Fostex D2424Lv -vs- Mackie SDR 24/96

[Jazzmaster]

Hi,

Does anyone have any experience of the two 24track recorders, Fostex D2424Lv and Mackie SDR 24/96. I'm about to buy one of these machines, but I don't know wich one. They seem to have the same features on paper, the price also seems to be almost the same.

The thing I like about the fostex is that the remote is included.

Wich one has the best audioquality, realbility, performance, features.
Anyone?

[bryceyaworsky]

Neither, IMHO. Go with the Alesis ADAT HD24. You get more for your money(features, quality) instead of the name. I was looking seriously a few months ago at all three of these machines, and I just couldn't figure out why the Mackie and Tascam were so much money. I went with the HD24 and couldn't be happier, this unit is amazing!! Even the salesmen in the stores were all for the HD24! You could buy the HD24 and the Alesis Masterlink ML9600 for the same price. If I sound pro-Alesis on the recording front, you're absolutely right. Trust me. Trust yourself. Try the Alesis before ruling it out, because in this case the more you spend has nothing to do with what you're going to get.

[bryceyaworsky]

Whoops, wrong models. Now I feel stupid. Ok, I just checked the prices to be sure, and this is what I got from zzsounds:
FostexD2424: $1600
MackieSDR24/96: $1300
Alesis ADAT HD24: $1900
Ok, forget what I said about the Masterlink, but I still think you're better off getting the HD24, hands down. I got mine for $1600(brand-new, factory-sealed, A-stock) off of eBay from a wholesale distributor. Personally, the only problem I had with the Fostex was that the entire display was in the remote. The Mackie had the problem of needing the 8-pin snakes at the back as well as the optional remote. Backing up drives was also a time consuming task, instead of ust being able to "pop in a new one".

[Jazzmaster]

Yes I didn't consider the HD24 before, but know I am. I think the Mackie is now out of question. It's between Alesis HD24 and Fostex D2424LV, and as you discoverd the price is not the big deal in this case, HD24 is slightly more expensive.
From what I have heard, the editing features on the Fostex is more advanced, I don't know wich extra features it got though. And that the HD24 doesn't have 24bit/96Khz option as standard is not a problem, I'm not going to use that feature any, I think.
Tell me more about the Alesis HD24, how is it in use? Do you use it with a BRC, how does that work in that case?

[bryceyaworsky]

Last time I checked, the HD24 wasn't compatible with the BRC, but they were making/releasing one for it. It still has an LRC, and you can sync it with any ADAT machines. The 24/96 mode is available when recording in digital, otherwise you can use 24/44 or 24/48(without optional add-on). Not a big deal for me however, as 24/48 sounds perfect. What you put in is what comes out. This thing is noise-free.
Pretty easy to use as well. I haven't had any problems. Switching from project to project or drive to drive is a one button process.
The bottom line is that I only have good things to say about this machine. If you buy one you're sure to be happy.

[Starbuck]

I've heard that one of the problems native to the Alesis is it will always eat storage as if all tracks were armed when you record as little as even one track at a time. Is that true?

[GZsound]

Last time I looked, the Fostex folks have been in the recording business for a long time. My good old 8 track R8 still works perfectly.

Tha Fostex D2424 LV is selling for $1,300. It comes with a 40 gig HD.

The Mackie HDR 24/96 is selling for $1,999 and comes with a 20 gig HD.

The Alesis ADAT HD24 comes with a 20 gig HD and is also selling for close to $2,000.

Depending on the editing options needed, I think the Fostex unit looks like a killer deal. With the $600 savings, you can pick up a couple good mics, a decent mixer, etc. and be ready to record..

[Starbuck]

I was pretty much commited to sdr24/96 until
i saw the Fostex two days ago, and i'm just looking for pros and cons to compare the two because they both run about $1,300.00 and are both 24 track recorders. one selling point was they both came standard with fiberoptic ins/outs because its my intention to use the Behringer DDX3216 as the mixer. as such i know the mackie records natively at 24bit * 96Khz and offers that you could record all 24 tracks at once without requiring that you lower the bit rate or sampling rate as opposed to the D2424lv. but i also get the impression that the fostex offers more editing tools without having to pay for upgrades/ad-ons/plugins to do it. so really all i'm asking is how important is it to record at 24/96?

[Starbuck]

as it turns out the DDX3216's max sample rate is 48khz. so i'm goin with the Fostex

[Jazzmaster]

Hi,
Please tell me later what you think about the Fostex. I'm also about to buy one of these machines, but I can't decide wich one.

/Oscar

[Joe Hannigan]

I'm pretty much sold on the FOSTEX as well, but here's a serious question:

Does anyone know about the limits of number of tracks AT ONE TIME that these things can do?

For example, can one actually record all 24 traks at 24/96 at once, on the Fostex?

[f3]

I'm an Alesis HD24 user. I have had great experience with this device, but it sounds like both Jazzmaster and Joe Hannigan are going toward the Fostex. So I won't try to sway you, unless you ask for more details.

I would suggest that you check carefully on the ability to record 24 tracks at 96KHz -- I doubt it does that. On the Alesis, you are reduced to 12 tracks when recording at either 88.1 or 96, and I suspect these other hard disk records are similar. Worth double checking.

Also, to answer Starbuck's concern about the Alesis using space for 24 tracks even when recording just one is a not quite correct. When you begin a new song, you specify how many tracks it will be 24, 16, 8, 6 or 2. If you choose 24, then yes it does set aside the space for all 24 tracks even if they are empty. If you know you are only going to record one track, then just set it up for 2 (yeah, you use space for the one track not used, not a big deal). There is much flexibility with the Alesis for revising these choices along the way if you start small and want to add more tracks later.

Lastly, I think the best way to use any of these hard disk recorders is for the recording, not so much for the editing and mixing. Consider transfer capabilities to a DAW for that part of it. The Fireport firewire option with the Alesis is superb, and the built in Ethernet is not bad.

Frank

[strunz0]

i would go with the mackie. They have been selling enough of these things to properly support them. they have been in business for a while, and is the only company of three in question that is a growing company.

Alesis...golden age over. adat went, now i think they will go away soon. Fostex has always been a sort of prosumer brand. Making "cheap" versions of everything. They even have a cheaper adat model that they made.

The mackie is going to be more universal with other studios. It`s open architecture also allows for future software updates.

[f3]

Both Mackie and Alesis have been in some rough financial waters lately. I think both will make it through, but who can say these days.

The Alesis HD24 received the Electronic Musicians 2003 Editor's Choice award for this category of gizmo.

Alesis has made regular updates to the device's operating software since I bought it in April 2002 that have substantially improved its flexibility and performance.

As I noted before, I think the best use of these hard disk recorders is to get the recordings, while ultimate mixing and mastering is best done on a DAW using your favorite flavor software. So, being able to transfer tracks quickly and reliably is a key for me, and the HD24 does that very well. Also, with its 2 separate disks that are hot-swappable, it is very easy to move among projects that are on different disks, and to back up from one disk to the other for safety within the unit itself. I don't believe the Mackie SDR has quite that degree of flexibility.

Frank

[strunz0]

good points frank. it makes me want the alesis