I'm thinking of switching

groucho

groucho

Member
Hey guys:

I've been using the Boss Br532 for some time, which records in a compressed 16/44.1 format. I've been eyeing the Mr8, as it appears to be the only budget digital recorder that doesn't compress the audio.

So what I'm wondering is: anyone here who has gone from a BR532 (or some other unit using compressed audio) to the Mr8 (or another uncompressed 16/44.1 unit) and have you really noticed a difference in your sound?

Also, any input on how the on-board guitar effects stack up against the Boss effects? I don't care so much about verb, delay, eq, compression, since I mix on the computer and add that stuff later. But the main reason I've held on to the (otherwise rather annoying) BR532 all this time is that I've managed to squeeze some pretty cool guitar sounds out of it.

thanks for any input,
Chris
 
Well, I went from a Digitech to the VF80 and the difference was stunning. Fostex effects are horrible, preamps are nothing to write home about (well , best avoided), but for pure clear uncompressed recording they are supreme VFM.

Could you run through the Boss for the FX you like, take an uncompressed out and record it on a Fostex? Or sell the Boss, buy some Boss pedals with the proceeds?

Search the back pages here for comments on recording time on the MR8 before you commit, but I and many others here feel that the Fostex recording quality is great.
 
Thanks Garry. Yeah, there definitely are workarounds on the effects issue, and I would certainly never rely on the built-in preamps with little recorders like these. My main concern is the audio. I would assume that uncompressed would be a noticable improvement, but I've not had an opportunity to compare. Is it, say, as drastic as the difference between WAV and MP3, or more subtle, etc. That's mainly what I'm curious about.

Chris
 
effects

So what's wrong with the effects on my VF80? I was overjoyed last week to announce that I had finally learned how to turn on the reverb. Now you tell me I got crappy reverb? Bummer.
 
Chris,

I owned both the Tascam PS-5 and Korg PXR4 before settling on the MR-8. Where I noticed a large difference is when the number of tracks increased.

Most audio compression schemes work by getting rid of parts of the sound that are not really audible - that's fine for a tune ripped from a CD, where the original is already mixed. Where these other devices run into trouble is that data in each track is compressed. The frequencies that get dropped from a single guitar track might become more significant when another guitar track is added next to it, for example.

As for the effects on the MR-8, there really aren't any. The reverb and 'finishing' effects are ok for enjoying playback, prior to mixing on a computer, but the distortion/amp models are universally regarded as worthless. I'm holding out hope that Fostex corrects them in an OS upgrade, but many of us have found that the great recording quality make you want to work on getting better sounds through outboard effects (Johnson, POD, etc.), anyway.
 
Interesting. Thanks for the info, mrx. I guess maybe I now have an reason why the mr8 is a hundred bucks cheaper than the 532. I wonder when someone is going to create a low-priced digital recorder with decent effects AND uncompressed audio? Seems we have to choose between the two at this point as long as we're in the under 5 or 6 hundred range.

Thanks again,
Chris
 
built in, schmilt in!

I think built in effects are always to wrong way to go. I read some review on the web of the MR8 before I bought it, about how just a touch of reverb was nice to fill out the occaisional mix down, and I can see the value in that.

But don't put a flanger in there, or anything else. The more you cram in, the more you will get wrong. Whats the right mix of effects? I don't want both a flanger and a phaser, and I don't want an octave. And given that digital recording is so married to the computer, you might as well just record something and then effect it up on a computer.

Granted, this is coming from a guy with an olde Korg PME 40X pedal board (with the effects modules you slip in and out).
 
Re: built in, schmilt in!

mekkab said:
I think built in effects are always to wrong way to go. I read some review on the web of the MR8 before I bought it, about how just a touch of reverb was nice to fill out the occaisional mix down, and I can see the value in that.

But don't put a flanger in there, or anything else. The more you cram in, the more you will get wrong. Whats the right mix of effects? I don't want both a flanger and a phaser, and I don't want an octave. And given that digital recording is so married to the computer, you might as well just record something and then effect it up on a computer.

Granted, this is coming from a guy with an olde Korg PME 40X pedal board (with the effects modules you slip in and out).
Click to expand...

I agree with you when it comes to compression, eq, verb, delay, etc. But when it comes to electric guitar effects, you really gotta be able to hear it while you're playing. But yeah, given that I'm mixing on the computer, why would I use some onboard reverb when there's some many better options with software and plugs?

That's why I'm less concerned with the effects and more interested in the difference between the compressed and uncompressed audio. Of course this is very hard to verify without a side-by-side test, since trying to get Roland to say exactly how and to what degree they compress their audio is pretty much hopeless.

Chris
 
Re: Re: built in, schmilt in!

groucho said:
I agree with you when it comes to compression, eq, verb, delay, etc. But when it comes to electric guitar effects, you really gotta be able to hear it while you're playing.
Chris
Click to expand...

That's where the Korg really shined - it's really a guitar processor with a recorder tacked on.

Fostex had the right idea with models and distortion - it's just the implementation that's weak. Maybe if a few of us contact support, they'll try to improve it...
 
Re: built in, schmilt in!

mekkab said:
Granted, this is coming from a guy with an olde Korg PME 40X pedal board (with the effects modules you slip in and out).
Click to expand...

At least you had the pedal model....the ones before that had a big crank stickin out the top! J/K...........:D

You definitely hit it on the button as far as fx goes though. I use a V-Amp2 to get my guitar fx. It outputs wet and dry so you can have whatever you want.


bd
 
VF80FX

I actually like the effects on the VF80... I don't use them that much, but adding a touch of reverb to a voiceover works well. I also don't put effects on all tracks -- usually only one track within a larger mix. For me, alot depends on how much you dial in, and I have never needed or used the guitar/mic simulations. The basic reverb effects though seem OK...
 
groucho said:
I wonder when someone is going to create a low-priced digital recorder with decent effects AND uncompressed audio? Seems we have to choose between the two at this point as long as we're in the under 5 or 6 hundred range.
Click to expand...

Chris, instead of the MR8 you could grab this second hand VF-16 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2545219175&category=41478 ) off ebay for $475 and have everything you asked for and much more. Virtually unlimited recording time (at least compared to MR8), 8 simultaneously recordable tracks, total of 24 tracks to work with of which 16 can be played back simultaneously, adat- interface for up to 16 track simultanous recording or for connecting to pro gear or a computer etc.
 
Digital recorders can be real moody and I would personally be very reluctant to buy one from ebay. However, at under 500 bucks, if you can pick up a VF160 that doesn't have any problems, you''ve really scored.
I see so many posts in this forum where people get rid of their stuff on ebay because it either doesn't work properly or just plain sucks.
Does anyone have any idea about the Boss Br864? I think it is a sub $500 recorder with eight tracks of uncompressed audio and lots of onboard effects.
 
morindae said:
Does anyone have any idea about the Boss Br864? I think it is a sub $500 recorder with eight tracks of uncompressed audio and lots of onboard effects.
Click to expand...

Actually, it appears that the 864 is also compressed audio. At the moment I'm still leaning towards the mr8, since it seems to be the only way to get uncompressed audio in a recorder without having to pay lots more for lots of features I don't care about.

I mean, I can coax some decent sounds out of amp modeling with a lot of work but no way am I going to pay over 3 or 4 hundred for some machine with lots of tracks I don't need (being an on-the-computer mixer) and noisy, hissy amp modeling, AND (in the case of Roland) compressed audio. Forget it.

Chris
 
I read on the Boss website that it is uncompressed. However, that seems a little farfetched considering they are claiming an hour of recording time with a 128 MB card. I might be wrong on these figures, it's been a while since I looked at the specs.
 
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