Fostex MR8 (1 Viewer)

[snap-apple]

Anyone got/used one of these:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/search/detail/base_pid/240239/sourceid=00401369906453128270

I particuarly like the sounds of the usb port to transfer wavs to PC.


Any other recommended digital 8 tracks? Recommended places to buy?

 

[MDR]

Conor - I have a Roland VS-880 - a more recent version is the VS 880 EX (I think). It's a pretty good machine. I dun my cd on it. You're welcome to check it out if you wanna inform yourself before buying one.

I bought mine second hand in the audio warehouse which has now either gone or moved from the city cerntre. About £900 at the time.

 

[snap-apple]

Originally posted by Mumblin Deaf Ro
Conor - I have a Roland VS-880 - a more recent version is the VS 880 EX (I think). It's a pretty good machine. I dun my cd on it. You're welcome to check it out if you wanna inform yourself before buying one.

I bought mine second hand in the audio warehouse which has now either gone or moved from the city cerntre. About £900 at the time.

thanks ro but hmmm - that's aboot €1200 - nosebleed territory for me. i'm prolly looking in the €400-€600 area. that yokey i put up was going for $299.

 

[egg_]

Audio Warehouse is now closed down. Darren, one of the guys who used to work there, now runs a place called Studio Solutions in Dunshauglin or someplace.
Haven't used the MR8 Conor (I've got the 16-track version of Ro's machine), but back when I was buying my first 4-track Fostex had a pretty good reputation

 

[egg_]

From the review on Musician's Friend:

"The storage medium is one of those tiny little James Bond-looking compact flash cards. It ships with a 128MB card which will hold about 25 track minutes in high-res mode. "

25 track minutes means you are limited to just over 3 minutes recording time if you're using all 8 tracks. Don't like the sound of that

Also, tracks 5/6 and 7/8 are controlled together with one fader, if you can't uncouple them it limits the potential of the recorder a fair bit

If you want to use this as a notebook to aid composition, go for it, otherwise I wouldn't be so sure

 

[snap-apple]

Originally posted by egg_
From the review on Musician's Friend:

"The storage medium is one of those tiny little James Bond-looking compact flash cards. It ships with a 128MB card which will hold about 25 track minutes in high-res mode. "

25 track minutes means you are limited to just over 3 minutes recording time if you're using all 8 tracks. Don't like the sound of that

Also, tracks 5/6 and 7/8 are controlled together with one fader, if you can't uncouple them it limits the potential of the recorder a fair bit

If you want to use this as a notebook to aid composition, go for it, otherwise I wouldn't be so sure

ahhh - yes - something i read mentioned the 128 MB problem - i mistook the 25 mins to be well 25 minutes per track i suppose (duh - 16-bit 44Hz .wav files are big). ok so that one's out.

 

[Pantone247]

Originally posted by conor
ahhh - yes - something i read mentioned the 128 MB problem - i mistook the 25 mins to be well 25 minutes per track i suppose (duh - 16-bit 44Hz .wav files are big). ok so that one's out.

you could upgrade the flash card no problems

 

[snap-apple]

Originally posted by Pantone247
you could upgrade the flash card no problems

tell me more - I'm not familiar with flash cards at all - are they a standardised piece of kit? How much would a 512MB one cost if such a thing were available?

 

[Pantone247]

Originally posted by conor
tell me more - I'm not familiar with flash cards at all - are they a standardised piece of kit? How much would a 512MB one cost if such a thing were available?

as far as I know, and I don't know much, flash cards are 'just like' a floppy disc for digital cameras, and now music recordingit would seem.

So if you fill up the card with photos, you take out the wee card and dump the data (pictures in this case) on to a PC using either a USB port built into the camera, or a little do-hicky that you slot the card into and allows you PC to access the info. Or you can buy a new blank card and put the full card away as a back up.

I don't know if this works the same with sound, but I imagine its a similar principal. They only catch would be if Flash Cards are mad expensive, thus not cost effective as a way of storing backed up media.

...um... is this confusing?

I don't know how much flash cards are or what sizes they are, sorry!

 

[snap-apple]

Originally posted by Pantone247
as far as I know, and I don't know much, flash cards are 'just like' a floppy disc for digital cameras, and now music recordingit would seem.

So if you fill up the card with photos, you take out the wee card and dump the data (pictures in this case) on to a PC using either a USB port built into the camera, or a little do-hicky that you slot the card into and allows you PC to access the info. Or you can buy a new blank card and put the full card away as a back up.

I don't know if this works the same with sound, but I imagine its a similar principal. They only catch would be if Flash Cards are mad expensive, thus not cost effective as a way of storing backed up media.

...um... is this confusing?

I don't know how much flash cards are or what sizes they are, sorry!

with this yoke i'd be making use of the usb transfer alright but i'd like to be able to mix a full song on it ideally an' if it can only take 3 mins with all 8 tracks then it ain't good enuf.

 

[Beanstalk]

Conor, I've got a Fostex VF-08 which is almost identical to that MR8, except that the VF-08 comes with a 5GB hard drive instead of that smart card thingy.

I'm happy with it...really easy to record with...but I prefer not to edit with it...I have an Audigy soundcard on my PC, but I prefer to record using the fostex and then transfer the recordings to the PC for editing with Cubase. I wouldn't fancy mixing and burning a CD straight off a portable 8 track even though its possible with the newer model of VF-08...unless you're a perfect musician who doesn't need any 'tidying up'.

If I was upgrading I'd look for more inputs and probably 24bit resolution. Memory was never an issue with the 5GB hard drive, but I'd be concerned with the memory on that MR8 version...probably why its cheap.


The songs up on our site (http://www.obsoletemusic.com) were all recorded using the Fostex VF-08, if you want to check out the quality.

 

[snap-apple]

Originally posted by Beanstalk
Conor, I've got a Fostex VF-08 which is almost identical to that MR8, except that the VF-08 comes with a 5GB hard drive instead of that smart card thingy.

I'm happy with it...really easy to record with...but I prefer not to edit with it...I have an Audigy soundcard on my PC, but I prefer to record using the fostex and then transfer the recordings to the PC for editing with Cubase. I wouldn't fancy mixing and burning a CD straight off a portable 8 track even though its possible with the newer model of VF-08...unless you're a perfect musician who doesn't need any 'tidying up'.

If I was upgrading I'd look for more inputs and probably 24bit resolution. Memory was never an issue with the 5GB hard drive, but I'd be concerned with the memory on that MR8 version...probably why its cheap.


The songs up on our site (http://www.obsoletemusic.com) were all recorded using the Fostex VF-08, if you want to check out the quality.

thanks Beany - I've got me eye on that one aswell - a bit more expensive but would do the job much better. How much was your audigy soundcard - what model? I suppose all i'd want the soundcard for is for importing the tracks from the Fostex.

 

[Beanstalk]

Originally posted by conor
How much was your audigy soundcard - what model? I suppose all i'd want the soundcard for is for importing the tracks from the Fostex.

I think the Audigy cost me around IR£215 last christmas. I think it is the 'Platinum' package...it included a front bay ("Livedrive") for my PC, which has all the inputs you need...line in/out, optical, MIDI jack etc.

I'd say you could get a better soundcard that a Creative card for that price...it just mightn't have the Livedrive-type input interface...but if you do all your recording on a separate recorder (like a Roland or Fostex) that has a USB output, or similar, then you don't need a front interface with every type of input.

 

[snap-apple]

beany - does your fostex have a usb port?
ideally i'd like to not have to splash out a wadge of cash on a PC soundcard as well as the 8-track.

 

[Beanstalk]

Originally posted by conor
beany - does your fostex have a usb port?
ideally i'd like to not have to splash out a wadge of cash on a PC soundcard as well as the 8-track.

I'm afraid it doesn't have a USB port.

I use the SPDIF line in and out to transfer music to my PC, but now that I think of it there is another connection I could use that might be quicker. Hmmmm...must have a look into that.

 

[snap-apple]

so is there anywhere is our spik-ed city that deals with digital 8-tracks n stuff? like a decent selection and not rip off prices - or is online the best bet?