Fostex MR-8HD

billy3000

New member
Hi All. this model of fostex recorder was recommended
by a friend as a good demo tool. which, it likely is. I was
curious what you guys on the fostex forum thought of it.
only 8 tracks is not so bad a thing. from reading the manual,
it seems as if the stereo outputs are the only outputs.
it would be neat to be able to offload tracks to a computer
with more bells and whistles than the MR-8HD. if the idea
of using a PC in addition to the MR-HD sounds confusing,
my bad for not explaining. the PC is owned by a friend
who is going to help mewith tweaking and mixing. so, I
actually want something more than a demo tool. is there
any way of offloading all 8 tracks seperately onto another
medium? thanks for any tips....... Bill
 
If you want to move the tracks to a computer, especially a friends computer you might want to consider the Compact Flash version. Then you can simply take the card out and move the wave files that way without having to take the unit and hook up via USB.

I used to own the MR-8MKII CF version until recently moving to the Fostex DP-02CF. I liked the Fostex unit but wanted EQ on all my mixing channels and FX send/return.
 
thanks for that!

If you want to move the tracks to a computer, especially a friends computer you might want to consider the Compact Flash version. Then you can simply take the card out and move the wave files that way without having to take the unit and hook up via USB.

I used to own the MR-8MKII CF version until recently moving to the Fostex DP-02CF. I liked the Fostex unit but wanted EQ on all my mixing channels and FX send/return.

thank you Dak_Sunset, I appreciate the tip. the bummer is, I still aint
sure what you mean. I will study up a little more on the unit I had
mentioned. I didn't see anything about compact flash, but I was
looking at the musiciansfriend website. I imagine the fostex site has
more info. anyway, that makes sense. there's an 8track version for
399.99 and the 16 track for 449.99, so obviously the 16 track is
a better deal. thanks again!
 
Using the CF card to move tracks is one way of transferring but as you have the MR-8/HD try this route.

Go to www.fostexusa.com - "Support" - "Software Updates" and download the WavManager for your computer. (also download and print off the .pfd file of instructions.)
WavManager is an interface program that lets you transfer your individual tracks through the USB connection on the MR-8, you will need to use an audio editor program such as Audacity to work on the tracks directly in your computer.
 
thanks!

Using the CF card to move tracks is one way of transferring but as you have the MR-8/HD try this route.

Go to www.fostexusa.com - "Support" - "Software Updates" and download the WavManager for your computer. (also download and print off the .pfd file of instructions.)
WavManager is an interface program that lets you transfer your individual tracks through the USB connection on the MR-8, you will need to use an audio editor program such as Audacity to work on the tracks directly in your computer.


thanks much for that, Terfyn
 
A couple of points as you are still on line.

Only the MK II has CF cards, all the other machines have a hard disk for storage.
Also, on the same "Support" list, you will see a User Forum. Have a look, under "Digital Multi-Track Recorders" for the MR8 posts.

I have the MR 16 HD/CD, a good machine and very versatile.
 
CF card....Compact Flash?

A couple of points as you are still on line.

Only the MK II has CF cards, all the other machines have a hard disk for storage.
Also, on the same "Support" list, you will see a User Forum. Have a look, under "Digital Multi-Track Recorders" for the MR8 posts.

I have the MR 16 HD/CD, a good machine and very versatile.

it says you're a newbie but you don't sound like a newbie :)

ok, I think I grasp the difference. I can't remember my first post verbatim.
I haven't purchased a machine yet. just looking at recommendations
from friends and forum members. the one you have sounds better than
the 8 track. and, according to musiciansfriend, has a 40Gig HD. so, I
could offload stuff from a 16 track same as from the 8track version,
right?

I read your post in another thread about the MR16HD/CD and it sounds
like you got it dialed in. would you say the learning curve is more
forgiving on your machine than the average recording software prgrams?
cubase, audition, sonar, etc.. cause that is what I need. something
I can figure out rapidly and start getting ideas down asap. I have
waited too long. I may get too old and tired before I ever record all
the weird sh*t I have rattling around my head :) gotta get going here.

I guess just the one question other than the ones you already answered.
is the fostex unit basically pretty easy to plug in and go? I have spent
ancient ages messing with the cracked copies of cubase and nuendo I have on my dinosaur PC. I plan to format the HD and get rid of all the immoral
copies and use the old computer for email and sundries. it never did have
the oomph for recording.

I think the HD recorder is the way to go. I can drag it to my buddy
Marks house and offload the tracks for tweaking/mixing. and maybe
eventually, he can show me how to do all that too. he has nuendo
and cubase and you name it. too much for me to think about. if I get
a new PC and my own software to go with the MR16HD/CD, it will
probably be reaper. anyway, thanks for your help and tips.

pretty easy to use is it? I do hope so
 
The 16 is better 'cos it gives you more tracks to bounce down to. For example:- If you treat 1-8 as mono, then bounce to 9/10, you can overrecord 1-8 and bounce to 11/12 etc.etc. You always need to finish your final bounce to 15/16 so you can create a stereo .wav file in the 2 Mix folder for transfer to a CD or mp3 etc. (This is one example, the machine is more flexible than this would suggest)
You also have Input EQ, 33 preset equalising options!! (What's wrong with a high, mid and low knobs with settable cut-off points?) and the Aux Out sockets.
Now I find Aux Out useful as I can re-record any "raw" track and either put it through an external device or I can play with the 33 Input Eqs to find the effect I want.
The internal editing, 'though basic, is quite useful. Fostex give you a "clipboard" to record clips which can then be moved, in relation to the other tracks, to give multiple or chorus effects.

If you are in a downloading mood!! You can down load any of the User Manuals and read up on the machine of your choice. (from the site I gave you)

In reply to your questions, there is a WavManager for every MR. ( the WM for the 16 has 16 track inputs - is that too obvious, I'm sorry)
I have not messed with PC based recording much but once you get used to the way the machine is designed to work, it is an easy process. One of the problems is that there is a lot of "nice to have" bits on these units so it looks more complicated than it is. Initially treat it as a 16 track tape recorder and carry out a simple recording, to the CD stage, the rest will then fall into place.

Good luck!
 
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