Dat Recorder, What Else Do I Need?

[Ricoinats]

I've been asking about using the Fostex MR8 to record myself and two people in a sit down 30 min interview. The whole mixing down to one or two tracks, as easy as it probably is, confuses me so much that I want to ask the same type of questions but instead of a multi track recorder, a DAT machine will be used. I purchased a Sony PCMR300 DAT machine without knowing anything about it. I only know that I would get closer to CD quality than digitial hand held recorders. I will ulitimately be downloading this to my computer via an audio interface such as Extigy. If I were using three seperate lapel mics to a mixer to the DAT machine would I end up with three seperate tracks to my computer? I will be using the optical output to the audio interface (Extigy) but that's only one output as opposed to three outputs to an internal sound card (which I don't have). Does is still go in as three seperate tracks? I guess I'm looking for a miracle response to how I go about setting up the DAT recorder to record myself and two other people in a 30 min sit down interview to ultimately down load to computer and achieve CD quality burn to CD. Obviously I know nothing and wouldn't know if having three tracks as opposed to just one even matters. I would only be doing simple editing. I would welcome suggestions to what equipment I should purchase. I only own the PCMR300 DAT recorder at this point. Thanks for your help!

 

[AlChuck]

If I were using three seperate lapel mics to a mixer to the DAT machine would I end up with three seperate tracks to my computer?

No. DAT recorders are stereo recorders -- two channels. So the most you could get from it would be two tracks to the computer.

Obviously I know nothing and wouldn't know if having three tracks as opposed to just one even matters. I would only be doing simple editing.

It matters if you want to be able to control each of the three sources (levels, EQ, etc.) independently. If they are mixed together to a single track, anything you do applies to all three sources.

 

[Ricoinats]

Thanks. So if I use the DAT machine with a mixer with three mics I can only get two tracks into the computer. Does this mean I don't have any options to get three tracks to the comuter using a DAT machine? The two tracks that I do have, would one have one person and the other track have two people's voices? Or, because you say it's in stereo is the "channels" you mentioned really the left and right sides that make it stereo and I only really have one editable track? I know I'm missing something here, sorry.

 

[Cyrokk]

Or, because you say it's in stereo is the "channels" you mentioned really the left and right sides that make it stereo and I only really have one editable track? I know I'm missing something here, sorry.

That's exactly what he is saying.


DAT stands for digital audio tape. It works the exact same way as a regular tape deck, with the only difference being that you use digital tape, and have the option of sending the recording straight to the pc without loss of data. Even if you used three mics into your mixer, you would still have to mix down to two tracks, left and right, for the DAT machine. No matter what configuration you use, you will only have two outputs, left and right. There will be no third track and there is no way to split the output so there would be a third track.

An alternative would be to have one mic going to the mixer and the channel's direct out going into the line in on your Extigy (with the preamps on). The other two mics could go into the mixer and be mixed into the DAT machine. You could use the headphone, tape out, or the send output of your mixer to connect a cheap tape deck to the mixer that will record the entire interview.
You would be recording three voices to three tracks this way: one going directly to the pc and two going to dat as a stereo track. Plus, you would have the entire interview recorded on the cheap tape recorder. On your pc, insert a blank stereo track and insert the tracks recorded on DAT to your pc via the digital out. Use the cheap tape recording as a guide to line up the first track recorded on your pc with the two imported from the DAT machine.