Fostex FD-8 owner manual Recording method and Remain indicator

Before Starting

Recording method and REMAIN indicator

Recording method

The FD-8 uses a SCSI removable disk (such as an MO disk, EZ disk, or Zip disk) instead of a cassette tape. You can start recording sound sources from any point on a formatted disk as long as the point is within the range of 24 hours in ABS time, as described in the previous “Time Base” section. (Refer to the following diagram.)

						REC END		23H, 59M, 59S
ABS 0		03M 00S 00F		10M 00S 00F		12M 00S 00F			You can record at any point within 24 hours in ABS time.
	recorded area (3 min.)		unrecorded area		recorded area (2 min.)		unrecorded area		White areas are unrecorded areas.

You can record at any point within 24 hours in ABS time.

The area actually used on the disk.

recorded area (5 min.) unrecorded area (25 min.)

recordable disk area (e.g.: 30 minutes)

Gray areas are recorded areas.

For example, if you record three minutes of data starting from ABS 0 (top of the disk) to ABS 03M 00S 00F on a disk that has a recordable space of thirty minutes, as shown in the diagram, then if you record two minutes starting at the 10-minute point in ABS time (ABS 10M 00S 00F) to ABS 12M 00S 00F, the recording end point (REC END) is 12 minutes (ABS 12M 00S 00F) in ABS time. However, this does not mean that the entire recording duration is 12 minutes. The disk space actually used for recording is five minutes (3 minutes + 2 minutes).

That is, the area between three minutes and ten minutes (that corresponds to 25 minutes of recording space) in terms of ABS time is still unrecorded.

When you try to play or fast forward this unrecorded area, the time counter on the display will count, but the FD-8 will not access the disk. However, MTC will be output when you try to play this area.

On the FD-8, the top of the disk is called “ABS 0” and the recording end point is called “REC END.”

REMAIN indicator

The REMAIN indicator displays available recording time expressed in time value (ABS or MTC) or bar/beat/ clock (BAR/BEAT/CLI) value, depending on the currently selected Time Base. It also indicates the available disk space. Right after you format the disk, the REMAIN indicator will show the maximum recordable time and space on the disk. The following example shows that the disk had about 20 minutes or 100MB recordable space after the disk format operation, and has recorded data of 4 minutes 27 seconds (or 19MB).

The REMAIN indicator displays the amount of unrecorded area.

recorded area (4 min. 27 sec./19MB) unrecorded area (15 min. 33 sec./81MB)

recordable disk area (20 min./100MB)

<Display example>

			44.1kHz
REMAIN			MB
H	M	S
		SYNC OUT	DRIVE
		CLK	SCSI
		AUTO	A.PUNCH

The REMAIN value is calculated on a mono-track basis. That is, the value indicates available recording time and space if you record on one mono track.

For example, if you wish to know how much you can record on four tracks, you need to divide the current REMAIN value by eight.

The REMAIN value is also calculated by deducting the time and space of all data on the Real tracks and Additional tracks from the original available recording time and space. Therefore, even if there is no recording on Real tracks, but there is data on Additional tracks, the REMAIN time will consider the time and space used by the data to calculate available time and space.

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