Tascam 788 t0 MR8 HD: Smart move?

[sloom]

Greetings, Fostex People,

I have a pretty good PC DAW at home, and a Tascam 788. It's been a hassle- I had to find a CD-R 624 on ebay, and it's been an errand to get the CD-R thing set up with a cable, etc,... and the idea of having to deal with burned CD-R's instead of USB-ing into the PC is not the most expedient- the more periphery I have to handle, to further up the ante for screwing up goes!

So I'm asking: How is life with you and your MR8 HD? Is it worth selling my 788 and peripherals to pick this little machine up? Will I lose something in sound quality or onboard fx, mix capability?

Thanks for your time, any wisdom on this!

 

[A Reel Person]

As a new 788 owner, I feel your pain!

I'm not a huge fan of an external drive connected by a cable, but the 788's a fairly capable Portastudio, so I accept it. Not only that, but the 788 records in real time to a HD, while the SCSI connected CDRW drive is only necessary to have hooked up for backups, mixdowns & importing/exporting data.

The issue of the MR8 only recording 2-tracks simultaneously is a bit of a downgrade, especially if you're considering recording live ensembles, which the 788 handles quite well with 6-simul recording. If your'e simply doing solo stuff one track at a time, it's not as staggering of a limitation, but it is a limitation nonetheless.

The 788 also has fairly good "virtual" EQ and mixing capability on inputs and outputs, in a relatively simple menu system, while the Mr8 has nothing comparable to the 788 in EQ, 'cept for some EQ presets, which I heard were lame.

The MR8 records a fairly short amount of time onto CF cards, and then it requires you to do a dump sequence to your PC. That's not always going to be convenient during sessions. The 788 holds several hours on HD, before needing to be backed up. Prices on large CF cards are coming down, so that's in the MR8's favor.

The MR8HD raises the bar on the MR8(std), with 4-simul recording and a large HD. It's still missing a true EQ section, with the same EQ presets as the MR8(std).

The 788 is 24/44.1 data format, while the MR8 & MR8HD are 16/44.1 data format. 24 bit is reputed to sound better than 16 bit audio, by most accounts that I've read. That's a significant factor to some people.

On balance, I'd say the 788's a better setup than the MR8, and you'd be giving up a lot of capability in the 788, just to gain USB on the MR8/HD.

Admittedly, I'm biased toward the 788, with regard to the MR8/HD, so take that into consideration.

Those are my most pertinent thoughts at this moment.

Thanx

/DA

 

[sloom]

Well you bring up a couple things I wasn't aware of, namely the 16-bit limitation, and the lack of a capable EQ section. Another cool thing about the 788 is that you can set levels on the fly during a mixdown to stereo (Live run into the PC via S/PDIF, or from the stereo outs, has been my M.O.) from the surface of the thing. And I have to say, the thing works fine and gives up good sound. It's been way more reliable than my PC!

My nicks on it are fairly petty, in this light.

I think you just pretty much talked me out of it. Thanks, Dave.

 

[A Reel Person]

Yeah, fine with me!

And, although I'm clearly biased, my opinion is based on clinical specifics, with no offense intended to MR8/HD users, I assure you!!

 

[sloom]

Nope, I don't think that's readable here, Dave. All the points you mention are real and practical, and not to be taken as a slight- even on the device itself. It is what it is.

I appreciate your objective take and forwardness.

 

[leddy]

As much of a pain as it is to burn to CD on the 788 before transfering to a PC, it does create an extra backup in the process. When I transfer files, I have it on my PC hard drive and stored on a CD. If I could just USB it over, I'd probably be lazy about taking the extra step of backing up to CD.

 

[A Reel Person]

Good point!!

It always pays to have multiple backup copies of data!!
I learned that the hard way!