|
|
Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 112
Location: WV | Hi guys,
I have been wanting to get a multi-track mixer for a while now. I would like to get one like the Boss BR-864 that has a built in drum machine and transfer/store to my laptop. Honestly I don't know a hell of a lot about the new digital mixers. I downloaded a demo of Cool Edit Pro and consider myself relatively computer savy. After an hour all I got was a headache. It seems like a pain in the a** to navigate. Any help you guys can give is, as always, appreciated. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | DAW's are much more versatile when it comes to mixing and editing but the learning curve is definely steeper.
I started out with a Korg D1600 and after about a year I decided that it was too limiting (based on my sorry ass playing that required many re-do's and overdubs). |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | For sketchbook work (right...ok, for overpriced headphone amp work), I have a Tascam PocketStudio5. My laptops and desktop all have Sonar 2 and 3 on them, for serious (right...) work. The nice thing about the Tascam, other than the relatively inexpensive price, is that it has a built in tone generator and pattern files (for backing tracks). It can also playback mp3 files as backing tracks. Very nice, but not designed for the same segment of the market as, say, the BR864.
T28 is right, the learning curve for Sonar is much steeper than it is for my PocketStudio. But, for finished quality, the Tascam just doesn't cut it...hence the sketchbook comment. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2004
Posts: 171
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma | I just bought a Kork D1200 to record on and I found a great website (Korgstudios.com) that is somewhat similar to this one.. (great advice)... I'd get online and google the brand name and the word advice... The questions and answers are direct and easily understood on the Korg site..... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 112
Location: WV | OK more questions. Cruster-Exactly what are tone generator and pattern file? For Balladeer-I have been checking out many of the advice forums and will head to the Korg site. I have picked up some useful information but a lot of it is technical and very manufacturer specific. In other words gibberish to me! I've found that a large number of people don't speak "Ovationese" like we do here! For Stephen-Err, no questions. But thanks for the input :)
As of right now I'm looking at the Boss 864 * Boss 532 * Fostex MB 8 and the Zoom MR 8. Oh yeh the Zoom PS 04 also. The Zoom PS 04 is a really cool and portable unit. OK gotta run now but BBL. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | A tone generator (TG) is a fancy name for a synthesizer unit. :) Well, sorta. Anyway, essentially what you have are pattern files, which are Tascam's proprietary format for 'triggering' the TG. Now, you can use their built in patterns, or, you can download standard MIDI files (SMF) to the unit and have *those* trigger the TG. Make sense?
I also looked at the MR8 and the PS04. Both seemed like nice units, but there weren't any 'communities' that I could find. The PocketStudio has a user group (sort of like the OFC, but not as active, although they do have 'projects' that everyone contributes to...http://ps5ug.proboards24.com/index.cgi). The support community was one of the reasons I went wtih the PS5...that and the MIDI playback thing, and some other reasons.
There are a lot of units out there, and there are some common functions/features, but they all have pros/cons. Good luck!! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 112
Location: WV | The Tascam PS 5 looks like a nice unit Cruster. I had skipped over it before because I didn't understand the proprietary language :(
Thanks for the info. Now back to the Bitch Tits........ |
|
| |
|
Joined:
October 2004
Posts: 48
Location: State College, PA | Began with "simulsync" on a Sony TC-540 in 1972.
Started bouncing tracks between revoxes & ampexes a couple years later.
Got a Tascam 244 Portastudio in 1981 (thereabouts).
Recently bought a Tascam 644 Midistudio on ebay to bring my ancient 244 masters back to life in preparation for moving onto digital.
As to digital platforms - I like the idea of audio on PCs just fine, and they certainly give you the horsepower, but I'm an old physical mixer kind of guy, so I felt pulled toward standalone unit(s) that I could pull files off of to master or to archive. Portablility of data's really important. The songs waaaaay outlive the medium (or the device). The time to plan for preservation is at the start of the project (whoops! There's the digital librarian talking...)
I was strongly considering Tascam's current 24 track machine and Fostex's 16 track, but after laying hands on the real things at a store I opted for the Korg D1600 Mk II. Its touchscreen made a big difference: these machines, as a group, have serious HCI issues (human-computer interaction), with ponderous menu structures or a tendency to group too many functions onto each physical control (putting you into mode-full purgatory). The touchscreen on the D1600 MkII is great - it beats the heck out of cursor controls and enter keys.
The D1600 Mk II can record at 16 bit or 24 bit (although at 24 bit, you're down to eight tracks, but hey, I could list some pretty good recordings that were done on eight tracks...(or, for that matter, some pretty good recordings that live at 16 bit depth)). It has reasonably good controls for those of us who started mixing before we had mice on our computers (or computers at all), and that's comforting...
Strongly agree with the earlier statement:
http://www.korgstudios.com is an exceptionally good site - perhaps good enough to swing a close decision between competing machines. Check it out. It's one of my daily visit sites, along with Ovation Fan Club.
While I was at it, I also bought a Fostex VM88 digital mixer and a Fostex D-90 (both on ebay) - to give me another place to bounce too, and to give me analog-in, digital out (SP/DIF and ADAT). That gives me a path from any analog format (still have those old quarter track and half-track stereo machines & tapes) onto a HD recorder (ADAT or SP/DIF), the Korg (SP/DIF), or a PC via sound card (ADAT or SP/DIF). It's nice having options.
Now all I need is just a little more time...
Michael |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 613
Location: Zion, Illinois | I started out with a Tascam 3340S + a Tascam 3300 for mixing down. Still have the 3300, lent the 3340S to a friend and have never seen him or the recorder since.
Gave up on music for a decade or so. Burnout at work suggested that I need a hobby, so back to music I went.
Had a Tascam Portastudio 7 for a while, but I wasn't happy with it. Sold it on EBay and picked up a Fostex X77. That was good for a while, but I decided to go digital.
Bought a Fostex VF-08. Lots of things I liked, lots of things I didn't like. Sold it on EBay and bought a Zoom MRS-802CD.
Easy to use, nice features like a built in drum machine + looping + 10 virtual tracks per track. The only thing I didn't like was I had a hard time getting a really clean sound out of. Room noise was driving me crazy (ok - crazier). I started looking for ways to improve my recording room when one day I ran across 3 part video about home recording put out by an acoustic guitar mag. They used Adobe Audition 1.5 to make a song. For room noise they recorded a few seconds of room noise, sampled it, the used the sample to remove the room noise from their song. I downloaded the demo, tried a quick recording using a Shure 57, did the remove room noise thing, added some reverb and WOW! I was very impress with the results. I bought Adobe Audition off of EBay for $150. I believe it was originally Cool Edit Pro, but I haven't had any problems navigating. |
|
| |
Multi-track Mixer/Recorder ????
