Fostex LR16 and other live/mobile recording options

[kslight]

I did a quick search and I didn't see this discussed...has anyone used one of these? http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=501674

The price is very enticing (especially with the $400 MIR if bought by the end of the month), but for some reason I associate Fostex with junk (maybe because I've never owned a Fostex anything and because their stuff is cheap?). What I find interesting about the unit is the built in recording functionality and USB stick file offloading, not to mention that the "mixer" is really only a controller to the main unit... It can record 24-bit/44.1khz instead of 16bit/44.1khz if wanted which isn't entirely clear on the page.

I am looking at my options for a mobile recording setup and this one looks very appealing...record everything at a venue or rehearsal space and take it home to mix (because my home isn't currently setup as a great tracking space, and I can't afford to buy my own studio right now...). Sans laptop at that...which would be very convenient.



The other currently produced options I am aware of that appear to do "most of what I want" are the Presonus Studiolive 16 http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=478507 and the A&H Zed R16 http://pro-audio.musiciansfriend.com/pr ... sku=580321

Of course both of those require a computer and a DAW (well I guess you could use the R16 into a standalone HD recorder)...


I already use an M-audio FW1814 into Pro Tools M-Powered, but not in a mobile setup and I really want something that is self-contained and decent quality. I can't imagine that the Fostex is any worse quality than the M-Audio unit, and I am not making any income off of recording so I can't afford to buy an $40k mobile rig...all I really want to be able to do is record live bands with decent quality and mix demos/live CDs for them at a reasonable price. But I also don't want something that sounds like total garbage... Its not like I have microphones that are incredibly high end either.


Any opinions?