Tascam US-122 or analog 4 track??

[Mr Joad]

Hi!

I have always wanted a 4 track recorder. I found one, a yamaha MT400 for 150€. Today I saw a tascam US-122 for the same amount of money. I also bought a good computer 5 months ago. Wich should I go for? I don´t have any problem if the 4 track has som noise and the digital not..Perhaps is the tascam more verstile but something says me the analog is more simple and will be used more? What do you guys think? I´m confused :?

[J-man]

I'd recommend rather than buying an "all in one" you bought a good microphone, a little mixing desk, and got a good piece of recording software (there are plenty going for free).

While it's a little extra effort, it won't cost you much, and you'll be MUCH happier with the recording quality.

[Mr Joad]

I see..I have a good mic, and if i buy a little mixer I can connect it to the computer via the soundcard? just like that? Sorry for my stupid questions new to these kind of things

[J-man]

Yup, that should work fine, you say you have a fairly new computer, so I'd assume your soundcard is up to the task. :)

[Mr Joad]

I hope so. It is a creative sound blaster live 24bit..not a standard but certainly not expensive.

[The Actionman]

...could be the killer on the computer route.
Check the bit-rate transfer requirements of the softwares you look into to make sure your card can truly handle it.
I thought I had plenty of horsepower to run Reason 2.0, but crashed that sucker everytime I got more than 3 track rolling. Really bummed me out...

The other issue will be when mastering and having your hard drive up to speed and not have a buffer overrun.

The simpler the program the better your chances are of avoiding these kinds of computer recording pitfalls.

I've been trying to figure out the same for over a year and haven't made up my mind. But if I had the extra getus, I'd pop for one of the all in one digital machines with the HD already in it...no muss, no fuss and I can dump the master down to CD on my computer and start over.
Just my .02

[Mr Joad]

Your right actionman..I cannot afford it today but maybe next summer I get myself the tascam 2488..THAT´s what I want. I think I will settle for an old tascam 244 for 50€ for now. I have read about so much truble with computer failures and I really hate when it happens so maybe I´m not ready for it just yet :D ? I can use a computer but I like when things are simple..

Thank you J-man and actionman for your inputs! I´m a little wiser again

[fezz parka]

The soundcard you have will be fine. Get a cheap mixer like a $39.00 Behringer, a couple of RCA (or 1/4") to stereo 1/8" mini phone plug Y cables and KrystalAudio engine multitrack software (it's freeware) and you're good to go...

[Mr Joad]

That sounds good too (and simple)..gotta do that and see what happens :D

[DlxNashvilleLuvr]

Eh...plugging a mixer into a soundcard is going to be good enough if your standards are...low. For about $120 U.S. you can get Cakewalk Home Studio, which I think is now called Sonar Home Studio. Fantastic program that makes as many tracks as you want. I run it on a plain Compaq Presario with no problems. My results are often near professional, and if I knew what I was doing I'm sure they would be even better! Plus you can download all kinds of FREE recreations of vintage studio effects! It's AWESOME! I'm going to go play with it now...

[telel6s]

I've been dealing with this same issue for a couple years.....so much so that I've bought absolutely nothing.

If all you want out of your recording is a basic scratch-pad, I'd say go find a used cassette 4-track. I'm still using a 15 year old Tascam for this sort of thing. I can record 2 channels at a time, bounce 3 channels down to the fourth, play the whole thing back. It also works nice for recording a group practice.....just set up two mics and hit record.

I have also mixed down the 4 tracks to my computer using just the plane-jane sound card. It gives me a stereo WAV file. I ran a program I have (can't think of the name) that does basic removal of hiss, hum, clicks, etc. and can add a little compression, reverb, leveling. (It's really designed for recording vinyl albums into digital). The results are perfectly reasonable for making a demo to show other people your song or just for your own library. (Sample)

On the otherhand, if you plan on having a go at making better quality demos or even CD release quality material, then definitely go for a computer-based. I've heard good things about the Tascam U122. Alesis has also just come out with a small mixing board (8 channels) that will send a stereo signal via USB to a computer.

[fezz parka]

Originally Posted by DlxNashvilleLuvr

Eh...plugging a mixer into a soundcard is going to be good enough if your standards are...low.

No, the SB Live is just fine for recording. All of these were done with a Mackie 1202 into a SBLive card: Fezz Tunes.

My standards aren't low. A good recording consists of a good arrangement, well played and well recorded. Even now in this digital environment, what you play and how you play it is 1,000 times more important to how your record sounds than what you recorded it with.:D

[Ignatius]

Originally Posted by DlxNashvilleLuvr

Eh...plugging a mixer into a soundcard is going to be good enough if your standards are...low. For about $120 U.S. you can get Cakewalk Home Studio, which I think is now called Sonar Home Studio. Fantastic program that makes as many tracks as you want. I run it on a plain Compaq Presario with no problems. My results are often near professional, and if I knew what I was doing I'm sure they would be even better! Plus you can download all kinds of FREE recreations of vintage studio effects! It's AWESOME! I'm going to go play with it now...

With all due respect, this advice is kind of meaningless, unless I'm misunderstanding what your were trying to convey here. The software being used, whether it is Cakewalk or any other reputable digital recording software, has nothing to do with the sound quality he'd get from plugging an inexpensive mixer into his Soundblaster sound card. Granted, there may be very subtle sound quality differences that can be attributed to how a sound engine is implemented in the software, but we're talking VERY subtle as in imperceptible.

1. You need software. Cakewalk is fine. So is N-Tracks and a whole bunch of other stuff. Search the posts here and on other boards to see what works for other people and what fits your need and budget.
2. You need a soundcard. Lots and lots of people record very respectable demos with Soundblasters. They are not "the best", but it will get you started.
3. A $39 Behringer mixer will get you started.

My advice, if you want to explore the computer recording route, is to spend very little. You may find that there will be limitations in the number of tracks you can record, etc., but you will absolutely have more power and flexibility compared to a 4-track - but possibly at the expense of spontaneity and portability.

Good luck.

[J-man]

Originally Posted by DlxNashvilleLuvr

Eh...plugging a mixer into a soundcard is going to be good enough if your standards are...low. For about $120 U.S. you can get Cakewalk Home Studio, which I think is now called Sonar Home Studio. Fantastic program that makes as many tracks as you want. I run it on a plain Compaq Presario with no problems. My results are often near professional, and if I knew what I was doing I'm sure they would be even better! Plus you can download all kinds of FREE recreations of vintage studio effects! It's AWESOME! I'm going to go play with it now...

If I understand what you're saying correctly, your process still requires the use of the soundcard...