Are Yamaha AW16G and AW4416 that complicated?

S

SappyHad

New member
Hello all i'm looking to upgrade to either a AW16G or AW4416 but have read a lot of horror stories about how difficult they are to learn.

Has anyone had any experience with either of these units?

I'm mostly going to use it to record myself, one track at a time sometimes two or three tracks at once for vocals and backups, and maybe sometimes a small drumkit.

Any input would be great

Eric J.

"Music Heals"
 
No, Sappy. I came to the 16G from a tape background, allowed myself a month of reading and experimenting, and soon felt quite comfortable. As long as you don't expect to buy it and record a masterpiece within days, I doubt you'll have a problem. Just proceed calmly, remember that a little new knowledge is good, and take notes as you move along. No sweat, even for an analogue guy like me. I believe the 16G's a helluva machine for $1K.

The 16G forum, especially the user-written manuals there, really smoothed the process for me: http://forum.dijonstock.com/

I've heard that the 4416 has some overlap with the 16G, but I'll let others with experience address this issue.

So no worries,

J.
 
I own an AW16G and love it. I can get better recordings out of it them I can with my HD24 and DM24 setup. Just watch the movir that come with it and then read the manuel from front to back I few times before you start with the machine - its not long. I had mine mastered in a week playing with it a few hours each night after work.

You can always ask for help here or go to the AW16G forum -
http://forum.dijonstock.com/viewtopic.php?p=14105#14105
 
Aw16g

I have an AW16G.

The unit is easy to use, though not intuitive. You do need to invest some time with the manual.

I use the 16G for tracking only, export the raw tracks and do my editing/mixing, etc in Adobe Audition. My unit has been 100% reliable since I bought it about 1 1/2 years ago. You can record 8 tracks at a time with zero latency issues.

On the downside, the 16G onboard preamps are average at best and you can not completely bypass them.

The AW16G forum www.dijonstock.com is second to none with the friendliest, most helpful group of members you will ever experience (stated with no disrespect to this forum). Extremely newbie friendly so you never have to worry about posting a "stupid question".

If you shop around, you can buy a G new for around $900 so it also falls into a "best bang for the buck" category.

I hope that helps.

Gary
 
On the downside, the 16G onboard preamps are average at best and you can not completely bypass them.
Click to expand...

Yes you can. Take a 1/4 TRS cable out of an outboard preamp and plug it into one of the 6 line in jacks. Then use the gain from the outboard mic pre with the line input as low as it will go.

And I love my AW16g. I wouldn't trade it for any other recording device of any kind, standalone or computer...
 
Yep, I think nearly every owner would agree that the Yamaha manual can overwhelm at first. Fortunately, the user-grown aw16g site has a range of more basic, much simpler, mini-manuals for gettting going quickly, without the stress. I've been so impressed with the work that G-owners have put into really easing the way for any newcomers. Yamaha should pay those folks handsomely.

Then, a few months later, the Yamaha manual will start to make sense and serve as a good reference guide. And 6 months later, another read will seem like a walk in the park, with nearly everything falling into place.

Yes, it takes some time, but those user manuals will make a huge difference at the start. At least that's my experience.

J.
 
The AW16G is not hard to use. I don't believe there is a learning curve....just a "I can't follow directions curve". I never had a recorder of ANY type before. My son and I got the G, plugged it in and recorded Metal Gods by Judas Priest within and hour...using one drum track, one bass track, 4 guitar tracks and 2 vocal tracks. It sounded pretty dang cool.....however now that I have had it a couple months my first tries sound like crap compared to th stuff I am doing now.

Got to http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA...8500%26RLTID%3D775%26DETYP%3DRELATION,00.html

read the section Recording 101. If you can't get it with these simple directions NO RECORDER will be easy enough for you. I LOVE my G.
 
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