B
Bandana8472
New member
Hey - anyone on this board using a Porta 02 (mkII or otherwise)? Since it looks as though the folks on this board push their cassette multitracks a bit harder than the rest, I was interested to know what you thought. I've been using the Porta02 for about six months, and I'm quite impressed. After doing my homework online, I noticed a lot of folks dogging the unit for it's questionable preamps, no Dolby/DBX, no ping-ponging ability... the list goes on. However, I've been having some remarkable success with the recorder. Granted, I've been using some high quality condenser mics (Rode NT2 and Shure SM81's), but I've had luck with standard dynamics (Shure 57/58), too. Last year I bought a Behringer 802 mixer to use with my setup, but I rarely use it for anything sans the phantom power... and I've been powering the Rode with a standalone Stewart phantom power supply, right into the Porta 02 as of late. I'm getting some of the best drum and vocal sounds I've ever gotten. Even the dedicated "guitar input" is quality - it especially smooths out my direct bass, sans D.I. box.
Anyhow, I guess I'm interested to know if anyone else around here is in the same boat as me. I've got the cash to buy a newer, more feature-laden multitrack. I've actually got a Cool Edit/Pro Tools FREE setup on my laptop, but I only use that for a mixdown tool. It's just that I like the immediacy of the Porta02. I've investigated all the digital workstations around, but there's always a deal breaker (records to smart cards, too much amp/mic modeling, learning curve...). I guess I just wanna get to the music, you know? And until they make a stripped-down digital workstation that doesn't try to lure the buyer in with a bunch of unnecessary features, and only tries to do one thing well (namely, recording!), I'm not sold on the technology.
-Bandana8472
Anyhow, I guess I'm interested to know if anyone else around here is in the same boat as me. I've got the cash to buy a newer, more feature-laden multitrack. I've actually got a Cool Edit/Pro Tools FREE setup on my laptop, but I only use that for a mixdown tool. It's just that I like the immediacy of the Porta02. I've investigated all the digital workstations around, but there's always a deal breaker (records to smart cards, too much amp/mic modeling, learning curve...). I guess I just wanna get to the music, you know? And until they make a stripped-down digital workstation that doesn't try to lure the buyer in with a bunch of unnecessary features, and only tries to do one thing well (namely, recording!), I'm not sold on the technology.
-Bandana8472
