Fostex MR8 MKII - Gear Review 1

[@thaiguysabu]

wow! you actually get the box that in comes in. what a bonus!

[@papa.alfredo]

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

[@tamadrms14]

i purchased this exact machine in 2007 and the internal microphone worked great, so my dad got jealous of my using it all the time so he just bought himself one for fathers day in 2010, we both noticed the new one came with a 1 Gigabyte compact flash card and the internal microphone did not work as well as the old one i had, also the power cable was a bit different but otherwise, i found having 2 of them you can use any of the effects you want on each individual track, Its a good machine.

[@ChaostheClown]

thanks for the review and all the answers in the comments. we're getting this to record a demo, i think it'll get the job done. we already have a mixer n sonar 6, a number of mics, adapters, cables, all that jazz. i just think this'll make it much easier than what we currently have to do [which involves a lot of equipment moving and a bit of an imagination to rig everything just right] we may not get a pro sound but i think we'll accomplish what we're looking for. thanks.

[@TheGallantGentry]

@SonicOrbStudios You said you got tired of it's limits. Can you elaborate on what those limits were? I was looking at one of these simply as a mixdown/ master unit to get my songs to the computer (I record analog up to that point). I liked the idea of recording onto it and having the ease of moving the song directly to the computer via a flash drive or compact. I guess I'm split between this and the TASCAM DP-008. I just don't know how the Tascam would handle that sort of thing.

[@KarnagieRecords]

@aaron1994m a double-sided jack cable works just fine. insert 1 side n2 ur pc's headphone slot, and the other n ur mic/line input of ur mr-8. adjust ur volume and ur good 2 go. they wont come in separate tracks though.

[@VictorPoulin]

Great video. Thanks for the review. Mine is coming in today. Can't wait to try it out.

[@TheFallenillusion]

@SonicOrbStudios oh well. thats the way i have been using it. its a bummer but it does not take away the fact that this product is great! thanks for the reply

[@Nickpainting]

Great review...the background music drove me nuts.

[@kevinjenkins7168]

It was recorded on a Fostex MR8...

[@Smurf431]

First bit of advice, 1) Ignore the arm chair "pro's" that still live in mom's basement. 2) Keep up the great work! This video answered all my questions that I had on this, as I have garbed one at a great price last week. Thank You for taking the time to do it & share!

[@adysaxman77]

Just bought one for £30.00 in as new condition. So, looking forward to working with it. 😊

[@humpmastajoe16]

I have a question. Can you plug in a flashdrive directly into it and put anything you recorded on the flashdrive? or do you have to put it onto a computer and then onto a flashdrive?

[@John8Linda]

Wow, what a really speedy response! I'm not sure what you mean, but I may have a friend that does! Many thanks J

[@TepidVision]

I would like to hear what you produced on this really. I was disappointed with the sound quality, but I am not at all technically minded, maybe there are external measures one can take to boost the quality. maybe my guitars are just crap

[@gstrou86]

anything is better than what i had.. I would run direct into my pc and used some mixer i found on the interweb...sorry i''m new, but what do you mean by interface?

[@robertsylvester3542]

The mix down is really nice, I think the best sound so far is natural, powerful, just clipping like crazy, I prob could get it to sound less caged and fuzzy.

[@robertsylvester3542]

Is it still 150 ? I got mine for something around that, I don’t remember it being over 200$ which is incredible! because this thing is badass and the quality and sound are awesome. Definitely so far my favorite recording device.

[@robertsylvester3542]

I love this recording device :) it was my 2 Nd from the well known blue Tascam! Lol but I loved that one too, even as it was analog

[@TheSchoolsux345]

hey man, when you said combine tracks, did you really mean you can put tracks together if your out of tracks or something else? please answer!

[@LordKlektar]

Dave- thanks for the detailed review. Yours is the only one on KZbin. I'm debating between buying this and a Boss BR-600. Any thoughts? Are you still using the MR-8, and has it given you any trouble? Thanks!

[@napolian420]

i think thats a great idea. actually we r havin some live shows in college, so i just wanted to capture the whole thin. its all good though. anyway thnks for ur suggestion

[@gstrou86]

I just bought this Fostex MR8HD 8 trk Hard Disk recorder w/40gig .. was curious if this is any good? Im still beginning and only intend to use it for recording acoustic guitar and vocals..

[@Prof.Washboard]

Thanks for reply. This is the unit with the 40 gb hard drive. So far, I don't find anywhere on the web to download drivers for it. It's puzzling because it's such an old machine but quite a few people have them.

[@napolian420]

thanks man,,, but i m havin a bit problem with some money at the moment. is there somethin similar to presonus fp10 or ....? cuz i only got $400.

[@shamrockfam]

Thanks for posting. This was very helpful. My only recommendation is it would have been nice to hear a recording example. You know, so we can hear the quality/end result. What can that thing really do?

[@Hailstonedpikachu]

is it easy to transfer tracks to computer in order to burn disks and upload to internet?

[@martyrianblood]

Thanks. My problem is that usually the mac is in use of others so I compare price of MTR or computer with audio interface which is portable. Cheapest laptop doesn't feel a good idea (since I've worked in it-support ^_^) Need to google more.

[@marcusohm187]

Hey anybody out there ............. I bought one of these the seller didn't tell me that the mic/line in and the headphones jack input don't work any1 know how can I fix this. When I put in a "xlr condensor mic" and switch it to the Phantom power --------there appears to be some thing going on but can't hear anything threw the headphone jack it sounds all static........... I know it's something internal but where to look !!!

[@ChaostheClown]

well a lot of our problem lies in having to move so much of our equipment each time. including the whole computer n all. it'd be great if we could have a permanent recording area but at the moment it's just not possible. i know i took a bit of a sacrifice here but i still think it'll be enough for what we need atm. i will have to look into that fp10 though once we have the space to commit to a permanent little home studio. right now we need something sorta mobile. thanks though.

[@gstrou86]

Aight.. Thanks for the quick feedback!

[@khneder]

Hey; I just got an old model of:"Fostex digital miltitracker DMT8 " and would like to manipulate on it ; so if you can give me advices how to use it professionally ! I will appreciate it .

[@bucket0steaz]

can you plug a mixer into this to record more instruments simotaniously then the 2

[@Rockmasterbf94]

I'm debating between this and a Boss BR-900cd

[@offplanetfilms]

Great review! I think you made my mind up to go with one of these units instead of the competition.

[@morpheus101a]

Thanks for the info and links! I currently got the mr-8. I'm new at recording and thought this would be great for a beginner. I look forward on getting the mr-8 2 later along the road.

[@Mahavishnu80]

thanks a lot man, i have the first ever fostex digital recorder..only had 12 mins of recording time and cost 2000 dollars! UG FTW

[@sigmentfloyd]

whatever you can get your hands on. I've used 8GB and 16GB

[@jazzmanb445]

only had mine a week..done the basics seems good...a question...record 4 tracks 1-4 then what to you do...the next one is 5/6 is this only for bouncing and stereo? also can anyone recomend a budget monitor speaker to suit.

[@martyrianblood]

Great review. Do you know compatability with macs? I intend to find cheap portable solutin to just rdecord guitar tracks and export them to my mac for mixing.

[@tomblaze2]

Love dit

[@djinfamousray3043]

sick DnB in the back 🔥

[@SonicOrbStudios]

Thanks, I believe that's from my old Digital Juice royalty free music collection

[@djinfamousray3043]

@@SonicOrbStudios absolute banger my friend!!

[@wb7cyo]

Thanks for the review. Very helpful.

[@BrocoliBeatsTurtle]

i have my xlr microphone plugged in but it wont work ? everything else does byt not my xlr mix ? please help need to get this song recorded for my fianl gcse piece xxxxxx

[@Tfizzlerocker]

thanks dude! i'm thinking about getting a recorder like this one and the vid really helped me with what i wanna get! PEACE!

[@CMOTMETALBAND]

how do you copy recorded tracks from the fostex and put it on a flash drive and then load it to a usb port into a laptop then beable to copy the tracks to burn cds??i got this and never got a manual.any help?thanks

[@woabeatz9717]

i recommend a preamp with maybe compression before recordimg any audio source....because the volume sliders are so short....you might clip the sound on the play back...trying to raise the volume....

[@SonicOrbStudios]

agreed

[@MasdevalliaMusic]

Very informative review dude, thanks

[@SONGSTICKS]

Hi, Can you record two tracks simultaneously? ie: Guitar and vocal played at the same time, but recorded seperately on two tracks. guitar on one, vocal on the other. Cheers Gary

[@kanealson5200]

Thank God this isn't in German

[@alexisnihon1]

does it have any effects built in??

[@BETTERTHANYES12]

@OfficialVictorTV ya i know but i bought all this studio stuff for $600 and it came with it

[@neonknight6]

You said "center pin negative" but on the video it seems to be the opposite. The center is the positive pole.

[@Akbree17]

Do you need to hook it up to a computer program(Like Protools or Fruityloops) in order for it to record?

[@WhiteLakeDan]

Good, in depth review. Well done. I have ordered one of these and can't wait! One comment. The background music you had going just bothered me to no end. It's too loud and unnecessary and just plain annoying. My 2 cents.

[@BETTERTHANYES12]

so how can i put vst on it? such as autotune? please help me im lost!

[@TommyChris9001]

How do you get effects to work with the live mic. I'm getting signal by having to pan the trim hard right but no effects. This is for live performance.

[@bigdaddysmak]

Would love to see a review on the Fostex MR 8 HD multi track recorder, not the MKII.

[@TheFallenillusion]

@divadcrab12 so you can use this as a mixdown to my computer per lets say acid pro? sort of like a poor mans interface?

[@RefugeetheDJ]

Did i hear and see that right “Frostex” 🤦🏽‍♂️ it says f@#kn “FOSTEX” on the box and unit itself

[@ankleshot]

can you hook your guitar amp into it so you have those effects not only the recorded effects?

[@JCMIMPERSONATOR]

Can this be used to record while in live performance. If so can the effects be used while you record while playing live??? Thanks ~joe~

[@kpopRC]

dude. you need to back light your self, also dvcam or mini dv, has the worst colour sampling, that's why you get the crunchy alpha mask. k

[@samuraisedge18]

Can u record a bass or keyboard with this?

[@TheLikeItOrNotMusic]

i dont understand! i use this and record a song then i rewind it and i dont get any sound from what i recorded. and i dont know how to hear it. there is no playback whatsoever.

[@BreakB97598]

can you transfer the audio tracks through a usb connector?

[@beyonbeach]

Is this good for ghost hunting

[@SonicOrbStudios]

nope, you'd want something like a Zoom h1

[@MentalyUndermined]

Hey mate, can you let me know what I needto connect one of these to a dj mixer and then into a pc aswell... and what the general outlnies for use of the product are.

[@Akbree17]

@TheLikeItOrNotMusic I know rite im getting the same problem once you finally get your fostex together let me know so you can tell me what you did.

[@timharink7829]

hey! i have got an fostex recorder 812 but i dont now how it works i have gotten it from my dads friend any tips?

[@Prof.Washboard]

I'm trying to get my xp laptop to recognize my friends MR8 HD via the USB port. It always shows up as "USB Device Not Recognized". He tried it with his computer a while back and gave up. It's in USB mode with song protect off but no external drive shows up in Explorer or the Fostex Wavemanager software. I don't find anextra dr iver to point this error too or anyone who solved the problem on the web. Any ideas how to proceed?

[@Victor-go5nv]

Just got a Mr.8 Need help set... The audio...so I can listen what I record

[@UnitedPebbles]

Is this what pro used? not Sony, Mackie, JVC, Roland, some other German brands I have forgot?

[@SonicOrbStudios]

this is a consumer market device, for sure not prosumer

[@UnitedPebbles]

Not all musicians are electrician, computer programmer, chips and circuit board designer, sound engineer? I mean the quality of the products at the end of "production"?Usually, the professional manufacturers custom made for pro musicians?

[@kaivrock]

Can you use a separate preamp going into the mic input on this unit in order to get a better mic sound?

[@SonicOrbStudios]

fantastic question, I'll give it a shot and see, been meaning to re-review this recorder

[@morpheus101a]

How much was the unit? Also, where did you get it? Thanks

[@brandon3459]

is there a way i can plug this in to my mac and use it with GarageBand?

[@Akbree17]

Hi i also bought the fostex mr8 and i tried recording and when i was finished recording i pressed play and rewind and play again and i dont hear the song i recorded am i doing something wronge?

[@kpopRC]

@SonicOrbStudios ps. thanks for your review.. great information.

[@John8Linda]

Thanks for a useful review. I've put our recorded tracks on 7/8 and done the WAV conversion. I now want to e-mail the 2 mix to a friend who has Sonic 6 but I cannot attach the file. Any suggestions please? Thanks

[@januszunge]

how big card is posssible ? 1 GB , 2 GB ?

[@alejappo]

You can record from a groovebox?

[@kiernanholland]

The difference between this and the MR-8 seems to be the knob.. USB Host seems to be different, I guess that means you can connect it to an external USB drive. But you'd want to use SD cards with it anyhow, as solid state memory is faster than hard drives, The effects suck, my Yamaha Natural sound effects box I got from a thrift place for 15 dollars is so much better. BTW with modern music being compressed out the wazoo who really cares about noise.. I can't detect noise on my MR8..

[@CarlosPinto88]

Go to fostex site. Dowload thre program that is in their site. Instal on computer. conect the unit to pc by USB cable. go to menu on the fostex select the USB option put it on. And your computer recognize the Fostex unit. Run the program you have installed. AND THATS IT GOOD LOCK

[@robertsylvester3542]

Aw man you forgot to mention the switch being in the middle is for guitar recording.

[@dee1380]

When u're limited, u become more creative, if u are determined to sound good. I want to get one of these, a drum machine, guitars, mics, & a non-midi keyboard.. And work!!

[@SonicOrbStudios]

Yes it works, the on board preamp is so noisy though

[@Snagz1971]

what is the best playback options? i have amps but i want to play it back so i see it sounds good! pls help! thx

[@AustinBrady97]

i recorded a guitar track on this and a bass track over it but the bass is on the right side and i cant figure out how to pan the bass part to both ears, do you know how?

[@JackRiddle999]

I’m probably too late lol but you can copy the track or can record using two channels

[@JackRiddle999]

Two tracks*

[@billyprestwich2100]

hey man i got my song on the track recorder how do i do a final mix where i record all the tracks into one different song. i hav adobe audition 2.. is that any help?

[@BETTERTHANYES12]

is this an interface?

[@MijkVee]

frostex?

[@MichaelMckayCombs]

im having trouble uploading from the unit to the net, i dont have a usb to usb can they be ordered, or wat else could i do, is there a certain software i should upload

[@SonicOrbStudios]

Best thing to do would be take the compact flash card out and stick it in a CF card reader which plugs into your standard USB port on any computer. That will have all the WAV files on it. The USB connector type on the Fostex is called USB-B which can be found in most stores local or online. Hardest part is finding drivers for a modern operating system now so you're still better off taking the card out of the unit.

[@alexisnihon1]

How can I record from youtube ? In stereo KAROKE music 2 channels...? Thank-You ..

[@steveferrera5316]

When I try to mix to 7/8 I get capasity full error message. I deleted all the songs I have already mixed down and dragged to my laptop. But it still says capcity full

[@SonicOrbStudios]

Steve Ferrera odd, try a different compact flash card, could be the current one is breaking down.I've got this unit in studio again, and have not run into that problem.

[@napolian420]

dude i am lookin for somethin that can record all the track at once. i mean mic. rythm guitar, lead guitar, bass n drums can any one help me in findin one???

[@BETTERTHANYES12]

@OfficialVictorTV aww man! i just bought it off this guy for no reason! well any ways how do you import the tracks? do you have a tutorial on that? it would be helpfull! well thank u so much!

[@kadenfurr9699]

Just got one at a flea market for 15$ 😎

[@SonicOrbStudios]

nice!

[@kadenfurr9699]

yee yee, I'm going to be using it with my condenser mic, having that phantom power feature is really handy.

[@SonicOrbStudios]

I've been meaning to re-review this product, had it sitting for 3 years lol

[@kadenfurr9699]

That would be mighty handy!(another review I mean)

[@SONGSTICKS]

@SonicOrbStudios EXCELLENT.. i'M WATCHING ONE ON EBAY cHEERS

[@dvamateur]

@SonicOrbStudios I have a Mac, albeit Mac mini with Logic installed, which is obviously not a perfect combination. I can't even play a piano patch without the computer chocking immediately. Oh well, I don't have money for the Mac Pro, and neither I like the looks or size of it. Yeah, I am superficial. If something looks good on an outside, I'll use it. Otherwise, I lose interest instantly.

[@drrobotnikmeanbeanma]

Can this power on condenser mic's ?

[@SonicOrbStudios]

+drrobotnikmeanbeanma Yes, it's got on board phantom power

[@drrobotnikmeanbeanma]

thanks and do this has a sd card i can put into it and how about a cassette tape ?

[@SonicOrbStudios]

+drrobotnikmeanbeanma This unit operates off of compact flash cards, I think this goes up to 32GB at most. It does not record to tape.

[@MarkGonz123]

I plugged my guitar in and put the volume up but I can't hear the guitar on the headphones

[@muddles2158]

is that a fake background at the end?

[@SonicOrbStudios]

ha, yeah...one of my old green screened videos, didn't come out well

[@muddles2158]

looks good

[@zentura88]

The sheet music is real tho...

[@alexisnihon1]

HOW DO YOU BURN A CDFROM YOUR RECORDING ...

[@SonicOrbStudios]

most media players like windows media player or VLC (i think might do it?) I-tunes does it for sure still