Musicians and podcasters everywhere…this is pretty cool. This multi-track recorder records straight to compact flash and is very portable. I just got mine in yesterday and spent a couple hours messing with it…and boy am I impressed! Sound quality is very good for the price (package deal for $250 that comes with case and mic) and construction seems very solid. Some features that I think are awesome:

Easy to Use: Works like an analog tape recorder, with the advantages of digital. No complicated menus…but still just as powerful as other systems.

True multi-track: 2 simultaneous tracks, 8 total. Plus then you can bounce those to a new song and add even more.

Copy & paste: You can copy and paste parts or whole tracks of your recording.

Hands on mixing: Use real sliders, and decent input effects like distortion, reverb, and delay.

USB host: Attach an external CD player to directly burn your recordings.

Compatible with Linux: Hook up to your computer via USB to grab your tracks and do further editing and/or mixing in Audacity or Ardour.

Of course there tons of other cool features…I got the package deal so I got a case, a decent mic cable, and a very cheap microphone. It would be a great starter package for new podcasters and singer/songwriter types, though.

The Fostex MR-8mkII 8-Track Digital Recorder
The Fostex MR-8mkII 8-Track Digital Recorder - Package Deal

Filed under: Hardware, Multimedia, Audio Production