Fostex VF-160 16 Track Digital Recorder with Internal CD Burner

The Force offerred an optimal opportunity to test this new technology in a real world situation within my comfort zone for music. In the past 10 years I've produced numerous spoken word, singer/songwriters, alternative, and metal acts.

Following are notes on the usability and suitability of the Fostex VF160.

Setup

Nady makes a fine set of microphones for the guerilla studio.
Nady DMK7 7-Piece Drum Mic Package

Recording an acoustic drum set is one of the greatest challenges to an audio engineer. All of those live microphones picking up not only the drums but everything in the room. Placing the mic in the perfect position to capture a particular drum or section takes patience and lots of trial and error.

This led me to my first problem with the VF160 -- not enough simultaneous recording tracks. Using track 1 for the bass, 2 for guitar, and 8 for cue vocals left me with only 5 tracks for drums to record the seven mics. Kick drum on track 3, snare on 4, left side toms on 5, right side toms on 6 and hat on 7.

I was not pleased with the restriction that the 8 track limit placed upon the capture. I reminded myself that the Beatles recorded Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band on an old Ampex 8 track 2 inch machine and managed to record an entire orchestra.

But, I've gotten spoiled by our 32 track studio in New Orleans, even though I have yet to use more than 16 tracks on a song. There's just something about the comfort of knowing that I have the extra tracks in case I need them.

Capturing every instrument to its own track pays off in the remix sessions because you have control over all aspects of the recording.

Recording

The recording quality of the capture was quite good. I harkened back to my first recorder, a Panasonic 2 track with sound-on-sound capability that I acquired back in 1968. Sound-on-sound was the ability to record on one channel combined with the previous contents of the other channel; a technique known as ponging the tracks. Unfortunately, after 5 or six pongs the noise on the recording overtook the instruments. Or, I'd want to adjust the level of a track that I had ponged several times. There was no going back using that method.

By comparison the 16 bit Fostex created a pristine capture of the instruments and vocals of The Force. But, not as good as a 24 bit machine.

ReMix

Remixing the tracks was a snap, not due to the technology but due to the tightness of The Force both as individual artists and as a group.

My first observation of using the VF160 for remix was that the pan pots are clunky digital representations with only about 8 points in either direction, not smooth linear like an analog console. Although adequate for a rough test mix, they don't fit the bill for mastering an album.

Conclusion

The VF160 is a great machine for either home studio productions or small acts like spoken word, folk singers, demos, etc.

Not enough simultaneous record tracks to do a band with a drummer. Remix for a production album is severely limited.

Thus, the Cafe' will acquire a Fostex 24 track direct to hard drive machine prior to the Live @ The Cafe Be At night at Allison's. 24 simultaneous tracks gives me the confidence that albums that come from this session will accurately represent this fantastic group.

One more fact came to light on Sunday about The Force that helped me articulate what I already knew in my soul, that they need to be recorded live. We recorded the basic tracks and cue vocals for 4 songs and they were good, very good. Then, neighbors from across the street came knocking at the door asking if they might be allowed to come in and listen. The group embraced the neighbors and they took a seat on the couch to hear the 5th and last song of the day. I was overwhelmed by the change in the energy level of the band. An audience, no matter the size, is what lights the fire and passion inside McKenna, Whitey, Pork Chop, and Billy.

Clearly, the only way to record this group is with a live audience. Live at The Cafe' Be At. As Wanda Boudreaux said so many years ago, "The Cafe' is wherever we Be At." On Saturday, April 17th the Cafe' will Be At Allison's Blues Bar on Anastasia Island.

For the live recording gig we will be using the Fostex D2424LV