Help w/gift for husband...

  • Thread starter Thread starter kayc
  • Start date Start date
K

kayc

New member
I would like to get my husband a cd recorder so he can record his own
music and voice. He plays guitar. I don't want to spend a lot of
money, maybe $100 - $200 (or do I even need to spend that much??).
Unfortunately, I have no clue as to what I should be buying...cd
recorder? Karaoke? If I get a cd recorder, I'm assuming that I also
need to get a microphone of some sort. I would prefer not to use our
computer as it's in the back room and he does most of his playing in
the family room. Portable?? Wow - I really feel clueless here - I hope
someone can provide me with some advice. Thanks all!!

PS - sometimes he gets a group of guys together to play - I would love
to be able to get some of that recorded as well. They typically do
folk and bluegrass, but also CSNY, Eagles, Cat Stevens, etc. Thanks
again!!!
 
If you want him to record separate from a PC based system, you will most likely want to get a multi-track portable recorder of some sort. You will also need one or more mics as well for vocals and guitar.

A basic two track digital record starts at about $300 new. 4 track units are more $.

You can also get somewhat older 4-track recorders on EBay for much less. TasCam made a number of these, and many are quite good and now low in price on the EBay/used market.

Burning a CD of the result will likely involve other gear and probably the PC. Getting the recorded material from a digital recorder is usually easy. It is much harder for the older analog units like the Tascam.

Does he play an electric or an accoustic guitar?

Ed
 
Thanks for the quick reply!!

He plays both, but has a 12 string acoustic that he plays more. Sounds like I should check out ebay. When you mentioned 4-track TasCam recorders on ebay were you talking about digital ones? I don't think I should bother getting an analog recorder... Oh yeah - still need to get a writable cd drive...I really need to get with the times! Hmmm...sounds like I may be spending more than $200. What would you suggest for a mic?
 
CD Writers cost only about 20$ or less depending where you go. A mic made by the brand Shure, will probably suffice. They cost around 30$.
 
Shure SM58 or SM57, perhaps?

They can do a pretty good job recording both vocals and guitars. They're very good for their price, they're rather polyvalent, and they seem like an obvious choice to me if you don't want to start spending thousands to get a specific mic for every different instrument your husband (or his band) plays. You should be able to find one easily for about 100$, and probably less if you buy online.

As for the recorders, I have used a BOSS digital 8-track recorder which had a cd burner included but it still costs around 1100$. I don't think it really gets much lower than that in order to decently record a whole band on cd without using a computer at any point.

I have never worked on a 2-track, and the last 4-track I have owned recorded directly on tape, and this was a long time ago. I don't think it'd be worth much today, so that's always an option, but it all depends of the quality of the recording you're looking for. And I don't know if they include all the technology (like a CD burner) I had on the BOSS digital 8-track recorder on 2-tracks...
 
Wow - Thanks sooo much! I at least know where to start now. As I'm thinking more about this, I should change one of our spare bedrooms into a music room. Could just as well have the computer in there too!

Thanks again and I'm sure I'll be back to ask more questions! Hope you all had a great thanksgiving!
 
If you track down a particular product that meets your need and budget try Froogle.com to check best prices.

Sweetwater.com usually has excellent customer service you might look there phone number online and talk to a sales person about what you want and your price range.

Then come back here and do a search as well as ask before you buy about any particular products.

Then double check Froogle.com and have whomever you buy from pricematch your lowest find.

Good luck and you are an excellent wife to go to the trouble of researching and wnating to do this for your husband;).
 
kayc said:
I don't think I should bother getting an analog recorder... Oh yeah - still need to get a writable cd drive...I really need to get with the times! Hmmm...sounds like I may be spending more than $200. What would you suggest for a mic?
Click to expand...

I mentioned analog Tascam units, as they are available for less $. Digital is clearly the best way to go, but cost more.

The FosTex MR-8 is a good starting unit. I can record up to 8 tracks and can handle direct guitar inputs and mics as well.

A good Shure mic, like an SM-58, will run about $60 on Ebay and about $90 new.

The recorder, cables, and mic would run around $400. You would still need a CD burner for the PC. The resulting combo is what I use, and it works very well.

Ed
 
Back again - Thanks to everyone for helping...I really feel a bit uneducated here. Now, another question...What's this? "TASCAM CDRW-788 788 Portastudio CD burner" Why would I use this instead of a regular cd burner? I found this on ebay.

I'm sure I'll be back with more dumb questions...Thanks again for all your help!!
 
Thanks! Maybe I should get a unit that includes a CD Burner. Back to researching! Again - I really appreciate all the advice! Looks like I picked the right forum here!!!
 
I kind of boils down to how one wants to mix and create the final results. Many recorders can do this in a standalone capacity with all in the single unit.

Many other folks prefer to record on the portable unit and then use the PC and software for the mix down process and final CD burning.

I prefer the second, but either can work. It is a more involved process, but you get much more flexibility in the result.

Ed
 
Thanks - I think I will go ahead and start trying to find the MR8 for a good price. Then go with the Shure mic SM58. Besides the cd burner for the computer, would I need anything else?
 
kayc said:
"...As I'm thinking more about this, I should change one of our spare bedrooms into a music room. Could just as well have the computer in there too!"
Click to expand...

OH NO!!!!
RUN!!!!
Quick!
Get out while you still can.

Next thing you know, you'll have one of these growing in your back yard!

attachment.php



:D :D :D :D

Just kidding!
Everyone here has made some great suggestions.
 
No kidding! My mind is already going overboard! I'm thinking about cleaning out the spare bedroom and installing carpeting, putting something on the walls for good sound quality, etc! That will be next....

I think I had better start saving some money, huh?
 
Hi there,

Nice thread, I love the idea ;) To make myself clear, I read half of the thread, because I'm in a bit of a hurry, so sorry if I repeat anything already said.

To begin with, when you buy the microphone, don't forget to buy mic cable - this would be an unpleasant surprise when you opened the package :)).

Now, what I write below is a above your budget, especially if you pay about $100 for the mic and stuff, cause it'd take another $450, but I felt like I had to say it, anyway:

If you can use the computer to record, I guess you MUST consider some computer based recording interface. I have recently bought Digidesign's MBox - it goes for $450, new. It includes the hardware and the software you will need to record in a very good quality. It only has two inputs, however I think you're better off with digital recording for this kind of money. With the software included, you will be able to record and mix the recorded material; also has lots of effects and other cool stuff. I have to admit that I'm not as much into the recording thing as most of the other guys here (in fact I might have 1/10,000 of their knowledge & experience), but compared to any analog machine I've ever heard, the sound of MBox is way better. If you're interested post the details of your computer system (CPU, RAM memory etc) and I can tell you if it's ok for use with the mbox. Sorry, if all this is not of any help to you, I just think that it's better spending twice the money and getting something 5 times as good. Just an opinion, however, the other posters here have much more insight on the whole thing......

Wishes from Athens, Greece! :)
 
Thanks Feanor IV for the info, especially the mic cable! I'll be looking into the s/w next. Right now I'm looking for the best place to purchase the Fostex MR8 - I may go locally or possibly through Zzounds.com. Any other suggestions? The going price seems to be 299.95.

(Yesterday afternoon my computer went haywire! Guess that's a good excude to buy a new one and get with the times...I may be checking back with everyone on that too!)
 
kay. just an idea. look at band in a box for your husband sometime(pgmusic.com). for the pc. it puts a lot of fun back into the song writing process. as the name implies , you have a song idea, then you pick one of god knows how many music styles, enter the chords to a song, and it builds a back up band in software. i think your husband would have a lot of fun with it if he were to get into it. the fun thing about it is it can be a different back up band each time. its hard to desribe in a few words. so just google and enter the words band in a box, and a ton of links will show up including if you delve some very advanced music that musicians have done with it encompassing the gamut of music from blues, jazz, rock, pop..and god knows everything else.
merry xmas, and hope this idea gives him lots of fun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top