budget digital multitrackers: a beginner posts
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Posted on Mar 09, 2003 07:07 am
Gaz
Member Since: Mar 09, 2003
Hi, this is my first post so please forgive me if I'm covering old ground.
I'm a complete beginner to home recording and guess that the best way to start would probably be a multitrack unit. I've been looking into budget digital recorders (Fostex MR8, Zoom MRS4 etc) and would appreciate some advice about which would be the best place to start. Obviously, I'm also looking for a cheap mic to start of with as well. So I'm open to recommendations.
I'd like to record accoustic guitar, vocals and keyboards. Do any of these cheaper units let you plug a keyboard straight in?
I think a digital recorder would probably be best as I'd like to intergrate my PC into mixing etc. Eventually I can see myself embracing PC recording, but I've been told that a practical multitracker would be the best place to learn.
Any thoughts?
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flame...bringing sexy backMember
Since: Jul 01, 2002
Mar 09, 2003 09:58 am ive not used them to be honest..everything ive used (except for my old tascam fourtrack) has been onthe computer..a) because its cheaper to buy some software than a whole new piece of kit and b) because i find youve got a load more versatility with a pc based system
having said that, i dont know the other side of the coin...so if anyones using a digital multitrack id be interested to hear what the benefits are
Mar 09, 2003 02:10 pm gotta agree with theflame on PC's being cheaper. if you've got the money to throw down on a digtal mutlitracker, you've got the money to upgrade your PC into a recording beast. For what you awnt to do, all you really need is a small mixer and nice soundcard (like something from M-Audio or Echo Audio.. NOT a soundblaster), the rest is all work arounds... for instance, you'll ultimately want as much RAM as you can stuff in your box, and a second harddrive just for audio. THEN you can start thinking about buying fun audio hardware, like better mics, a compressor, etc.
In the meantime check out some of the free programs available to you like
Audacity audacity.sourceforge.net/
and
Psycle psycle.pastnotecut.org
get the hang of digital audio, read the tips and forums here at HRC, leanr everything you can. And most importantly, *make an informed purchase* ;O) read up on whatever it is you're planning to buy. There's way to many products out there to just blindly throw your money away. Oh, yeah, and welcome to the club! -j
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Mar 11, 2003 09:55 pm Well, I will be honest. A little digital can be cheap, but it is not as easy as some would make them sound. The PC give you so much more editing capability, and its visual. Where as a digi recorder is not visual. On the PC you can look at the wave form of your recorded material, you can edit endlessly and save and rearrange pieces of a track to whatever you desire. You cannot do that in a portable digi recorder. There are many free apps and also entry level apps for recording to the PC that will get you started much easier. If you are allready looking at using the PC for mixing, well then you are allready at the point of just doing it all in the PC. Belive me, I frowned heavily the day someone told me I could replace all my analog mutlitrack hardware with one small PC. When I did make the switch, I was astounded at what I could do. Needless to say I have tired many of the digi multis and I have not found one I felt was more then a simple scratch pad, not really much more usefull then a simple 4 track cassette recorder.
Hope this gives ya a little insight.
WaltChief Cook and Bottle WasherMember
Since: May 10, 2002
Mar 11, 2003 10:52 pm Here here for the PC!
Multi trackers are CPU based digital equipement. A peared down PC so to speak. The portability comes at a high price. Limited editing, limited effects, limited audio and midi masaging in comparison to a PC with a recording sound card and good recording software. If you plan ahead with portabality in mind. You can get a "soundcard" that utilizes a USB or Firewire interface for your main system. A used laptop with your recording software on it makes a very nice portable unit along with a small mixer. Full capabilities, portability, expandability, mega choice of plug in processing. Worth serious consideration as apposed to getting locked into a multitracker.
Mar 12, 2003 08:32 pm I am new to the site as well and I am pretty sure that I am the only one here that prety much only uses my old 4 track Minidisc Tascam Digital.
And man what a royal pain in the neck it is. I wish I was on my pc instead. For so many reasons but the biggest of which is that the thing is forever lousing everything up. Errors after errors after errors. This unit tends to have more errors than most but face it, these are as someone else said pc based systems but they are just not reliable. You will get all kinds of weird errors. The reliability is terrible. I've mastered most of my errors. It is a real Zen experience writing and recording with this thing. I don't do too much recording so I haven't made the change.
PC based systems are much more intuitive, they are visual, they allow for endless plug-ins and add ons, you can take the work you do at home save it to a disk and bring it to a high end studio adn keep working cause so many of them are standard, the spectrum of sound is FAR more broad.
Interestingly most of these posts assume that you already have a computer that can withstand the needed RAM and HD space. If you have a computer, go PC. If you don't buy a computer. If you can't afford this, just go as simple as you can.
