Advice on some old gear

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Carlito

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Hi there!

Im in the process of getting a home setup put together, it will be my first try at recording myself, even though ive recorded in a number of studios myself.

Ive been researching what type of set up will suit me best - im not a big fan of computers and to be honest the computer approach (Protools, cubase etc) as of yet doesnt attract me so much. So ive looked into standalone multitrack units, which are apparently a pretty outmoded way to record music.

In particular ive been most attracted to the Roland VS2480, Korg D3200 and the AKAI DPS24 (although trying to find the AKAI for sale is like searching for El Dorado).

Ive looked at the the Tascam 2488neo, but it is only capable of 8 tracks of simultaneous recording and i really would like the option of extra mics for live recordings, especially because im first and foremost a drummer and as you all know we are a big pain in the bum when it comes to mics. I know i could possibly use a mixing desk to group mics together, but this seems like a drag when there is kit out there (even if it is a bit old school) which is capable of 16 track simultaneous recording.

Anyway, i was hoping to get advice on which the best of those 24 track units is and if anyone has experience, good or negative, which can help me decide what to spend my hard earned blood money on so i can sit in my converted garage and never see the sun again......

Carlo
 
We've used an Alesis HD24 extensively. Pretty solid, trouble-free units. They are still available new, which I think makes them the last non-obsoleted 24-track HD recorder. You can record to ALL 24 tracks, and link two together to record up to 48 tracks, three for 72, etc to about 128 tracks. Not cheap, but, well, not cheap.
 
Hi stevieb thanks for your reply!

I have seen the Alesis on gumtree for about 750 quid, seems like a solid piece of gear, I'd be interested to hear something recorded using it.....do you have any links?

Carlo
 
Carlito said:
Hi there!

Im in the process of getting a home setup put together, it will be my first try at recording myself, even though ive recorded in a number of studios myself.

Ive been researching what type of set up will suit me best - im not a big fan of computers and to be honest the computer approach (Protools, cubase etc) as of yet doesnt attract me so much. So ive looked into standalone multitrack units, which are apparently a pretty outmoded way to record music.

In particular ive been most attracted to the Roland VS2480, Korg D3200 and the AKAI DPS24 (although trying to find the AKAI for sale is like searching for El Dorado).

Ive looked at the the Tascam 2488neo, but it is only capable of 8 tracks of simultaneous recording and i really would like the option of extra mics for live recordings, especially because im first and foremost a drummer and as you all know we are a big pain in the bum when it comes to mics. I know i could possibly use a mixing desk to group mics together, but this seems like a drag when there is kit out there (even if it is a bit old school) which is capable of 16 track simultaneous recording.

Anyway, i was hoping to get advice on which the best of those 24 track units is and if anyone has experience, good or negative, which can help me decide what to spend my hard earned blood money on so i can sit in my converted garage and never see the sun again......

Carlo
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I agree with stevieb with the HD24 ( XR even better)..Especially if you don't wanna go with a computer..Very stable/easy to use/good sounding machine..Pair it with a decent console and there ya go..Here's the plus thing..Even if you end up getting a notso good of a console, as long as you use good mics/preamps, etc. and track to the HD24 well, you can always take the HD24 ( or transfer the .wav files) to a studio with good consoles/rooms/DAWs and mix your finale product if you are not confortable mixing yourself..!..Good luck.
 
Ive been looking at the Alesis - whats the difference between the standard model and the XR? I suppose the thing that attracts me to the other multitracks i mentioned earlier is the VGA link - id like to be able to use a monitor when editing. But the actual standalone HD24 looks like a pro bit of gear -would i be right in saying that its more suited to a live recording kind of situation?
 
Carlito said:
Ive been looking at the Alesis - whats the difference between the standard model and the XR? I suppose the thing that attracts me to the other multitracks i mentioned earlier is the VGA link - id like to be able to use a monitor when editing. But the actual standalone HD24 looks like a pro bit of gear -would i be right in saying that its more suited to a live recording kind of situation?
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The difference are the converters..The XR boasts better converters ( rightly so)..Lots of people actually dump the HD24 into a computer for editing and dump back to the HD24 to mix into an analog console..It works very well for live recording or studio recording..( I used mine for studio recording)..
 
Snatchman has more personal experience with the HD24 than I, it appears, so I will defer to him. By "we," I mean my son and I, my son being the actual professional recording engineer among us two. He and I have worked together on a number of projects, but he has always been the one doing the recording (he won't let me anywhere near the board.)
 
Another would be the Fostex D2424 ...... they would only be available used.
I've been using a D1624 for about 10 years and it's rock solid.
A friend has had 3 of them and says the same thing.
 
Well, Stevieb that's the dream - my son is 13 and already playing sone great guitar, so I'm hoping to get some time with him in the studio when it's all done and equipped.

I've looked I to all these units. The Alesis HD24 and the Fostex, among loads of others. I went with a Korg 3200 i found in mint condition with a custom hardcase. I got it down to £500. In the end cost was an issue because the extension and soundproofing is costing so much. In the future a more high spec unit may be an option though.

Thanks for all the advice though, it really is worth joining these forums to get opinions and advice!
 
Not opposing you, Bob... the Alesis HD24 is the only one of the three 24-track/HD drive units still in production. Both the Fostex and Mackie units had some very cool features the Alesis lacked, but it's generally thought that the Alesis survived when the others did not because of reliability. In that respect, we just got lucky- we found an Alesis unit that we could afford and was available when we needed it, so that's the #1 and 2 reasons we went with Alesis- #3 was David had ADATS, already, so the HD24 was most compatable with the LRC, BRC, and ADATS, #4 was at the time, Alesis gave good support (not sure about that now, with Alesis having long since been bought by Newmark.) David also decided he liked the "one big file" way the Alesis recorded the program to the HD, over the more computer OS way others used- Alesis' method means you never have to de-frag the HD- or something like that.

Not saying the Alesis is better, just that it's still available, new. Repairing any of them is often not a cost-effective move, so if your Alesis craps out, after the warranty is over, you can at least buy another one and not have a bunch of orphaned files.

That Korg looks pretty sweet- I'd say it might really pull it's weight if one were, say, recording a live show from the main board- it appears all you would need would be feeds from the live board's direct outs, if 32 tracks was enough- which is usually is for anything other than A-list acts.
 
first off ..... I didn't say jack about the merits of the Alesis vs the Fostex. I simply suggested it as another possible choice and they're fairly inexpensive.

Secondly I stated that it would only be available used (out of production)

Thirdly the Alesis is not being made anymore ...... you can buy them new until Alesis sells all of their remaining stock.

Lastly ..... whatever rumors you heard when you made a decision to go with the Alesis are completely and totally meaningless in this conversation. You have no hands-on experience with them so you don't know.
I'm telling you actual results by actual people I know that actually have the unit and it's rock solid for all those people plus a search doesn't bring up anything about unreliability.
I've used mine daily for about 10 years .... rock solid. A friend with a pro studio uses 3 ..... rock solid ...... not a hiccup ..... not a glitch.
I'm sure the Alesis is also a nice unit ..... no reason to prefer one over the other as far as I can see.

To the OP ...... nice unit ..... congrats. But that doesn't really bear much resemblance to the units we were suggesting. It's gonna be very limited in terms of patching and using outboard gear. If you don't, for instance, like the 'verbs then you're mostly out of luck.
Having said that ...... you've saved a LOT of money because the units we were suggesting would require quite a bit of other gear so at your present starting off point you've probably made the best choice.
 
One of the units i was initially looking at was the korg D3200 - when i started this thread i was looking to get opinions from people with experience using it or the Roland VS2480. But the responses suggested i look at some different stuff which i did but as it turned out the Alesis/fostex machines were just out of my price range at the minute, maybe in the future once ive got some decent results and know how to set up a room to get the best sound etc it will be worth my while spending serious money but for now ive got something i can pretty much get my mics/instruments into and get going.
 
Carlito said:
One of the units i was initially looking at was the korg D3200 - when i started this thread i was looking to get opinions from people with experience using it or the Roland VS2480. But the responses suggested i look at some different stuff which i did but as it turned out the Alesis/fostex machines were just out of my price range at the minute, maybe in the future once ive got some decent results and know how to set up a room to get the best sound etc it will be worth my while spending serious money but for now ive got something i can pretty much get my mics/instruments into and get going.
Click to expand...
I think, as I said, that you've picked a great unit to start your recording journey with.
 
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