Simple recorder for Music
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Posted on Jan 28, 2009 01:11 am
roboboticus
Member Since: Jan 27, 2009
Hi. I'm looking for a simple way to record jam sessions in my basement.
I don't need high quality sound, just good enough to review and pick out the good parts for songwriting. I'd be recording drums, guitar, and bass mostly, with the occasional vocals and keys mixed in. The music can get pretty loud too, which is a consideration.
In the past I've recorded on a portable MD player/recorder (Sony MZ-R70) through an electret condenser stereo microphone (Sony ECM-DS70P). Decent sound, but we often play longer than the 74 minutes that fit on one MD (it's an older MD player), and it sucks when a session gets cut off. Changing discs is the last thing I want to be thinking about when I'm getting in my creative zone.
A simple interface would be good. I'm tech savvy enough, but I need to focus on the music during sessions. Don't need (or want) effects, tuners, etc.
Ideal would be:
-A sturdy device that records digital audio and can transfer files to Mac
-Enough storage capacity to record 4+ hours of audio (in stereo)
-A built-in stereo mic would be nice, but I could make do with the Sony mic if need be.
I WISH there was some kind of remote footswitch that could start/stop recording and make track-breaks on the fly. By "track-breaks" I mean start recording a new file. It seems quite feasible given the level of technology we've reached, but I don't see anything out there. It would be musician's dream! Any product developers out there?
The options I'm considering at the moment are:
Tascam DR1
Zoom H2
Edirol R-09
a Hi-MD recorder
something from iRiver
The Tascam and Zoom are top of the list, though I hear the Zoom's not too sturdy. It looks like a Hi-MD recorder would be a bit pricier, and I don't see many that advertise the ability to transfer files to Mac through the USB cable.
Then there's iRiver. I hear some good things, and they look sexy as hell, but I'm having a hard time getting info on their different models, especially specs on recording quality and length.
Any advice would be great. Thanks!
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Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jan 28, 2009 06:17 pm Most of the iRiver stuff are more related to an mp3 player then anything. The one I know of that records uses a compressed format, not sure on the capacity though and can't find the info on it at the moment.
The Tascam unit is a good one and has a lot of good press. Mainly for the use of the SD type card, which now you can get 16 or 32 gig SD cards so that should give you more then enough space.
The Zoom I would definitely stay away from though.
Edirol R-09 is comparable to the Tascam but lacking some of the features, and some have commented it is a bit picky on were exactly you place it in relation to the audio source.
Jan 28, 2009 07:12 pm Cool. Thanks for the response Noize.
It's funny, a lot of people rave about the Zooms. I don't know, I finally went with the Tascam R-07 that just came out; basically a paired down R1.
Thanks for reinforcing my tascam conviction :)
