Best All in one digital recorder for the money?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Huaxtec
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Yeah the touchscreen isn't the best option but I like it better than using a jog & joystick to navigate. Actually I like the Akai Qlink system best. Touchscreens can get pretty funky even with clean hands. I wish there was a lower priced multitracker with an option to connect to a monitor/keyboard/mouse. That only seems to happen with the big boys that are way beyond my credit card.

I will probably go with Sweetwater or one of those with the trial period to check out the Korg, makes sense. Thanks
 
I highly recommend Sweetwater. You can find a cheaper price through other suppliers, but I don't know if you'll find anyone more willing to work with you to find the right gear to suit your needs. I've had them recommend cheaper gear than what I was interested in, because it was more suited for my needs. Plus their willingness to let you try something before you buy is invaluable.

Taylor
 
Yup, I have to say that I have found Musicians Friend to be pretty fair with me too and they have a 45 day trial period. I've heard good and bad about all of these places, it's a matter of personal experience.

For me the plus features on the Korg D1600 have enough value to offset that funky touch-screen...at least as I am thinking now. If it turns out to be a big problem, the Akai DPS16 is my fall-back option and that's not bad at all. Probably looking at another 2-4 weeks of gathering cash and researching, then I take the plunge.
 
Thanks for all the input and advice on different brands of Recorders. This has been very useful for me and given me some top names to look at in my research. Thanks again everyone!
 
Huaxtec said:
[BThis has been very useful for me and given me some top names to look at in my research.[/B]
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Huaxtec,

Enjoy the ride. The pursuit is half the fun. When you're so sick of researching that you feel like your head will explode, it's time to buy. :)

Taylor
 
I sarted out on a HD recorder quest. I found the best bang for the buck was a computer/soundcard/software setup. But it all depends on what you already have. I would love to have a all outboard studio myself, in fact I have a good portion of one but all I can say is look tward the future. If you plan to record a full band It will be hard to do with 8 tracks. With my system I can record as many tracks as I like. I will give you this though. It is a bit more than $1500.00 bucks but I am set foor life I hope?!?!?!?
If not I can add another sound card and wala 16 tracks at once.
If you have a hot computer it will cost you about $1200.00 if you don't about $2200.00. I know I have not changed your mind but if you want details just write.

depperly@crpud.net


www.mp3.com/freudian_slip1
 
Interesting reading Thrawn.

This is the kind of thing anyone considering one of these purchases should be looking at, while keeping in mind this is just one opinion.

The gist of the matter:

Akai DPS16: They said it was "a serious and full-featured multitracker capable of producing top-quality recordings. One of the best of its type so far."

Fostex VF16: They said: "would-be digital recordists on a budget should find the VF16 provides everything they need to produce good-quality recordings with ease."

Korg D16: They were the least complimentary with this machine, but still said: "a superb newcomer to the currently sparsely-populated all-in-one digital 16-track market."

Roland VS-1880: The best reccomendation so far: "a very powerful recording workstation which is capable of producing release-quality CD-R masters of your music."

Yamaha AW4416: Then came the Yammy which got higher marks than anything: "a complete professional studio package at a home studio price."

They were impressed with the motorised faders, scsi archiving, signal processing, versatile signal routing. However, the Yamaha is substatially more expensive than the other units. And since this article was written, Roland has come out with the VS-2480. For about $500 more you can have the Roland which spanks the Yammy, and you get 8 more tracks.

Taylor
 
You have to keep in mind when the the report was written, always a problem with these reviews. Valid as it is, things change so quickly.

The Yammy got the highest rating but is also, by far, the most expensive. Now they are releasing a new smaller version, the 2816, which will still be priced over 2K.

The Korg D16 is reviewed but not the 1600; probably because articles are often written several months before a magazine is published. Since then the D16 dropped in price and the 1600, which essntially replaced it in that price-range, has features that make it a much stronger choice for the money.
 
Glad it help!

I agree with you Digiboy that the article is a little bit old and there is some modification to price and conf. but It give a good idea of good/bad points of some recorders and from there you can start shopping and look at what is available today (you also notice this way at wish speed this market is moving!!!).

There is no ultimate winner IMHO and no real bad choice but there is chance that a unit will fit best your need Huaxtec....hope so... hehe

Thrawn
 
Its my opinion that the roland can be had for about 400.00 less if you know how to talk to a salesperson the right way. they will rather take a cut in profit than see you go to another place and see your money go out the door.;)
 
I didn't mean to discourage anyone from reading the article. It has a lot of value in giving a sense of the types of features that are available from the different companies.
You know most of these companies are now offering downloadable pdf's of the owners manuals for these machines at their websites. This is a tremendous help in making a decision. I know a lot of people who never read the manuals and it's great if you can really operate the thing without reading anything about it. But for comparision shopping, reading the manual in advance gives you some sense of how the unit functions. You can get some sense of how compatable it will be for the way you plan to work. You also can get some sense of how well the comapny is going to deal with you for support. Generally I find that the easier it is to understand the manual, the better that company's customer support is. ( I have to admit I have found some exceptions to this rule. I have a Kawai synthesizer that came with a manual that is nearly impossible to understand, very poorly translated from Japanese...yet I found their tech support was absolutely first rate)
 
digiboy said:
Generally I find that the easier it is to understand the manual, the better that company's customer support is. ( I have to admit I have found some exceptions to this rule.
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Roland is definitely an exception to this rule too. They are known for having the crappiest of manuals. They are beyond bad. However, they are also known to be exceptional in customer support, taking into consideration what the end users are asking for when making software upgrades. I think they win that competion among all the manufacterers we've discussed.

Also, it's notable that they seem to be solving the manual dilemma where the 2480 is concerned. They hired someone very competant to rewrite the manuals for it. He's already posted a quick tip sheet that is very good, and the new manual will be released soon.

Taylor
 
Anyone care to comment on the converters in these machines, and how they compare to one another? Are there any reviews that do AB comparisons based on sound quality? I trialed the d1600, which sounded excellent to me, and the guy at B&H Photo Pro Audio, NYC said that he thought it sounded better than ANY of the other stand alone units! Thoughts?

PS I understand that you can insert Apogee cards into the AW4416 but they aren't that hot.
 
Another option

I agree with Zeke about the Roland units. They have also dropped their prices im the last few months. However, a lot of people who have moved up to the 2480 from the 1680 are selling them on eBay. You could get a fully loaded (2 FX cards) 1680 there for somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,200.00. That would be the route than I would go. I have heard a lot of stuff done on this machine, and if you know what you are doing (something that you need for any platform) engineering-wise, you will get amazing results. Other factors about the Roland platforms are that they are quite stable, have a proven track record, and there are net resources out there that mitigate the japlish manuals.
 
I got a 1880

HI There I own a roland 1880 and cant say much about the others( IF I cant say somthing nice) . I found it very easy to use even for me .I was a bit aprehensive at first but got the hang of it purty quick.I also have the matching monitors and the sound that i can get going is quite nice (if i do say so myself). I have been recorded for 20 years from my first punk rock bands to more sofisticated jazz fusion bands, in many studios in Brisbane and aust and having this kind of control is great. Any of the machines that offer the felexibility of the 1880 or simmiler would be fantastic ,Heck I can even get my head round the manual. guess I'm a bit off the point here but what the hay.Now I only do rock n roll
 
Huaxtec,
You might want to check the Tascam 788,8 tracks at 24/44 uncompressed
10 gig harddrive and you can work off an external hard drive or cdr.

The thing about Tascam is their support.
They came out with this thing about a year ago,and have updated it 3 times for free,and they run a good forum where you can get any questions you have answered.You can check it out here-

http://www.tascambbs.com/cgi-bin/ub...Portastudio&number=13&DaysPrune=10&LastLogin=


It's not as sophitocated as some of the other models,but it's only $899,and cdr is $300(I think).
Good luck,
Pete
 
Pete,

Thanks for the tip on the Tascam ... I will check it out!!
 
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