I don't get it!!HELP!!

[llcoolhsia]

I'm a complete newbie to recording and I have just been browsing around soaking up information. What I have figured out is that I need a multitrack and a cassette deck and a buncha cables and stuff. I don't get what the difference is between a mixer and multitrack recorder is. It sounds like they do the same thing. You plug a buncha mics and guitar cables into it and put them together, so how are they different? I also have a question about the multitrack recorders. Do you HAVE to record on each track separately, or can you plug 4 mics/guitar cables or whatever into it at the same time and record all of them at the same time? If the wording of this is strange, for an example, I mean instead of recording vocals one time on 1 track, rewinding, then recording bass guitar on another track, rewinding, another time for guitar, and another time for drums, instead of all this, can you just plug vocals mic, bass, guitar, and drums mic into the multitrack all at the same time and record?

 

[drstawl]

Yes, it's your choice. All at once or one at a time, up to the physical number of inputs on your multitrack recorder. The main difference between a mixer and a multitrack recorder is that the recorder, uh, records!
The mixer just mixes.

 

[dobro]

The doctor's right, of course, and here's an elaboration. The mixer routes each sound source on its way to your recording device, boosts the signal from mics to line level so they can be recorded, allows you to set volume/pan/frequencies for each channel, etc. Organization and flexibility, in other words.

 

[Dom Franco]

The mixers built in to most of the cassette multitrack recorders are often very limited. (fewer effects sends and simpler EQ). So shop around before you buy a unit that might not do what you want it to do.

1. how many mic's will you be using?
(XLR? -3 pin) or 1/4" inputs?

2. Does the unit record all 4 tracks at once? or just two?

3. Does it have individual outputs for each track? or just a stereo L+R out?

4. Welcome to the world of many choices!

Have fun;

Dom Franco