This will sound really stupid but...

[alibam]

how do i record 5 tracks if i only have a 4 track recorder? how do i mix 2 into 1?
thanks

 

[Smokepole]

You can bounce them. You play two tracks at the same time while recording them both onto another single track. Then you can erase the two that you bounced.

 

[Smokepole]

Obviously you can only do this if your deck has the capability. My Roland VS 840 allows this but my old Tascam Porta 02 can't. What are you using? There may be other options.

 

[Axis]

Actually you can do that on a portastudio 02, what you do is, you take the tracks that you have, mix them down to a tape deck in stereo (if your recording in stereo), then you put the tape that you mixed down on into the porta 02 (or whatever you have). After you've done that pan tracks 1, and 2, hard left and right. Vvvwhalla you have 2 extra tracks. Technically you can do this over and over again but the sound quality drops a little everytime.


Oh yea, and if you do this turn down the volume farther than you ussually would on the instruments panned to the center and close to the center.

 

[Smokepole]

Very resourceful! I'll have to pass that on if I sell it. It hasn't gotten to much use since I got the digital 8 if you know what I mean.

 

[TexRoadkill]

Instead of bouncing down to another deck and losing a generation why not just run the main outs back into a channel? I haven't used a portastudio in years but I don't recall there being any issues with that.

 

[Axis]

Instead of bouncing down to another deck and losing a generation why not just run the main outs back into a channel? I haven't used a portastudio in years but I don't recall there being any issues with that.

I've tried that and for me the sound quality was worse, also since the outs on the porta 02 are rca, you have to buy 2 rca-1/4 inch adapters and those can be about $8 each.