What should I buy?

[ricvenus]

I am a novice at home recording. I have a Tascam Portastudio02 and am ready for more
sophistication. I am considering a Fostex
x-24 or x-34 or a Tascam 424mkIII. I make
folk-rock type of music(several guitars, bass, a little percussion, keyboards, harmonica, vocals). My old Tascam's too hissy. Also, can someone explain to me bouncing/ping-ponging and is it easy.
Thanks.

[Dom Franco]

My suggestion is that you step up to a digital unit. FD 4 or FD 8 or a yamaha MD 8.

Ping ponging can be done on a cassette 4 track, but every bounce will add noise. A digital unit will be much quieter and you can bounce tracks many more times!

Sincerely;

Dom Franco

[relliker]

To record all those instruments separately on different tracks, you'll be needing much more than 4 tracks. Cassette tape units do not go beyond 8 tracks as far as I know. The 424mkIII is only more sophisticated in respect of eq, effect sends/returns etc but is still limited to 4 tracks (as are the x24/34). The Tascam 488mkII manages to squeeze 8 tracks on to cassette tape. If you still want to use a 4-trakker you will have to bounce/ping-pong a lot and each bounce will add more hiss to the previous. The way ping-pong works is this: from the available 4 tracks, you record your first three instruments on the first three tracks. Then you direct the output of these three tracks mixed together on to the remaining 4th. Now you have three tracks whose contents are mixed on to track 4 so you can re-use the first three for other instruments. If you want to ping-pong again you can only use the first two tracks from these three so that you mix/redirect them to the third track etc. Get the idea? Hope this helps