Fostex Mr-8 HD digital multi tracker question!!
 

First of all it's great to find such a helpful forum like MusicBanter!

SO the prob I'm having is, I wanna be able to hook my fostex up to my pc via stereo out (not sure it its possible). I have to 1/4 jacks (left,right) on the recorder. On my pc I have two connections on the back of my pc: digital in and out (both RCA). I also have on the front, Left and right audio 2 connections. Is it possible to connect the stereo out on the recorder to RCA on pc? I basically would like to hook it up press record on the recorder and hear it through my speakers and record it with software. I have a condenser mic hooked up to the recorder also.
I'm really new at this, so I apologize if any of these questions are stupid!

Cheers,
Chris

Just get a Jack(stereo)-2 RCA cable... I guess that's what you're asking about.

Is there a specific reason you'd rather record on your computer and end up with a single, un-mixable, stereo recording rather than just recording with the multi-tracker and exporting the .WAVs into your computer to mix in your music program?

The way it seems like you're trying to do it, you may as well just sell the unit and buy a multi-channel audio interface since you're only utilizing half the multi-tracker's functionality anyway.

Isn't the Fostex used to be a bit less dependant of the computer?
Well my friend has just bought a 8-tracks tascam, that she's plugging into her laptop with a firewire, that gives her all the tracks separately and ready to be mixed. So she went with FB's suggestion I assume.

You can look at it that way. Or you can look at software setups as being a more efficient and cost-effective solution, and now days, there's really no depreciation in quality unless you're used to recording on absolute top quality recording hardware, which Fostex is far from.

I have an absolutely useless 24 channel digital multi-tracker collecting dust because I realized how much better of a solution a good recording & mixing program and a multi-channel audio interface was.
The only good thing about the multi-tracker is it's more portable than lugging my PC and speakers and audio interface around. But since I don't record anywhere else but at home, it's kind of a moot point.

Hi there,

I am doing some recording right now using a Boss BR600 which I'm guessing is a similar type of unit to the Fostex you have.

Believe me, when it comes to techy stuff I'm like a really slow snail going up hill but even I have managed to get through ok.

This has 8 actual tracks and each one a further 8 virtual tracks. That's a lot of tracks if needed. All I do is add effects, pan the sounds around within the unit and then bounce it down to tracks 7/8 for the stereo mix.

This is then exported via USB cable to the computer where I then convert the WAV files into MP3 files.

Believe me, if I can do it, I'm sure you can.

Also, I can use the red/white outs from the Boss into the red/white ins on the computer and use the computer's sound system as a monitor.

Good luck, Gordon.