Fostex D-108 User Manual

Eight-T rack Digital Recorder

Model

Quick Operation Guide

Welcome to D-108

Thank you for choosing the Fostex D-108.
The D-108 is an eight-track digital multitracker equipped with sixteen
additional tracks. It supports E-IDE hard disks and SCSI drive disks (such as
a Zip drive, MO drive, or fixed disk) as the recording and playback media.
Please read this Quick Operation Guide before using your D-108.

8288 435 000

This Quick Operation Guide introduces basic operations and preparation
procedure. To make the best use of your D-108, please also read the Owner’s
Manual for detailed information.

D-108 Quick Operation Guide

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D-108 Quick Operation Guide

Table of Contents

Package contents............................................................................................................................4

Recording media.............................................................................................................................4

Using an E-IDE hard disk...............................................................................................................5

Installing a hard disk in a removable case........................................................................................5

Formatting a disk...................................................................................................................................8

Checking the available recording time (REMAIN) on a formatted disk....................................9

Using a SCSI drive.........................................................................................................................10

Connecting a SCSI drive to the D-108.............................................................................................10

Formatting a SCSI disk........................................................................................................................11

Checking the available recording time (REMAIN) on a formatted disk..................................13

Using two current drives............................................................................................................15

Selecting a current drive.............................................................................................................16

Connecting a mixer......................................................................................................................17

Basic recording.............................................................................................................................19

Initial settings.......................................................................................................................................19

Setting sampling frequency..............................................................................................................19

Basic analog recording.......................................................................................................................21

Undo and redo recording..................................................................................................................22

Multitrack recording using overdubbing..............................................................................23

Ping-pong recording...................................................................................................................23

Mixdown.................................................................................................................................................24

Recording in a new Program.....................................................................................................24

Basic Locate function...................................................................................................................25

Playback using the Vari-pitch function..................................................................................26

Owner’s Manual reference pages..........................................................................................27

<Recording media>

The D-108 is not equipped with recording media for recording and playback. Please read the section
from page 4 to prepare the recording media to record, play back, and edit data on the D-108. For more
information on a recording media supported by the D-108, refer to the “List of the drives with operation
guaranteed” in the main User’s Guide.

<Damages>

Fostex is not responsible for any direct or consequential damages caused by operating the D-108 and/
or a connected E-IDE or SCSI drive and/or disk.

<Copyrights>

It is prohibited by law to use materials recorded on the D-108 from music CDs and/or video tapes for
which copyrights belong to a third party for commercial concerts, broadcasts, sales, and/or distribution,
except for your personal entertainment.

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D-108 Quick Operation Guide

Package contents

Make sure that the package contains all the items listed below. (The illustrations may not precisely match the
appearance of the actual items.) If you find that items are missing, contact your local dealer.

Dust cover
Install this cover over the
connectors on the
removable case after
you install the hard disk.
(Refer to page 7 for more
information.)

Insulation seals
Use these seals when
you install the hard disk
into the removable case.
(Refer to page 7 for more
information.)

D-108 main unit

Detachable controller

Hard disk fixing screw
Use these screws to fix the
hard disk to the removable
case. (Refer to page 6 for
more information.)

Lock-unlock key
Use this key when you install
the removable case with the
hard disk in the D-108.
(Refer to page 7 for more
information.)

Removable case
Install a hard disk into this
removable case. (Refer to
page 5 for more
information.)

Recording media

The D-108 is not equipped with recording media (also called “a current drive” in this Guide), such as a hard
disk. You need to prepare a current drive to make a recording.
The D-108 supports an E-IDE hard disk (that can be installed in the included removable case), and an
external SCSI drive (MO, Zip, or fixed hard disk drive) (that can be connected to the SCSI connector on the
rear panel of the D-108). (Note: Using an MO, Zip, or fixed disk may limit the number of recording tracks,
depending on the disk capacity.)
Be sure to use a drive and a disk with operation guaranteed by Fostex. For more information on disks
supported by the D-108, refer to the “List of drives with guaranteed operation” in the main Owner’s Mnual.
To use an E-IDE hard disk as a current drive, refer to the “Using an E-IDE hard disk” section on the following
page. To use an external SCSI drive, refer to the “Using a SCSI drive” section. If you are using both types of
drives, refer to the “Using two current drives” and “Selecting a current drive” sections.

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D-108 Quick Operation Guide

Using an E-IDE hard disk

The D-108 has a slot for an optional hard disk. First you need to install a hard disk into the removable case
included in the D-108 package before you install it into the slot.
The following instructions assume that you have already purchased an E-IDE hard disk unit. Prepare the
following items for hard disk installation:

Dust cover

Fixing screws

Insulation seals

Removable case

Hard disk unit

Lock-unlock key

<Note>

Be sure to turn off the power to the D-108 (or remove the power cable from the AC outlet) before
installing a hard disk.

Installing a hard disk in a removable case

First, you need to disassemble the removable case included in the package so that you can install a hard disk
into it.

Disassembling the removable case

1.Apply your thumb to the edge of the case on the connector side as shown in the figure, and slightly pull

the cover in the direction of the arrow.

2.Apply your thumbs to the side of the case and open the cover. In the same manner, open the cover on

the other side. (

Caution:

Be careful not to pinch your fingers.)

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D-108 Quick Operation Guide

<Notes on handling a hard disk>

• A hard disk is a high-precision device. Do not apply any impact to the disk when and after
you install it in the case. Do not leave the disk near a device that generates a strong magnetic
field. Choose a level and stable surface for installation. Be careful not to injure yourself.
Fostex is not liable for any malfunction or damage to the hard disk caused by mishandling.

• You need to set the DIP (Jumper) switch on the hard disk to “MASTER” before you install it
into the removable case. If the switch is set to “SLAVE,” the hard disk will not function
correctly.
Refer to the instruction manual that came with your hard disk for more information on the
DIP (Jumper) switch setting.

Connecting cables

1.Connect the cables in the removable case to the connectors on the rear of the hard disk.

As shown in the figure, first connect the power supply cable. Make sure that you connect the cables
securely in the correct direction.

<Note on the connectors>

Some connectors on the hard disks may be too tight to connect cables easily. Do not apply
excessive force to such connectors to avoid injury or damage to the hard disk.

Fixing the hard disk to the case

1.Align the screw holes.

As shown in the figure, align the screw holes on the side of the disk with the holes on the case.

2.Insert four included fixing screws (two screws on each side) and tighten them.

Align the screw holes on the other side of the
hard disk with the holes on the case.

Tighten four screws (two on each side).

<Note on tightening the screws>

Do not tighten the screws too much. Otherwise, you may damage the case.

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D-108 Quick Operation Guide

Assembling the case

<Note>

When you assemble the case, follow the note below:
If a projecting part on the hard disk touches the cover, apply the insulation seal (included in the
package) to the surface of the case where the part would touch. If you use the disk with its part
touching the cover, a short-circuit may occur, leading to a malfunction.

1.Assemble the case by installing the covers.

After you assemble the case, store the case in a place not subject to magnetic fields. If you remove the
case from the D-108 and store or move the unit, cover the connectors on the removable case with the
dust cover (included in the package) to protect the hard disk from building up static electricity and dust.
Do not touch the connectors with your fingers to avoid static electricity.

Installing the removable case in the D-108

1. Remove the blank panel that covers the slot for the disk on the front panel of the D-108. (Note: Do not

insert your fingers into the slot when the slot cover is open. Otherwise, electrical shock or injury may
occur.)

2. Install the removable case (containing a hard disk inside) into the slot.

Push in the case with the correct side facing toward you. (Use both hands to push it in so that the surface
of the case and the front panel become flush.)

3. Use the included key to lock the removable case.

Connecting a detachable controller

1. Attach a detachable controller (included) to the hooks on the front panel.

2. Securely insert the controller’s connector cable to the connector on the front panel.

Instead of using the controller, you may use an optional extension cable (Model 8551). Consult your
dealer for more information.

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D-108 Quick Operation Guide

Formatting a disk

After installing the hard disk in the D-108, you need to format the hard disk for recording and playback.
(This applies to new disks and those that have been used with a computer.)

Connect the D-108’s power cable to the AC outlet.

<Note>

Be sure to connect the power cable to an AC outlet of the voltage specified in the User’s Guide.

Turn on the power to the D-108.

The display indicates the ROM version and date, messages [Initializing...], [Current IDE Drv], [model name],
then [Unformat!], and finally indicates the Disk format menu. (“****” represents the name of the hard disk
model.)

SETUP

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44.1kHz

FORMAT

Flashing

SURE?

Press the EXECUTE/YES key.

The Record mode selection appears and the [?] mark and [SURE?] flash on the display. This means that the
D-108 is ready to format the installed E-IDE hard disk in [8track format] Record mode.

SETUP

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44.1kHz

FORMAT

SURE?

Flashing

Press the EXECUTE/YES while holding down the RECORD button.

The size of unformatted area on the hard disk appears on the display, and counts down as the formatting
progresses. (The following example shows a disk with 2.0GB of unformatted space.)
Also, the segments in the “∞” column of the level meters light up, and they turn off one by one starting from
the right end. It will take a while to complete formatting, especially if you are formatting a large-capacity
disk.

This indicates the size of the unformatted area on the hard disk.

SETUP

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87654321

REMAIN

44.1kHz

FORMAT

The segments turn off one by one from the right end as the formatting
progresses.

When the format operation is complete, the screen changes as follows and disk operation stops.

SETUP

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FORMAT

44.1kHz
COMPLETED!

When the format operation is
complete, [COMPLETED!]
appears and the disk stops.

Track indicators 1-8 light up.

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D-108 Quick Operation Guide

Press the EXIT/NO key or the STOP button.

The screen changes from the format menu in SETUP mode to the ABS Time Base display.

ABS

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When you format the hard disk one Program (*1) is automatically set up, and “ABS 00m 00s 00f” (ABS
Time Base - *2) appears, indicating that the top of the Program is located.
Now, you can start recording, playback, and editing on the D-108 using the installed hard disk.

(*1) Program:

You can set up a maximum of 99 Programs, limited by the available space on your hard disk. You
can select any Program to perform recording, playback, and edit (Program Select function). You
may also name the Programs to facilitate managing individual songs (Program Title Edit function).
You can delete unnecessary Programs (Program Delete function). For more information, refer to the
User’s Guide.

(*2) Time Base:

This document and the User’s Guide use the word “Time Base” frequently. This refers to the units
to indicate the current transport position of the recorder, in other words, Absolute Time.
The D-108 also uses MTC (MIDI timecode) and BAR/BEAT/CLK (bar/beat/clock). An MTC value is
a relative time value calculated by adding an MTC offset value to the ABS time value. BAR/BEAT/
CLK indicates a position within a song of D-108’s tempo map based on the MIDI clock position
pointer. You can switch to any of these units as follows. For more information on the Time Base,
refer to the User’s Guide.

44.1kHz

• When ABS T ime Base appears on the display, hold down the DISP SEL key and press the EXECUTE/YES key
repeatedly to switch among these units.

ABS Time Base

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ABS

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BAR/BEAT/CLK T ime Base

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SIGNATURE

44.1kHz

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MTC Time Base

87654321

MTC

44.1kHz

Checking the available recording time (REMAIN) on a formatted disk

It is a good idea to check the available recording time after you format the disk. To do so, press the DISP SEL
key to display the REMAIN time indication, which indicates the available recording time and recording space
in the selected Time Base unit. (The following example shows a disk with 6 hours 38 minutes 54 seconds (06h
38m 54s) of available recording time and 2.0GB of space.)

<Note>

The REMAIN time values are based on a mono track recording. If you wish to record on multiple
tracks, you can find out how many minutes of a song you can record by dividing the REMAIN time
value by the number of tracks. Check the REMAIN value each time before you make a new recording.

Time remaining

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REMAIN

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Space remaining

Press the DISP SEL key to return to the previous Time Base display.

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