Recording

nailz100nailz100 Posts: 1,176
edited April 2004 in Musicians and Gearheads
I am looking for a mini 8-16 track recorder....like a boss or zoom. See because I play guitar and sing it is hard for me to write both at the same time....so I'd like to have something that I can record guitar tracks with/ program drum tracks/ bass with and then sing over later. Any suggests on which has the best sound/ effects/ diversity? Which one is the biggest bang for my buck? Comments?
Only with our eyes closed can we truly see
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Comments

  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    i swear by the tascam 788 8-track. but that's just me. i can produced virtually completely mastered tracks with it and do most of my reverb/noise gate/compression effects with it's onboard stuff.
  • nailz100nailz100 Posts: 1,176
    How's the sound quality....how much does it go for?
    Only with our eyes closed can we truly see
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    it's $600 US right now, new. i don't know much they are up here in alberta right now. i bought mine used a few years ago.

    i think it's been surpassed in features such as larger hard drives and integral CD burners at this point though. the sound quality is great for home purposes in my opinion. it lacks XLR inputs and phantom power though which is a bummer.

    the zoom MRS802B 8-track is $700US and has 20gig and a burner. i have no ideal what the canadian retail is.

    the fostex VF80EX has XLR inputs and phantom power (for condenser mics) which is really nice. 20gig. optional burner. it's $700 as well.

    after that, they get pretty expensive.
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    depending on how good your computer is, you may be better off going to recording software.

    you need a proper recording I/O card though.
  • nailz100nailz100 Posts: 1,176
    Anything a little cheaper with the same sound and quality? I suppose I could always look on E-bay?
    Only with our eyes closed can we truly see
  • neenerbeanneenerbean Posts: 205
    Originally posted by nailz100
    How's the sound quality....how much does it go for?
    i'm thinking of selling my (analog) Tascam 488 eight-track if yer interested. $250 w/case - I bought it used a few years ago for $350.

    -ames-
  • nailz100nailz100 Posts: 1,176
    Thanks man. I think I am going to go with an 8 track or more with some newer technology though....but thanks for the offer.
    Only with our eyes closed can we truly see
  • nailz100nailz100 Posts: 1,176
    Hey Ex....what about the Fostex MR8 or Boss BR864.....hear anything good about them?
    Only with our eyes closed can we truly see
  • neenerbeanneenerbean Posts: 205
    Originally posted by nailz100
    Thanks man. I think I am going to go with an 8 track or more with some newer technology though....but thanks for the offer.
    i'm a girl :)

    and no problem.
  • BinFrogBinFrog MA Posts: 7,309
    I have a Zoom MRS-802 and have been nothing but pleased with it. You can hear some samples if you want.
    Bright eyed kid: "Wow Typo Man, you're the best!"
    Typo Man: "Thanks kidz, but remembir, stay in skool!"
  • nailz100nailz100 Posts: 1,176
    Sure Binfrog...I would love to. How much did you pay for it?
    Only with our eyes closed can we truly see
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    Originally posted by nailz100
    Hey Ex....what about the Fostex MR8 or Boss BR864.....hear anything good about them?

    i haven't really looked into any of this stuff in years so i don't really know how they compare soundwise.
  • nailz100nailz100 Posts: 1,176
    In your opinion though...what is the best brand?
    Only with our eyes closed can we truly see
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Originally posted by nailz100
    In your opinion though...what is the best brand?



    They're all pretty damn close in quality and ease of use. They all rip each other off.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • nailz100nailz100 Posts: 1,176
    How's the sound quality Pac? Does it sound like your jamming on a tin can with some strings on it?
    Only with our eyes closed can we truly see
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    Originally posted by nailz100
    In your opinion though...what is the best brand?

    tascam.
  • nailz100nailz100 Posts: 1,176
    Thanks Ex....any other opinions on Best Brands?
    Only with our eyes closed can we truly see
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Originally posted by nailz100
    How's the sound quality Pac? Does it sound like your jamming on a tin can with some strings on it?



    Well if you listen to Ex's sound clips, they are all very similar to that in the sound quality.

    All digital recording is a bit crispy because it's digital. You can warm it up with tube preamps nice mic's and spending a little time with the onboard reverb and EQ. In my opinion the sound quality is very good for what it is and the ability to manipulate the sound with no constant rewinding or tape degredation is a huge plus.

    It's not going to be broadcast quality perfect engineered tracks, but hell man what do you want for a couple hundred bucks. You can do a demo and rip tracks of of them easily.

    Ex has done some really nice stuff with his.

    I will say this. The more tracks, the better. You'd be suprised how fast they go.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • nailz100nailz100 Posts: 1,176
    Thanks Paco.... do both the Tascam 788 and Zoom MRS802 have drums and bass programmed in?...or at least drums?
    Only with our eyes closed can we truly see
  • exhaustedexhausted Posts: 6,638
    the tascam has no onboard drum and bass programs. +1 to the boss in that case.

    note on the sound quality of my clips. they are 96kbps mp3 and sound much better in their full uncompressed data form that the recorder spits out.
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    I have the Boss BR-532. It needs 4 more tracks. The drum track is cool but no where near as useful as you'd think though playing along with it kicks ass because it never gets tired. It's going to be awesome when I get a PA to hear it through. It's still way better to have an external drum machine or gasp! (a real drummer)
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • nailz100nailz100 Posts: 1,176
    Yeah, I think I'd like something with a minimum 8 tracks. Programmable drums for it would be nice as well...what do you think my best option is?
    Only with our eyes closed can we truly see
  • Pacomc79Pacomc79 Posts: 9,404
    Originally posted by nailz100
    Yeah, I think I'd like something with a minimum 8 tracks. Programmable drums for it would be nice as well...what do you think my best option is?




    well, I'd go look at all the options in a store. Price is often a major factor. I'd check out everything starting with the most expensive, work off the features that you don't need untill you get to the price you want to pay.

    I think BOSS makes a quality product. The ones with CD recorders are nice because you can record on the unit.

    McCreadyisGod is a sound engineer and can probably answer questions about sound quality more thoroughly than I can.

    As far as I know Exhausted likes his Fostex

    I like my Boss though it needs more tracks

    and Bin Frog likes his Zoom.

    No major complaints with any brand really.
    My Girlfriend said to me..."How many guitars do you need?" and I replied...."How many pairs of shoes do you need?" She got really quiet.
  • mccreadyisgodmccreadyisgod Bumfuq, MT Posts: 6,395
    Originally posted by neenerbean
    i'm thinking of selling my (analog) Tascam 488 eight-track if yer interested. $250 w/case - I bought it used a few years ago for $350.

    -ames-

    OOOOO!!!!! Sexy... Gotta love the tape!

    Hey, for stand-alone units, I really love Korg's stuff. I've used a D1600 a bunch, and love it. They make a 12-track version, the D12, that's pretty cool, too.

    One last option is getting a USB interface and recording to computer. Tascam and DigiDesign both make boxes with software included, and while you can only get two tracks in at a time, you can put up to like 24 tracks on there.
    ...and if you don't like it, you can suck on an egg.
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