Our Home Music Studio

Digital Audio Workstation

For my mixdowns, I use a Fostex MR-8HD/CD Digital Multitracker Workstation. This unit provides me with 8 tracks to work with, but ony 4 tracks can be used at a time for audio input. This is also the last stage before the monitoring speakers. At this point, I only have two guitar amps for a monitoring system. Hopefully, I will come across a cheap monitor speaker system, like a Fostex RM-1 1U, 15W, rackmount stereo amplified monitor speaker system. Markertek and B&H Photo-Video-Audio have the best prices at this point in time, Dec 2010, at about $379 for a new system.

I bought this used digital recorder as a multi-function alternative to my previous setup, which was a 6 track mixer, and a 4 track mixer, both feeding an open reel tape deck. The tape deck has a capstan bearing issue, so that was no longer a viable recording package. Buying this used digital hard disk recorder added some in-unit effects, better eq, and it also eliminated the need to have several multitrack mixers in use.

This unit, and a MOTU (Mark of the Unicorn) MIDI Timepiece AV are among my best finds to incorporate into my MIDI music studio.

Multitracker software updates can be found on the Fostex website at http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/tech_support/multitracker_software_updates.shtml. Free, downloadable PDF versions of their manuals and supplements can be found at http://www.fostexinternational.com/docs/tech_support/manuals.shtml.

This unit is also useful for extracting audio from my Roland R-09 portable field recorder.

I have created this webpage as a method to document and share our MIDI Music Studio setup and usage, for others who might want to do something similar.

Copyright © 2010-2011 by David Wayne Hurd, All Rights Reserved.