Fostex G-16 (c. 1991)
The Fostex G-16 is a 16-track, 1/2-inch multitrack recorder. It was one of Fostex's first-generation 16-track machines. Exact production dates and a full factory spec sheet aren't well preserved in the archival record. The model did get serious professional press when it was new, and those reviews are the backbone of what's known.
Mix, January 1991, p.84 field-tested the machine. The reviewer admitted his earlier experience with Fostex's 4-track cassette decks had left him unimpressed - then called the G-16 one of the most fulfilling products he'd worked with. EQ, February 1991, p.73 was equally taken. It described the sound as magnificent and, most importantly, controllable, and noted that the deck was an integrated one-piece unit, tape transport included.
By mid-1992, Mix, June 1992, p.82 was covering the G-16S, the MIDI Machine Control version, tested with a C-Lab Notator 3.1 sequencer. With an 8330 interface, G-Series decks could chase-lock to any time-code source, and setup was straightforward. The earlier field test also noted that users could assign their own MIDI notes to G-16 commands rather than being stuck with Fostex's choices. The reviewer did wish the jog wheel could be driven by controller messages (Mix, January 1991, p.88). A later installment followed his sound-effects work, where the deck could correct out-of-sync audio and expand or compress audio to fit (Mix, January 1991, p.90).
On the used market, Sound on Sound's classified ads (March 1998, p.286) still listed G16s, one at £1299 and another at £599.
Known specs:
- 16 tracks on 1/2-inch tape
- Integrated one-piece transport
- G-16S variant added MIDI Machine Control
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