Here I go again - quest for the right tools

[bgood]

Hi,

I am finding myself, yet again, searching for a piece of gear that will help me do some minimal recording (non live) and serve as a practicing platform for jamming against backing tracks. I've been down this road before and just haven't found the right thing so I could use some advice.

I've owned a Boss BR-8, Tascam Porta-01, Zoom PS-04. I have a PC set up with Cakewalk, ACID, Fruity Loops, Jammer and others. I also have some CD's of "jam tracks". The problem is none of this stuff really gets me what I need. Here is what I'm looking for:

I want to be able to quickly and easily record backing tracks (drum, bass, guitar) and then be able to jam over them BUT I want to be able to play over them with effects and in a way that is portable (I can sit on the deck or in my TV room etc) and let's me use headphones.

Some of the stuff I have works really well for parts of this puzzle but not others - for example. The PS-04 is super portable and has servicable effects to use when jamming over tunes BUT the recording process is a PITA especially when trying to quickly record some drums and bass (internally generated and arcane user interface). Jammer software is great for whacking out quick tracks (midi notwithstanding) - punch in a progression over some empty measures, select a style and compose but it results in a midi file that then needs to be played over while sitting in front of my PC or has to be recorded down to a device like the PS-04.

It's a dilemma.

I think the PS-04 or other portable tracker with onboard drums/bass and effects is the right idea but that device sort of sucks from a usability standpoint (it is pretty good at other things)

Right now I'm looking at looping stations and other portable recording units that have better PC integration than the PS-04 but that retain super portability and effects. The loopers I've seen don't have effects on board and might be hard to synch and line up from a timing standpoint.

Anyone solve this problem and have any suggestions for the right gear or even approach to getting this done. I have enough stuff to get it done but it's very non-integrated and I'm looking for that all in one solution with a high degree of user friendliness.

Thanks

[Zaphod B]

Bgood -

My setup includes a TASCAM 2488, a Boss DR-670 drum machine, and a cheap Ibanez bass for DI recording. It's very easy to create drum tracks with the DR-670 and record them, and using a real bass guitar is quick. Ditto with guitar rhythm tracks.

A 2488 may be more than you need but the concept would be the same with any number of multitrack recorders. The 2488 has amp models and effects so that you could practice over the backing tracks by running direct.

So you could create your backing music in the room where all your gear usually resides, then take the multitrack wherever you want with a guitar and a set of headphones.

I'm not sure if this is what you had in mind - it may involve more gear than you wanted.

[bgood]

Zaphod B,

I appreciate the response. I sort of came to the same conclusion today and decided to record several different backing tracks from my computer midi set up and jam tracks CD's to my PS-04 on a memory card that will be dedicated to just storing stuff I play against. That way I can keep the whole thing to one piece of portable hardware that gives me the effects. I don't know why I didn't think of it before - guess I was thinking that there wouldn't be enough room on the memory cards for more than a few songs. I have about 5-6 on there now with room to spare AND the quality is quite good. That's enough to get me going for a while. I really have my eye on a Boss DR-880? It has onboard drums, bass and COSM guitar effects. It is made exactly for what I want to do but it costs almost $500. It's probably a nice unit but I'll see how my new set up works for me and decide what do to next and if I need to spend the dough.

Bob

[Zaphod B]

Bgood -

Sounds like a good solution.

The main difference between the DR-880 and the DR-670 is that the 880 has the guitar amp models & effects, twice the memory for storing drum songs and patterns, more polyphony, and it has a USB interface (which the 670 lacks). The 880 seems like a good piece of gear. As you say, it's a bit pricey.