My band has been lookin...g for a multi-track recorder so that we can finally but some decent quality samples on our website. This recorder got solid reviews on other sites and being an older generation version, the price was a steal. We just want a basic recorder, that can be transferred to a hard drive and allows for some file manipulation. Laying down tracks was a pretty straightforward, once we read the manual. You MUST read the manual, especially if you are new to recording like we are. The only drawback so far is transferring the file, whether the individual tracks or the layered song file, to the pc. Connection was painfully slow, it took almost 10 minutes for my xp to recognize the connection. Once the connection was established, the file transfer was also slow. Most likely this is because the MKII used a USB 1.0 connection. While frustrating, we are trying to work around it. We added a 4GB memory card (not micro sd) and can transfer the files using a card reader.... we hope. Haven't tried it yet, but I can't imagine why it wouldn't work. Overall, we are pretty excited about the recorder. It is very easy to use, transferring to pc is tricky and slow. Even the file updates for the unit could not help out the speed of transfer.
I've had my fostex for 10 years now and im pretty happy wi...th it. I had to replace the button cart a few years ago when one of the buttons snapped off (and you can't replace just one button) but other than that, it's worked great for 10 years. I have experimented with different sized compact flash cards over the years, going as high as 32gb, but the 8gb-16gb work best. It really depends on the brand: I don't recommend sandisk ultra, I've had bad luck with those. I can't imagine using just a 2gb card tho. Also, there are only 2 xlr inputs so miking has to be planned around that ( or use an external board). As I am generally only multi tracking myself, I rarely need more than 2 mics anyway (I like using only 2 in the drums anyway). The built in reverbs sound very digital, but the delay effect is pretty useful. It's a great, simple unit and for the price it's pretty unbeatable.
Verified purchase: No
These are great little machines... for what they do. You can mix and add effects to up to 8 tracks over two sessions, more than enough room to be creative. You have lots of choices for room echo and amp stacks, as well as auotpunch to help clean up tracks after you lay them down. They are very sensitive to shock however, and it always seems to be the mother board that malfunctions. I have used two, and got good results until they stopped working. They both had bad motherboards, so, i couldn't scrounge the two to make one. I will keep buying them as long as they are available, and I'm learning to carry them around and store them in a well protected case. I was an ASCAP songwriter for 19 years, and these little babies produce tracks as good as any studio I ever used, without leaving home. If you handle it as fragile, and don't leave the batteries in when your not using it, it should give you plenty of service and blast for the bucks.
I checked and reviewed several different types of recorde...rs. For the money this was the best thing. Some issues with transfer of songs to PC, but could be PC. I upgraded SW on recorder to latest level, easy to use once you understand the basics. I record on it, but mix my music on the PC where it's easier to manipulate. Only real issue is length of recordings are limited to size of media card which is 2Gb max. I had 2 card and swap during a very long session. I also break each song apart and this takes a vew seconds to do between songs.
As an electronic drummer/aco...ustic percussionist, the mr-8 mk2 is almost perfect. For $150, I’ve got solid 6-trak recording capabilities. I do editing with Audacity but wanted something durable & portable for the road. I dump the totally raw tracks into my laptop & do minimal editing/mixing/fx there. For aspiring producers/audio engineers, I recommend a laptop w/ pro level software. For rolling stone musicians like myself, I rec this or the Tascam DP2 CF. Anything w/o XLR inputs & phantom power is a toy. While the mr-8 is capable of producing a final CD via an external usb burner in its host mode, I would NOT use it to produce even a demo CD. I recommend it to lay down 4-6 tracks anywhere inspiration strikes. U can then dump the tracks onto a CPU for finalizing & burning a CD. +: 6 AA battery power enhances portability; Invest in rechargeables batteries built-in mic is ok 4 capturing ideas b4 they disappear; I surprisingly use it a lot ;-) 2 xlr inputs with phantom power MIDI OUT for syncing with my MPC drum sampler 2 headphone outputs - genius -: need wav manager software to transfer tracks between PC [free but annoying] maximum 2gb cf card = max ~400 mins of single track mono recording actually 6 tracks, since tracks 5/6 and 7/8 are paired stereo channels basic reverb,delay but NO EQ – software fills in here anyway ---dok brown music