Recording Help

[Hardinge]

Hi im from the bass forum and have some questions about recording:

How much would a decent 4+ track recorder (analog or digital) cost?
And could i record a bass, guitar, electric drum kit and vocals through it?

cheers for ure help:thumb:

[Moseph]

Hi im from the bass forum and have some questions about recording:

Welcome.

How much would a decent 4+ track recorder (analog or digital) cost?

It depends on what you mean by decent. An older Fostex MR-8 or Tascam Portastudio have basically the same features as the current models for much less cost, but they record onto flash memory media, which typically has small capacity and doesn't let you record very many tracks. However, the newer versions have hard drives built into them (the typical size is 40GB), which gives you a lot more freedom for recording.


And could i record a bass, guitar, electric drum kit and vocals through it?

Yes, but not simultaneously. Most "all-in-one" systems have more tracks than you can record on simultaneously. The two systems I already mentioned are both limited to 2-track simultaneous recording. If you wish to record eveything all at once, you'll either have to invest in a very large digital recorder system, or find another solution. Most computer based solutions give better options for comparable (or lesser) prices. If you have a reasonably modern computer (within the past 2 years) you may wish to explore that sort of rig.

[Hardinge]

kk thanx

what about this one:
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/options.php?id=11181

[Moseph]

I didn't look hard, but also didn't see any mic pres, meaning you'd have to provide one of your own for microphone sources (most notably vocals).

Also, I didn't see Hi-Z inputs, for the recording (ie, everything is line level) meaning that you'd need to make your bass and guitar into line level signals (as opposed to instrument level) before recording to avoid impedence, clarity, and distortion issues.

If you have a mixer with 4 aux outs handy, that'll solve a lot of problems right away. Otherwise, look for something that at least has one mic pre, and a Hi-Z input is preferable as well.

[Hardinge]

thanks again Moseph

[Hardinge]

are there any other ways to record 4 instruments simultaneously?

[Moseph]

a bunch.

The biggest alternative is using a computer with a firewire interface. The firewire market exploded last year and you can find interfaces with all the features you need for less than $1000 easily, and in your case, probably less than $500 with some looking.

There's always the old-school method of real-time mixing to a 2-track medium, be it DAT, hard disk, CD-burner, cassette or reel-to-reel. Your mileage may vary about cost and usability on that.

Lastly, there are MDM, DTRS, ADAT and other digital systems that record tracks seperately onto a medium and can be adjusted using the device. These tend to be pretty reliable, but basically consist of the media you insert and converters. They're higher-end hardware.

If you have a computer that's reasonably new (2 years or so), you can probably handle a firewire device, and you can probably find one that'll handle 4 tracks with a few pres included for around the cost of the standalone systems. Most devices come with software, but you can also look around the internet for some good freeware (I've seen that thread in the forum a few dozen times). Presonus, Tascam, and M-Audio make the more popular firewire devices, though I've seen hardware from Yamaha, Sapphire Audio, Fostex, Edirol, and Hercules (probably more as well) that have promising features. Do some research and you'll likely find something that suits you.

[Hardinge]

thanks

the thing is i have no money!
but my friend told me that at my school there is a Yahama 12 track analog recorder i might try that

is the Korg CR-4 completly useless

[Byron]

take a look at this if you have a computer w/ usb
Link (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product?sku=630204)

[Hardinge]

ok how bout these:

http://www.behringer.com/MX400/index.cfm?lang=ENG (its so cheap but i doubt that it will work)

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/options.php?id=3024 (again its so cheap)