Fostex VR800 User Manual
Digital multitrack recorder
Model
Quick Operation Guide
Welcome to the VR800
Thank you for choosing the Fostex digital multitrack recorder Model VR800.
The VR800 is a digital multitrack recorder that is designed to connect to a digital mixing
console equipped with adat digital I/O. For recording media, it uses removable disks, such as
SCSI Zip and MO drive disks, fixed disks, or 3.5-inch E-IDE hard disks, providing you with a
maximum of eight track simultaneous recording and playback.
The VR800 also features high quality recording and playback, and non-destructive editing
thanks to digital recording technology. The superior tonal quality and easy operation of the
VR800, compared to a conventional analog multitracker, will expand your creative musical
world.
Documentation for the VR800 consists of two parts: the Quick Operation Guide (this book)
and the Owner’s Manual. The Quick Operation Guide introduces you to the basic operations
of the multitrack recorder, including “Connecting a SCSI drive,” “Installing the E-IDE hard
disk,” “Formatting a disk,” “Connecting the digital mixer,” “Initial recording,” “Overdubbing,”
“Ping-pong recording,” and “Mixdown,” so that you can start using your new recorder
immediately. The Owner’s Manual provides you with detailed information on the VR800’s
many functions.
Please read both books thoroughly to make the best use of your VR800. And, be sure to read
the “Precautions” and “Notes on Operating the VR800” in the Owner’s Manual.
8288 442 000
VR800 Quick Operation Guide
CAUTION
RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK,
DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK).
NO USER - SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE.
REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.
"WARNING"
"TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR ELECTRIC SHOCK,
DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR
MOISTURE."
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
1. Read Instructions - All the safety and operating instructions
should be read before the appliance is operated.
2. Retain Instructions - The safety and operating instructions
should be retained for future reference.
3. Heed Warnings - All warnings on the appliance and in the
operating instructions should be adhered to.
4. Follow Instructions - All operating and use instructions should
be followed.
5. Water and Moisture - The appliance should not be used near
water - for example, near a bathtub, washbowl, kitchen sink,
laundry tub, in a wet basement, or near a swimming pool, and
the like.
6. Carts and Stands - The appliance should be used only with a
cart or stand that is recommended by the manufacturer.
An appliance and cart combination should be moved with care.
Quick stops, excessive force, and uneven surfaces may cause
the appliance and cart combination to overturn.
7. Wall or Ceiling Mounting - The appliance should be mounted to
a wall or ceiling only as recommended by the manufacturer.
8. Ventilation - The appliance should be situated so that its location
or position dose not interfere with its proper ventilation.
For example, the appliance should not be situated on a bed,
sofa, rug, or similar surface that may block the ventilation
openings; or, placed in a built-in installation, such as a bookcase
or cabinet that may impede the flow of air through the ventilation
openings.
CAUTION:
TO PREVENT ELECTRIC SHOCK, MATCH WIDE BLADE OF
PLUG TO WIDE SLOT, FULLY INSERT.
ATTENTION:
POUR EVITER LES CHOCS ELECTRIQUES, INTRODUIRE
LA LAME LA PLUS LARGE DE LA FICHE DANS LA BORNE
CORRESPONDANTE DE LA PRISE ET POUSSER JUSQU'
AU FOND.
The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral
triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated
"dangerous voltage" within the product's enclosure that may be
of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to
persons.
The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to
alert the user to the presence of important operating and
maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature
accompanying the appliance.
9. Heat - The appliance should be situated away from heat sources
such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other appliances
(including amplifiers) that produce heat.
10. Power Sources - The appliance should be connected to a power
supply only of the type described in the operating instructions
or as marked on the appliance.
11. Grounding or Polarization - The precautions that should be taken
so that the grounding or polarization means of an appliance is
not defeated.
12. Power Cord Protection - Power supply cords should be routed
so that they are not likely to be walked on or pinched by items
placed upon or against them, paying particular attention to cords
at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they
exit from the appliance.
13. Cleaning - The appliance should be cleaned only as
recommended by the manufacturer.
14. Nonuse Periods - The power cord of the appliance should be
unplugged from the outlet when left unused for a long period of
time.
15. Object and Liquid Entry - Care should be taken so that objects
do not fall and liquids are not spilled into the enclosure through
openings.
16. Damage Requiring Service - The appliance should be serviced
by qualified service personnel when:
A. The power supply cord or the plug has been damaged; or
B. Objects have fallen, or liquid has been spilled into the
appliance; or
C. The appliance has been exposed to rain; or
D. The appliance does not appear to operate normally or
exhibits a marked change in performance; or
E. The appliance has been dropped, or the enclosure damaged.
17. Servicing - The user should not attempt to service the appliance
beyond that described in the operating instructions.
All other servicing should be referred to qualified service
personnel.
2
VR800 Quick Operation Guide
Table of Contents
Recording media........................................................................................................................................................4
Using an E-IDE hard disk..........................................................................................................................................4
Notes on handling a E-IDE hard disk...................................................................................................................................4
Installing an E-IDE hard disk in the VR800........................................................................................................................................5
Using a SCSI drive......................................................................................................................................................6
Notes on handling SCSI drive and disk................................................................................................................................6
Connecting a SCSI drive to the VR800..............................................................................................................................................6
Note on connection................................................................................................................................................................7
Formatting (initializing) a disk.................................................................................................................................8
Checking available recording time on a formatted disk..................................................................................................................1 1
Checking the record mode of the formatted disk............................................................................................................................1 1
Formatting the disk again..................................................................................................................................................................1 1
Ejecting a removable disk from the SCSI drive...............................................................................................................................12
Before turning off the power to the VR800.......................................................................................................................................12
T urning on the power again with a removable disk loaded in the SCSI drive...............................................................................12
Notes on using two current drive.........................................................................................................................13
Connecting a mixer..................................................................................................................................................14
Connecting a digital mixer equipped with adat I/O..........................................................................................................................14
Notes for using a digital mixer.............................................................................................................................................14
About changing the digital-in clock setting.........................................................................................................................15
Connecting an analog mixing console............................................................................................................................................15
Basic recording........................................................................................................................................................16
Initial settings......................................................................................................................................................................................16
About sampling frequency ................................................................................................................................................................16
Basic recording procedure...............................................................................................................................................................17
Undo and redo recording..................................................................................................................................................................18
Multitrack recording using overdubbing...........................................................................................................19
Ping-pong recording...............................................................................................................................................19
Mixdown............................................................................................................................................................................20
Recording in a new program.................................................................................................................................20
Basic Locate function.............................................................................................................................................21
Playback using the Vari-pitch function...............................................................................................................22
Owner’s manual reference pages........................................................................................................................23
Notes on operating the VR800
<Recording media>
The VR800 is not equipped with recording media for
recording and playback. Please read the section from
page 4 to prepare the recording media to record, playback,
and edit data on the VR800. For more information on a
recording media supported by the VR800, refer to the
“List of the drives with operation guaranteed” in the main
Owner’s Manual.
<Damages>
Fostex is not responsible for any direct or consequential
damages caused by operating the VR800 and/ or a
connected E-IDE or SCSI drive and/ or disk.
<Copyrights>
It is prohibited by law to use materials recorded on the
VR800 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.
3
VR800 Quick Operation Guide
Recording media
The VR800 is not equipped with recording media (also called “current drive” in this Guide), such as a
hard disk. You need to prepare a current drive to make a recording
The VR800 supports an E-IDE hard disk, 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 VR800). (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 VR800, refer to the “List of drives with guaranteed operation” in the main Owner’s
Manual.
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 “Notes on using two current drives.”
Using an E-IDE hard disk
The following instructions assume that you have already purchased an E-IDE hard disk unit. Prefer the following
items for hard disk installation:
3.5-inch E-IDE hard disk
Brackets and screws Driver
<Notes on handling a E-IDE hard disk>
* A E-IDE hard disk is a high-precision device. Do not apply any impact to the disk when and after you install it
in the VR800. 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 VR800.
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.
* Malfunction or misuse of the unit may erase the data recorded on hard disk. We recommended that you save
important recordings to DAT (or adat, backup SCSI disk).
Fostex will not be responsible for any damage due to erased data or any consequential damages caused by
the use of the VR800.
4
VR800 Quick Operation Guide
Installing an E-IDE hard disk in the VR800
Follow the steps below to install a 3.5-inch E-IDE hard disk as a current drive in the VR800.
<Caution>
* Before you start, be sure to remove the power cable from the VR800. Also, NEVER let your hands or metal objects touch the
motherboard or the connectors for the hard disk.
* Wear gloves when you install the hard disk. Customers are not expected to touch the bottom part of the VR800, and the
bottom is not designed to prevent injury. Therefore, if you touch the bottom panel with you bare hand while installing the
hard disk, you may be injured. Be sure to follow the correct procedure and pay careful attention to avoid injury.
Place the VR800 on the flat level surface so
1
that the bottom of the unit faces up.
Remove the bottom panel of the VR800 by
removing six screws using a screw driver.
To prevent knobs and controls on the top panel from
being damaged, place a soft cloth beneath the VR800.
Two cables used to connect to the hard disk appear
when you remove the bottom panel.
Connection cables
Install the hard disk with brackets to the
3
specified area in the VR800.
At this point, finger-tighten the screws so that you can
fine-adjust the position of the disk when you connect
the cables.
Tighten the screws lightly using your fingers.
The motherboard side should face up.
Connect two cables to the hard disk.
4
As shown in the figure, bend the wider cable to connect
to the disk, then connect the power supply cable
securely. Be sure to follow the figure below to bend the
wider cable correctly. After connecting the cable, tighten
the screws securely.
Install the included brackets on the hard disk
2
unit.
Use the included four screws to fix the bracket. As shown
in the figure, align the end of the brackets with the rear
end of the disk unit (that is, the opposite end from the
connector side).
Brackets
Hard disk unit
*Place the hard disk so that the motherboard faces up.
5
Use caution
not to let the
disk unit touch
the case of the
VR800.
Use caution when you bend
the cable. Do not force the
cable into position.
Connect the plug in the
correct direction.
Replace the bottom panel using the same six
5
screws.
Re-position the VR800 so that the top panel faces up,
and proceed to the “Formatting a disk” section on page
8.
VR800 Quick Operation Guide
Using a SCSI drive
The VR800 has a SCSI terminal to connect an external SCSI drive, which enables you to use an MO,
zip, or fixed disk as a current disk drive. For more information on SCSI drives supported by the
VR800, refer to the “List of drives with guaranteed operation” in the Owner’s manual.
The following instructions assume that you already have an external SCSI drive and disk.
MO drive & MO disk
* You can also use a fixed SCSI disk.
<NOTE>
Using an MO disk may limit the VR800’s capabilities. For more information, refer to the “Formatting” section on page 9 regarding the
Record mode.
zip drive & zip cartridge
SCSI cable
SCSI terminator
<Notes on handling SCSI drives and disks>
A SCSI drive and its disk are made of precision parts. Follow the instructions below when you handle them.
* Do not drop them or cause a strong impact.
* Do not expose them to strong vibration.
* Do not expose them to substantial changes in temperature or humidity.
* Do not locate them in a dusty place.
* Do not expose them to water.
* Do not place them near any device that generates a strong magnetic field.
Malfunction or misuse of the unit may erase the data recorded on SCSI disks. We recommended that you save
important recordings to DAT, adat or backup SCSI disks.
Fostex will not be responsible for any damage due to erased data or any consequential damages caused by the
use of the VR800.
Connecting a SCSI drive to the VR800
Connect your SCSI drive to the SCSI connector on the rear panel of the VR800. Refer to the following
“Notes on connection” and connect the drive correctly.
SCSI terminator
INOUT
MIDI
VR800 rear panel
SCSI connector
POWERAC INOUT IN
SCSI drive
(Current drive)
SCSI cable
SCSIWORD OUT
DATA
OPTICAL
6
VR800 Quick Operation Guide
<Note on connection>
* Before making connections, make sure that both the VR800 and the SCSI drive are turned off.
* Up to two SCSI drives may be connected on a SCSI chain with the VR800.
Connect one SCSI drive as a “current drive” for real-time recording/playback. (Refer to “SCSI ID
number setting” below.) Refer to the main Owner’s Manual for more information on connecting a
SCSI drive as a back-up drive.
VR800
SCSI drive
Current drive
SCSI drive SCSI drive
Backup drive
* The SCSI connector on the VR800 is a 25-pin connector compatible with Macintosh computers.
Use a cable with connectors that confirm to the standards for connecting a SCSI drive.
* The last SCSI drive on the SCSI chain should be terminated. Install a SCSI terminator, or turn the
termination switch to “on” if the drive has a termination switch (like a zip drive).
<SCSI ID number setting>
* Be sure to set the SCSI ID number for the SCSI drive correctly, according to the purpose of the
drive (as a current drive or a back-up drive). The ID setting is very important.
Using the SCSI drive as a current drive. Select any number from 0 to 5, but not “6.”
Using the SCSI drive as back-up drive. Select “6.”
After you make the connection, follow the next steps to format a removable or fixed disk in a SCSI
drive.
7
VR800 Quick Operation Guide
Formatting (initializing) a disk
After you make connection, follow the steps below to format (initialize) the E-IDE hard disk (or SCSI
disk) for use a current drive.
The VR800 uses FDMS-3 (Fostex Disk Management System-3) as the recording format. To perform
real time recording and playback on the VR800, you need to format the disk (regardless of whether
the disk has been used). If you format a used disk, first make sure that the disk does not contain any
important data. Formatting a disk erases all existing data. The following procedure assumes that you
are using a removable SCSI drive disk or fixed disk as the current disk. You can follow the same steps to
format a 3.5-inch E-IDE hard disk, except that you should note the following:
When you turn on the power to the VR800 to format an connected E-IDE hard disk, the [Unformat!] message appears, then
changes to the following indication (instead of the [No Disk] message for a SCSI disk).
Other than this indication, the formatting procedure is identical to the one explained below. If you use an E-IDE hard disk as the
current drive, the [IDE] indicator lights up in the [DRIVE] section on the display .
DIGITAL
44.1kHz
SYNC OUT
IDE
AUTO A.PUNCH
DIGITAL
DIGITAL
DRIVE
SYNC OUT
DRIVE
IDE
AUTO A.PUNCH
SURE ?
44.1kHz
SETUP
SYNC OUT DRIVE
IDE
AUTO A.PUNCH
T urn on the power to the connected SCSI drive and the VR800.
1
If the SCSI connection has been made correctly, the SCSI drive will start running and the display on the VR800 indicates
the [Initial...] (Initialize) message, then the [No Disk] (there is no disk) message. (The following example assumes that a
removable SCSI drive is connected. If you have connected an unformatted fixed disk or 3.5-inch internal hard disk, the
[UnFormat !] message appears instead of the [No Disk] message.)
DIGITAL
44.1kHz
SYNC OUT
AUTO A.PUNCH
DIGITAL
ABS
DRIVE
SCSI
44.1kHz
SMF
SYNC OUT DRIVE
AUTO A.PUNCH
PGM
SCSI
<Notes>
Before attempting to load a disk in the SCSI drive, make sure [No Disk] is shown in the VR800 display.
*
*
If the [Initial...] message and the [No Drive!] message flash alternately , the VR800 dose not recognized the
connected SCSI drive. In this case, turn off the power to both devices. Check to make sure the SCSI
cable is connected securely and that the cable is not defective, then turn on the power to both devices.
Insert a disk in the SCSI drive.
2
If you insert an unformatted disk in a different format in the SCSI drive, the VR800 indicates [Un Format!] on the
display, then shows the [Format ?] (formatting a current drive disk) menu located in Setup mode.
At this time, the SCSI ID number for the drive will appear as shown below ([SCSi id-2), and [SURE?] flashes.
This means that the VR800 has entered the formatting standby mode.
DIGITAL
SYNC OUT
AUTO A.PUNCH
DRIVE
8
DIGITAL
SETUP
SURE ?
SYNC OUT
AUTO A.PUNCH
44.1kHz
DRIVE
SCSI
Loading...