HELPPPP ! what are the simplest recording devices available ?

[Dr. Vic]

Hi guys,

I am looking for a simple device in order to :
- play some playbacks
- record myself (on a separate track from the playback or on the same track (overdub)

I am an absolute beginner in « home studio » and have absolutely NO IDEA of what solution exist and what product to choose.. :mrgreen:

I am NOT looking for a professionnal result at all : just wanting to practice at home on playback and record myself WITH EASE.


What are the different kind of solutions  available with their advantages and drawbacks ?

I am not sure to want plugging the guitar in the computer and dealing with tons of software to have a sound and to edit a track. : I want something very simple and direct to use while keeping the sound of my amplifier (which has a line out but no CD input (as a result it is not designed to play playback) : it's a Marshall DSL 401).


Any suggestion HIGHLY appreciated. HELPPPPP !  :drink:


Cheers !

[dheim]

boss micro BR... i can sell you mine, if you're interested... it's a simple multitrack digital recorder, has a line in, simple integrated distortion-effects and a drum machine if you just want to lay down some riff...
very nice, i bought it to use it in my girlfriend's house, but in the end i bought a laptop so i never really used it!

[AndyR]

I'd say Boss Micro BR as well - you can't have mine though :lol:

My wife got it for me for christmas, I was planning on using it as a "scratch pad" for getting quick ideas down instead of having to get the laptop and all it's gubbins going every time... but I've found it will do some INCREDIBLE things.

I've just spent all evening mixing and mastering guitar tracks for a little something I've been working on the last week or so (I'll be posting it when it's done... but that could be a while away, much vocals to add to it yet). I seem to have stopped using my laptop and Cakewalk for full projects in favour of this Boss thing - I think I like the discipline that its "limitations" force on you when you're trying to create something more spectacular.

However, although it does some crazy stuff as well, it's brilliant for what you want - you can play along with wavs or mp3s. You can quickly multitrack yourself. The "drum machine" is a collection of patterns organised by style - you can't edit them, you just use them to make drum arrangements, but it makes better drum parts than when I use a fullblown midi drum machine :lol:. It fits in your breast pocket, you can just plug your guitar straight into it and use the amp sims, but it also has stereo line ins for later. The onboard FX are stunning - I've just discovered the power of the "mastering tools" - I've just been using the presets up to now with my fingers crossed... And even the built in condensor mic isn't too bad (the guide vox on my current project were recorded with it, and they're almost usable as is...).

Admittedly I've been recording for a while, but I found it very easy to get to grips with - I did my first two verses of 12 bar in A (several guitars, bass, drums) by lunchtime on christmas day (and I was doing the cooking :lol:). It's definitely worth spending time with the manual and being a bit patient to start with. But once you get going, it's an amazing little tool to help your creativity.

... so in summary - I quite like it :D
Boss Micro BR - woo-hoo! :lol:

[gwEm]

i have a zoom mrs8 which i really like.

make sure you check the sample rate, resolution and compression technique of any device you are looking at.

[tomjackson]

I have a Boss Micro BR which I like but this would probably be simpler to use, I find the boss a bit fiddly even though it is great:-

http://www.tascam.com/products/dp-004.html

and don't worry about the sample rate, resolution or compression, for what you have described anything mentioned would be fine. 

[MDV]

Dictaphones.

But seriously

Standalone hard drive recorders are the simplest.

[dheim]

i don't know... i think that recording software is the simplest thing to use. after all you've got no visual limitation, and you can use a mouse to do things (and not scrolling menus)...

[gwEm]

and don't worry about the sample rate, resolution or compression, for what you have described anything mentioned would be fine. 

although several devices not mentioned wouldn't be - eg zoom mrs4

[tomjackson]

Do you mean that it would not be good enough for the following criteria:-

I am NOT looking for a professionnal result at all : just wanting to practice at home on playback and record myself WITH EASE.

I think the MRS4 would be great for just that!   I've been using one of them for years and had great results....

[gwEm]

Do you mean that it would not be good enough for the following criteria:-

I am NOT looking for a professionnal result at all : just wanting to practice at home on playback and record myself WITH EASE.

I think the MRS4 would be great for just that!   I've been using one of them for years and had great results....

yeah, but at some point that leads to wanting to make more semi-pro recordings, at least IMHO, it doesn't make much difference in price to get CD alike resolution. that tascam looks nice BTW

[Antag]

IMHO, don't go near anything that doesn't have a built in hard disk (consider 40GB a minimum) - you don't want to have to delete something you've spent time on in order to make room for something else.  Also, you really want something with a USB port then you can back up to PC.

I had a Boss 4-track that recorded to 256MB Smartmedia cards.  Even using the lowest of the 3 quality settings, if I recorded on all 4 tracks I could only get 3-4 songs on a card (none longer than 5 mins) :(

The TASCAM DP-02 is a great package.  8 tracks, 40Gb hard disk, even has phantom power if you wanted to record with a condenser.

[Dr. Vic]

Dictaphones. 

Another one-of-a-kind-logical-but-epic MDV input ! Don't point me to this because once you'll know how I did my last record, and when it was...you'll notice that the dictaphone will be more than what I could expect....

ANYWAY BACK TO TOPIC !!  :shock: :shock: :shock:



If I sum up your precious advices guys, I understand 3 solutions are available :

1/ using a standalone hard drive recorder : Like a Zoom H4 or something similar ? If yes, then this would not an answer for what I am looking for (hearing playback, playing and recording on 2 differents tracks).

2/ using a laptop and softwares : I guess with something like a Toneport or Vox Jam or something similar (but not sure if it was what you were thinking of though)....But I still think I would prefer something more direct and immediate to use than a computer.

3/ a mini studio recording is the solution you seem to advise here for me. I noticed you could classify them in 3 different categories :
simple : Boss Micro BR / Tascam DP004 / Zoom MRS-4
intermediate : Zoom MRS-8
advanced : Tascam DP 02 (Antag do you make your own clips with this one ?)  :D :D


 :oops: AND NOW .... TONS OF SILLY QUESTIONS CAME TO MIND !!  :oops:

Do you plug the mini studio directly in your hifi system or do you advise to plug it in some active monitoring ?
Which of the above are CD alike resolution and which are not ?
What is a « sample rate » ? Which compression technique are best and which one are to avoid ?
What is a phantom power used for exactely, when you play guitar at home ?

Will the line out of my amp give good result or do you advise to use a microphone in front of it ? And are the built in guitar simulation of boss (COSM) and Zoom good enough ? What about the tascam ? (Still wanting to keep the sound of my amplifier, but just in case...)

Are the built in drums / bass sampler good enough, or is it just something useless (especially in the Zoom and Boss).
 
What's more I forgot to say that I want the machine able to slow down the tempo of playbacks, at any rate (for practicing and building speed). Which one has this option ? Any other recommendation ?

I have just noticed the Zoom HD8 CD. Is it as good as the DP 02 (if the DP 02 dosn't have the time stretch option), and still simple to use ?

Many thanks for all your help !   :japon:

[Bradock PI]

I purchased a BOSS BR600 for a friend and that was great totally portable and easy to use, as long as you have a few 1Gb CF cards you can fit a lot on them and they are tough you can have a studio in your gig bag.

The hard disk systems are a better option for use at home CF/SD if you want to carry it around.

[dheim]

What's more I forgot to say that I want the machine able to slow down the tempo of playbacks, at any rate (for practicing and building speed). Which one has this option ? Any other recommendation ?

i'm surely wrong, but i suspect that this feature belongs just to recording software, i don't think that a simple multitrack recorder can do it (without pitch changes, of course!)

[MDV]

What's more I forgot to say that I want the machine able to slow down the tempo of playbacks, at any rate (for practicing and building speed). Which one has this option ? Any other recommendation ?

i'm surely wrong, but i suspect that this feature belongs just to recording software, i don't think that a simple multitrack recorder can do it (without pitch changes, of course!)

Correct