Fostex's X15 was the first 'minimal configuration' multitracker on the market; using just two busses and with no EQ in the channels, it taught the multitrack cassette world an entirely new way of working. Others, and of course Fostex themselves, have since taken the concept further, but their new X18 can perhaps be viewed as a return to the original theme.

Power for the extremely compact (296 x 167 x 68mm) unit is by means of an external 12V DC adapter, keeping the chassis very lightweight unless the batteries are fitted, for the X18 may also be powered by 10 (yes, ten) AA cells. I wasn't able to verify battery-life during the review period, but judging by the rate at which the average Walkman eats AA cells, it isn't going to be that long, given the amount of transport shuttling normally involved in the multitracking process. Battery powering makes the inclusion of an on/off switch a necessity, whereas this feature is sometimes omitted, wrongly I feel, on units which utilise an external PSU as the sole means of power — Fostex cannot be particularly criticised on this score for even their cheaper units, such as the X28 reviewed recently, tend to include a proper power switch.

It would now seem almost obligatory for some reason that on this type of unit, access to the heads for cleaning and de-magnetizing is going to be baulked by a flip-up perspex cover. That is exactly what the X18 provides unfortunately, and it defeated my attempts to remove it without using any undue force. I can't believe that Fostex haven't thought about this; presumably they anticipate the machine being maintained solely with a head cleaning tape and perhaps a cassette-shell-based demagnetizer.

Dolby B noise reduction is employed, along with a standard speed transport, giving unspectacular but nevertheless respectable figures of 58dB s/n ratio, with 40Hz to 12.5kHz (-3dB) nominal frequency response. This format also allows the X18 to be fully playback-compatible on tracks 1 and 2 with cassettes originated on a normal stereo recorder; you just have to remember to turn down tracks 3 and 4, which will play backwards anything recorded on the other side. It also means you can use the X18 to record cassettes for playback on normal machines, which would allow you to make further copies without an extra duplication machine (ie. with only the X18 and the cassette recorder on which you master) — an important consideration in a budget set-up.

MECHANICAL

The transport controls are entirely mechanical — the fact that, on the review model at least, the whole switch bank moves when any one of them is activated with normal pressure detracts a little from what is otherwise a reasonable 'feel' to the controls, for a non-electronic system. A pitch control is included, giving a +/-10% speed change. The semi-enclosed positioning of the control causes it to rub against the chassis when you move it, making the pot feel stiffer than it is. This in turn makes the centre-detent on the pot, which is after all the only reference for correct running speed, a little difficult to find sometimes. All pots and connectors are in fact PCB mounted, without chassis support, so a degree of care in use is perhaps advised to avoid fractured connections in the future.

FOUR INPUTS, TWO BUSSES

There are two record busses, accessed via four 1/4" input jacks along the front edge of the unit. You can trim the level to tape with the channel fader, but no gain controls are provided except for a 3-position high/medium/low (input signal level, not sensitivity) switch on channels 1 and 2. Channels 3 and 4 have a fixed sensitivity, equivalent to the high (line level) setting.

Input stage noise performance at microphone level is rather limited, but perhaps no more than you might expect of equipment in this price range. Headroom is, of course, also somewhat restricted. As always, employing a compressor/limiter prior to the input stage makes a big difference to the results you can get out of this system. This not only protects against clipping the electronics, but also creates a more manageable signal with which you can confidently work at tape levels close to the limit, keeping the maximum difference between the signal and noise levels off-tape.

Separate in and out phono sockets are provided for sync signals to be recorded on track 4, bypassing any mixing stages. There is no facility for disabling the NR on track 4, but Dolby B is extremely kind to sync tones anyway.

MONITOR MIX

In addition to the level fader, each channel has just a pan control and a monitor mix pot. There are two monitor modes; you can get the stereo bus in combination with the monitor mix, which will be a stereo/mono combination, or the monitor mix alone, which will be purely mono. Monitor operation is dependent on the track status, so there is no 'audio thru' unless the machine is actually recording, or in record/pause.

At mixdown, the monitor pot can be pressed into service as a send to an effects units — although this is pre-fade (F/X sends would normally be post-fade and therefore follow the level of the fader during mixing) it is still a great deal better than not having the facility at all. In practice, when dealing with so few channels it is usually possible to ride both controls at once if it is necessary to fade a channel and its send in or out as part of a mix. A stereo auxiliary return is provided, primarily for F/X, although it could also be used to incorporate a stereo sub-mix of sequenced MIDI signals synced to tape, without employing any other mixing facility. The returns access the two busses, and can thus be easily sent to tape; in fact, with the X18 you do have to remember that anything on one of the busses is recorded when either of its destination tracks is in record.

RECORDING

With only two track select switches (select 1 or 3, and 2 or 4) simultaneous 4-track recording is obviously not possible. To simultaneously record different signals on two tracks, it is necessary to separate the sources by panning to opposite busses. The X18 has a simple display consisting of four LED columns, acting as miniature bargraph meters, which can be switched to read either tape track or mix bus levels (the monitor bus is also usefully displayed in this mode). The tape counter is a simple 3-digit mechanical affair, and about as accurate as these usually are.

With an entirely mechanical control system, naturally there are no automatic transport functions, not even a zero-return, but footswitch drop-in is included, activated via a momentary switch. As the record select switches are a little imprecise in their positioning (it is quite easy to overshoot the centre-detented off position and enter record on another track), the footswitch seems to represent the best method of dropping in most of the time. The transport record switch will drop in, but not out — you have to hit stop, whereas the footswitch will both go in and out. You may still have to use stop on any tight dropouts, for at this tape speed the distance between the erase and rec/play heads will leave quite a gap, but the audible result will be cleaner if you can use the footswitch.

CONCLUSION

Entry-level equipment is important; by definition it is the first step on the ladder for many people. Like its successful forerunner, the X18 will win no prizes for audio performance, but it fulfils perfectly its role of providing a multitracking capability at the lowest possible price. It is a very usable system, easily mastered by the complete novice. If there are a few places where it looks or feels slightly cheap, I don't think there is much room for complaint — it is cheap!

One little innovation, recognising the growing role of recording technology in education, is the provision of an additional input, designated 'Teach Bus'. This appears to access the headphone output directly. I would imagine that the idea is for a properly equipped music classroom to include a talkback bus to which all the recorders would be connected, enabling the teacher to give instructions to any or all users whilst they are wearing headphones — a neat solution to an unique problem, which should give the X18 a headstart in the education market.

The X18 might also find an additional niche as the most economical method possible of adding a just few tape tracks to an otherwise all-MIDI system, where a sophisticated mixer might already be employed. Normally, one would be looking for a recorder with direct outputs from the tape tracks for this role, but there is a way round their absence on the X18; assuming track 4 is dedicated to timecode, audio tracks 1 and 2 can be panned hard left and right, and taken out of the main mix bus line outs. Then, by switching the headphone output to the monitor position, and turning down all the monitor controls except the one for channel 3, you have a separate output for the third track also. EQ and auxs could then be individually applied via the external mixer.

As I recently concluded of the X28, equipment for this level of the market must achieve precisely the right balance between price, performance and user-facilities. Fostex have hit the mark again with the X18.

Further information

£259.99 inc VAT.

Fostex UK, (Contact Details).