I would like some advice for a basic set-up

O

oildrops

New member
I am surprised I can't find this question answered when I search. Maybe I am doing it wrong. Anyway, I am a guitar player and singer, songwriter like everyone else in the world, and I want a recording setup for:

Song writing sketchpad
Demos
Vocal monitoring
Some capability of multitracking?

I have a laptop that is janky as hell. I used to have an alesis io2 interface and AT2020 mic that I used for all these purposes, but I hawked em for $50 a piece. Sort of regret that move. I have been looking into getting a portable recorder, because I can't afford a new computer, and I remember headaches with latency and crashes when I was recording. I can spend up to $250 I think on a setup. The vocal monitoring part is important, because I am working on my voice, so I need either condensers, or the ability to run separate mics. My acoustic has a kk pure mini installed, but I would rather have it mic'ed.

Can someone steer me in the right direction? I would like to get some demos recording with multiple instruments guitar, banjo, fiddle, cello, manolin, and maybe simple drums. Obviously I'm not considering micing all those at once, but rather either overdubbing or room micing instruments and singing into a separate mic. That's the most I want to do, the least is the sketchpad deal.
 
Last April Msoft did you a HUGE favour!

They dropped support for XP and scared most of the computer owning public ***tless! Thus I would guess you can now pick up a pretty decent XP PC (not laptop) for $50 or so. (I bought one BEFORE the plug pull for £10!) . I in fact have a P4 XP Home machine gathering dust here that would do what you want very easily.

Others far more experienced than I might have ideas but I do not think you can do the overdubs and other work in anything but a PC? Not at least anywhere close to your budget.

Naturally you would have to keep an XP machine off the net* but you would want to kill/remove all AV software and defeat any wireless modems anyway. Use the manky lappy for webwork.

Interface? Do not go cheaper than Steinberg UR22 IMHO. Much better, the NI KA6.

*Although I am still running an XP Pro jobbie with Avast AV. Been fine so far.

Dave.
 
mjbphotos said:
Check out the Zoom H4n. bet its exactly what you need in that budget range.
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I haven't had any experience with these. Would I be happy with the mics, or want to hook up external mics of higher quality? How about the tascam dr-40, or one of their ports studios as a compromise? I will likely be exporting into garage and to add reverb, compression etc.

I like the PC idea, but I have limited space and electricity in my life at the moment.
 
I just found out about the tascam dp-008ex and its on sale. I am going to pick that up unless someone steers me away from it in the next 24 hours. I do like portability though. Hmm how to spend half a paycheck ( yeah I work part time )....
 
oildrops said:
I just found out about the tascam dp-008ex and its on sale. I am going to pick that up unless someone steers me away from it in the next 24 hours. I do like portability though. Hmm how to spend half a paycheck ( yeah I work part time )....
Click to expand...

Never used one, but that looks like a nice little unit. I can't endorse it but it is in your price range and doesn't require a computer.
 
For $150 you can hardly wrong with the DP008EX, but I suspect the 'built-in' mics are only good for 'sketch pad' type recording. I found the built-in mics on my old Boss recorder actually picked up sound thorugh hte entire plastic casing, not just the little mic port holes.
Note: no phantom power from the Tascam, so you can't use condensor mics that require it, there are only 8 tracks (no 'virtual tracks' like the Boss BR800, which is 3X as much money) and file transfer will be slow - first convert your tracks in the recorder (make sur eyou have room on your SD card), then USB transfer to computer. The Zoom can act as an audio interface when you want to use it that way and the mics are better.
 
oildrops said:
How about the tascam dr-40, or one of their ports studios as a compromise? I will likely be exporting into garage and to add reverb, compression etc.
Click to expand...

I bought a dr40 this week, although it hasn't arrived yet.

It is a four tracker but there are limitations.
At max capacity you'll be using the two inbuilt mics plus two externals (or line/inst sources).

Also, it only records in pairs which doesn't matter to me but it might to you.
Just a few things to be aware of.

If this is literally just for personal progress and experience, get an old cassette 4 tracker for next to nothing. ;)
I've fond-ish- memories of a junk-box Yamaha MT120. :p

If 4 isn't enough maybe look at a slightly bigger digital equivalent. One of the older Boss models or something?
 
I actually have a tascam porta02mkii that a friend gave me. I have never actually used it. Maybe I should, and spend my money on mics...well that throws a wrench in things!
 
So, what if I got a tube preamp with two inputs, and an SM58, and an SM57? I think I can do that for around $250. Would that combo with the tascam porta 02 be a better setup? Also, I have an alesis microverb unit that I could use for reverb, if that makes a difference.

Thanks for all the replies so far.
 
oildrops said:
So, what if I got a tube preamp with two inputs, and an SM58, and an SM57? I think I can do that for around $250. Would that combo with the tascam porta 02 be a better setup? Also, I have an alesis microverb unit that I could use for reverb, if that makes a difference.

Thanks for all the replies so far.
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You do not want a cheap valve pre amp. In fact do not buy a pre amp of any description.

If you are set on using that cassette and not a PC/AI set up, buy a Behringer X802 mixer or a similar product from Yamaha or others.

Such a mixer will give you XLR mic inputs (save you money on adaptors) phantom power if you ever get a capacitor mic (and DO!) and a noise and headroom specification WAY better than cassette.
There is also a basic but quite usable FX send/return system to include the reverb unit.

A new Berry mixer is just £43 here but they are things you see in Cash Generators ALL the time.

Dave.
 
Good advice here, thanks! I am not set on using anything in particular. I just already have that tape recorder. Is a Cash Generator like a pawn shop? I might just order that dp-008ex since it seems like that would get me started right away, and I could also expand on it in the future with a mixer, more mics, etc.
 
oildrops said:
Good advice here, thanks! I am not set on using anything in particular. I just already have that tape recorder. Is a Cash Generator like a pawn shop? I might just order that dp-008ex since it seems like that would get me started right away, and I could also expand on it in the future with a mixer, more mics, etc.
Click to expand...

Yes, Cash Gens are posh pawn shops!
Now it is your money and you choice of how you work and I have no experience of the dp-008ex but if you have £180 "burning a hole" I am sure you would do better to spend it on a good AI.

If you want "expandability" look at the NI KA6, bang on £180 here and gives you two mic/line/high Z inputs plus two more line ins and S/PDIF + MIDI . That gets you 2 tracks up front and the possibility of a pre amp/mixer later. There are other interfaces with a similar I/O count such as the Focusrite 6i6(?) but DO check that the number of individual analogue inputs is ACTUALLY what you think it is from the numbers!

I have no reason to criticize the db m'tracker but I think an interface+PC system will give you vastly better flexibility.

Dave.
 
mjbphotos said:
Note: no phantom power from the Tascam, so you can't use condensor mics that require it, there are only 8 tracks (no 'virtual tracks' like the Boss BR800, which is 3X as much money) and file transfer will be slow - first convert your tracks in the recorder (make sur eyou have room on your SD card), then USB transfer to computer. The Zoom can act as an audio interface when you want to use it that way and the mics are better.
Click to expand...

I'm a little late to the party here but the DP-008EX does offer phantom power on both mic inputs. Page 42 of the user manual explains how to turn it on.

-Phil
 
Pick up a digital multitrack, like a used yamaha aw16g ,8 track simultaneous record tracks ,16 playback, seen em on eBay under $200 record, mix ,master burn cd all on one device,
 
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