Fostex X-24

I bought my X-24 online at Musician's Friend and I paid 200 dollars. I was looking for something that I could use to record the millions of little licks and riffs that I come up with on guitar and bass. I also wanted something that would allow me to record full songs if I wanted to.



The X-24 is really straight-forward. Plug it in, jack in, hit the track number, and hit record. I like the practice feature and the bounce feature makes it a little more versatile. The X-24 has two XLR inputs which is great when recording bass and guitar at once or guitar and vocal, etc...It also has a stereo output and balance pans to allow for some fun studio-like mixing. If you use the right tape this machine can be surprisingly high-quality.



The number one gripe I have about the X-24 is that the volume sliders are too coarse in that they don't allow for a really fine tweak. For example, if the guitars need to be turned down just a TINY bit it is difficult to pull off. I also don't like the XLR input level knobs. They have tiny pictures on them that seem to indicate that they should be turned to a certain level for guitar and another level for vocals, but i've found that if it isn't always turned to the vocals setting then it seems too soft.



This machine is a typical plastic unit and though sturdy, it is somewhat fragile. I would say that the X-24 is reliable yet breakable!



Great unit for the beginner, as long as you have some idea of how these types of machines work and what they can and can't do. Also be aware of analog's advantages and disadvantages. If you are looking for a cheap way of saving some of your best ideas or coming up with new ones, then definitely give this a shot...just make sure to buy a mic as well.



This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I purchased the unit on the net from Musician's Friend for #299.00 to make some tapes on my progress in learning to play the classical guitar


The unit with Dolby does provide an excellent sound quality tape and becasue of the multi-tack feature, I was able to record some duet-type etudes and pieces.

I am having trouble converting the type 2 aaudio cassette to one that I can play on my car cassette player. I need to find out how I can do that. I am not well-diciplined in the field of home recording.


The construction seems excellent. The mic Input is not a pre-amp mic but it can be deceiving at first-- it must be cranked up quite a bit.


All in all---I probably should have purchased something more simple and easy to make a regular cassette BUT----I am still learning.


This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com