Equipment Suggestions

[kyonic]

Hello and I am glad to be a member! I am a numbie and I am in need of some help with what to get started with. Well first off I write stories and short stories about the comedy in my life. I want to record the stories so I can make cd's and mp3's to sell. Here is the equipment that I am interested in.

-TASCAM DR07 Handheld Digital Recorder, Well this is a simple cheap solution I guess but I am not sure of the quality of the mic and options of mixes of music or sounds.
http://tascam.com/products/dr-07.html

-TASCAM DP-004 Portable Multitrack Recorder, this one would open my options alot being able to add in music and sounds in the background. Not sure about an external mic since there is no XLR input.
http://tascam.com/products/dp-004.html

-TASCAM DP-008 PORTABLE 8TR DIGITAL POCKETSTUDIO, I really like this one because it has the XLR's with phantom power.
http://tascam.com/products/dp-008.html

Well let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions for me as well as a good mic for desktop productions.

 

[Dr. Varney]

I make radio play style talking books so perhaps I might be able to throw in an idea or two?

I think all of what you're perusing is more or less contained within a personal computer. I started with a laptop PC running Windows & the free program Audacity.

Later on I realised I needed incidental music and sound effects to compliment the spoken word. I already had a proper music package which I wasn't using, so I decided to use that and quickly found that it could record audio.

What I ended up with, was a small, second hand mixing desk like this:
Behringer Eurorack 1204FX-PRO Which cost me £40...

I moved from the laptop onto my main desktop system and a friend was selling this used soundcard:
E=MU 0404 24-bit/192kHz Pro Sound Card

Then I needed a reasonable mic. I won't say 'decent' it was just reasonable and it works. For £15 quid in unused condition, I'm not complaining though:
KAM KDM 400 Dynamic vocal mic

You see where this is going, don't you? I have myself a flexible recording and editing facility, which I can burn to disc with and every part of the chain is upgradable. I have that little bit more flexibility than I would have were I to have bought the hardware you are suggesting but it's not portable as with the Tascam recorder you're looking at. If you need to record at odd moments, when an idea pops into your head and you don't want to lose the moment, I can well understand how the DR-07 model would be a godsend for you. All depends what you want.

Now, I'm not suggesting what I have is what you should get - but just throwing it in, as another option you may not have considered.

Each of those Tascam units you've linked to should give you trouble free set up and service but with the computer system I do like it's flexibility (though I do not require portability - yet).

I'm just saying that in time, if you do decide to progress your work with embellishment or presentation effects and ultimately you might find yourself wanting more flexible mastering tools, the computer does offer this, even without having to purchase top of the line editing software. I use Fruity Loops, a popular beat/slice/looping package, actually designed for hip-hop music production, which runs VST effects, mastering tools, a recorder and pretty much everything I need in one. There are also cheaper solutions available, such as Reaper, which doesn't sacrifice quality and flexibility for it's price, plus there is a ton of freeware to be found at places like dontcrack.com.

Regards

Dr. V