Some general VS-880EX questions, please...

J

Julia

New member
Hi, friends...

I am considering a purchase of the Roland VS-880EX after much research and some thorough consideration. Initially, I was going to go with the Boss BR-8, or even try to record using my PC. While considering the BR-8 further over at the music store I patronize, I had a discussion with a fellow customer who strong recommended spending the extra money for the 880EX. However, since money is rather a significant issue where this purchase is concerned, before I lay down that much more cash, I was hoping someone might be willing to answer a few concerns I have about the 880EX.

First, I'm reading that there is no dedicated guitar input. Is that a problem if one must record directly into the 880EX? I will have no other equipment...no other mixing unit, amps, or preamps at all.

Also, I was stunned to read...unless I misunderstood...in another forum here, that the VS-880 has NO mic preamps? No preamps? That would astound me, and would certainly steer me clear of the 880, so I'd like to know that also, please.

Finally, what I want to be doing is multitracking on the 880, mixing down on the 880, then hooking the 880 up to my PC's sound card, (via a stereo line-out from the 880 into the 1/8" line-in on my Creative AWE64 Gold soundcard), and burning a CD. How complex is this process once I'm hooked up to the PC? Will I run into an issue where I need Roland's specific CD burner? That, also, would discourage me from buying this unit.

Any and all advice and suggestions...shared experiences too...would be SO greatly appreciated.

Thanks a million, in advance.

Have awesome weekends everyone. :)

Julia
 
Yes, it has pre-amps. Adjustible gain on each input channel. Before you buy, you should check out the Roland website and the Cakewalk website. Unless portability is an issue, you should consider getting Cakewalk. It's soooo much easier to edit, and the recording setup will be much more flexible. In other words, if you want to upgrade the computer, you can. You can't upgrade the 880. If you already have a computer why spend the money on another one, which is what the 880 is. Just get some software and save yourself $1000. Download the free Cakewalk demo and play with it. I have both, and the 880 is such a hassle to use (they don't tell you that) that it just sits on my shelf doing nothing. Or download N-Tracks. Some of the people here use it and they seem to like it. I think it's pretty cheap and has a free demo.
 
...and the 880 is such a hassle to use (they don't tell you that) that it just sits on my shelf doing nothing...
Click to expand...

Eh! Monty, If you ever want to get rid of that hassle let me know and I'll take it off yer hands for ya!;)

Julia, I've been using the 880EX for about a year and couldn't be happier! It's not as bad as some make it out to be.

I run guitars direct into the 880 quite often with no problems, although it's usually better to use a d/i box or mic. Depends on what the project calls for.

As far as hooking up to the PC for mixdowns, with an AWE64 gold you should be able to use the digital connections. Just get a good 75-Ohm RCA cable to connect the digital out on the 880 to the digital in on the soundcard.

The Roland burner is only an option but it is advisable to get one in the future. Not only does it make audio CD's but it's the most reliable and efficient way to back up your work. And you will need to back up your stuff eventually, unless you don't plan on keeping anything when you're done your projects.

There are alternatives to the Roland burner for backup purposes. The Orb 2.2Gb SCSI drive is one. Some people use Zip drives (100Mb or 250Mb) but the disks really don't hold enough data to be considered cost-efficient. Hope this helps a little. Good luck on whatever you decide.
 
Androids don't know anything. Try Cakewalk and you'll change your mind. There is no comparison in any respect. 880's are a dying breed for anyone who wants to come close to a professional sound.
 
I have a vs880 but use my mackie 1604vlz with it. I also use
my computer mainly for midi stuff with it. A lot of vs owners use cakewalk etc to interface with there computers.
No you do not have to have the roland burner to make cds but you have to have the right equipment though.
The rolands are a complete portable setup. Mixer,effects etc. Can you record a hit song on it and make a cd? You damm sure can. Just be ready for the learning curve as with computers.
As far as computers go you still need a fast enough one and the right soundcard and the right software in order to get good quality. Research here and you will find all you need to know about setting up computer based systems. If your not that familiar with computers or dont have the time to learn you may want to try the roland or br-8. The br-8 seems to be a little bit easier to work with from what I hear. Check with the br-8 boys. It may be all you need for now.

Duckhead
 
Hard disc vs.Zip

IF you decide to not go with a computer based system,I'd second the recommendation you got for the 889EX over the BR-8,in spite of the steeper learning curve,because once you get going you'll quickly tire of buying Zip discs all the time and being limited in terms of record time and number of virtual tracks.Plus,the 880 can record uncompressed audio and you may care about that at some point.Also,the 890 will be in stores soon which means whatever 880's are left are starting to go down in price so you can save some money.Cheers
 
Don't listen to that silly humanoid techie! He's just mad cause he couldn't figure out where to plug his mouse in on the 880.:D
 
Oh, and by the way, those guys are right about the 880 being so great. That's why all the major studios use them to record their hit songs. And if you believe that, good luck.

This discussion has already been lost by the 880 supporters in a past thread. The converters, sampling rate, HD capacity, or any other aspect of an 880 can never be upgraded to match the specs of a present day computer based system. Not to mention editing. Would you rather see an actual waveform on a computer screen, or would you rather squint at some little bogus attempt at representing a waveform on a little led? There's absolutely no comparison. What the hell's the matter with you guys? If they say different, it's because they are in self denial about wasting their money on their little dinosaurs.

[Edited by monty on 09-02-2000 at 09:11]
 
Hey monty.
The 880 is just an 8 track home recorder and a cheaper way to record. Theres no doubt a prime computer based system
is better but its also more costly. Some people like the
mobility of a roland to. Its still better than a 4 track tape. It just all depends on your needs. And we all need
someone to lean on. :)

Duck
 
Who are you trying to kid???

It's not more costly? What's Cakewalk PA8 run now? When I got it it was $600Cdn. Another $280 for the SBLive! soundcard just so I could get audio in and out digitally. One stinkin' stereo S/PDIF I/O. Multiple I/O cards are a lot more than that. And if you have a PC-based system you need some sort of preamp or mixer... at least another $300 or more for something half-decent. So there's close to $1000
already, not including the PC itself. And so on and so on, bla bla...

Who cares about "major studios" or "professional quality"??? Is this site HOME RECORDING DOT COM
or PROFESSIONAL RECORDING DOT COM? All I wanted was something that I could record some tunes with and have them sound half decent. For me, the 880EX does this and way more than I expected.

Monty, don't take me the wrong way. You sound like someone who knows what he's talking about when it comes to recording, what gear is good, what is bad. I fully understand what it takes to get professional results. But just remember, not everyone here wants to be a pro recording engineer. They just want something reliable and budget-wise to put their ideas down on. Heck, a PC-based recording system can be just as much (if not, more) a hassle as an 880, or BR8, or whatever.

Tell you what, if you can show me how to get a PC-based system with the same flexibility of my EX for the same price or less I'll sell it and buy that system.
 
I'll sell you a new unopened Cakewalk Pro Audio 9 CD and manual for $200. I sold my PA8 for $150 but you can get it on Ebay for less than that. You already seem to have everything else. Have you ever downloaded the Cakewalk demo? You should try it.
 
Cakewalk vs. stand-alone Roland unit

I very much appreciate reading the discussion of the issues related to Cakewalk or PC recording in general vs. the use of a stand-alone unit such as the BR-8 or one of the other Roland units.

I must say that I have been TRYING to use Cakewalk Express Gold, (with my AWE64 Gold soundcard), and my PC is relatively powerful...it's not a powerhouse, but it's not a dinosaur either...and I have NOT had good luck in that arena, which is why I am now in the market for a stand-alone unit.

I have a K6-2/350 with 128 megs RAM, and I have followed ALL the adjustments which Cakewalk and all of the audio recording sites tell us to make in order to optimize our systems for PC recording, and all I get are fits and starts. I'll be going along having a blast recording a track, and bam...it stops dead. OR...I'll record a few tracks, be in the midst of either playing them back (I do have a full duplex soundcard) or recording yet another track, and again...bam...stops dead. I grew terribly frustrated with this process, needless to say, and started to research where my money would be best spent in the stand-alone digital recording market.

I did also try n-Track, and that did nothing for me at all. Cakewalk was superior to n-Track by far, but if I can't complete a recording with Cakewalk, what's the use?

I had to ask myself if I really wanted to put my money into more computer equipment, while STILL running the risk of being unable to record optimally, or go with one of the stand-alone units which, while not problem-free, seem to have a pretty decent track record of at least not stopping dead while you're trying to work.

I've read recently that the BR-8 is soon to be upgraded to the 250mb zip drive, which would be better, though not optimal...and although the zip disks are an expensive form of storage, I figured I could invest in a package of them for 50-60 dollars, and then simply mix everything down to PC and then to CD.

I'm still researching, but at this point I've grown so frustrated with the computer recording, that I've begun to look more seriously at the Roland stand-alones.

I do appreciate any and all advice, suggestions, shared experiences, and criticisms...as well as discussions between the users of both recording modes. Thanks very much for taking the time.

Julia
 
It's only gear

This is more to address some of the replies to your original post: Why does this question always become so polarized? Can someone express enthusiasm and preference for a particular product or system without either simultaneously damning all alternatives or being verbally jumped on by those having a preference for an alternative? Is there some insecurity or doubt at the root of these statements? You will find,I think,that all gear,even the most expensive,has strong and weak points,and I feel that what counts most is how comfortable you are while using it and how useful a tool to your process it is.
 
Julia--

I have been running an experimental radio show at my University for 2 1/2 years. I record an extremely wide variety of things (guitars, drums, raquetball courts, car engines, you name it) and prepare my show each week before I get into the studio. I also use the VS-880 EX. Honestly, as far as stand-alone units go, the Roland VS-880 (840, 1880, etc) are the best.

I figure that whereas a computer was designed to do a variety of things, VS-880s are just for music. So they don't crap out, slow down, etc.. Also, they sound amazing. I still can't get over walking out in my yard with a $30 mic and recording crickets at night. Even with all the shit equiptment that I surround my poor little 880 with, it still sounds damn good.

In my show, we make extensive use of razor-sharp editing, with hundreds of tiny bits making up every minute of the program. I do that on the 880 too.

As far as backing up, that was one of my main reasons for choosing the Roland. Other systems want Zip disks, floppies!, or external hard drives. Yes, the Roland does make you use their CD burner, but it does the job very well. My full machine will burn down to a CD, that I can save as data, and reload into the VS880 at any time. Naturally, I save data of everything I make so that I can go back and use the pieces later if I want.

As far as I can tell, the Boss product you were speaking of seems somewhat geared to guitarists. Since I am not simply a guitarist, I think the 880 was a better choice.

On the downside, you can look forward to a HORRIBLY written manual (I'm an English major, myself) and a lot of learning in order to figure everything out. It's a bit tough, but it is very well worth it.

Hopefully helpful,

DaveX
 
Thank you...

Thanks, Dave...I appreciate you taking the time to respond to my questions re: the Roland 880...it's a tad pricey for me at this point, so I was looking again at the 840, but gee...it sorta seems that for the money...albeit MORE money...the 880 might be the better deal. Still, though, I'd need to invest in a drum machine, and I suppose a synthesizer unless effects added to my current keyboard (Yamaha PSR-47) might work for a while...anyway, adding the prices of a drum machine and synth to the price of the 880 may make the question moot for me, but I certainly appreciate your advice and shared experience.

I tried uninstalling and then reinstalling Cakewalk this morning...again...and the PC recording just isn't cutting it. Who can deal with the constant fits and starts and stops? Not I...so...looks like I'm at least ready to figure out which stand-alone unit to purchase.

Thanks again for your shared thoughts.

Have a wonderful day.

Julia
 
$$!

Julia--

It sounds like you have a lot of gear to buy all at once! Drums, synth, 880... what kind of music do you make? Are you in a band? Just curious.

For synths, I use three different Casios, an air-organ with a mic I built in it that I sample, and an old analog... (forgetting the make currently, though it is not so old as to need patch cables) 2-key polyphony, what fun!

As for drums, I make do with a set of Ludwigs. I added an extra hi-hat, another floor tom (which sits on my porch in rainy weather to stretch the head), and another kick pedal which kicks into one of the floor tom's legs for an interesting "creak-whap-bing" sound that I like.

Whoops! My kid is hungry. *poof*

DaveX
 
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