help me please

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generalsmut

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Hi,

I need some advice, i'm basically wanting to buya multi track recorder for our band to try and make some demos. We are a 4 piece and just have guitar, bass, drums, and vocals, as well as things like tambourine and occasionally piano etc. I am torn between the yamaha aw1600 and the tascam2488 and my proce limit is around about £700. any advice would be great thanks :)
 
Hi General,

Well, I can throw my vote for the 2488. I have used it for quite a while now, and I find it not only to have good features and halfway decent effects at that price point, but, more importantly, to be very intuitive in its basic operation for recording and mixing.

For your needs, being 4-piece, you'll have plenty of 'playgound' with the 24 tracks for addtional effects or percussion, and the final sound of the CD really is very good if you follow good basic procedures while recording. A good external preamp is always recommended, but, if for now, the money ain't there, the 2488 is ok in that regard.

Let me know if you have questions.

Best,

C.
 
generalsmut said:
Hi,

I need some advice, i'm basically wanting to buya multi track recorder for our band to try and make some demos. We are a 4 piece and just have guitar, bass, drums, and vocals, as well as things like tambourine and occasionally piano etc. I am torn between the yamaha aw1600 and the tascam2488 and my proce limit is around about £700. any advice would be great thanks :)
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Just for the unit, or does that $1400 include mics and cables? All the little stuff adds up really quick. example:
I've got $200 to spend on a microphone.
Ooh what a nice Studio Projects C1, and only $170 shipped. Woo!
Oh, it takes phantom power...
and I need a stand for it....
and nice cables....
and a pop filter for vocals...
Sorry for the rant, just something that happens to me all of the time.

cheers,
scott
 
That amount is just for the unit. We have about the same again to spend on mics, cables etc., although we do have some of that stuff already.

I've heard that the 2488 has problems when burning finished songs down to cd, does anyone know if this is true?

But yeah thanks for your help cosmic, useability is really important to us, it took us about half an hour to work out how to post on this forum, so you can probably guess that we are not the most technically minded of bands :confused:
 
This is just for you guys to make an informal demo with? A 4-track cassette machine is much easier to use, and althought it's not going to transfer easily to a PC (except by playing back, with direct outs from the machine into a soundcard), it's the quickie solution. And I've actually had good success tranferring to a PC into Cool Edit, and coming up with a listenable mix.

Not a popular response, probably, but this is enough to get you heard.

We used an old rack-mount machine, but a Tascam 414 or 424 MK III would totally do the job. And tape sounds very good- even cassette.

Meanwhile save up for a DAW, and while you're saving up, learn about it.
 
sloom said:
Meanwhile save up for a DAW, and while you're saving up, learn about it.
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How come nobody else has given this advice before? I think its great. Just my opinion
 
This is how most of us learned about this stuff! Roots, Natty, Roots... ;)
 
I mean, you see all these posts saying 'my blah blah mixer and blah blah audio interface just got delivered. How do i connect them up to my PC to record tracks in Cubase?' Or 'i just set up my blah blah blah and it doesnt do what i wanted it to do'. But if they'd spent the time learning all they can about it while they're saving up they can just go bam bam set it up and its done. What a way to save time. Not just their own but other people's too. I know you dont get the manuals until you get the equipment, but you can learn quite a bit without em.
 
Well a good way to learn about it is to hang around the forums (like you are), maybe introduce yourself, ask after what you're curious about... and you end up getting steered in the right direction (like you just maybe did)!

If you go the PC route, for instance: Even after you learn a few things, basics like signal flow in the PC set-up, sample rate/bit rate, blah blah blah, you're probably going to have a few questions when your stuff lands. There are issues that will be specific to your particular system- your PC, software, soundcard... there are a lot of choices for each component of your system. The PC is very broad in it's range of uses, depending on how you set it up- but for all the possibilities, there are as many problems!

If you go the All-in-One route (AW1600, etc, which is evidently a great gadget), then you have to find the signal flow of a small recording/production studio inside the menu of this small, mixer-like object. Once you know it, you're fine- when the mystery is gone then you're having fun with it. But even the manual may be of pretty limited help. You'll be back!

But you're right, if you have an idea of what you want, start now! Then you get it, and it feels more comfortable under your arm as you leave the store.
 
Just my 2 cents worth: I think a standalone unit like the Yammy/Tascam/Fostex VF would a good away to go for you, coz
1 Messing about with a computer in a live band situation ain't fun.
2 There are tech issues with computers, chiefly latency which can cause difficulties.
3 Like somebody said: learning signal routing takes some time, but is, in my experience, easier to see on a stand-alone machine.

I use both Pro Tools (on PC) and an AW1600 (and until recently a Fostex VF160) and I find that for a 'just get it recorded' session the AW is much quicker and easier.
In fact since I got the AW I haven't touched PT. The AW has really good EQ and dynamics (compression) on every channel, better IMHO, than on other machines.

Beware. You are being drawn into another universe. Your life will never be the same again (or your bank account!).

Good Luck

Orc
 
carelessorc said:
...Beware. You are being drawn into another universe. Your life will never be the same again (or your bank account!).

Good Luck

Orc
Click to expand...

Yep.......
 
mx_mx said:
I know you dont get the manuals until you get the equipment, but you can learn quite a bit without em.
Click to expand...

Generally if you check the manufacturer's Web Page, you can download a PDF copy of most manuals, and read before you buy. I do this a lot when I'm researching a new piece of equipment before spending my money. Plus, it's always good to check their user FAQ page if they have one. If you've got the time, you can even give their tech support a call and ask questions. That way you'll know how quick and good they are before you buy and need them later :rolleyes:

The Forum pages are still the best at getting hands on information from people who own the equipment. Just keep in mind that no two people's computers well act the same unless they are identicle (software and specs). And opinions are like elbows. We've all got 'em.

I love using the computer and software, but when I really want to record in a hurry I still use my old Fostex D160 and then ADAT lightpipe it over to the computer if I need too get it mixed down for CD's.
 
...Generally if you check the manufacturer's Web Page, you can download a PDF copy of most manuals, and read before you buy. I do this a lot when I'm researching a new piece of equipment before spending my money....

Exactly what I did. I downloaded the manuals of the units I was interested in, and that's how I decided to go with the Tascam DP01. For it's price and the ease of use.
I've had my Tascam 414 for 8 years now, and I've done great things with it. If you want to go the easy way, go with a cassette portastudio; and when you feel that you need to upgrade, do so; but as stated before, by then you'll have your recording experience in your pocket. Now that I'm using the DP01, it's been easier than I thought, but that was because I've been cassette multitracking for quite some time.
Just my 2 cents.
Great advice given already.
Cheers!
 
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