Getting Started

[kagemusha]

I'm an experienced guitarist who is tired of 'live' gigs and wants to record my own stuff. I can do the hard stuff - ie play all the instruments but I'm worried about getting a reasonable sound without breaking the bank.

I've got an used analogue 4 track portable - foolishly thinking things hadn't yet moved on to digital.

Can I ask for basic advice please?

Is digital the way to go? Can anyone recommend a simple but effective set-up to record guitar-based work. Do I need a CD burner? If so what would you recommend.

I know you can get bogged down in buying over-sophisticated extras etc. All I need is something that can record a decent cassette or CD for my own pleasure at home. I'm not thinking of sending stuff to Sony or EMI!!!!!!!

Any help MUCH appreciated to get me started on the right road.

 

[Fusion2]

I'm an experienced guitarist who is tired of 'live' gigs and wants to record my own stuff. I can do the hard stuff - ie play all the instruments but I'm worried about getting a reasonable sound without breaking the bank.

I've got an used analogue 4 track portable - foolishly thinking things hadn't yet moved on to digital.

Can I ask for basic advice please?

Is digital the way to go? Can anyone recommend a simple but effective set-up to record guitar-based work. Do I need a CD burner? If so what would you recommend.

I know you can get bogged down in buying over-sophisticated extras etc. All I need is something that can record a decent cassette or CD for my own pleasure at home. I'm not thinking of sending stuff to Sony or EMI!!!!!!!

Any help MUCH appreciated to get me started on the right road.

digital, we don't need no stink'n digital.... not for guitar anyway...

Eddie VH records on tape for the warmth and anolog distortion...

i'm sure a few here will beg to differ though...

 

[adent]

going digital on the cheap

its true, nothing wrong with analogue...

but digital does offer you a heap more options for post production...

have a look at my posting in the newbies section at the end of the "not another how can i record on my computer thread":

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?threadid=102481

if you have any queries, email me


cheers

g

 

[kagemusha]

Ah so analogue is still ok then? I've never used digital so I just don't know but I see there are some portable digital Sony, Yamaha and Fostex units about.

If I used analogue how could I get it on to CD?

I kinda know what to do but want to be sure I'm not starting off on the wrong foot.

With analogue do I need other stuff - noise gates etc to keep the hiss under control? I used analogue a lotta years ago and it was a problem. Does digital get rid of that problem same as it does in hi-fi?

I figure if I can get the right gear I can concentrate on the creative 'bit' rather than get all involved in the techno-hobby side of it.

 

[Fusion2]

Re: going digital on the cheap

its true, nothing wrong with analogue...

but digital does offer you a heap more options for post production...

there goes the budget naw, a good sound card and software should do fine to start...

a little mixer maybe , eh, that's debatable...

 

[Fusion2]

Ah so analogue is still ok then? I've never used digital so I just don't know but I see there are some portable digital Sony, Yamaha and Fostex units about.

If I used analogue how could I get it on to CD?

I kinda know what to do but want to be sure I'm not starting off on the wrong foot.

With analogue do I need other stuff - noise gates etc to keep the hiss under control? I used analogue a lotta years ago and it was a problem. Does digital get rid of that problem same as it does in hi-fi?

I figure if I can get the right gear I can concentrate on the creative 'bit' rather than get all involved in the techno-hobby side of it.

do it on your comp (DAW) save bucks...

 

[kagemusha]

do it on your comp (DAW) save bucks...

Yep I can see the wisdom of that. BUT I worry that my PC is NOT state of the art - I still run Win 98 and iIt failed to run Tomb Raider Angel of Darkness.

I need something that can do not only DI'd electrics - Strat, Tele, keys etc but also acoustic instruments - mandoline, guitar, banjo etc as well as vocs. Any ideas - still trawling the boards here for info so apologies if info is sitting somewhere I haven't found yet

 

[Mark7]

I'm an experienced guitarist who is tired of 'live' gigs and wants to record my own stuff. I can do the hard stuff - ie play all the instruments but I'm worried about getting a reasonable sound without breaking the bank.

I've got an used analogue 4 track portable - foolishly thinking things hadn't yet moved on to digital.

Can I ask for basic advice please?

Is digital the way to go? Can anyone recommend a simple but effective set-up to record guitar-based work. Do I need a CD burner? If so what would you recommend.

I know you can get bogged down in buying over-sophisticated extras etc. All I need is something that can record a decent cassette or CD for my own pleasure at home. I'm not thinking of sending stuff to Sony or EMI!!!!!!!

Any help MUCH appreciated to get me started on the right road.

If you've got a used (note: when the U at the beginning of a word is pronounced like a consonant treat it as a consonant) four track then why not spend some time learning on that before you think of moving onto bigger/better/faster/stronger machines? You can get pretty good results on some of the better models (what's yours?).

And, is Digital the way to go? Well, that's a very subjective matter. And, speaking subjectively I'd say: HELL NO!

 

[Mark7]

BTW: concerning the hiss. There are two ways to deal with it (three if you count learning to love it )

1: Record everything as hot (read: loud) as possible*

or

2: Use the on-board Noise Reduction (if you have it).

Also if you're recording acoustic instruments (especially quiet ones) you might want to look into getting a Condenser mic. If you haven't already got one.


* Without it distorting; obviously.

 

[kagemusha]

Re: Re: Getting Started

You can get pretty good results on some of the better models (what's yours?).

And, is Digital the way to go? Well, that's a very subjective matter. And, speaking subjectively I'd say: HELL NO!

Hi

ahem well I've got a Yamaha MT50 portastudio - which seems to work ok. I can play into it and multitrack but I ain't got no drums (ideas) or burner to produce CDs. Got a Sony double cassette unit to record onto and a loft full of instruments. I wanna do some loud stuff but also some light folky acoustic stuff too - hence the hiss worry

 

[Mark7]

It has dbx. You should use it. But if you do I believe you should keep the levels down below zero to avoid tracking errors (dbx works by applying 2:1 compression to a signal going in and then 1:2 expansion to a signal going out). Mind you, all my multi-tracks had dbx and I've ignored that rule constantly whilst using it. So don't listen to me.

 

[Fusion2]

kill 2 birds with one shot, upgrade to a nice system...

just a thought...

 

[Mark7]

Yep. Get a nice Tascam 34B 4 Track Reel to Reel, or a 38 or TRS8 8 Track Reel to Reel and a nice desk.

Much more satisfying artistically than any of that nasty computer nonsense

 

[Fusion2]

2: Use the on-board Noise Reduction (if you have it).

yeeow, using such terms as (Noise Reduction) here could cost you a wet noodle lashing from the teach Mark 7

 

[Fusion2]

Yep. Get a nice Tascam 34B 4 Track Reel to Reel, or a 38 or TRS8 8 Track Reel to Reel and a nice desk.

Much more satisfying artistically than any of that nasty computer nonsense

yup, those with deep pockets and lots of time on there hands surely should go this route

 

[Mark7]

I'm sure ARP'll be along soon enough to tell you otherwise.

I, unfortunately, don't know enough about pricing trends for used Tascam analogue gear to do so. Especially as the only source I know of (Prepal) seems to deal solely with the trends on your side of the Atlantic. You ARE American, right?

 

[Fusion2]

I'm sure ARP'll be along soon enough to tell you otherwise.

I, unfortunately, don't know enough about pricing trends for used Tascam analogue gear to do so. Especially as the only source I know of (Prepal) seems to deal solely with the trends on your side of the Atlantic. You ARE American, right?

humm, yeah, i'm American, it's still a better value to upgrade imho, be he English or not...

i'm sure i could find someone to tell you otherwise also

 

[kagemusha]

Oh look - the mists are starting to clear - I can just about see...................

Hey thanx guys , esp Mark7 and Fusion2, the mists are slowly clearing for me on this great BB.

I'm in the UK BTW.

Seems 2 real strands emerging - analogue is ok (if that's what you've got already) but R2R probably better than cassette with a mixer I assume.

The digital question evokes some strong anti responses. Actually as a musician I agree about the sound quality - the warmth that you just don't get with CD but I wanna make sure I'm not constantly being diverted from the music by the pursuit of relatively hiss-free recordings. I don't mind a bit of low hiss but remembering how it was 4 me B4 it was a problem when doing solo multi-tracking and bouncing tracks.

Go on stick your necks out... Everybody join in too if you like.

Lets say I've got $500 (£300) to spend ( eBay prices) on a small but decently usable recording system - more if I capitalize on my MT50 and my Fender DeVille amp.

What would YOU buy for solo work that's usable, pulls out the creativity from these gigged out fingers, has a good enough sound and gives me CD's that I can give to friends etc. (My PC does not have a burner)


Most of all THANX

 

[Mark7]

For £300 you should be able to get a brand new Tascam Portastudio 414MKII or 424MKIII: both of which should give you decent quality recordings. You could also get a Tascam 246 or 234/238 (the 234 is a four track cassette, the 238 an eight track. Both are rackmount units. The eight track is capable of surprisingly good recordings) plus a small desk (Reel can advise you better on this) or the fabulous all-in-one Tascam 388.

Here's a picture of it

 

[Mark7]

There is a Tascam 34B Reel to Reel 4 Track on ebay.co.uk right now currently standing at £107 with 6 days to go. I don't know what price it'll reach, but hopefully the vendor's reserve price isn't too unrealistic.

Here it is, anyway, should you want to take a look.

If you're willing to pay the shipping costs (which'd be pretty hefty) there's always a better selection on the other side of the pond (surprise surprise ). But check with the vendor that whatever they're selling can be adjusted for our electricity supply first. Do an "items Worldwide" search at ebay UK using Tascam as the keyword.

Anyway. If Reel ever turns up in this thread I'm sure he'll be able to steer you in the right direction