DAW's.... Which one to get

[Guernica]

Greetings,
Well, Im in the market for a digital recorder, and absolutely dumbfounded as to which one to get. Ive read all of the reviews offered by online services, and in a nutshell, here's what ive come up with:
(by the way, my budget is around a grand)

Roland VS890- has everything that i want except a huge learning curve.

Tascam 788- has everything except SCSI jack (which I could use in the future)

Fostex D16- no virtual tracks, but 16 channels?!?

Korg 8 track (not sure of model #)- Easy to use machine, but considered by some to be unreliable.

Yamaha MD 8- no digital outs.

Well, that covers the jist of it. Now the confusion sets it. I would really appreciate any input from anyone with regards to any of these machines, or any others that I may have missed. Basically, It's for home studio use, not live... A good tool to put down songs with, with flexibility for the future.
A big big thanks in advance for any responese.

 

[Gidge]

look into the Akai DPS12i 12 track....American Musical Supply has them for $899...may be cheaper elsewhere....smokes those you listed.....

 

[burgundyband]

I like the Korg D12. Extremely easy to use and flexible with effects. Nice size display for editing wave data.
If you can find a Korg d16 around for about a grand, that may be worth it. The small hard drive (2.1g) is the only negative on that.

fostex vf16 looks nice but does not do 24 bit. (I don't know if you need this). Has built in adat lightpipe which is unheard of for a unit below a grand. only 8 virtual tracks per song total as opposed to the others with 8 virtuals per track. Small display originally turned me off but 16 tracks sure is nice.

Haven't checked out the akai dps12 althougt their 16 tracks unit is nice. Separate faders for each channel, like the fostex unit has are a real plus.

I was in the same boat as you in looking for a good daw for under $1000. I bought the Korg d12 and felt is was very good. I was able to get around the unit just by watching the supplied 30 minute video.

(see next post as I am out of space)

 

[burgundyband]

I changed my mind and decided on 16 tracks. I was going to pick up the korg d1600 until i saw the yamaha aw2816. More difficult to use than the korg, but not much. I know I spent $1000 more than I originally wanted to but I feel it is worth it. Automated mixdowns plus snapshots are great.

PS back to the korg D12, I liked the internal cd drive idea but hate the $400 price.

It all depends on how far you want to get with the recording. Every unit has it's pros and cons. If you're going to record live drums, go with the 16 track korg d16 or fostex vf16. Even though you can bounce down tracks with any of these machines, it's better to keep them on their separate tracks to mixdown.

hope this helps.