with the option of referencing to video
house sync or word clock. There’s a
new ‘virtual timecode track’ that can
be used to record LTC from both
132
internal and external sources (keeping
recording tracks free for audio), and
the timebase can be displayed in ABS
(Absolute), MTC (MIDI Time Code)
or Bars/Beats mode, with a
programmable offset of up to 24
hours. The full range of timecode rates
— 24, 25, 29, 30, 29 drop-frame and
30 drop-frame — is available.
• MODEL 8350 AES-EBU CARD
£499.38
This option offers four AES/EBU inputs
and outputs for sixteen-track
simultaneous recording at
24-bit/96kHz, and connection to
professional studio equipment. Only
SOUND ON SOUND • january 2001
one of these boards can be fitted.
• AC2496 ANALOGUE-TO-ADAT
CONVERTER £581.63
This fairly pricey box connects to any
of the D2424’s ADAT ports to provide
eight more balanced jack analogue
inputs, with a further eight balanced
ins added to this using the Model
5045 expander board (£323.13).
• ETHERNET CARD
An option to add Ethernet capability
for networked studios and transfer of
audio is in development. (The Tascam
and Mackie recorders both have
Ethernet as standard.)
• DVD-RAM DRIVE
This option is not yet available, but is
on the way and could provide a very
economical and convenient backup
method. We don’t yet know what the
drive is going to cost, but media
appear to be coming in at under £30
for a 5.2Gb blank.
All prices include VAT. Conspicuous by
its absence is any Tascam TDIF
interfacing, either as standard or as an
option. Anyone who needs this will
have to buy ADAT-to-TDIF converters,
which are available from a number of
companies, including Tascam,
Soundscape and RME.
review
multitrack
recorder
FOSTEX D2424
▲
implemented for remote transport control of or by
the D2424.
Common to all Fostex digital multitracks are the
tempo and time-signature maps, both essential
when sync’ing MIDI gear to the D2424. Creating
tempo and time-signature maps (each has 64 steps)
that match a slaved MIDI sequence allows the user to
edit D2424 audio with the same precision and ease
as the MIDI data. While the D2424 doesn’t have the
useful ability of the Mackie HDR24/96 to import
tempo and time-signature data from a MIDI file via
a floppy drive, the Fostex system is straightforward:
just choose the bar and beat location that requires a
tempo or time signature change, and insert it. When
selecting time signatures, the choices range from
1/4 to 5/4 and from 1/8 to 8/8, which is quite
adequate for most purposes. However, though the
occasional 7/4 or 10/8 bar can be created out of two
consecutive changes, it would be tricky to keep it
going for an entire song — trying to set up a 7/4
time signature by alternating 3/4 and 4/4 signatures
would use up the 64 steps within 32 bars!
Further sync facilities are supplied by the
optional 8345 timecode/sync board set, for
compatibility with SMPTE/EBU-savvy devices.
Sound & Noise
The D2424 is reasonably quiet in terms of the
ambient noise it generates. It shouldn’t drive you
mad with annoying high-pitched whining, as some
digital recorders do. However, you wouldn’t want to
do sensitive acoustic recordings right next to it,
because of the rhythmic disk ‘burping’, sometimes
fairly loud, that it can emit when in record mode,
especially when recording 24 tracks at once.
Actual D2424 recordings are wonderfully
noise-free, clean and punchy, as you would expect,
with 24-bit/96kHz mode sounding especially
pleasing. We happened to have the new D1624
around at the same time as the D2424, so we were
able to record the same acoustic guitar/vocals/bass
song twice, at 16-bit/44.1kHz on the D1624 and at
24-bit/96kHz on the D2424 (note that the D1624
also does 24/96 recording). One of us then turned
our back while the other one switched between the
two, and we found that we could hear a bit more
detail and presence in the 24/96 audio — though
there was nothing at all wrong with the lower bit
depth and sample rate recording.
Over & Out
Fostex just keep going in the same reliable way,
producing digital recorders that stick with the same
type of OS, so long-term users can upgrade in the
confidence that the change-over will be smooth and
painless. Their machines function with the minimum
of fuss, don’t overload the user with possibilities,
and are remarkably stable and robust, from what
we’ve seen over the years. Stated features all tend to
work right out of the box, too — unlike its
competitors, the D2424’s 96kHz recording is
available as soon as you get the machine, even
though it can only manage eight tracks at this rate,
compared to the promised 12.
134
SOUND ON SOUND • january 2001
It’s business as usual
for Fostex as far as the
D2424 is concerned, since
they’ve approached it in
exactly the same way as
their eight-tracks and
16-tracks — no bad thing
for the end user. Mackie
and Tascam have gone to town with what digital can
do, and if their large, professional feature sets and
visual editing capabilities are best for your
application and way of working, you’ll know it.
There’s no knocking the usefulness of seeing
everything on a big screen, after all. On the other
hand, if you just want a 24-track hard disk recorder
that works like a tape machine (but with a range of
useful extras), that sounds great, and that gives you
the option to work at high sample rates and bit
depths, have a serious look at the D2424. From a
financial point of view, the generous built-in I/O and
‘free’ remote are very welcome, and even if you
added all the optional extras it would be hard to get
the D2424’s cost up to the level of its competitors:
they both start with higher prices and then need
most or all of their I/O — plus a remote if required,
and either a computer or a monitor, mouse and
keyboard for the editing — to be paid for on top.
The negatives we’d identify about the D2424 are
the limited number of virtual tracks, the fact that the
display still doesn’t have high enough resolution to
properly display waveforms, and that the editing is
not as powerful as that available on the Tascam and
Mackie machines. It also might be inconvenient for
film and video types that the video sync board has
to be bought as an option.
However, even though the D2424 may not
provide as feature-filled a hard disk 24-track as its
competitors, the bottom line is that it does the job,
in an uncomplicated, efficient, economical and
reliable way. Let’s not forget that the Chinese curse
their enemies with the words: “May you live in
exciting times!”
The ADAT optical I/O and word
clock connections are standard on
the D2424, and allow it to connect
into professional all-digital setups.
information
£
T
F
E
W
£2818.83 including VAT.
SCV +44 (0)20 7923 1892.
+44 (0)20 7241 3644.
[email protected]
www.scvlondon.co.uk
D2424 Features In Brief
• 24-track simultaneous recording and
playback, or 8-track recording and playback in
24-bit/88.2kHz and 24-bit/96kHz modes.
• 32 virtual tracks (48 virtual tracks in
24-bit/88.2kHz and 24-bit/96kHz modes).
• Six recording formats: 24-bit/96kHz,
24-bit/88.2kHz, 24-bit/48kHz, 24bit/44.1kHz, 16-bit/48kHz & 16-bit/44.1kHz.
• Up to 99 Programs per disk.
• Supplied 15Gb hard drive yielding more than
2800 track minutes (more than 46 track
hours) at 16-bit/44.1kHz.
• Saves and loads audio in WAV format.
• Copy, Move, Erase editing with multiple
undo/redo.
• Copies audio between Songs.
• S/PDIF and 24 channels of ADAT digital
interfacing.
• 8 balanced jack inputs, 24 balanced jack
outputs.
• Program Chain Play.
• Audible scrubbing with Jog/Shuttle wheel.
• 6-point edit memory, 99-point locate memory.
• MIDI In/Out/Thru with MMC support.
• Tempo map facility with 64 tempo and time
signature changes per song.
• Transmits MIDI Clock (with Song Position
Pointer); transmits/reads MTC.
• Word clock I/O.
• Sony 9-pin remote support (with 8345 video
sync card fitted).
• SCSI interface.
• Two IDE drive bays, one for record drive and
one for optional backup drive (DVD-RAM
available soon for second bay).
• 128x oversampling delta-sigma 24-bit A-D/D-A
converters.
• Independent power supplies for analogue and
digital circuits.
• ±6 percent varispeed.
• Dimensions: 141 x 782 x 381mm (hwd).
• Weight: 7kg.