Interested in putting together an analog recording system...

[DonMan]

Just wondering if someone can tell what kind of investment I'd have to make and what are some specific pieces of gear I might want to look into. I know I'll need to pick up a decent reel to reel and a mixer(my requirements will probably be 16 channels-I don't know that I would need more than 16 tracks at the moment though and be able to record up to 8 tracks at once).

Any input would be appreciated.

I've been recording digitally on a VS880 and before that an older Mac. For some reason I think I'd be happier with the results and the whole process if I was going Analog.

 

[regebro]

As always, it depends on what you want and what your purpose is... But I've always been recording analog, and will continue to do that for a while, but I'm pretty sure that will change in a year or two, for budget reasons.

Well, digital is getting cheaper fast now, so it seems that analog will not be a budget alternative for long. Therefore I think you need to aim for a pre or semi-pro system.

That means one of the lower end 16-channles or maybe an Otari multitrack. Not that my Fostex A-8 in any way sounds bad, but it doesn't sound better than digital either...

You also need a good mixer. I don't have any experience with mixers of different brands, but the consensus here means that you need at least a Mackie 24*8 or preferrably a Soundcraft Ghost...

So the problem is you end up coughing up maybe $6000 if you want to get quality that gets beyond that of for example an AW2816, which seems like it will retail for $2000.

So, most likely, my earlier plan of first getting a 24-track mixer, and then a year later get a 16-track recorder, has now been replaced by saving up $2000 for an Yamaha AW2816, which is $500 less than what a Mackie 24*8 retails for.