All user reviews of 4/5 for the Fostex MR-8

I purchased my mr-8 at a houston guitar center for $230 used after a lot of loking around for the best price. I needed good quality, cheap recording gear for my demo fast, and the mr-8 seemed to deliever in all of the reviews i read on it.

I absolutely love the ease of use. I was able to record as soon as i got my compact flash card (a 128MB card comes with a new unit for storage, but i bought a 512 MB compact flash card because i heard the 128 wasnt enough space. Plus, since i bought mine used, it didn't come with a card) It works hand in had with my computer, all i needed was a regular USB cord, the software for tranfering tracks straight from the fostex website, and a demo of Adobe Audition 1.5 (30 day trial) for mixing which by the way is awesome. I got very professional sounding recordings. It's a good idea to invest in a seperate mixer to hookup to the mr-8 so that you can feed in more than 2 mics at a time and have more control over the sound than you would have with just the unit itself. For my demo, i used a berhinger because they tend to have decent quality gear for a fraction of other brands equipment. The mastering effects on the mr8 are pretty admirable for the low price.

You MUST look at the list off of the fostex website to make sure you're buying a good compact flash card (if you chose to buy one with more storage, which would be smart)that is compatable with the mr8 because not all of them are. There's a built in mic on the unit, but it's smart to hook in your own mic. I personally use audio technica for my budget.

I've dropped it.... more than once to say the least from tripping over cords and what not, and it's held up just fine. The quality is great, i couldnt aske for more.

I love my unit and even if i could afford it right now, i don't believe i'd be purchasing a bigger unit simply because of the ease of use and portability of the mr8. It uses batteries for added portability if it so suits you which was an attribute that i really liked. The sky's the limit on this powerful little machine and my home recordings have reached CD quality level because of this unit.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought the MR-8 from Musicians friend in a package deal that included headphones, a mic and cable, and gig bag for 350$.

















This unit is great for rough mixes. It is compact and very user friendly. Its easy to set different points in a song as reference points so you dont have to search all day long to find a certain point in a song you are working on. Its also nice if you want to go somewhere (like out in the woods) because it can run on batteries and has a built in mic. Mastering effects and reverb are decent. I play many instruments including guitar, mandolin, banjo, bass guitar, didgeridoo, jaw harp, keyboards and various types of flutes. All come through fairly decent with the MR-8.

The included flash card is way to small for just about anything. This recorder is really only good if you have a decent computer to hook it up to. I use Cakewalk studio pro and bounce back and forth between the two so the card isnt an issue for me. If you dont have that option you will definately need a bigger flash card. With 8 tracks(you have to bounce tracks 1-4 to track 5, then record 1-4 again to get all 8 tracks) you are looking at a 3 minute song and no more. The guitar distortion sucks unless you want a very digital sound, then its OK.

I've had this unit for about 6 months and have had no problems. It seems to be well constructed for its price.

The best way that I have found to get a (close) professional sound is to mike all your instruments or amps and go from there. I also do vocals by running my mic to my PA then using the line out to the recorder. This is a great recorder for the price or for use as a scratch pad. But getting high quality recordings although possible, requires some work.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Purchased at Sam Ash music store in King of Prussia for about $350 and a separate 512k Compact-Flash card for about $150. Bought to do some simple home recording including drums, keyboards, bass, guitar and vocals. The price for this unit is exceptional.

Price is great for the unit and the built in effects are very good. Easy to operate for someone who is not technically very proficient. Digital recording is so much easier than the old cassette types I used to use in many ways including ability to cut and paste and find your spot. Also, the interface with the computer is very easy making it simple to burn CDs. I also liked the fact that I was able to take all my old cassettes and convert them to .wav files with this unit, hook it up to my computer and burn CDs of my old tapes. USB connection to computer works great.

I was disappointed that it is billed as an 8 track when to get 8 tracks, you have to first record 4 tracks and then bounce them (and submix) to track 5 and then record tracks 1-4 again. You then mix tracks 1-4 plus 5 together onto track 6 to get all 8 tracks. Also, there is really no way to have two different effects.

Well built and portable. Easy to move from basement studio to computer. Recording quality is good.

Well worth the money. Technology advancements have made home recording simple and affordable. I like this unit very much.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

cash, Ebay, Personal recording< looked user friendly and was cheap enough, $250

I like all of the features as far as usb port and the s/pdif optical out,. The effects arent the best
but you can use them just to play around with new stuff and give ideas for new material.
small compact and hey ya cant beat the price

not enough recording time not enough tracks but for the money what do you expect.


construction seems kindof weak hasnt broke yet but we will see havent had that long so who knows.
other than that every thing is fine.

Bottom line if your just looking for somthing to record ideas on and play with to actually
recording your band (with the help of a mixing board for multiple inputs) its not bad for
the money. would like to try the boss br864

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Dosent have a whole lot of effects built in, but it does have a usb connector so i just take the files off there and add effects with cooledit.

Price paid: $250 USD

UTILIZATION

Super easy to use.

SOUNDS

Sounds great. 2 xlr inputs and two 1/4 inch inputs all sound really nice. In the headphones there a little bit of noise but it's not on the actual recording, just the headphones.

OVERALL OPINION

Havent had any real problemsa with mine other then on of the buttons broke, i ghetto rigged it so it works. Been trying to get ahold of someone at fostex to get replacement buttons but no luck yet

Its a really easy to use digital 8 track, even though its more like a digital 6 track casue 4 of the channels are split into 2 dedicated mixdown channels, you can still record on them only on the left or right channell, if you want stero you take up two tracks, other then that a great piece of euipment.

Originally posted on FutureProducers.com
Posted by: Real PHAT ( 1-, 2006)