Fostex MR8 mkII 8 Track Multitrack Recorder Review
Fostex MR8 mkII 8 Track Multitrack Recorder Feature
Capture inspiration whenever and wherever you are with Fostex's MR-8 Mk II 8-track recorder. If you can operate a tape recorder, you'll be recording and multitracking within minutes of opening the box--all the controls are front and center, without a confusing menu system. Enjoy great sounding built-in digital effects, guitar amp and mic simulators, handy mix-down effects, plus the ability to hook up to a PC for data editing and backup. New for the Mk II is the USB host feature which allows for the easy connection of an 'off-the-shelf' CD-R burner via USB.
Capture inspiration whenever and wherever you are. Click to enlarge. |
Physical knobs and buttons and cassette-style controls for intuitive operations. Click to enlarge. |
Improved 132 x 64 dot-matrix LCD. |
Two XLR mic inputs with phantom power. |
8-Track Recording
The MR-8 Mk II offers you up to eight tracks of multitrack recording on the convenient CompactFlash Card format. Enjoy high-quality sound recording and playback with uncompressed linear 16-bit/44.1 kHz digital audio, or use "extended mode" at 22 kHz to double your recording time.
Two-track simultaneous recording is great for capturing multiple instruments/vocal parts or stereo input sources at the same time.
Intuitive, Useful Hardware
The MR-8 Mk II features physical knobs and buttons and cassette-style controls for intuitive operations.
An improved 132 x 64 dot-matrix LCD and self-illuminating keys visually show the current status, and a new dial knob makes menu selection a breeze.
Newly added +48V Phantom Power on both Mic Inputs means you can power condenser mics, which means a wider choice of microphones.
Finally, with dual headphone jacks, a few people can get in on the action at once.
Analog Guitar Distortion
Plug a guitar right in--an awesome guitar distortion is built-in, with a dedicated control knob. For a little something extra
Mic and Amp Simulation
Getting a great vocal or guitar sound has never been easier. Just plug in your mic or guitar and choose from two types of insert effects: microphone or amplifier simulation. These effects can be used during recording and emulate popular microphone types and guitar amps. Mic models include professional dynamic, condenser, and tube mics. On the guitar amp emulation front, you'll get a British stack, a U.S.-style high-gain metal amp, and a tube bass combo.
Reverb / Delay
The MR-Series also has 4 terrific types of built-in reverb/delay: room reverb, hall reverb, plate reverb, and delay. You can apply the reverb or delay to playback signals of tracks 1 through 4 during mixdown and track bouncing.
Simple Mastering or Transfer
The MR-8 Mk II's USB port allows you to transfer to and from your PC, or connect an external CD-R drive and burn straight to CD.
When a project is complete, simply bounce it down to a new song (track 7/8) for PC transfer and CD burning. Three handy mastering effects are included to make your song shine--powerful, natural, and bright, all usable when bouncing an entire song or individual tracks.
Ultimate Portability
The MR-8 Mk II can be powered with the included AC adapter or with six AA batteries, for approximately four hours of recording. A built-in microphone is handy for quick song memos when you didn't bring a mic.
What's in the Box
Fostex MR-8 Mk II, AC Adapter, 128MB CompactFlash Card, Owner's Manual
Fostex MR8 MKII 8 Track Multitrack Recorder - Fostex MR8MKII.