Review: Fostex MR8HD 8 Track Digital Recorder
You probably already know what I am thinking about this stand alone digital recorder...
...save your $400 and ( assuming you have a half decent PC) invest that money into a much more powerful and flexible ProTools LE system. The reason I still feel this way is that if you ate serious about creating a project home digital studio, you must emulate the big boys.
All recording studios have digital ProTools systems in place. The reason being that you can edit the crap out if your compositions with speed and accuracy. Not to mention that once you have the proper hardware solution, you can update the software for years into the future.
In my opinion the days of the stand alone multi-track recorder are over. Industry reports are showing that sales in the stand alone market have slowed dramatically since early 2000.
Why would you still want one of these? Let's face it, a standalone system has one major advantage over computer based recording systems-portability. If you intend on recording live audio or your bands practice sessions, this Fostex MR8HD 8 track recorder is a great
alternative to lugging around your computer.
That being said, I think Fostex has created a decent recorder here. The storage capacity is only 40 gigs( I was disappointed by this). I was also disappointed to find out that you can only record up to 4 tracks simultaneously. This gives me a good glimpse into the crappy processing power of the units microprocessor. Even a half decent PC could record at least 8 tracks at once. With the ability to only record 4 tracks at once I strongly urge you to stay away from this if you plan on recording live music. My drummer uses at least 4 mics for his kit! That would leave no room for recording of other tracks.
Terrible!
It has no flash memory support but does have a USB connection for transferring files back you your PC. Skip the extra step and record directly to your PC or mac, where these Fostex MR8HD specs will pale in comparison to a half decent PC running some good recording software.
As I said before, the only area this recorder has an advantage over the PC is in live portable recording. Fostex blew it by only allowing 4 tracks to be recorded at once. Stay away from this money waster.
[sniplet recording]
Live Results:
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Fostex MR 8HD Digital Multi Track Recorder |  |
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US $135.00 | 1d 10h 38m |
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Fostex MR 8 HD Digital Multitrack Recorder Black | |
0 Bid | US $75.00 | 5d 10h 3m |
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Fostex MR8 HD Digital Multitracker | |
0 Bid | US $60.00 | 6d 9h 40m |
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ATA CUSTOM Case RECESSED for FOSTEX MR8HD MR 8HD | |
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US $119.95 | 27d 21h 29m |
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New TUFFBOX Case fits FOSTEX MR8HD MR 8 MKII 14124 | |
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US $49.00 | 28d 20h 55m |
That sounds all great. I have both a fostex MR8HD and a CP based system and I use the MR8 More than anything I have a small 6 channel mixer for the drums that if your smart enough you can then send only one out-put to the MR8 only taking one channel there are five guys in my band and we record about 13 or 14 songs on the MR8 do a final mix and then burn to a master disc. How many songs do you want on there at a time?