I had a chance to spend a few hours with the new Fostex FR-2LE
yesterday. Overall, I'm enthusiastic about the recorder. Here are my
impressions.
The FR-2LE has a clean and quiet preamp. I'd guess it's quieter than
anything under $500 or so, perhaps on a par with the Marantz PMD671.
It seems to me that, for those of us who don't own mics with extremely
quiet self-noise levels, the FR-2LE is quiet enough not to be heard.
We'll have to wait for some side-by-side comparisons to be sure.
The FR-2LE's controls for recording are easy to use. The machine is
designed to be carried from the shoulder, or perhaps in a gear bag at
your waist. The Standby, Record, and preamp Volume controls are on
the front edge (the top when standing in a bag), and easy to find
without looking. Each works in a different direction (Volume rotates,
Standby pushes in, Record slides to the right) so you're unlikely to
make a mistake. Press Standby, and you can hear the mic input to
check levels and monitor without recording. While recording, pressing
the Record switch will add cue marks to the track. Two LED meters
above these controls help you keep track of recording levels.
Fostex has taken a lot of care to prevent loss of a recording. Each
take results in a new file, so you can't write over a previous take.
And the recorder automatically updates the Compactflash FAT table
every 60 seconds while recording. So even if some problem develops
(sudden loss of power, for example), it's likely you can recover all
but that last 60 seconds without extraordinary effort.
Speaking of the file system, it supports file names up to 13
characters long, including spaces. For example you can name your
session, "Iguasu Day 1_" The recorder will add track numbers as
recorded, up to 999. The resulting files will be named "Iguasu Day
Message: 1_001.
Subject: WAV" and so on. The files have date and time stamp associated
with them, even if the date is not part of the file name.
The FR-2LE records to Compactflash media (CF). The FR-2LE ships with
a Transcend 128MB card included. Its speed is rated at 80X. CF cards
are available in sizes up to 16GB. The 4GB CF cards cost about $50
and the 8GB cards cost $100 (tax included). The 16GB cards are new,
and carry a premium price. 16GB cards from Samsung and Sandisk cost
about $250, tax included.
A remote controller is included with the FR-2LE. This is an extra-cost
option for most manufacturers' products. The controller attaches to a
mic when you're holding one, or can be used to control operations
while the recorder is covered up, away from the elements. Commands
include standby, record, and mark cue points. Volume levels still
must be set on the recorder itself.
The FR-2LE is pretty fast in operation. It takes 4 to 5 seconds to
power up, 2 seconds to start recording (that's why the Pre-Record
function is 2 seconds long), and about 3 seconds to power down.
Playback is straightforward, but the transport controls are on the top
of the recorder. So it's not so easy to play back while in a gear
bag. FF and RW during playback results in an audible "scrub" of the
recording to help you arrive at the right point.
I like the battery solution. The FR-2LE has a big battery
compartment, much larger than the 4 AAs it normally runs on. The
compartment accepts a 7.2V battery with Tamiya-style connector. These
batteries are commonly used in radio-controlled cars and other toys.
The batteries are available from many vendors. A single battery and
the transformer to charge it from mains power costs about $40.
This RC car battery is composed of 6 sub-C NiMH cells. Fostex says a
Message: 7.
Subject: 2V, 3600 mAh battery will provide about 8 hours of recording. This
type of battery is now available in capacities up to 4200 mAh.
Opening the battery compartment is a bit tricky the first couple of
times you try. Use the tips of your fingers, not your fingernails, to
do the job. With a little practice, I could remove the old battery
and install a fresh one in less than a minute. It helps if the
recorder can rest on a flat surface during a battery change so you can
use both hands.
The transformer that ships with the FR-2LE is not a universal design.
The one I received works with 120V AC only. This is a pain for
international travelers. It's worth noting that the FR-2LE does not
contain circuits to charge batteries internally. You'll have to carry
a battery charger separately.
The FR-2LE has a number of idiosyncracies to talk about.
First, when you format the Compactflash card for use in the FR-2LE,
you specify the bit depth and quantization rate to be used (like
24/96). These settings are entered in the audio decision list, a text
file stored on the flash card. If you want to change this setting
(say to MP3 or 16/44.1), you have to re-format the flash card. The
formatting will cause you to lose any data already on the card. This
is a quick format, just a few seconds.
I don't see this as a major problem, because I usually don't decide to
change recording rates in the middle of a session. If you really want
to record one track at 16/44.1, the next track at 24/96 and a third
track using MP3, then you'll have to have change between three
Compactflash cards, each set up for a particular recording rate. I'd
guess it takes less than 30 seconds to shut the recorder off, swap in
the new Compactflash, and start up again. But it would be a pain.
Second, the maximum size of a single file is 4GB. When the file gets
to 4GB, the recorder just saves the file and stops. 4GB is space for
six hours of continuous recording in 16/48, but only two hours at
24/96. This is not an issue for most nature recording scenarios, but
could be a problem if the recorder will do double duty as a concert
recorder.
Third, the FR-2LE has only one bit depth for MP3. It's 192kbps
continuous (no variable rate). Recording at this rate, a 1GB card can
hold approximately 11 hours of recordings. You'd need to change
batteries or run from an external power supply to record for such a
long time.
Fourth, you can't erase any tracks from the machine in the field. You
can remove tracks from the audio decision list, or change the order of
the tracks in the list, but you can't delete any. When you attach
your flash card to a computer, you can delete if you want to. Or you
can format the card in the recorder. But an individual file can't be
deleted in the recorder.
Fifth, the FR-2LE records in stereo only. This is wasteful of storage
space if you are recording with a single mic. I guess you could use a
"Y" cable to send the mono signal into both channels of the recorder,
and then record at different preamp levels.
I think these last two design decisions are part of a strategy Fostex
has to reduce errors when the machine is being used by a
less-experienced recordist, perhaps like a news reporter. In that
scenario, an audio technician sets up the recorder, including the
flash card, in the shop. The FR-2LE stores settings like ALC on/off,
high pass filter on/off, Input mode, digitizing rate, phantom power
on/off, and so on, in non-volatile memory that retains the settings
even with the battery pack removed. The Compactflash card holds
information like the digitizing rate, the project name or reel number,
and pointers to the start and stop points of any existing tracks and
cue marks.
Once the FR-2LE is configured, the field recordist doesn't need to
think about settings, just when to push the Record button. It doesn't
matter which XLR jack a mono mic is plugged into. Most relevant
settings are visible on the LC screen if you want to check.
I'm sure Fostex worked a long time with customers like radio stations
to come up with this fail-safe arrangement. The FR-2LE forces you to
work a particular way to maximize the liklyhood that your recordings
will come home intact, and in the format you want. But some people
will find these restrictions burdensome.
These points notwithstanding, the FR-2LE seems to be a great machine.
The preamp is quiet, the controls are easy to use, the machine is
well-designed for use in a shoulder bag, and the Tamiya RC3600 NiMH
battery solution is clever and good for 8 hours.
Street price for the FR-2LE is about $500. I expect this price to
decline a little in the next few weeks.
--oryoki
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