first post, MTR question

[particleman]

i've spent all morning reading this forum and have narrowed my search for a basic recording system. at first it was between a PC-based system and a digital MTR, and now i'm set on a digital MTR if only to avoid the pitfalls of computer crashes and whatnot.

now that i'm set on a digital MTR, the issue is which one. all i really need to do is input a bass (direct) and condensor mic for some acoustic guitar. then, it needs to export the data to my laptop via USB or Firewire so i can burn to cd. those are the only requirements. i will record each instrument separately, so i don't need a bunch of inputs. i've looked at some Tacam, Fostex, and Boss units and each seems to have its plusses and minuses. Can anyone reccommend a solid, decent-sounding system that will run at about $200 on ebay?

for mics, i've been looking at the Audio Technica AT 2020 and the Studio Projects B1. any comments on those?

thanks,
pm

 

[LfO]

I hope "pitfalls" implies a lot more than just crashes - if that's your only reason for avoiding a software setup, I'd think a bit more about it. Since you already have a computer, you can get up and running for about the same price (via something like Cakewalk Home Studio and a decent firewire audio interface), and have access to a whole world of plugin effects (including many free ones). That is assuming, of course, that your computer doesn't suck; if its rather old and slow, I can't argue with your decision.

Oh, and welcome aboard!

 

[particleman]

thanks for the reply. my computer is ok - XP home, 512 ram, 1.6GHz processor, 40GB drive. hard drive space is a non-issue because i have an extra 80GB external drive.

part of what draws me to the MTR is the ability to physically turn knobs and take the recorder with me without having to lug my laptop and power supply and external interface. it seems the MTR is a mini-computer in itself. the only thing it lacks is the cd burner (at least on the lower-end models), but when it's time to burn to cd, i'll just dump everything to the laptop anyway.

the Fostex MR-8 looked nice but it lacks phantom power. the Tascam DP-01FX fixes that, but also costs a lot more, and has more tracks than i'll ever need. the Zoom models all seem to be about including built-in drum machines, which i don't need, and don't want to pay for when i could be getting other features. The Boss BR-864 looks ok. So i guess it's between the Tascam and the Boss. if it were between those two, which would you reccommend for my limited goals?