a stupid question

[BlanKinK*6]

yo, i have been talking to some people that know the slightest bit about recording, and i keep gettin confused. i need a recorder that can record 2 guitars, bass, and vocals. plus in one song there will be a violin and a piano. i was under the impression that a 4 track recorder was only capable of mixing down 4 tracks persong. but for every song there will be at least five. now i have already gotten a 4 track for my birthday, so if i was just getting some advice that isn't gonna work, is there anyway i could fix this? like a cheap program that i could upload my recorded/mixed tracks to and just have it mix them down? ok, thanks alot


also if anyone who knows ere i could get an owner's manual for a Tascam 424 i would rly appreciate any advice

 

[M.Brane]

When I was working on my 4 track machine I would record the basic rythym tracks (drums, bass and rythym guitar) then submix that onto a stereo VCR. Run that back into the 4 track (on fresh tape) and you have 2 open tracks. This will give you better quality than bouncing tracks 3 to 1 on the 4 track, and you keep all your original tracks.

Don't try to make your submixes too big. You need to leave room for the other tracks to fit on top. It takes quite a bit of trial & error, but your recording/mixing skills will improve each time.

TASCAM 424 manual

 

[Eagleone]

As Mbrane said you can do the Vcr depending on the type of VCR that you have. If not. You can Mix and "Bounce" 2 tracks to one track. You wont be able to record 5 at a time without a submixer.
If your planning to go to the computer you can use your line in on your soundcard "but" your standard computer soundcard is not Ideal for recording. You might want to try an audiophile 2496 or something similar that has spdif capability. As far as software goes Powertracks is pretty cheap. There are freebies also that someone could direct you too.

http://powertracks.com/

 

[BlanKinK*6]

for the soundcard, i have a SoundBlaster Live DF80 i THINK i have to check make sure this isn't old info i am looking at, but if that is what ihave, would it still be worth the money (which i don't have much of at all(40 bucks to be exact)) to get the audiophile?

also, thanx alot for the Tascam manual, but every time i click on the link, i just get this little icon wiith a triangle a circle and a square in it. ihave acrobat reader 5.0 but its just not displaying the document. any tips would be great thx

 

[M.Brane]

every time i click on the link, i just get this little icon wiith a triangle a circle and a square in it. ihave acrobat reader 5.0 but its
just not displaying the document.

Maybe a browser config issue? Try R-click and save as a PDF file?

Works fine on my Mac w/Netscape 4 (yeah, I know, but I like it)

PS: not tryin' to slam on PC's....