Help with MR8? Thank you.

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creatureofhabit

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Hello there. I have a little problem, I've been into recording for quite a while, but never really left the analog world. Basically I went with a fostex mr8 machine for its simplicity I guess, but now I'm strugling heavily. Here's the deal, when I use the weird internal mic, it'll record one track at a time, but if i plug in a mic or a preamp, it will always and at all times record on 2 tracks. Does this happen to anyone else? I mean it can be surpassed sure, I can obviously dump everything to the computer, etc, but that kind of defeats the purpose doesn't it? This machine has kind of tricked me twice now, first I thought it was an 8 track - wrong. Then I thought it could, as anyone would assume as perfectly normal, record on one track at a time - no can do.

I'm interested to know how you folks and users out there deal with this issue and go around it, or if it's even an issue btw, or just a malfunction on my particular model.

One last thing, I notice that the card that comes with it is extremely small. Any sugestions for widely avaliable cards that will work here, in terms of brands? I'm living in London at the moment so, it would be great if it's something fairly general and widely avaliable.

Thank you to everyone that might land a hand here.
 
Uh, it sounds like you're not doing something right.

I think you need to get back into the manuals. If you follow the directions and are still having the same problem, maybe it is a bad unit.
 
Rokket said:
Uh, it sounds like you're not doing something right.

I think you need to get back into the manuals. If you follow the directions and are still having the same problem, maybe it is a bad unit.
Click to expand...

Hi there Rokket, much apreciated. I sincerely don't do anything wrong or that might not be in the manuals (i think!). I turn it on, put a new song on, plug my preamp to the xlr, arm the track, and press record, it always arms 2 tracks. Say for example that i'm recording into track 1. I'll be recording to it, and track two is recording the same thing, only it won't write the audio info, it's just getting occupied, does this make sense? Also, it will automatically arm 2 tracks (like: 1 and 2, 2 and 3, etc.), it won't let me do a mono track. I mean it lets me (cause it sounds mono), but the other track is being written as well (occupied, not with audio). What i'm doing is, once i finish, i go back and erase the second track, but it's a dead end, cause if i just finished recording on the 1st track, and i erase the 2nd and want to put something new in the 2nd, it'll arm the 1st one as well, even if i'm just arming the 2nd, does this make any sense?

Any sugestions on the flash cards?

Thank you!
 
Hmmm. Check on your menu to see if you have it set to auto arm two tracks. Barring that, you may have a bad unit. Also, the MR-8 does write two tracks (although they would both be labelled at tr01, tr02, etc) so that you can enable the undo/redo function.
The light may be lighting up on the second track, but if there is not audio on it, then you are not writing to the second track. You shouldn't have to delete that track. You should be able to just record to it.
Try to transfer the tracks to your pc via usb and the Wave Manager software and see if there is indeed something on the track. It should only transfer any recorded tracks and leave blank ones alone. If it's not doing that, take it back: it's bad.

As far as CF cards, I have been using a SanDisk 512MB for the last year and a half with no problems. In order to use any CF card, you have to go on the Fostex website and download and install the v1.20 upgrade.

Try my suggestions and see what happens. If you can't get it to work, take it back and get the MR-8HD. No CF cards involved because it has a 40G harddrive, and you can record on 4 tracks at once. It only costs about $100 more...
 
Rokket said:
Hmmm. Check on your menu to see if you have it set to auto arm two tracks. Barring that, you may have a bad unit. Also, the MR-8 does write two tracks (although they would both be labelled at tr01, tr02, etc) so that you can enable the undo/redo function.
The light may be lighting up on the second track, but if there is not audio on it, then you are not writing to the second track. You shouldn't have to delete that track. You should be able to just record to it.
Try to transfer the tracks to your pc via usb and the Wave Manager software and see if there is indeed something on the track. It should only transfer any recorded tracks and leave blank ones alone. If it's not doing that, take it back: it's bad.

As far as CF cards, I have been using a SanDisk 512MB for the last year and a half with no problems. In order to use any CF card, you have to go on the Fostex website and download and install the v1.20 upgrade.

Try my suggestions and see what happens. If you can't get it to work, take it back and get the MR-8HD. No CF cards involved because it has a 40G harddrive, and you can record on 4 tracks at once. It only costs about $100 more...
Click to expand...

Hello Rokket, thank you for sticking with me on this. I might have the writing on two tracks armed, but i sincerely didn't know there was even such an option. As for the recording of one track and filling of the other, it's there, there's no audio but the track is "ocupied". It wont playback anything of course, but the data is writen, the flashcard has less time and one track has audio, and the other does not, but occupies time/space. Don't ask me how can this happen, but it does.

Oh, any CF card is deft. a plus. I remember when i got this, it wouldnt play most of the cards. It's actually been in storage, i've had for a few months now but never really picked it up, it just seemed the best option until i can do the financial jump into a more serious/hybrid system (interface and reel to reel).


I thank you very much Rokket, i'll try the arming tracks option, check the manual for that and try to correct it, and also install the latest OS so i can just pick up any flashcard out there.
 
I hope you figure it out. There is nothing more frustrating than any piece of equipment that won't work the way it's supposed to.
 
Check into how you have the preamp going through the MR8. I remember some similar behavior at some point, but i recall it as something i saw once or twice and tweaked something and it was gone. Sorry to not be specific. Make sure the mastering and bounce buttons are not enabled.

Under the system settings, do you have the auto delete on? Again sorry i don;t have more, that is just a couple things that come to mind.

Daav
 
daav said:
Check into how you have the preamp going through the MR8. I remember some similar behavior at some point, but i recall it as something i saw once or twice and tweaked something and it was gone. Sorry to not be specific. Make sure the mastering and bounce buttons are not enabled.

Under the system settings, do you have the auto delete on? Again sorry i don;t have more, that is just a couple things that come to mind.

Daav
Click to expand...
daav, auto delete isn't available until you install the v1.20 upgrade. The read me file that comes with the upgrade will show you how to go into the menu and disable it.

The MR-8 does have some quirky behaviors, so it may be something that will pass.

Like I said, just make sure that you are following the manual, and things should work out right.
 
Hello again folks,

i'm sad to say that the problem persists. There's no menu or anything to disarm automatic stereo track arming or anything like that like we were thinking about in the beggining. I've been through the manual and it's a dead end. Contacted Fostex and they said it's probably a messed up unit, and that i could send it back if it was under the 1 warranty (wich is not). So i guess this is it. My only hope is that something will magically change when i upgrade to the latest OS version, but i very much doubt it. No harm done, it was kind of a recorder to keep me tracking until i can get off debt and be able to afford something better. No problem.

Either way, thanks a lot guys.
 
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