Help to find a good multitrack recorder!!

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duncansistinas

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Hi everyone.I´m new in home recording and i want to buy a multitrack recorder...or maybe not.I can waste 2000 $ and i only have bass guitar, an amp, a sintethyser and a band.
I want to record industrial rock music, and i will need mics, a recorder , and what else?
What kind of recorders do you think are best? Digital?
My first option is a digital multitrack workstation like roland vs-880 or something like that.Am i right? or is better another thing, maybe non digital?.
Please, i will trust in your infinite wisdom.
Thanks a lot.
 
Do you have live drums? if so how many mics do you use to mic it? how many tracks will you be needed? how many mics do you need (and what uses for them)?
 
Yo Duncanwhowrites SESTINAS:]

You have asked a very large question. Have you checked on any rig set ups? Maybe a friend has a studio?

I would get the Roland 890 box if you go that way; but, you would have to buy a Roland CD burner to burn CD's; they make their products that way.

Then, if you want to spend more, the Yamaha digital recorder that everyone raves about comes with a CD burner. But, I don't know what the learning curve is.

To get started, you might consider the Yamaha 8 track Minidisc box; I have one and you will be recording stuff right out of the box. Oh, yeah, man, it has some weird writing in the manual but so do all the other boxes. But, the basic beginning steps in the MD8 manual are fairly clear.

As for mics, well, you might read up in the mic forum.

Big choices; big prices. Monitors: you will need them. I won't tell you how good the Yorkville YSM-1 monitors are and how little they cost. [the crew here thinks I'm a salesperson for them]

Need to jump in and start swimming in the pool of recorded sounds.


Green Hornet
 
digital!

i'm really into programs. GET PROTOOLS MAN! or n-track, cubase5. ANY OF EM> do NOT get project pack for cubasisVST, its stupid.
 
hmm

$2000... heres what I would do with it, initially.
Build a decent DAW, pricewatch.com, about 850mhz Pentium or T-bird and 512 ram... $800.00
ProTools free......... $000.00
Yorkville or Tannoy Proto-J monitors $230.00
Aardvark LX or 24/96 $500.00
2 Shure Beta 57 $300.00 OR
2 Shure SM57 and Marshall small condensor $300
And going slightly over budget,
a Marshall umm, the gold one, the 67 I think, for vox $229.00
Total: Apprx $2000, give or take.

You might need a few more mics for drums if you need them. This would be a bomb starter setup, with room to grow.
 
There is a multitude of information on this site.

If you get the time, try to do a search on this BBS.

tubedude has given you some excellent information.

I would also suggest to go the route of a PC.

Do some price checks on some of these items...

PC's
Reference Monitors
Amp's
Sound Cards
Mic's
Software

peace...

spin
 
Ditto here...You've got a lot more options and expandability with pc. Plus if you get one with a burner, You've got your mixdown solution taken care of. Virtually unlimited tracks, full editing, built in processing, etc., etc. You'll save even more in the future when you realize that you want 24 compressor/gate/limiters, 24 EQ's, a couple of reverbs, and the list goes on. It'll all be in that one box with the noisy fan!
 
Thanks for your answers...but i´m still having doubts.
I´ve read that digital recording isn´t good for drums, that the only way to record well-sounding drums is to record first on analong and then on digital ( if you want to record digitally )so...i´m going to give you a few clues more:
In my group we are: three guitars, one bass guitar, two vocals, one drummer, one percussionist with toms and a Alesis DM5, a Yamaha RM1x (sequence remixer ), a trombone, a tube and...that´s all.
I know that the PC solution is more reliable than the hardware solution but i have heard so many things about that the PC doesn´t take the analong sound as well as other platforms....i don´t know....do you think that to record this instruments , the PC is good?
 

I know that the PC solution is more reliable than the hardware solution but i have heard so many things about that the PC doesn´t take the analong sound as well as other platforms....[/B]
Click to expand...


I don't agree with that statement... I find PC less reliable than hardware..... everyone I know with PC has had a few crashes here or there, Yet my 3 Adats, always power up and record flawlessly, and they are even the old blackface ones.. (2 of them)..... Some of the most popular recordings with drums are done digitally, including mine, so I don't think Drums on digital willl be an issue for you... Dire Straits "Brothers in arms" was totally recorded digitally, and way back when the gear was still in it's younger age... Those drums are amazing, and that whole album has been voted best rock album recording of all time by a few audiophile magazines.. (sound-quality-wise).......

My recomendation
Get 2 used adats.. $700 ea US
16 input used mackie board....$600
 
oh geeze,

you can DEFINITELY record good drums digitally. I've only been doin it for a year, but i get descent ones with one Dynamic mic. Thats all. You can do it, you just gotta practice. Are you going for professional or just a really nice sounding mix?? If professionally and you have a lot of money heck go analog but digital surves all my needs and you can definitely make good drums digitally. No problem, plus there are great drum machines on software and crud for all your needs.
 
I'm going to break from the pack here with another suggestion.

How about spending that $2,000 at a professional studio where trained ears and experienced help is at your immediate disposal?
If you guys are "ready to be heard" it's going to take more than $2,000 and a long period of time before you know enough to make a decent recording.
I'm not trying to discourage you or anything, but don't think that this recording stuff is easily learned and applied.... it's not.
It takes time (lots of it), patience, and most of all... MONEY!!!
It all depends on your intentions.
What are you attempting to accomplish?
Is this "all in fun" or are you making a serious effort to "get discovered?"
Do you want to do a demo of cover songs or do you want to go "on tour" with an arsenal of kick-ass originals?
You need to state your intentions a bit more clearly so we know where you are coming from. Then we can give you some reasonable and educated opinions.
 
Sorry Buck, Ill have to disagree...If they blow their wad (scuse the expression) on this demo and, while it will be pro quality, just doesnt have the chops, they are back to square on....I think they'd be better off getting some half decent gear and learning how to use it because to make it in the music business, odds are you wont hit it on the first demo..or the seond..or the third...or, u get my drift.....
 
In that case, if you think you are ready, but need the homerecording stuff to write new stuff and get things together, then spend a grand on a studio to get a decent demo out, and buy yourself an 8 track tascam cassette recorder (used) and a few mics. This'll get cha going.
The options are limitless, just decide your true intentions, and then jump before you buy a hooker instead.
Paul
 
Thats' true, Gidge.... but that's why I asked what their intentions were in the last 2 lines of my post.
Some people can't make a good recording even after several months or even years of trying, though.
Not all musicians are good engineers.
If that were the case then EVERY big name act or artist would record their own albums at their own personal studios.
Granted, many artists DO have their own studios to work on new tunes and have fun. But, when it comes to making the final product, they go to the pro's.
Two grand ain't gonna buy you much when you consider the basic "needs" of a good recording....... the recording unit itself, quality mics (and the proper ones for each seperate application), quality cables, mic stands, a vocal booth, CD burner, a quality preamp, multiple sets of headphones, a headphone amp, etc. etc. etc.
I've been recording on analog multi-track recorders for almost 10 years. I've been recording digital for about two and a half years.
I probably know about 25 percent of everything that seasoned sound engineers like Ed Rei, John Sayers, or Harvey Gerst knows.... probably less. It's not from a lack of trying, though. ;)
Some people have the talent to make a recording from a Tascam 424 sound like a major studio production.
Guys like that are one in a million.
The rest of us have to rely on technology and trial & error.
Sometimes it's more practical to let someone else push the buttons and work the faders and dials.
Key-word here is "sometimes".
 
I would prefer a couple of linked ADAT blackface models, or XT's and a good mixer than some PC-controlled system any day...blecchh.

Isaiah
 
Thanks all for your help.
Buck...relax man.The only thing i want is to buy the right stuff.I´m 21 years old and i´m a student so 2000 $ is a lot of money for me...that´s all.Maybe my english is bad ( i´m from Spain ) but i understood that the only way to get a suggestion from you is if i´ll take seriously and work hard with my group?.
Buck, the first thing i want to do ( and i´m impatient ) is to start recording SOMETHING.I like so much all concerning sound.
After this...would you suggest me what to do with the 2000 bucks?
Thanks.

And here come another question for tubedude:
What is a DAW? I don´t know the translation in spanish.
Thank you.

A guy from Canada suggested me an Akai MG1214 but i can´t find any information about it.I think is a TAPE recorder but i don´t know the gauge.Am i right?
What do you think about this machine?

This question goes to Green Hornet ( or whoever ):
You suggested me the Roland VS 890,but i´ve read in this forum that isn´t good on ( real ) drums.
And do you think i´ll have enough tracks or i´ll buy an extra console mix?
Thank you too.
 
Buck, I agree with what you are saying...Im just interpreting their intentions differently I think...the purpose of this demo is to get heard and maybe signed to get into a pro studio...while this demo has to sound decent, it will be the songs and playing that count the most.....
 
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