MR-8 - does anyone set their's on a wedge for easier access?

[Ricklh]

Something that tilts the back end of the unit up slightly? Can I find something like this at my local Staples?

[Ravenwing]

All I do is stick a paperback book under the back edge. Crude, but works. Just be aware that if you allow it to drop down off the book while it's in operation, it "could" screw up whatever's on your cf card. That happened to me, and I was afraid I had hosed the mr8! Finally tried reformatting the card, and all was well. Wouldn't be good if you had it full of untransferred tracks though!

[Ricklh]

Originally Posted by Ravenwing

All I do is stick a paperback book under the back edge. Crude, but works. Just be aware that if you allow it to drop down off the book while it's in operation, it "could" screw up whatever's on your cf card. That happened to me, and I was afraid I had hosed the mr8! Finally tried reformatting the card, and all was well. Wouldn't be good if you had it full of untransferred tracks though!

Yeah, I should be able to stick something under there to put it on an incline, no biggie. Talking about the unit being dropped, the other day while I was attempting to remove a couple of 1/4" plugs from it, I inadvertently picked up the back side of it by the plugs, and when they came out, the Fostex dropped on the desktop a little harder than I cared for so my immediate fears were I had damaged the thing. No, it was fine and I didn't lose any data on the card either.

[dave in toledo]

i made a little shelf with a lip on it to keep it from sliding off, works fine,

[Ricklh]

If Fostex comes out with a replacement unit (an inevitability), they should have some little fold-out legs on the back end. How much more could that cost them?

[poutine]

I built a little stand, raised at the back and with a lip at the front so it doesn't slide forward, padded underneath with little felt pads. I also put my digital mixer/mic preamp on it. Works well, but I think I'll raise the back even more.

[tomleblanc]

I found the PERFECT cheap stand actually, at my local Staples/Office Max type of place. It's meant to be used as a book stand, for times when you need to have a book open and in close line of sight to your computer screen or something like that. I used it in college when I was typing papers, but found that it fit the MR-8 quite well!!! The arms in front hold up the MR-8 perfectly, and it's collapsable too. You can get somewhat of a feel for it in the picture I'll try to attach here (it's still hard to see due to the fact that this board won't allow attachments of any decent size )

Crap, it won't let me attach it because it knows I've already attached the same file in another thread. I even tried changing the name of the file, but it still knows! Smart BBS! Well, here's the link to the thread I posted the pic in: http://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=119743

[junplugged]

That one's real nice, mine is for maximum space saving. kinda compact.

[gmiller1122]

i made a little shelf with a lip on it to keep it from sliding off, works fine,

Me, too -- I wish I had given it a slightly greater tilt, but it works well. Foldout legs OR a tilted screen would be great ideas. How many people stand DIRECTLY over their equipment anyway?!

junplugged --
Cool setup. From the Fostex to the ART pre to the MXL 67, it looks VERY familiar! Only difference is I've uprgraded to WOODEN crates -- hehe.

G

[junplugged]

I just might do the same. I need some room under it, I want to get a patch bay and maybe a line mixer or something. I have an old SKB case, but it would look like crap putting it there. Maybe I'll get some rails and pop em on some more of that same cheap pine I used for the slant board.

[Lawrence Bulloc]

Not for an MR8 but for my Fostex VF80. I built an angled platform so as to see the display better. No problems.

[cellardweller]

I found a TV cart with an "lip" already in place, then have put towels under it to bring it to an angle where I can see it standing/sitting.

Junpluggeds' little homemade shelf does look very functional though. I may have to consider something like it...

[junplugged]

It was luck that the MR8 fits inside a 12" standard width board. and luck that the 1/2 or 1/3 rack space crap outboard gear fits side by side inside 12" also the other sills or whatever the stuff rests on are 1 x 2? I don't even remember but same stuff for the legs, but I used soft, cheapo pine and wood screws that I pre drilled - no need to counter sink like i did, b/c the pine is so soft that the screw head sinks in on it's own. but then it may spinter... I might try it with some nice hardwood next. not a priority, maybe in a year...

[junplugged]

Unreal, I can't belive I lived this long without a PATCHBAY!!

[jwgeetar]

hey jun, i've been checking out the MR8 posts here. looks like it's the way to go. i used to do the cassette 4 trk thing in the mid 80's! i mess around a lil with N-track but may want to go back to my old ways!

i see in your picture you have a few items i can't make out! what are those 2 lil blk box's to the right top? effects box's?

anyway, take some more pics and show me your setup.(if you have time--thx). am learning a lot here on this post!

i'm thinking about basing my new studio around the MR8! thx, jw

http://jwweir.com

[cellardweller]

Originally Posted by junplugged

Unreal, I can't belive I lived this long without a PATCHBAY!!

If you would accomodate my ignorance and laziness, and educate me..

What exactly is a patch bay capable of/intended for?

[junplugged]

Originally Posted by jwgeetar

...
what are those 2 lil blk box's to the right top? effects box's?
...
http://jwweir.com

Just a NanoBass module from Alesis that I got years ago when i was wanting bass sounds in addition to my drum machine, but it required midi sequencing and what I had was poor, then I used Cakewalk home, but I couldn't deal with it, also I didn't have a touch sensitve kbd so i didn't use it, i didn't want to program in the velocity changes, just not real enough...

But now that I have an Alesis kbd w/ vel and after touch I may link it up....maybe, I do have a bass and bass amp so I may just play it.

the other is a nanocompressor, which almost everyone here says is crap. I had pumping trouble with it. I'll be using it again soon, now that I have the patch bay. I plan to do a track w/ acoustic and vocal and dub another ac. guitar. and then double compress it to see what I get.

They are 1/3rd space so they're handy.

But what I'm freaking out about now is the new M-audio BX5 I just got tonight. I'm stuck in here, sweating but not realizing it as I re-listen to just about everything over and over thru the new speaks.

Patch Bay, I only use Line level signals thru the patch bay and it's all unbalanced 1/4" - A Behringer ultrapatch _ _ 2000 only $50.

the key w/ the pb is the back. the back is where you put all your connections. then you break those connections thru the front, or if your gear only has outputs, then you can go straight thru.

I had NO IDEA of any of this until last week. I don't even remember what gave me the idea of the patch bay, but I knew I needed to somehow make my connections better, more flexible. So I looked it up MF has a lot of them.

[junplugged]

The great thing about the internet is that you can get manuals of just about anything old or new. so I downloaded the manuals to the patch bay and saw that there are 4 types of connections and each vertical and horizontal set of 4 jacks is a channel.

the 4 connections are, normal, half-normal, open, and parallel. I'm using normal and open. the normal connection is very freaking cool, it's how you 'normally' use the connection. Like my MR8 will normally be connected to my monitor speaker's built-in amp - line level signa, and then when i want to hear some other stuff on those monitors, I'll use the front and break the signal between the mr8 and speak amps - all hooked up thru the back- and then stick my cd player into the speaks, or the stereo and hear radio, or whatever, or if I want the mr8 thru stereo speaks, i'll break the rear conncection and pop the inputs to stereo into the mr8 outs. and on and on and on, I have my 3 channel mixing amp in there for my keyboard or guitar or whatever. So the deal is anything anywhere. keyboard into stero, or into monitors....

[jwgeetar]

thanks jun, very informative. never used a patch bay--yet! so ya get some pretty good stuff on just the normal eight tracks? i'm thinking of doing an accoustic type album,basically:

1-guitar
2-vocals
3-lead guitar
4-harmony vocals

maybe another harmony track,extra guitar effects stuff, with a conga.

thats about 7 tracks. don't know about a bass track yet. so all the tracks i just mentioned will be un-compressed.

also, i would "not" use the effects or enhancements on the MR8. but go through a seperate EQ and Reverb unit.

ANYWAY---thinking out loud before buying the MR8!


now from what i've heard, i can take the tracks i've just done(mentioned above) and have them mastered in a studio of my choosing. Is this the way
everybody's doing their MR8 recordings?

thx again......jw

[dave in toledo]

i think most people, move the tracks to the computer and mix there, problem with sending mr8 tracks to a mastering house, i dont think so but there is no eq, no real effects, no compressin, all things that have to be done BEFORE sending to mastering..... on each individual channel, and many times they will give you suggestions and ask you to remix, cant really do that with a bounced down wav file.

using the compuer is the way to get a more professional sound

[jwgeetar]

Originally Posted by dave in toledo

i think most people, move the tracks to the computer and mix there, problem with sending mr8 tracks to a mastering house, i dont think so but there is no eq, no real effects, no compressin, all things that have to be done BEFORE sending to mastering..... on each individual channel, and many times they will give you suggestions and ask you to remix, cant really do that with a bounced down wav file.

using the computer is the way to get a more professional sound

ahh, thanks dave! so (you prolly been asked this before) i can move all 8 indiviual wav files to say, N-track. then add more tracks on n-track? so i could come up with like 16 tracks? then mix that down to a song? (of course adding eq and effects before the mixdown--as needed)
thx

[dave in toledo]

n track has up to 88 tracks, never need them all, there are lots of good programs out there, i like n track cheap, easy to use, and WOW what a difference in the recordings,......

as close to professionally produced as ive heard.....