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Posts: 1026
Location: Back in the Valley of the Sun Mesa Az. | I would really like tobe able to record some of my originals, before they become lost in my fastly fading memory forever. I've been debating on picking up a used 4-trac recorder on e-bay, but came across something interesting in the VictorLitz link.
Boss BR532 Digital recorder of $395.00. Looks pretty slick, and easy to use. Anyone have experience with this line, or type of recorder, and does this sound like a good price?
Thanks,
Norse(appreciate your input)man1 |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Buying an older cassette-based 4-track when you don't know how well it's been maintained is not a great idea, plus you'll need reverb & compression to make decent recordings. Machines like this Boss have these built-in & their sonic quality will leave a cassette 4-tracker for dead. I haven't used this particular machine but it is based on Rolands VS series, which are superb. I haven't come accross anything by Boss that doesn't do what it's supposed to. |
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May 2002
Posts: 1026
Location: Back in the Valley of the Sun Mesa Az. | Thanks Paul. 400.00 doesn'tseem like a wild price either.
Norseman1 |
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December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | i have a korg dr 1600 and it is great a little complicated to use but great |
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January 2003
Posts: 146
Location: Germantown, MD | I've got a Korg PXR-4. It's not a cassette machine, and getting to CD takes a bit of doing because it downloads MP2 files. (There are, however, shareware translators that convert MP2 to just about any format you want. On the other side, there are a pantload of built-in effects available, and it's also possible to set up your own effects. I think the price is down to about $299.
Peace,
John |
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August 2002
Posts: 398
Location: So. Cal. | I have the Boss, Zoom (portable) and Korg (portable) digital recorders. They all do a great job with different degrees of versatility and strengths. 4-Track cassette days are definitely gone! You can get any of these units from $200 and up. Pick one with the features you deem the most important (portability? memory capacity? USB interface etc.) and get it. You won't regret it.
BTW, I recorded a whole song (with 2 vocal parts, 3 guitar parts, keyboard and drum beat) in about an hour after I received the BOSS BR unit without even reading the manual! It's really easy to use.
Just me and my Adamas! |
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Posts: 613
Location: Zion, Illinois | Just my personal preference, but for $100 more you could get a Fostex VF-80.
The Boss BR532 records to a memory card. It comes with at 32 meg card and can be upgraded to 128. I would check to see if they do some sort of file compression if sound quality is a concern. I believe that if you have a memory card reader you can easily transfer your work to your computer for final processing.
The Fostex comes with a build in hard drive. A bought a Fostex VF-08 last year for $399 and it came with a 10 gig hard drive.
It really is amazing what they can do now a-days. I remember back in the early 70s buying a TEAC 3340-S 4 track. No mixer, effects, cut&paste and all the other goodies these new machines have. It cost me $1200. I used it to record a friends band. Theys spent $1500 to make a record in Milwaukee. It took them 8 hours to record all their songs, mostly in 1 or 2 takes. They hated it. With my recorder we recorded 1 sound in 8 hours. It was a blast. They loved it so much they went out the next week and bought TWO 3340-S's. But I digress.
Good luck,
Bradley |
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January 2003
Posts: 1498
Location: San Bernardino, California | If you're recording at home, you ought to check into the special sound/interface cards that allow you to record to your computer hard drive. Some of them come with external mixers (Roland comes to mind). Some of the advantages to recording this way is that you can record mucho tracks, you can record "dry" and add effects later, mutliple "takes" which you can A/B. The editting can be versatile as well (pitch correction anyone?). Basically you're limited by your computer and/or software used. |
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Posts: 6202
Location: Phoenix AZ | I use Cakewalk Sonar with M-Audio HW and breakout box on a Sony PC WinXP. Dave |
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February 2003
Posts: 2178
Location: the BIG Metropolis of TR | Hey BruDev,
All this being new to me what are the computer's requirements and what software/programs are you using? Also do the "high end" or "newer" sound cards of today already come capable of recording or do you need the special sound/interface card?
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Mike :confused: |
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February 2002
Posts: 613
Location: Zion, Illinois | Originally posted by BruDev:
If you're recording at home, you ought to check into the special sound/interface cards that allow you to record to your computer hard drive. Some of them come with external mixers (Roland comes to mind). Some of the advantages to recording this way is that you can record mucho tracks, you can record "dry" and add effects later, mutliple "takes" which you can A/B. The editting can be versatile as well (pitch correction anyone?). Basically you're limited by your computer and/or software used.
Do you mean like this???
Tascam US-122
or from Tascam's site...
Information from Tascam's site for US-122
That does look interesting. And for $199 a lot cheaper.
Bradley |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | PC recording is an alternative, but has it's own set of problems. Many of the recording programs are complex and the learning curve is pretty steep if you want to get the best out of them. Quality of the recording is ultimately down to the quality of the sound card and cheap cards sound cheap. Then there's the latency issue, which can be a major problem with cheaper cards & all but the fastest processors. The more processing in terms of dynamics, reverb etc you use, the greater the demands placed on the CPU, so if your computer isn't optimised for recording, or the machine isn't a dedicated music computer there's lots of opportunities for crashes and other frustrations.
So while it can be a great way to record, I think a stand-alone one-box digital studio may be a better bet for the novice, the occasional user or the computer illiterate. Having said that, if anyone wants some software to try, email me off the board. |
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August 2002
Posts: 623
Location: Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey | I bought a Zoom MRS1266 last November and it is simply INCREDIBLE!!! Granted, it costs $999 with cd burner built in, $799 w/o, but it is the best!!! They JUST came out with a scaled down version with less tracks for around $600 I think (w/cd). It's SOOO worth checking out.
The 1266 has 13 track, which includes a stereo drum track (touch senstive awesome programmable drum machine w/ real time/step input and like 50 great kits) a programmable bass track, 10 audio tracks, and stereo master. It also has amp modeling, a slew of effects, mastering effects, and after a lil messing around, it's simple to use. I'd recommend getting it with the cd...you can burn your songs immediately, or create data backups. You can also get a card to connect to your computer.
After years of recording on cassette format porta studios, this is HEAVEN. I LOVE IT! The technology for the money is beyond anything I imagined. My 8-track tascam cost me like $1200 in the early 90's, and this is light years beyond anything that could do, and cheaper! Well worth the investment.
Do you get the impression I like it?
Johnny |
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January 2003
Posts: 38
Location: Denver, Colorado | I actually have the BR 532. It's a great little recorder that is simple to use. No complicated procedures to confuse me. It's all out in front of you with lots of special effects if you want them. I use it all the time. In fact, I'm considering stepping up to the 8 track unit with built in cd burner when my rich uncle dies. Until then the BR 532 does the job extremely well. |
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March 2002
Posts: 15686
Location: SoCal | If I just want something easy to use to record some rhythm thracks so I can practice my meager lead abilities, what should I look for on ebay? |
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Location: NJ | Mickey Dolenz :D |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Or Karen Carpenter |
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January 2003
Posts: 1498
Location: San Bernardino, California | I've got a friend that really likes this software.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=030522235140198081026010601615/g=home/search/detail/base_id/56161
As to my own setup: I tend to modify almost everything I get, and I haven't been recording lately so I'm not up on the newest stuff. I just thought I'd throw in an alternative approach. |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Cakewalk (now called Sonar) is about the most user-friendly of all the serious recording packages. This particular one doesn't have as many bells & whistles as others, but it'll get the job done. |
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January 2003
Posts: 63
Location: Virginia | If you're looking for the best bang for your buck, check out the Fostex MR8. Digital 8 track recorder for $300 brand new. You won't see any on e-BAy, they're so hot the retailers can't keep them in stock. Transfer your data to the computer via USB. Use n-Track for mixing if you want, or just mix basic trax on the MR8 itself. It also has an internal mic, if you just want to do basic stuff and not get too technical. Great little machine!
bd |
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January 2003
Posts: 63
Location: Virginia | I also highly recommend this website:
http://www.homerecording.com
There is a link there to a BBS where all methods of recording and equipment are discussed. Over 10,000 members, very active board.
bd |
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Digital recorders
