Multi-Track Recorder what do you use?

Jon9 · 2013-08-24T02:25:44.000Z

Isn’t it funny Dreammer how it doesn’t matter what we create we have a signature sound. An element that’s always me or you. Whether conscious or subconscious it’s there. The same goes for video too. We have a certain production style. When I got my camcorder I looked at Sony Vegas but I liked what Adobe had on offer. I like incorporating still images, graphics, animations and what not and Adobe at the time had a great bundle deal and I had the money. Adobe now have changed their licensing to a subscription based system where you get all their products for a monthly fee. So to enter Adobe now is as cheap as chips however you don’t own the license. Where as I own CS6 Premium Production but I payed a shit load for that but I’ll always have it.

Jon9 · 2013-08-24T02:47:06.000Z

""the_dreammer"":

[quote=“Daisuk”]I’d just like to know why people prefered it to a computer

the other thing is… you can go from left to right, or right to left… start with the end. end with the beginning… as long as your cpu doesnt run out and you have to freeze stuff, “everything” is very fluid… this is nice… but its also very produced… (and i wouldnt be able to do some ideas without it)
[/quote]

I’d like to add to this and agree with what Dreammer is saying. Having come out of a Pro Tools environment most approaches are non-destructive, you can vary pitch, length and time and this is audio, we haven’t touched MIDI. All these techniques makes you very indecisive. What’s working one day can be changed the next. Ultimately you don’t achieve your goal. It becomes stale, sterile and mechanical. What goes in isn’t always what comes out. DAW’s can polish turds.

the_dreammer · 2013-08-24T13:53:22.000Z

""Jon9"":

Isn’t it funny Dreammer how it doesn’t matter what we create we have a signature sound. An element that’s always me or you. Whether conscious or subconscious it’s there. The same goes for video too. We have a certain production style. When I got my camcorder I looked at Sony Vegas but I liked what Adobe had on offer. I like incorporating still images, graphics, animations and what not and Adobe at the time had a great bundle deal and I had the money. Adobe now have changed their licensing to a subscription based system where you get all their products for a monthly fee. So to enter Adobe now is as cheap as chips however you don’t own the license. Where as I own CS6 Premium Production but I payed a shit load for that but I’ll always have it.

I think, that if you try to make something… u use your own experiences as “a tool” a way to visualize stuff… when i was younger… hightec ultra hd super crispy wasnt available in nothing… So everything had this corny raw edge to it… So yeah, i think you can taste this in “my style” … in my first clippies and stuff i even used the same resolutions and all that… but that just look old and crappy… so i did upgrade resolution and added some hightec crispyness… enough to make it look “now” but not enough to loose that “rawness” … or atleast thats the goal So think a bit MTV-partyzone / MTV-chillout zone… (kids, who are reading this… there was a time where MTV actually broadcasted music… and was considered hip trendy and cool)

Sony vegas was basicly my choice, because there was some time i used sony acid as a compositiontool… so it was easy to translate my music-knowledge into videoknowledge
there was no difrence between using a piece of audio and mix it with another using automation+fx
or mixing pieces of videos with automation+fx … I didnt understand adobe… it was to “video-oriented” back in the days i knew little to nothing… Now I know some, so i might understand adobe… but why teach old dog new tricks… happy as a clam now (well not exactly. my render pc broke… but when i got budget again

I am not sure, i am a fan of subscription-based software… here is the deal:
I pay for software… and i do expect it to be “relatively bugfree” … so yeah some patches/fixes are nice… makes me feel taken seriously by the coders/compagny…
If that compagny makes a really big improvement… call it a new version.
if i had enough updates, and i feel your making me a better “toy to play with” and I am not broke.
YES i will buy the new version… so if they work hard enough… I will keep spending my money…

I fear, that with a subscription-based software… I keep on paying… for something they keep bugfree (they have to, else their customers leave quicker) and they say to roll out big improvements quicker… so there is more innovation and all that… because they dont have to wait for a “new version” but is this really so?? and will my workflow stay intact during the subscription?

I can upgrade blender for free (hooray for opensource) but sometimes they changed something i had to relearn… so it was in my best interest, to NOT upgrade, untill I was done with my stuff…

So I think i understand why adobe likes to give up subscriptions (less pirating, more steady cashflow… less deadlines… less overhead in packaging and all that) but I fear (this is a feeling, not something i can easily proove) it gives me less controll in how i use my stuff… (and thats the point. you didnt buy it… so it isnt your stuff)

Jon9 · 2013-08-24T21:54:00.000Z

When you brought up high-tec ultra hd super crispy I thought to myself, Dreammer, that is exactly the transition I’m in at the moment but in reverse. I’m downgrading my high-tec crispiness for an older style sound to gain that rawness without loosing too much quality. The same can be said for my video projects, high-tec digital high definition crispiness downgraded to look older, noisier, darker in terms of shade without losing quality. I was watching the Dave Grohl - Sound City documentary the other night and the premiss of the documentary was about the very subject of this thread, feel. Feel is being human, being human is to make mistakes, mistakes that shouldn’t be corrected because it loses the feel. Sound and vision is about feel. We’re not mechanical animals.

Ummm subscription-based licensing. I have to admit I did have my reservations. One fundamental question I asked first was if I brought a subscription would I surrender my perpetual license. Adobe said no, so I said you have a deal. Because Adobe have the market cornered. They have the tools. Previously Adobe divided the tools under a perpetual licensing model. How about instead of dividing the tools, we offer you all the tools under a subscription licensing model? Analogue time, Elektron sells four machines under a perpetual licensing model but you can only afford to purchase one machine, so you buy an Octatrack, that’s now yours for an eternity. You’ve grown to love your Octatrack and in turn Elektron but Elektron switches business models and now offers a subscription licensing model. That is, if you pay a monthly membership fee Elektron allows you to have all their machines. An Octatrack which you own but you also get an Analog Four, Machinedrum and a Monomachine. Is that a deal? Sure you can leave. But I love my Octatrack, I don’t want to leave. I wander what those other machines are like? If they’re any thing like the Octatrack they are going to be brilliant. Ahhh… snookered.

traxx.space · 2013-09-06T01:48:14.000Z

I have a mackie sdr 24/96. It’s a 24 I/O standalone unit. Similar to the MDR and HDR. It saves to an HD and saves the files as .wav. Perfect for mixing later on. You can do up to 24 tracks at 24/96.

Jon9 · 2013-09-08T05:03:49.000Z

""ricklaw"":

I have a mackie sdr 24/96. It’s a 24 I/O standalone unit. Similar to the MDR and HDR. It saves to an HD and saves the files as .wav. Perfect for mixing later on. You can do up to 24 tracks at 24/96.

Hey ricklaw, nice one, that’s one step away from a DAW.

nedavine · 2013-11-08T13:23:09.000Z

Hey is anyone using the Zoom R16? found one mega cheap. Was gonna get a H4N but this thing can run on batteries and might be more useful at home.

GovernorSilver · 2013-11-08T18:34:04.000Z

I have a Tascam DP-004 but never use it anymore. There were some UI features that were unfriendly to me, but I forgot exactly what. It had something to do with either bouncing tracks to a master mix and/or exporting the mix track to computer so I could upload it or email it or whatever.

I was just told at the Apple Store that my 2007 Macbook Pro is about to “go vintage” - which means they won’t do repairs on it anymore after a couple of months. That’s a bit scary as that laptop is my main multi-track recording machine. I have Logic and Live on it, but prefer Live. The speakers stopped working on the laptop and the headphone out stopped working a month ago. Fortunately, I can still listen to audio by plugging in my USB headset. Still, the end is in sight for this laptop.

Thus, I’m now thinking about trying the hardware multitrack recorder route again. We obviously have someone here whose hardware recorder (his Yamaha) is likely outlive my laptop. Those Zoom R-series units look good for the price. I still have the following concerns about switching from Live to hardware recorder:

Ease of editing audio. I don’t mean “fixing mistakes” where I screw up a guitar part or something. I just mean deleting selected portions of a track when necessary.
Ease of importing audio. In Live it’s as easy as dragging and dropping a WAV file or something into a selected audio track.
Ease of bouncing to master mix.
Ease of exporting mix to computer.

As I said, #3 and#4 above were problems for me with the Tascam.

KrisM · 2013-11-08T19:22:00.000Z

Tascam 488 mkII

Yeah, I can run through my RME Babyface into Live 9 or Studio One 2, but it’s also very satisfying from time to time to just sit there with an old cassette recorder and mixer and jam out.

tjebbestorm · 2013-11-09T00:55:41.000Z

Since my pc and laptop died I use the Octatrack works great

thermionic · 2021-06-19T02:19:34.084Z

Necro-bump, I’m on a computer so much that I mostly noodle around on my analog mixer, never recording anything.

This is silly, and I know I’m missing out on some good jams.

What is a good, high quality ($500-2k range?) way to record digitally, decent converters and quick workflow with emphasis on workflow and convenience, the stuff I record is better than the nothing I haven’t!)

Loop-based editing would be cool, but ease of recording is priority, I can always throw my stems into Ableton eventually so long as I’ve got source material.

Edit: Seems the internet is suggesting Zoom 8n or MixPre10 II? Are there any other portable recorders I ought to consider?

reeloy · 2021-06-19T06:26:50.599Z

…necro bump…?..cool creation…

for multitracking outside of a daw, i got this in use…

Musikhaus Thomann

Allen & Heath Qu-PAC

Digital Mixer For use live and in studios, as well as for installations, 16 Mono XLR/combi-jack inputs with AnaLOGIQ preamps, Qu-32 core on the inside means that together with optional digital stage speakers, up to 32 inputs can be extended, 3...

but puh…don’t watch the actual pricetag in euros…brexit made it jump up the ladder quite a bit…

but this thing is THE solution for bridging any gap between stage and studio…
a hardware recorder, an interface, a serious live mixer with lots of monitoring and group bus sub mix options…a rocksolid halfplayback player…
and the biggest bang for any buck if it comes to converters, their quality and their count in numbers…

don’t go for zoom…they’re great in field recorders…but all the rest is pretty obvious headheavy and lowprice segment…

another option might be tascams model mixer/interface/standalone recorder series…

Dymaxion · 2021-06-19T07:51:56.540Z

Sound Devices are basically king if you’re looking at quality recorders, but the Zooms are entirely workable too. Not a ton of editing onboard, but basic takes functionality — look at their music firmware. How many channels do you need?

thermionic · 2021-06-19T16:43:45.154Z

6 is probably ideal for simultaneous recording, can always bounce down using an analog mixer.

Thanks for the opinions!

The QU-PAC looks interesting, I wonder how the converters would compare to my Apogee element 88 interface (i could sell it to fund if comparable and works well enough on an older Macbook.)

acidk · 2021-06-19T17:04:31.290Z

1010 Bluebox - love it!

GovernorSilver · 2021-06-19T18:05:28.728Z

I’m currently look at Zoom H6, since I don’t have, well, a handy recorder for recording in the field, live shows, band rehearsals, etc. I like the interchangeable mic capsules, 6-track recording, etc.

This bundle deal looks pretty good

The Teds Store

Zoom F1-LP 2-Input / 2-Track Portable Digital Handy Multitrack Field Recorder...

While the original gray H6 is bundled with two mic capsules and premium accessories, the Zoom H6 All Black portable handheld recorder features a sleek black finish and a single mic capsule, making ideal for bands, multi-instrumentalists, and...

Price: USD 169.99

thermionic · 2021-06-19T18:10:45.868Z

acidk:

1010 Bluebox - love it!

Interesting, thank you!

That sounds as if it might get me where I want to be, can I overdub or nudge tracks easily?

It’d be ideal if it could record in loops and beatmatch, but some basic editing and punch-in functionality would be cool. Wish the Blackbox had more simultaneous ins!

acidk · 2021-06-20T19:50:31.534Z

Honestly - I don’t know if overdubbing is possible.
I am using the device as a mixer with cool recording options.

If you are looking for loops and beat matching options - OT or 1010 blackbox might be the better choice!

cixelsyd · 2021-06-20T22:24:40.997Z

I use a vs2480 for multi tracking and an mv8800 for sequencing. They sync vis mtc over the rbus connection. It’s been rock solid to date. I’ve just bought a cf reader to replace my HD on the vs and I’ve also bought an external scsi2sd drive as well. I haven’t installed these yet but I’m hoping everything will be easy.

NickD · 2021-06-21T10:41:00.477Z

The most reliable multitrack I’ve owned has been the Yamaha AW16G - it stays in sync over MIDI and records simultaneous inputs fine, which is a small list of requirements but seemingly not always easy to achieve (and until recently, multitrack designers seemed to be boycotting MIDI altogether). It’s a bit of a clunker, though, and exporting tracks to CD-ROM is a futuristic convenience that’s turned into a logistical stone-age headache.

What’s particularly useful about it nowadays is that if a modern synth or device seems to have an unnecessarily complicated UI, you can fire up the AW16G and remind yourself that things could always be worse.