Small multitrack device for novice

[Tapehead]

An acquaintance wants to be able to lay down quick song ideas and do some overdubs (guitar and bass). It's not for production but more for composing and saving ideas. He knows nothing about recording and asked me for advice. My studio is overkill for what he wants and I'd rather see him with something he can have at home for those moments of inspiration. He told me he wrote seven songs last week (!) and doesn't write the music down. ( I wish I had that kind of inspiration.)

It seems to me he needs a small four or eight track recording unit, simple as possible. I can give him an old cheap mic that I don't need anymore. He can use his home stereo for playback and monitoring for this simple purpose.

I'd appreciate any advice on small inexpensive (used or new) recording mixing units--probably a cassette type of unit would be more than sufficient. It should be simple to operate and have mic as well as line inputs. Thanks...

[notbradsohner]

fostex mr-8

ive got one for sale

notbradsohner AT yahoo.com

[DigitalDon]

Tascam 424 cassette 4 track. Dirt cheap on eBay. Great way to learn with very little $$ invested.

[futurestar]

I see you're in Vancouver as well. Get him to keep his eye on www.buysell.com for a used 4 track or 8 track. E-Bay is great as well, but the duty on U.S. purchases can sometimes make a good deal not so great after all. :-)

[Richard Monroe]

I've had great luck with my Korg PXR-4 Pandora, and the mic in it isn't that bad. They used to be $500, then it was $400, then $300. I can get one from GC now for $185. It rocks. 4 tracks with many virtual tracks. It punches, overdubs, does basic compression, is a pretty good reverb unit, a rudimentary drum machine, a good tuner, and a great metronome. It downloads in MP-2 format by USB port, and fits in a guitar case. All you need is that and a couple of 128mb cards and you're good to go. I would never be without mine. I'm thinking of buying a second unit so I'll have another when mine dies. It hasn't been real popular because it's so small, no one takes it seriously. That, however, is what makes it so cool.-Richie

[invisiblenemies]

Definitely go with the tascam 424 mkIII. It's simple to use - the quality is much better than the mr8. The digital 4 track has no mid range eq.

[stonepiano]

IF you wanna bump up the price range a bit, I think you'd find a much easier learning curve with an old Boss BR-8 than you would with the tascam cassette 4-track or the Fostex MR-8. That and the BR-532 is not tough to learn either.

I used to work as the pro audio mgr at GC and have tested most of the entry level stuff, fwiw.