mix down to vhs/dvd/cd

[clevodrummer]

how bout this idea?

I have a vhs/dvd recorder for the telly. Im thinking about mixng down from my tape deck Portastudio to a vhs tape. This unit has some pretty cool features, and I wonder if my idea will work...

Im going to mix down to the vhs tape because of the size of the tape. Than I simply hit a button and it transfers to the dvd. Than I can pop the dvd into my computer and burn a cd....

Anyone ever try this? Sounds logical enough...Might work,eh? I dont have a standalone cd recorder so Ithought this idea would be cool to try... a lot faster than trying to figure out mixing down to the computer for me anyway at this stage of the game....


thanks

 

[Seafroggys]

wow, wouldn't it be, like, twice as fast and twice as easy to go directly to CD?

 

[LogicDeLuxe]

To get the worst of all systems?

Think of it. With VHS, you'll get head switching noise and TV line whistle. Then on the DVD you'll get AC3 artifacts and more TV line whistle. And finally, you have to resample from 48 kHz to 44.1 kHz. Those drawbacks may be almost insignificant with good equipment, but why bother?
Why not just record directly to your computer first place?

 

[rayc]

You'll run into auto level controls problems when recording to VHS unless it's specially set up to record audio like the old 1/2hr tape machines were. You could end up with clipped levels or levels way below what you're hoping for depending on the recording set up of the machines.
Buy a USB soundcard from Behringer (UCA202) for around $50 Australian - you can set up & mix to the stereo out lines from you portastudio through RCA cables into the Behri.
It'll convert etc into either a recording program or wave recorder/editor (there are plenty like Audacity that are gratis or close enough to it) in the comp via the USB & its self contained drivers then you'll have wave files to burn to CD with Nero or whatever it is you prefer. You can also monitor through the Behri h/phone socket or RCA outs to a stereo etc.
A cheap solution without so many opportunities for noise & probs to creep in. The Behri interface isn't fab but it's better than the path you outlined.
You'll get the bit depth/sample rate etc that's standard for CD burning from the above rig.