Advice on Replacing Reel-to-Reel

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cherisknight

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My 8-track TASCAM reel-to-reel is getting old. I've already lost tracks 1 and 8. I'm thinking it would take a couple of hundred dollars to put it back in top shape.

All of my recording equipment is mounted in a portable rack, including the TASCAM, a DAT, mixer, effects unit, BBE Sonic Maximizer, etc. Rather than fix the TASCAM, I'm thinking it's time to move to a multitrack digital recorder.

I've looked at the Roland VSR-880, but at $1200, it's too pricey and I'd be paying for redundant components, such as the built-in effects. Since I have so much already invested in equipment, what I really need is just a way to lay down multiple tracks on a hard disk.

Is there a way I can use my computer to record multiple simultaneous tracks? It seems that with an ordinary sound card, you can only record one track at a time through the line-in port, no?

Or is there another digital recorder without built-in effects, etc. at a lower cost than the Roland?

Thanks in advance for the suggestions!

Cherisknight

cherisknight@juno.com
tim.hayes@eds.com
 
With a good sound card, and some recording software you would be off to the races. Stay clear of the sblive, and try to set aside $350-$500 or so, for a card. There are many options and choices available, choose wisely. Depending on the specs and age of your pc, you could do some massive, clean, digital multi-trackin'.
 
Welcome to the future!There are a number of 24 bit high-end card with multi-in breakout boxes,like Gina,Layla,MOTU etc.
And just beneath the pro level gear are the "prosumer" 16 bit cards.I get about 80 dB of headroom with my Ensoniq Audio PCI 16 bit card ($35).I'm running two cards in sync under N-track on a P-III 600 in a virtual 4 track.This particular software supports multiple soundcards but so do some others as well.
All the major software multitrackers have demos available so you can check them out and decide if a particular format or feature suits you best.The big boys are Protools and Cubase.There are a bunch of others.I use and like a multitrack software called n-track.
Not only is going digital a good idea,it is the way things are heading.Magnetic tape recordings have a shelf life of perhaps 20 years (with baking).CDs are conservatively estimated to last 100 years plus.You do the math.
Good luck and happy hunting for your DAW.
Tom
 
Im an analog guy, but if the oppourtunity to grab a Tascam MX2424 came about i would snap it up and sync my r2r together. obviously the 2424 is too pricey as well, but if im not mistaken akai has some hard disk units out there with quite a few bells and whistles maybe you can find some of those for cheap. dunno its just an idea.
 
Mixing computers and outboard equipment is expensive, and since you just need a recorder, I would actually recommend that you get just that. A digital recorder of some type, full stop.

You can probably get one of the Fostex digital 8-tracks for some $500-800 bucks or so. I think you need some kind of backup too, like a zip-driver or something (I haven't used the Fostex stuff so I don't know).

Plug out the tape, plug in the HD-recorder, and everything otherwise works exactly the same. Painless.
 
Thanks for the Suggestions!

Wow! What a fast response to my first posting here.

Thank you one and all for your suggestions. My preference would be to pop in a digital recorder as kristian and regebro suggest. It would fit in the rack nicely and I'd still have a portable studio.

I guess I'll just have to start saving my pennies. Or maybe I'll just surf on over to Publisher's Clearing House sweepstakes and see if I "may already be a winner." <G>
 
If you already have a mixer and a dat, maybe an adat?
 
I've heard that A-DATs require a significant amount of periodic service. What I'm thinking here is to get away from tape magnetic media. Hard disks are a pretty reliable media and require no maintenance. Of course, as with any media, backups are essential.
 
I'm with Regebro: stay with a working style you know.

I've got the Fostex D1624 digital recorder, and I do like the way it works. The swappable drives would be great for a portable studio rig, because you can have separate drives per client or per gig, and swap them in to work on them at your convenience. Backup is a little bit of a pain in the butt, but Zip or Jaz drives do work. CD-Rs do *not*, unless you buy the obscenely pricey (~$900) Fostex or HHB CD-R box. The units are slightly noisy, acoustically, but I'm planning on ripping mine apart this weekend to figure out how to quiet it down a bit and will post what I find. Bottom line: If you just need 8 tracks and 16-bit, you can definitely get into a used D-108 for well under a grand. Shoot, new, they're right at $1000. You'll find that they replace your analog tape machine remarkably transparently: they are just a tapeless tape machine, and not one thing more.

For portable use, you'd just pop the drive carrier out, put it in your briefcase for protection, and then fling the rig around like you'd treat any other rack of electronics. The Fostex box proper is pretty rugged, but I wouldn't let the roadies at it with the hard drive still installed! This is one advantage it has over the sealed-unit MDMs...

I have to advocate this over a computer-recording setup for location recording work. It's familiar, the learning curve would be very short, and it'd fit perfectly with your already-established working style. But then, everybody knows how much I hate computers... Your mileage may vary. Find one in a store, lay hands on, and see what you think!
 
Akai DR16. this thing goes for $2300 new, and i see it on ebay for as low as $1300, it has the one coolest thing about hard disk recorders out thre can have, a monitor hook up. so if you ever feel the need to edit your stuff, its good.
 
I've always been curious

Can one use software plug-ins with an HDR?
 
In the case of the Fostex, no: it takes in line level analog signals, converts to digital, and stripes it on the disk- period. There is no processing capability whatsoever. It is just a tapeless tape machine. Other HDRs may have some rudimentary processing capability, but if they do, it's probably ROM-based and not plugin-based. Running plugins seems to be reserved for the computer recording rigs.

The reason I like the Fostex HDR so much is that it acts exactly like my old analog tape machine: you punch go and it records, first time, every time. There's no exposure to punching go and getting the Blue Screen Of Death for your troubles....
 
ah . . . that outboard gear comes in handy in all environments
 
I think tascam has a new 24-bit 8 track portastudio for around 800 bucks.
 
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