Fostex MR8

[Guitar Ray]

Any users out there? I just picked one up and was wondering if anyone had any user tips.

[mr. jinx]

Very happy with the one I've had since Christmas. I found reading through the manual a couple of times to be beneficial. It's a complex machine if you're new to recording, but easy to learn.

I suggest not using the internal mic unless you're just tossing down ideas. What my wife didn't know when she bought it was that I would double the cost on mics, cables, stands, etc. The Shure SM57 does a fine job on guitar and vocals alike, although I'm shopping for an additional mic for doing both at the same time. And I suspect I'll be shopping for a bigger memory card soon. Luckily I already had a set of Roland monitors. The playback almost sounded like a real record.

I'm not thrilled at the on-board guitar effects. In fact, I don't think I'll be recording guitar directly into the MR-8. I tried doing the line-in with my acoustic, but it sounded so much better mic'd through the 57.

The reverb, on the other hand, is a nice feature for guitar and vocals. Just a touch.

I haven't mastered the mastering process, just now getting comfortable with recording onto different tracks.

All in all, it's a fantastic device that has me wanting to write, play, and sing better instead of shopping for new effect pedals.

[mr. jinx]

Also, I found this to be a great resource:

http://www.fostex.com/mercuryboard/index.php