HELP! Where do I go from here??

  • Thread starter Thread starter Huaxtec
  • Start date Start date
H

Huaxtec

New member
Hey everyone,

I have had a tascam 424 MKII for about a year now and I have decided that I want to go digital. I am tired of poor quality analog tapes. SO! My question is ..what do I do now?

I know nothing about digital recorders or DAW's ... I have looked on some online music stores to price multitrack digital recorders and it looks as though I can get a decent on for under 1000 dollars. My questions are twofold:

1) If I were to get a digital multitrack recorder .. what brand should I get? What features should I look for?

2) If DAW's are more cost efficient and produce the same result .. what do I need to put one together? I have a Pentium II 350 Mhz computer I could use ... where do I go from there?

Thanks in advance!
 
well, if you decide to go the computer route, you'll need a sound card. there are a multitude of mulyi i/o soundcards for the choosing, do some research.

you'll probably need a mixer, some more cable.

What do you have now, and whats your budget?

ametth
 
All I have now is the tascam 424MKII analog cassette recorder 4 track and a PEntium II 350 MhZ computer with soundblaster live value sound card installed. I really dont know what else I would need.

Budget wise .. I would like to stay between 500 and 1500 dollars
 
Seems to me all you need to get started is a minimum of 64Mb sdram(you probably have) a multitrack program(Cake walk,Cubase,etc.) and a CD burner. This should be obtainable for under $500.00
Learning to operate the system and get everything working properly is a NOT a joyous experiance however.
 
Wouldn't I need something to hook up the instruments to the sound card?
 
Huatex,
I forgot to mention that I too use a Tascam to do My original recordings. Once complete I mixdown to a wav.file so I can edit and burn to CD. I'm just more comfortable with an analog machine.
 
yes, a Y cord Two(RCA) plugs from the R&L line out into an 1/8" male stereo plug that connects to either your line in input or mic input.
 
How many inputs and outputs do you need?? This will start to dictate the price for most soundcards...If you don't need a lot of ins and outs check out the new 24 bit soundcards by Event (darla, Gina) I own an Event..and have been happy with the quality of mine.......

Just my opinion, but here it is...if you are still deciding between a digital multitracker and DAW...you already have a computer that will work well for most software programs...( you may want to upgrade your RAM to 128 though)...I would definately lean towards getting a decent Sound Card for $300, software about $200, (cakewalk or cool edit are great for starting out), and if you want to burn CD's a CD-RW $200-$300.... You will find your editing capablities are much easier on a DAW than on most Digital Multitrackers....

Do you have any type of external mixer??? with most Computer DAW's you can get away without one, and use the software for your mixing.........

One more thing...I dont know if you mentioned this or not..but do you have monitors??? a good pair of nearfield studio monitors will probably start you at least $500...but if you are doing editing and mastering...these are a must....

Hope this helps some to point you in a direction..........Heat
 
oh P.S. before you make the jump...please go read the Black hole of recording thread in The Dragon Cave.......
 
Heat,

With my Tascam I only have 4 inputs ... this suits my needs. I really don't need much more I don't think.

I do have an external mixer ... it is a non-name brand and does not have a lot of channels though.

No I do not think I have any monitors? What are these? What are they used for?

Thanks for all the help so far, you all are great!
 
Huaxtec,

Maybe you should try downloading the n-track demo, or even buying it, its only $35, to get your feet wet. You can use your 424 for a mixer. See if you like recording this way. If so, then see the post "the black hole" in the dragon cave and hold onto your wallet. -lzb
 
Lazyboy,

I read the black hole post ..you were the second to mention it so i wandered over there. I don't think I will get caught in the "I have to have more equipment" mindset (although im sure everyone says that in the beginning :-) )

I am just starting out and I really just need some direction on how to proceed into the digital music world. I just want enough to sit down with the guys in my band and lay down our stuff to something that will give us good quality. THere are so many options out there it is starting to make my head spin :)

That's where I am hoping you all can help narrow my search down .. as I said in my first post, I need some help in finding out what digital multitracks give the most bang for the buck, what features i should look for in them, and/or the specific components I should look into getting for DAW recording if i head that direction.

I will try to download the software you suggested, that gives me a good starting place :)Is the software the only thing I need for DAW? Can I hook up my 424 to the soundcard and have everything go through the 424? Or do I need some sort of other interface to get the instraments piped through the sound card?

Thanks again for all the advice so far! Keep it coming :)
 
The blackhole thing is just a nod to how obsessive this becomes.

Yeah, just use the 424 as a preamp/mixer with the y cable snowdog talks about. That's what I'm doing right now. Its a cheap way to try it out and see if you like the experience. Computer recording has definite advantages, but its not for everybody. I must say, I'm not particularly fond of mouse mixing, and I'm a total dope when it comes to much of the computer talk you'll find here.

The problem with the stand-alone multitrackers is that you only get what they give you. The akai DPS16i is the only one I'm remotely interested in and its $2k. For that price you could do a lot better and have room to upgrade with DAW or even ADAT.

I've just started researching digital mixers as a component of a DAW (particularly the tascam tmd1k + mixtreme card, cheap solution????), for the somewhat analog feel of mixing. they take some of the weight off your processor and best, a little less time staring at the fucking moniter. Who knows what I'll be thinking in another month, though.

You can lay tracks with just about anything, but looking for the ideal set-up for your sensibilities is a nightmare. I've been stuck in the blackhole of indecision for months now. So think about how you'd like to work and research like crazy. Most important, don't let gear lust keep you from tracking on your old stuff while you're looking to upgrade.-lzb
 
Huaxtec.....Let me ask you this quick question before I get into options of DAW....what kind of media would you like to record on...do you want a finished CD-R that you can play in your car or home stereo....or do you just want to store your ideas on digital tape (ADAT's and DAT machines)...that can be sent off to be mastered as CD's???? think about these things and it will help others point you in a direction that will benefit you....

If your still considering digital multi trackers...check out the Roland VS-880 or VS-1680. These units seem to be extremely popular because of ergonomics..and onboard features...the only problem I see with mulitrackers and I believe Lazyboy already said this: you are only getting what you are buying, its a lot easier to upgrade a DAW...so keep this in mind............

Monitors...are just studio speakers....they are not voiced like most home speakers to boost your sound at certain frequencies..........they good ones give a very flat response..this is important when you get into mixing and mastering your songs..........

Hope this helps......Heat
 
lazyboy:
Thanks for the advice I think I will give hooking up the 424 a try and see how it turns out ... seems like that is the best thing to do right now.

Heat:
I guess the main thing I would like to do is record so I can at least put the tracks down on a cd to listen to and keep. Im not sure what is involved with storing on DATs to have them mastered but I would hope if i do have the tracks digitally stored somewhere they could be edited and prosessed at will.

Thank you for the pointer toward the ROland digital multitracks .. I will definitly research those more. Are there any particular features I should look for? (ie. how many tracks can recoed at once? etc?)

Monitors hook directly up to your mixer or whatever? How much do they usually run? I think you mentioned $500 in an earlier post .. is this the avg. price?

Thanks to you both for your input so far :-)!!!!!
 
As far as Roland is concerned: the VS-880 has eight tracks at mixdown, the VS-1680 has 16 tracks at mixdown...keep in mind on each track you can record up to 8 "virtual" tracks.....and comp your tracks to form your ultimate track if you wish..(check out the dedicated Roland Forum on this BBS..they are probably have more experience on these thing than I do)...on the Roland VS's you can also get EFX cards for $299...and they come chock full of Roland effects..which for the most part are pretty good for the money you pay.....

If you are leaning towards CD burning..Roland VS-880 EX and VS-1680 HD have a CD output...(sorry CD burner is not included)..and also come with a built in hard drive for your files. As far as digital mulitrackers go..I would go with a Roland...i dont personally own one...but have worked on one before..and they are actually quite user friendly..and have familiar features on it like sliders..and knobs..for those that still like to twist on those things!!!

Now for DAW's: like i said before you are already halfway there if you own a decent computer..and they are always upgradeable...

So you didnt sound too much into DAT recording..so that will leave hard disk. All this means is you will be using your computer to record songs, edit, and also burn to CD if you have a burner.

Look at this basic setup keeping in mind this is only my opinion..and there are lots of other good options to go with:


soundcard: Event Gina has two inputs, eight outs, and the new ones are 24 bit...it also comes with S/PDIF inputs for direct digital....price on AMS is $319..or also look at the Lexicon Core 2..it has 4 inputs, and eight out, is also 24 bit...runs about $399

if you really want to get a good starting soundcard...go with a Digidesign 001..in runs ya about $999..but has tons of features..

Software: Cool edit Pro will come with your Event soundcard...or look at Steinberg VST about $300, or Cakewalk 9 is $299

CD burner: external CD burners will start around $1000, you can get one that will plug into your second slot of your computer. Tascam makes the CD-R400W for $499 with software....

Monitors: Event 20/20p have decent sound for $599 pair...if you want even better Mackie HR-824 sound pretty damn good..as well as JBL's series of studio monitors..about $750 each....whatever you get i would go with something that is powered so you dont have to buy another seperate power amp......go to your local music shop and give these a listen..that will be your best bet.....


mix and match these components to suit your budget..any of these will give you a good setup to get started and record some good sounding stuff........keep this in mind though..anything you buy will be outdated..the next day..Hence the Black Hole of Recording...

hope this helps some...Heat
 
Heat,

You are the best :)

Thanks so much for all of your input!!

All of this helps me narrow down the search field somewhat. There is so much out there it is really making my head spin. I guess thats why they have these forums :) :)

DO most music stores have this stuff at comparable prices to the online stores, or are online stores a better bet in the end to purchase from? Obviously I have to go to a real store (GASP!) to try out this stuff but as far as prices are concerned it seems places like 8th street etc have decent discounts on eq.

The only three music stores online I have been able to fine are musicians friend, 8th street and music 123 ... are there any other good ones out there?

Thanks again for all your help, I will now start to dive knee deep in research :)
 
I know exactly how you're feeling at this point. Dizzy, lost, scared, violent....But if you really think about it, you are now so much further along then where you were right when you first made the decision to get serious about this recording 'game'.
Here's my input. I have a deep respect for the Korg D-16. It is a virtual 16 track uncompressed digital studio in the body of a toy. At $2G it may be out of your range. (I always justify spending more by telling myself "At least the resale will be pretty good". THIS JUSTIFICATION GETS EXPENSIVE! In any case there is one thing that I am sure of, http://Sixtecycle.com/ is the greatest online music store I have found thus far (and I have no vested interest so this is authentic praise). If you call ask to speak to John Burns, actually I think he is the only one who answers the phone, anyway, he is incredibly helpful and the prices are usually very good. Good luck with all of this and remember, you have past the point of no return, there's no turning back now!
 
Hey Swindle,

Thanks for the lead on the online music store ... I have checked them out and their prices seem to be very compedative to what I have seen elsewhere on the net! I will have to give John a call and see what he has to recommend


I will also look into the Kord D-16 a little. If it is around 2K then like you said it is probably more than I want to spend .. and I don't want to get caught into that black hole of recording :)

Thanks again for the input!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top