Fostex launched the Model 80 eight-track recorder in 1986, replacing the A-8 which was the first eight-track recorder that used 1/4" tape instead of the much more expensive 1/2" and 1" counterparts. That made the A-8, and then the Model 80, a very popular choice for home studios. When paired with the Fostex Model 20 (the two-track stereo mixdown deck), Fostex offered a very affordable recording setup that allowed mere mortals to produce excellent quality recordings.
The decks were sleek and sophisticated in jet black, rack-mountable with the addition of the optional ears. The Model 80 only weighed 29 pounds, making it light enough to be portable as needed. Its size also made it desirable, measuring 14" x 13½" x 6¾", making it small enough to fit in the smallest of studios. Overall, the decks were sturdy and could take a good bit of usage, adding reliability to its attributes.
Using the machine was simple enough. With an input connected to any given track and pressing the REC button, one could check the level and make adjustments accordingly. To record, you pressed PLAY and REC simultaneously. After finishing the recording on a track, the tape was rewound and the process could be started all over again on another track or tracks. As with any multitrack unit, tracks could be combined and bounced in order to free up space.
As far as performance, sounds coming off tape were much the same as those going in and tape hiss, while unavoidable on any tape machine, wasn't obtrusive. My mixer likely contributed more to noise levels than tape noise. The transport functions were smooth and the autolocator made it easy to use. Both the Model 80 and the Model 20 combined to provide a phenomenally potent piece of gear. Any substandard recordings were more the fault of the operator and not the decks.
The other two main pieces in the studio were the mixing board and reference monitors. For a mixer, I picked up a used Peavy Mark III 24-channel board on the cheap. 24 channels gave me the ability to run a snake out to the acoustic drums, mic all the drums and set up two overhead mics (10 total mics), and run the cables into 10 separate channels to pan and eq each channel separately and run effects into each channel as desired. Although this wasn't a "studio" board by any means but rather more of a "rock and roll" board, it also doubled as the band's rehearsal board for the P.A. But because the board didn't generate a lot of gain from the preamps, the lack of gain kept the board decently quiet. It was rock solid, dependable, and perfectly adequate.
I did not cut corners for reference monitors. To me, the Yamaha NS-10's had always been THE studio monitor despite the fact that there are many who despise these speakers. But there was a reason why these speakers graced, and continue to grace, the best studios in the world and why the best of the best music producers used these as their go-to reference monitors.. The magic in these speakers was not that they sound impressive from low end to high end, it's that they were a magnifying glass for the mid-range to upper mid range. For me, this was the most important area on which to focus when mixing down because that's where the mix must sound up front and in your face. Music will be heard through any number of different speakers each with a different sound reproduction capability. You can't replicate this variety in a studio but you can make sure that what will be relatively constant no matter the speaker is the mid-range. If you can nail that in the final mix, you'll always have a good mix, and that is where the NS-10's shined.
As far as outboard effects, I primarily used a BBE 462 Sonic Maximizer, an Alesis Multiverb III, and a DBX 163X Easy Over Compressor/Limiter. These three processors gave me evrything I needed on both individual tracks and on final mixes.