Portastudio or PC interface

[Moksha]

Just getting into writing music. Basic guitar/vocal stuff
But may want to add other instruments down the line.

So to start of on the recording side am I better off starting with something like the Tascam DP01FX Digital Portastudio or would I be better served with a PC audio interface like the Digidesign Mbox2 Factory or the Edirol UA-101 Multitrack Recording Interface?

What do experience users see as the pros and cons of either choice?

Moksha

 

[suprstar]

I think recording on the PC is a lot easier.. You can drag and drop tracks, highlight sections of your track, there's more screen to see a lot more at once, you can add plugins, upgrade components like hard drives and interfaces, it's so much more robust and versatile on many levels. So I'd go the interface route myself. Also, if I was gonna spend $500 on one, I'd get a Presonus or a MOTU unit.. Something firewire with more channels, especially if you ever plan on recording drums. For me, 2 tracks was fine at first but became a major limitation after I started getting into it.

 

[mjbphotos]

A lot depends on whether you already have a capable computer or not, as well as your comfort for doing things on it.

 

[MadAudio]

The Tascam DP01FX has been discontinued. But I think the main issue in a choice between a portable all-in-one unit and using a tower is convenience and ease of use. Do you need to be mobile, and does the Porta-type unit come with software you can use on a PC? Then go with that. If you want more flexibilty with editing and FX plug-ins, I'd say go computer.

 

[Moksha]

Thanks for the input everyone.

I have got a decent tower but was thinking of getting a laptop and an interface for portability when you want to jam with some mates and record some works in progress. That's kind of what got me looking at the portastudio.

Not having used either I was trying to get some idea of the ups and downs of each.

Moksha

 

[Chili]

I think recording on the PC is a lot easier.. You can drag and drop tracks, highlight sections of your track, there's more screen to see a lot more at once, you can add plugins, upgrade components like hard drives and interfaces, it's so much more robust and versatile on many levels. So I'd go the interface route myself. Also, if I was gonna spend $500 on one, I'd get a Presonus or a MOTU unit.. Something firewire with more channels, especially if you ever plan on recording drums. For me, 2 tracks was fine at first but became a major limitation after I started getting into it.

+1 on just about everything here. If you're doing most everything yourself, I recommend a firewire mixer rather than an interface. The reason is you can add reverb to your monitor chain while tracking vocals, but the signal to the computer stays dry. For me, that's a huge advantage. AND you don't have to worry about latency. It's also great for when you just want to plug in and practice or write.

Also, what Suprstar said about seeing more on the screen is a great reason.

Good luck.

 

[antichef]

If you're at all computer literate and have (or will get) a decent computer, then I suspect, along with the bunch, that you'll prefer computer recording. You have a lot more control over the various parts, you can upgrade individual parts, and select from different vendors when you do, you can use lots of different software from different vendors and plugin writers, you can use standard backup/recovery techniques to protect your project files, and you're probably better protected from obsolescence (getting stranded and not being able to effectively work on your stuff) because of all this.

Oh, yeah, and today is international talk like a pirate day. Arr.