Multitracker (24-Bit) Conversion Quality?

[mark4man]

People,

Looking at two 24-Bit Multitrackers (for expanding my studio operation to include location recording)...the Roland VS 2000 & the Yamaha AW4416.

Of these two units, does anyone know the mfg./model# of the onboard ADCs...or, more importantly...how the conversion/recording quality compares between the two?

Also...should I be looking elsewhere (i.e., are there other 24-Bit multitrackers out there I may have missed)?

Thanks very much,

mark4man

[Byll]

I use twin Yamaha AW2816's - the 4416's little brother. I have never compared conversion quality between the Yamaha and Roland units. However I have compared hard drive and fan noise - an issue for me. The 2816 wins, followed closely by the 4416, and the VS series, a distant last.

For what it is worth.
Best.
Byll

[mark4man]

Byll,

Thanks.

Narrowed my search down to two other units...the Tascam 2488 & the Korg D1600.

Question for you...(if you know)...the hard drives in both of these units, specifically the USB partitions used for file transfer (which is very important to my operation), are formatted to FAT-16.

My PC native DAW is SONAR; & my audio drive on that PC is formatted to NTFS.

Will I be able to: 1) export FAT-16 formatted .wav files to that NTFS formatted audio drive; & 2) then have them be accessed by the DAW from that drive to be played/edited?

Really need to know if this is possible prior to purchase.

Also...can the hard drive in the 2488 (or the Korg) be reformatted to NTFS (so I don't have to worry about drive format compatibility)?

Thanks again,

mark4man

[dpd]

I don't think you'll have any trouble with the two drives. The main differences, IIRC, is in the minimum size of the basic file chunk and how the files are organized. But, a .wav file is a .wav file, etc.

[xstatic]

The file format system purely has to do with the way the OS addresses the hard drive. The files are all still the same. Anything with a hard drive has an OS of some sort. Some equipment has a very minimal OS that remains all but invisible to the end user, other equipment may have a much more present and complicated OS that is constantly visible and usable.

[Kenny Bergle]

I agree that the .wav file will not change from FAT- 16 to NTFS. The only problems will be in trying to install one of the hard drives into the the other formatted system. Transferring the files from one drive to the other shouldn't be an issue at all.

Also, I noticed you were going with full DAW type units. Have you checked out an Alesis HD-24 XT? I sell a ton of these to live multi-track recordists and they all say this is a great way to aquire the tracks for later editing or mixing in the studio. Many will use PreSonus or Focusrite or other 8-channel mic pre strips for level matching. A common setup is (3) 8-channel mic/line pres and an HD24-XT in a rack case.