Cheap recorder...ease of use, not hifi.

M

mindwave_21

New member
Hey guys,
I'm looking for something that will record live sessions, allow rewind and overwriting, and the ability to export to a computer (ultimately to a CD). We have a Firepod, but problem is that the computer that was dedicated for recording is a POS (256MB RAM, 800MHZ or something) and anything recorded in Cubase has nasty blips or this digital nastiness. We're working on getting a Mac for the recording, but need something QUICK, EASY, and CHEAP in the meantime. Basically, I'm getting tired of trying to troubleshoot the software side, so I'm looking for a user friendly standalone.

Here's what we have for recording:
Mics and cables
Yamaha MG12/4
M-Audio DMP3
Firepod (well, not really much more than a preamp without a computer...)

Here's what we need:
Standalone recorder that doesn't have to be fancy. We plan to use it to document our rehearsals and burn them to CD for future listening. Might be used to record rough demo tracks. Probably will do a very limited amount of mastering (just enough so stuff sounds blended, and loud enough for playback in a CD player...for some reason, the firepod raw tracks that do work are extremely quiet when exported).

REALLY looking to spend <$150 total (hopefully). Used is fine (where do I look?).

My initial thoughts was a tape 4-track, but I don't know of the ability to export to a CD. I also don't really know much about the non-DAW side of the world. Searches in the forum brought up Zoom PS04 and Fostex. Anything more barebones than that?

Thanks in advance.
 
Well, you could go for a cassette 4-track. The lower end Tascam and Fostex models are very bare bones. But almost all of them have aux. out jacks on them which you can plug into the sound card of your computer. That's how I used to record and transfer stuff to cd. Your comp could definitely handle stuff like that. Mine is far worse than yours and I'm doing all kinds of crazy stuff with it. :D

Or you could look for some kind of digital recorder. Like a Boss/Roland/Yamaha/Tascam 4 or 8 track. They will definitely have aux. outs and some of them even have USB ports to transfer mixes and tracks directly to a computer.

I have a Tascam DP-01 digital 8-track and it's the coolest thing I've ever owned. :cool: It has aux. outs and a USB port and it's perfect for me because I'm constantly moving tracks to and from the computer. And it has very good sound quality but it's a bit over your price range. I'd check out ebay. You're bound to find a cheaper one there or something else you'll be sure to like. But take a little time to search. You can find some real gems on there if you're patient.
 
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