Utter Basics

[hornsby128]

Hey,

I am brand new to all of this. I want to record my voice over my guitar with the potential to add a few more tracks later on. I have an electric guitar and a Marshal solid state 100W amplifier. I have no mic. What do I need? What kind of multi-track recorder do I need? I should add that I would prefer to spend less than approx. $100. I figured I would check on Ebay. Let me know if you have suggestions.

Thank you.

 

[Mark7]

Analogue or digital?

I don't think you're going to get much in the latter category at that price point.

 

[Kevin Deschwazi]

You want a mic and a multitrack recorder for under $100?

Do a search for fostex or tascam on ebay and look at some old cassette four tracks.

Then for a mic do a search on 'karaoke'. Sorry, that slounds a bit glib but you're really not going to get much else with your budget. If you get a really cheap multi track you might get a used sennheiser e8 series or something with what's left.

 

[Mark7]

He might as well just plug the guitar straight into the four track.

On that kind of a budget that's about the best way to do it.

 

[Kevin Deschwazi]

He might as well just plug the guitar straight into the four track.

On that kind of a budget that's about the best way to do it.

I mentioned the mic because he said he wanted to record his voice as well.

 

[Stu_Hig]

You really can't do much with that sort of cash. You would be much happier with your recordings if you could stretch your budget. I know this isn't always possible but, if you can, consider it.

 

[TimOBrien]

Save yourself a lot of time, frustration and money. Get a basic book first:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...104-8913620-2860754?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

 

[A Reel Person]

...

A Tascam MF-P01 records 4-tracks onto cassette, with only one input and one track at a time.

A Tascam Porta 02mkII records 4-tracks onto cassette, with two inputs, and up to 2 tracks at a time.

A Tascam Porta One records 4-tracks onto cassette, with 4 inputs, and up to 2 tracks at a time, with somewhat better features than the Porta 02mkII, including a 4-channel mixer, EQ and dbx noise reduction.

Each of these Tascam 4-track cassette multitrack units may be purchased on Ebay for well under $100, depending on the day.

The Tascam 244 is a much higher end 4-track cassette Portastudio, which may sell on Ebay for under $100, depending on the day.

Given that you may purchase each of these recorders for under $100, I'd pick the 244, Porta One, Porta 02mkII and MF-P01, in that order.

There are other similar units, such as the Porta 03, Porta 05, and Porta 07, but they're less common on Ebay than the top 4 I've mentioned.

PS: The MF-P01 sells brand new for $99, retail.

 

[Richard Monroe]

Wow, they're trying to be kind. Not enough money, dude. It's that simple. Realistically, at a minimum, you need a soundcard, software, a preamp, a mic, several cables, and a mic stand. I just racked up $500. You cannot do multitrack recording for $100. I wish I could tell you that you could. Even if you go with cassette, it's $100 for a cheap Tascam, $50 for a used mic, plus cables and the stand. You're around $250 to start. Good luck.-Richie

 

[A Reel Person]

You cannot do multitrack recording for $100. -Richie

That's simply not true. I've scored a used MF-P01 for $46/delivered, and a brand new Porta 02mkII for $61/delivered. Want my reciepts? By my calculations, that leaves $54 and $39 for a mic, respectively. (YMMV).

...at a minimum, you need a soundcard, software, a preamp, a mic, several cables, and a mic stand. -Richie

Negative. You need that at a minimum for 'puter recording. See my examples, above.

 

[hornsby128]

Hey Davemania!
Thanks for your help. I have a little more than a hundred to spend, but all I want to do is some real rudimentary stuff. I'm just experimenting. I'm not trying to create the next platinum album. I think a cassette 4-track will do fine. If I want to record vocals, must I buy a mic and input cable? or do the four tracks have a built-in mic?

 

[A Reel Person]

Yes,...

you'll need a mic & cable. I don't know of any cassette 4 trackers with a built-in mic.

 

[IronFlippy]

What I'm doing right now is using a cheap dynamic mic plugged into an impedance matcher, into a rolls mini mixer, into my sound card. If you amp has a line out, then you can plug straight into the mixer from that and record vocals and guitar simultaneously, although it will only be one track. All this equipment is pretty cheap, although probably not under $100. You could always go the cheap low-quality way and simply use a computer mic.