Conference napalm::commusic_v1

1818.0. "Fostex X26 4track Tape Deck" by DFLAT::DICKSON (Plan data flows first) Fri Dec 16 1988 10:09

Just when you thought it was safe to buy a 4-track recorder, another one
comes out.

The Fostex X-26 is priced the same as the Yamaha MT100 ($399 at Daddy's) and is
about the same physical size.  The X-26 mixer section is clearly better than
the MT100, but alas the transport section is clearly worse. 

Mixer:
  Six inputs, two of which can be mic or line level.  (MT100 has only 4)
  Mono effect send, stereo return.  (MT100 has mono return)
  Simple EQ (effectively bass and treble knobs) on the stereo buss,
	but not per-channel.  (MT100 has no EQ at all)
  No separate monitor mixing.

Transport:
  Slow speed only (MT100 has high speed)
  Dolby B only (MT100 has dbx, X-30 has Dolby C) switchable
  High end freq response only 12.5kHz (MT100 claims 18kHz at hi speed)
  Can record two tracks at once. (MT100 can do all 4)
  Does have pitch control.
  No special sync connection (X30 has one)

The mixer controls at first glance *look* more reasonable than the X-30's art
deco styling, but on closer inspection it gets a little bizzare.  The salesman
and I had to examine the manual to find out how some of it worked. (btw he said
that they had not heard of this machine either until last week.)

Channels 1 and 2 can take mic or line inputs.  Each of these channels has
a mic/line switch, a pan-pot, an effect-send level, and a linear fader.
Nothing strange there.

Channels 3 thru 6 can take line input or tape playback as sources.  Each of
these channels has a pan-pot, a *rotary* fader, and an effect-send level. The
strangeness is in the fader and effect knobs.  These have a center-off detent.
Turning them to the left makes them take input source, while turning them to
the right makes them take tape playback as source.  There are no switches to
simply select TAPE vs INPUT.  It was not clear what would happen if you turned
a channel's level knob to take tape playback while you turned the effect-send
knob in the INPUT direction.

The space below the channel 3-6 knobs, where linear faders would have gone,
holds the 4-channel LED meters, the EQ knobs, and the master level linear
fader.  There are also left and right effect return levels, a master effect
send level, and the usual monitoring and record track select switches.

Now if somebody would combine the X-26 mixer with the Yamaha transport, they
would really have something.  (While keeping the cost under $500 of course.)  I
wonder when Tascam is going to come out with a replacement for its aging (and
expensive) Porta line. 

    
    Sounds like they have just taken the monitor mixer of the X-15/30
    machines and enabled it to take line level ins to give a quasi-
    6X2 mixer...cool idea.
    
    As for 12.5K...whaddya want for $399 ????  The cheapest home decks
    I've seen that *really* get out to 18-20KHz cost about $300.  Never
    mind throwing in a mixer and all the other goodies.
    
    

    Ive pretty much deciding on getting a Fostex X-26 after comparing it to
    the Porta sound 03 and the cheapest Vesta model...is there any model
    under $450 that is a better buy?