Fostex Fr2 Memory Recorder Owners Manual

							FR-2 Field Memory Recorder (Chapter 3: Names and functions)
41 Warning message screen
In a case that the operation is inappropriate, entered data is illegal, or an error
happens, a warning message screen may appear on the display.
The following shows available warning message screen with comments including
remedies. If you encounter any warning message, immediately cope with the trouble.
This message appears when batteries for operating the FR-2
are exhausted. The FR-2 automatically shuts down after show-
ing this warning message.
Replace batteries with new (or fully charged) ones.
This message appears when the battery for operating the in-
ternal realtime clock is exhausted. This message appears when
turning on the power.
Ask your local Fostex dealer or sales office for replacing the
battery.
This message appears when the memory card inserted to the
slot has a problem.
Replace the card with another one.
This message appears when the current memory card does
not have enough remaining space for recording.
Replace the card with another one which has enough remain-
ing space.
This message appears when the current audio file has a prob-
lem. You cannot use this file any more.  Delete this file.
This message appears when the current file is protected.
Release the protection using the Protect menu item on the
File menu in the MENU mode if you wish to make recording
or editing.
This message appears when you cannot create an audio file
to the current memory card any more.
To create a new audio file, delete an unnecessary file or re-
place the card to another one. 
						

							FR-2 Field Memory Recorder (Chapter 3: Names and functions)
42
This message appears when you are going to store illegal cue
point data after editing.
Enter legal cue point data and store it.
This message appears when the digital input signal is illegal
during recording a digital source.
Check the digital source.
When you are going to store an audio file name, this message
appears if a file with the same name already exists in the card.
Change the audio file name to be stored.
This message appears when you are going to delete an audio
file which is protected.
Release the protection using the Protect menu item on the
File menu in the MENU mode.
When you are going to store an audio file name, this message
appears if the name is illegal.
Enter a legal name and store it.
When you are going to make setting of any menu item (except
for menu items on the Setup menu) in the MENU mode, this
message appears if no memory cards are inserted to the slots.
Insert a memory card and make setting. 
						

							43
FR-2 Field Memory Recorder (Chapter 4: Basic connections)
Chapter 4: Basic connections

Audio input/output connection .....................................................................................44
Analog audio input connection .....................................................................................44
Digital audio input connection ......................................................................................45
Analog audio output connection ..................................................................................45
Digital audio output connection ...................................................................................45
PC/keyboard connection ...............................................................................................46
Connecting the FR-2 to a PC ...........................................................................................46
Connecting the FR-2 to a USB keyboard .......................................................................46
This chapter describes the basic connection between the FR-2 and external devices. 
						

							44
FR-2 Field Memory Recorder (Chapter 4: Basic connections)
Audio input/output connection
Analog audio inputs
12VDC IN32 1
COLDGND
HOT
KEYBOARD PC ONLY
USB
ONLY
DIGITAL OUT IN
R L/MONOANALOG IN POWER ANALOG OUT
L/MONOPHANTOM
3 2 1
COLDGND
HOT
ON
OFF
COMPACTFLASH CARD
PCMCIA
Analog audio device
Analog audio device
Digital audio device
Digital audio device
The FR-2 provides two [ANALOG IN] connectors (XLR-3-31, pin 2 hot) which ac-
cept two mono or a stereo pair of balanced analog audio source signals.
Each audio input accepts signals of a wide range of nominal input level from -60
dBu (microphone level) to +4 dBu (line level).
You can adjust the level using the [TRIM] controls in conjunction with the [LINE/
MIC] input selector.
When the [LINE/MIC] switch is set to LINE Adjustable within the range between -30 dBu and +4 dBu.
When the [LINE/MIC] switch is set to MIC Adjustable within the range between -60 dBu and -26 dBu.
The FR-2 can provide +48 V phantom power for condenser microphones. It is also
equipped with a HPF (High pass filter) and limiter circuit for each input channel. 
						

							45
FR-2 Field Memory Recorder (Chapter 4: Basic connections)
Analog audio outputs
The [ANALOG OUT] jacks (unbalanced RCA) output -10 dBV analog audio signals.
Digital audio input
: When receiving a digital source which contains FS information, the FR-2 makes
recording according to the FS of the digital source regardless of the [FS (kHz)] switch
setting.
When recording a digital source which does not contain FS information, the FR-2 makes
recording according to the [FS (KHZ)] switch setting.
When receiving a digital source which does not contain FS information and making the
unit Òinput monitorÓ (record-standby), Ò
DIG INÓ is shown in inverse video on the display.
Digital audio output
The digital audio signals can be output from the [DIGITAL OUT] connector in the
IEC 60958 (AES/EBU) or IEC 60958 (S/P DIF) format.
You can select the digital output signal format (AES/EBU or S/P DIF) using the
Digital Out Type menu item on the Setup menu in the MENU mode (the default
is AES/EBU).
A balanced XLR-3-32 type (pin 2 hot) connector is used.
: The FR-2 does not accept digital signals at 176.4 kHz and 192 kHz.
: The [DIGITAL OUT] connector does not support digital signals at 176.4 kHz and
192 kHz.
: During recording of analog audio, the FR-2 does not receive a digital input
signal.
The FR-2 accepts digital signals conformed to IEC 60958 (AES/EBU) or IEC 60958
(S/P DIF) format via the [DIGITAL IN] connector (XLR-3-31, pin 2 hot). During
recording, the FR-2 automatically detects the format of the digital source.
When the FR-2 receives a digital signal from the [DIGITAL IN] connector, PLL (Phased-
locked loop) activates and the FR-2 locks to the sync signal in the digital input
source. 
						

							46
FR-2 Field Memory Recorder (Chapter 4: Basic connections)
The FR-2 provides the [USB (PC ONLY)] connector which is exclusively used for
connecting to a PC. By connecting this connector to a PC, you can control the
current memory card of the FR-2 from the personal computer.
See page 97 for details about audio file export/import.
The FR-2 provides the [USB (KEYBOARD ONLY)] connector which is exclusively
used connecting to a USB keyboard. By connecting a USB keyboard to this connec-
tor, you can enter file/label names, as well as carry out some of menu operations,
from the keyboard.
Connecting the FR-2 to a PC
Connecting the FR-2 to a USB keyboard

¥The FR-2 must be powered off when connecting or disconnecting a USB keyboard.
¥
To control the FR-2 from a USB keyboard, make setting of the Keyboard menu
item on the Setup menu appropriately (US or JAPAN) according to the
keyboard connected. See Selecting the USB keyboard type on page 93 for details.
¥With some keyboards, indicators may not light until pressing any key after
connection is made.
¥Fostex does not guarantee keyboard operations if you use a keyboard with built-in
USB hub, USB mouse or PS2 mouse.
: To use the FR-2 with a personal computer,
make the USB MODE setting to ON. See page 99
for details.
PC/keyboard Connection
12VDC IN32 1
COLDGND
HOT
KEYBOARD PC ONLY
USB
ONLY
DIGITAL OUT IN
12VDC IN32 1
COLDGND
HOT
KEYBOARD PC ONLY
USB
ONLY
DIGITAL OUT IN
ESC
~
`!
1@
2#
3$
4%
5^
6&
7*
8(
9)
0_
-+
=
|
/}
] {
[ P O I U Y
T R
E W Q
ASD F
ZXCVGH J K
BNM
. ,?
/
AltCtrl SHIFT ENTERBack SpaceInsert
HomePage
Up
Page
Down End
DeleteNum
Lock
7
Home/
*-
+
089
456
12
3
.
Ins
DelEnter End
Pg Dn Pg Up
Pause
Break Scroll
LockPrint
Screen
SysReqF12 F11
F10 F9
F8 F7
F6 F5
F4 F3 F2 F1Help
TA BCaps LockSHIFT
Ctrl
Alt
For details about functions you can operate from a USB keyboard, see the descrip-
tion of each menu item with which you can use a keyboard. 
						

							47
FR-2 Field Memory Recorder (Chapter 5: Recording/playback)
Chapter 5: Recording/playback
This chapter describes basic analog and digital audio recording/playback, as well as cue point
setting and the skip/locate function.

About recording system ............................................................................................................48
Recording analog audio .............................................................................................................49
Selecting the input source ..............................................................................................49
Adjusting the input gain .................................................................................................49
Filter setting ......................................................................................................................49
Limiter setting ..................................................................................................................50
Selecting the sampling frequency/quantization bit length ......................................50
Selecting the track mode ................................................................................................51
Adjusting the recording level ........................................................................................51
Monitoring recording signals ........................................................................................52
Checking the remain for recording ...............................................................................52
Making recording ............................................................................................................53
Recording with PRE REC active ............................................................................54
About overloading ................................................................................................54
Recording digital audio ..............................................................................................................55
Selecting the track mode ................................................................................................55
Selecting the sampling frequency/bit length ..............................................................55
Setting cue points .......................................................................................................................56
Setting a cue point on-the-fly .........................................................................................56
Viewing cue point information ......................................................................................57
Deleting a cue point in realtime .....................................................................................57
Playback .......................................................................................................................................58
Normal audio playback ..................................................................................................58
Cueing playback ..............................................................................................................58
Skip/locate functions ..................................................................................................................59
Skipping by file ................................................................................................................59
Skipping by cue point .....................................................................................................59
Locating to the beginning (ABS 0) of a file ...................................................................59
Locating to the end (REC END) of a file .........................................................................59
Locating to the desired cue point ..................................................................................59 
						

							48
FR-2 Field Memory Recorder (Chapter 5: Recording/playback)
About recording system
The FR-2 uses the FAT32 (File Allocation Table 32) file system and supports the most
common BWF (Broadcast Wave File) file format.
You can make recording in the stereo (L/R) or mono track mode. When recording in
stereo, two (L and R) WAV files are created, while a single WAV file is created when
recording in mono.
A BWF file created is stored in the bwff folder which is created on a CFC/ATA (see the
figure below). The FR-2 uses the 1 take - 1 file system. With this system, each time you
make recording, a new audio file is created on the card. Note that you cannot make
additional recording or overwriting to an existing file.
By connecting the FR-2 to your PC, you can transfer an audio file recorded by the FR-2
to the PC, and vice versa. Therefore, you can copy an audio file recorded by the FR-2 to
a PC hard drive or export it to a computer application such as Digidesign Pro Tools.
The table below shows the approximate recording time on a 1GB card (CFC or ATA).
Note that actual recording time may be slightly different depending on card manufac-
turers.
FS/BIT
22.05kHz / 16bit
44.1kHz / 16bit
44.1kHz / 24bit
48kHz / 16bitRecording time in stereo
Recording time in mono
Approx. 192 minutes
Approx. 96 minutes
Approx. 64 minutes
Approx. 90 minutesApprox. 384 minutes
Approx. 192 minutes
Approx. 128 minutes
Approx. 180 minutes
CFC or ATA
BWFF
*****.wav
*****.wav
*****.wav
48kHz / 24bit
88.2kHz / 24bit
96kHz / 24bitApprox. 60 minutes
Approx. 32 minutes
Approx. 30 minutesApprox. 120 minutes
Approx. 64 minutes
Approx. 60 minutes
176.4kHz / 24bit Approx. 16 minutes Approx. 32 minutes
192kHz / 24bit Approx. 15 minutes Approx. 30 minutes 
						

							49
FR-2 Field Memory Recorder (Chapter 5: Recording/playback)
The FR-2 is equipped with the high-pass filter circuit. The cutoff frequency is 100
Hz and the filter slope is -12 dB/oct. The [HPF] switch, which selects ON or OFF of
the high-pass filter, is provided for each channel.
The filter is useful to eliminate the wind noise during location recording or unnec-
essary low frequency noise when recording a voice or sound.
High-pass Filter
[LINE/MIC] switches
Using the [TRIM] control for each (L, R) channel, you can adjust the input gain for
the associated channel to accept signal within the following nominal input level
range.
Adjusting the input gain
When the [LINE/MIC] switch is set to LINE
When the [LINE/MIC] switch is set to MIC
Between -60 dBu and -26 dBuBetween -30 dBu and +4 dBu
Set the [LINE/MIC] switch for each (L, R) channel appropriately according to the
source (microphone or line) connected to the associated [ANALOG IN] (L/MONO
or R) connector.
Selecting the input source
Recording analog audio
To record analog audio, some control and switch settings are necessary.
176.4
192 96 88.2MIC LINE LINEMIC
-26
-60 +4
-30PRE RECON
OFF
LINE
/MIC
FS(kHz)ST
MONOTRACK MODE24BIT 16BITQUANTIZATION
LIMITERTRIM
44.1
22.0548
-30 +4
-60 -26
L
R
176.4
192 96 88.2MIC LINE LINEMIC
-26
-60 +4
-30
HPF(100Hz)
PRE RECON
OFF
LINE
/MIC
FS(kHz)
OFF ON ON
OFF ST
MONO
TRACK MODE24BIT 16BITQUANTIZATION
OFF ONLIMITERTRIM
44.1
22.0548
-30 +4
-60 -26
L
R
R L
176.4
192 96 88.2
-26
-60 +4
-30
ABS 0 REC ENDHPF
(100Hz)
PRE RECON
OFF
PLAY REWIND FS(kHz)
F.FWD STOP
OFF ON ON
OFF OFF ONLIMITERTRIM
44.1
22.0548
-30 +4
-60 -26
R L
[TRIM] control
[HPF] ON/OFF switch 
						

							50
FR-2 Field Memory Recorder (Chapter 5: Recording/playback)
You can select the desired sampling frequency (FS  for short) and quantization
bit length (Bit for short) for recording by using the [FS (kHz)] and [QUANTIZA-
TION] switches on the top panel.
You can select the FS from among 22.05 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz,
176.4 kHz and 192 kHz, while you can select the Bit between 16 and 24 bit. The
current FS and Bit settings are shown on the Home screen. See the available com-
bination of FS and Bit settings in the table below.
While receiving a digital signal, the FR-2 automatically detects the FS and Bit from
the receiving digital signal, which takes priority over the [FS (kHz)] and [QUANTI-
ZATION] switch settings.
Selecting the sampling frequency/quantization bit length
: During recording, you cannot change FS and Bit setting.
If you change the [FS] select switch setting during recording, the switch setting becomes
effective when recording stops.
By using the limiter, the signal level is prevented from exceeding a certain level. In
result, the signal level fluctuation is suppressed. Therefore, the limiter is useful
when recording a sound whose level is unknown. You can activate the limiter for
both L and R channels by setting the [LIMITER] switch to ON.
The FR-2 limiter uses the VCA (Voltage Controlled Amplifier) circuit. By default,
the threshold is -2 dB under the 24-bit full-scale level (all bits: ON) and the com-
pression ratio is 1:5. The limiter attack time is fixed to approximately 20 ms, while
the release time is fixed to approximately 150 ms.
Limiter
176.4
192 96 88.2
-26
-60 +4
-30
HPF(100Hz)
PRE RECON
OFF
PLAY REWIND
F (kHz)
F.FWD STOP
OFF ON ON
OFF OFF ONLIMITERTRIM
44.1
22.0548
-30 +4
-60 -26
R L
[LIMITER] switch
176.4
192 96 88.2MIC LINE LINEMIC
-26
-60 +4
-30
HPF(100Hz)
PRE RECON
OFF
LINE
/MIC
FS(kHz)
OFF ON ON
OFF ST
MONO
TRACK MODE24BIT 16BITQUANTIZATION
OFF ONLIMITERTRIM
44.1
22.0548
-30 +4
-60 -26
L
R[QUANTIZATION] switch
[FS (kHz)] switch
You can see the current
FS and bit length.
FS (kHz)BIT
22.05
44.1
48.0
88.2
96
176.4
19216bit 24bit
Ye s
Ye s
Ye sYe s
Ye s
Ye s
Ye s
Ye s
Ye s
: During recording (or input monitor), the FS
and Bit follow the current switch settings.
While stopped (or during playback), the FS and Bit
recorded on the current file are shown.