[sdiy] Should I repair my Fostex, or should I go HD recording?

[JH.]

> Do you really need so many channels of I/O?

Yes. That was the main intention when buying an 8-bus mixer back then.
I really want to play as many tracks simultanously as possible.
In the new studio, I've rearranged the layout such that I can grab 5 ... 6
keyboards without moving around, and other synths are running on
arpeggiators
and sequencers. The more I can do "live", the better I like the results of
my music.
That's why I've recorded so much directly on 2-Track (DAT) instead of
8-Track lately. But the best solution is to record "live" on 8-track (to
capture
that feeling I cannot get with overdubbing step by step), and then to have
plenty of extra tracks for adding tiny FX and making treatments on the
live material.
So yes, I'm aware of the higher number of tracks on a digital system (one
more reason to do it!), but I still need as many input channels as possible.
The limit of 8 is set by my mixer's subgroups.

JH.



>
> On the input side, you only need as many channels as you want to record
> simultaneously. Will that ever be more than 2?
>
> On the output side, you only need as many channels as you want to play
> simultaneously. For some people that means 2 channels (stereo mix), for
> others it means the ability to do a 5.1 surround mix, etc.
>
> Sometimes you want more playback channels in order to use effects "live"
> during mixdown. Since most digital recording software provides virtually
> unlimited tracks, however, you don't really need that capability. Just
> re-record each track with effects onto another track.
>
> What I'm saying is that you may need "smaller" hardware than you think.
> --
> john
>
>