Fostex FR-2 LE Portable Recorder …
Interestingly enough, I received a few emails this morning in reference to my prior post, and portables in general. I stressed that I am looking forward to some sort of high quality CF recorder to surface with excellent quality preamps, small form factor, BWF file compatibility, USB connectivity, XLR inputs, etc, that surpasses all recorders currently available. The Fostex FR-2 LE portable will warrant serious consideration. Available sometime in December, the FR-2 LE will record to standard CF Media as well as Micro Drive cards. Audio Specs include: Two combo XLR — 1/4″ inputs, 24bit/96kHz resolution, phantom power, pre-record buffer, and BWF compatibility. In case you are wondering - BWF is a Broadcast Wav file. They contain an extra data chunk in the header that is used to implement proprietary metadata … more to follow. Check out the hi-res image. $499 US.
Update- Additional specs include: USB 2.0, Coaxial RCA, ALC Limiter, Wired Remote [supplied], and operates on a Ni-MH battery.
-ptfigg.
I hope Fostex changes their file structure to eliminate their ridiculous 99 minute file limit. While this may not be a problem for songs or short events, many people want to create podcasts of longer events and current Fostex recording products can’t do this. Still hard to beat the old Sony mini disk recorders.
I was told by Fostex that because of a Chip problem they will have to push back the debut until December instead of this fall. When I first learned about back in April, it peaked my intrest as I’m growing a little tired of Sony’s HI-MD.
Has anyone come across dimensions?
-ptfigg.
This Fostx appears to be a “step up” from the M-audio, Edirols and even the Sampson listed below. But it’s great to have choices for different needs.
The Marantz PMD660 disapointed with questionable pre-amps (although for most applications, users seem happy). I even looked at the 660 with the preamp modifications from the Oade brothers as a choice, but that puts it into the 670/671 price range.
I have been looking for a pro ENG machine and something solid for extended field recording. It appears that good stuff is on the horizon.
Thanks for keeping us informed.
As to the size, I was told that it is about 35% smaller than the original FR2 so, something like a small, hardback book.
ptfigg- no dimensions yet.
But I have seen listings at bhphoto.com and oade.com with tech specs. The thing looks like it was designed with a Darth Vader from Lego Star Wars aesthetic, but I wouldn’t care if the mic pre-amps are sufficiently clean, and if it drives phantom powered mics through its XLR connections well enough. That said, it looks to be powered by either an removable battery pack or standard AA’s, which doesn’t give me a lot of hope regarding phantom power — there’s only so much voltage boosting one can do from battery power, unless you’re using 9-volts.
I own an M-Audio MicroTrack, and though I love its portability, I don’t like the fact that it is devoid of XLR jacks. Also, I can’t monitor levels unless I am recording, and the level indicators on its tiny LCD screen are difficult to read, anyway.
jowillie- I also own a PMD671 with the Oade Advanced Mod. A lovely machine, but a little on the bulky side for get-up-and-go ENG and field recording. The 660 is smaller, but it tops out at 16-bit PCM. Some might say that there is no discernable difference between 16- and 24-bit recordings. But I have found the extra resolution results in less degradation of sound in post-processing…
It I had it all to do over again, I’d just pick up a SoundDevices 702 or 744T. The timecode on the 744 isn’t really necessary for my applications, but having four on-board channels would look pretty nice for certain situations.
Now that it’s out, doe anybody have an idea about the performance of the preamps??