For anyone who’s been paying attention to my various ramblings, you might’ve seen that I’ve occasionally mentioned how much I loved the workflow of the sp808’s multitrack track functions. Mostly because of the way it let me cut, copy and paste all over the timeline.
I know with the prevalence of modern affordable daw software, the ability to do such things OTB is not such a big deal anymore. Yet we still occasionally see it in things such as the op1 and the akai force.
Unfortunately now that my wrist is fkd for the foreseeable future, the easy option of a daw has become significantly less easy and im iffy about using an ipad (or any touchscreen) for extended periods of time. Plus i really dig the hands on editing approach with actual knobs and buttons.
Sure, I could just get another sp808 but those Zip drive issues are a real pain; only ever had 1 out of 4 that didn’t have issues. Tascam dp series looked interesting but their track editing style doesn’t exactly tickle my fancy (edit: turns out it was exactly what I was after). Various software controllers could be an option (assuming they can do editing functions) but as a Reason (and sometimes Sonar) user, I suspect they might be be slim pickings.
So… any suggestions? Also curious about older and mostly forgotten gear, especially as to how well it’s held up over time.
Korg D3200 is one of the last of the big full-featured multitrackers and can probably be had pretty cheap now. They were about $1000 or more new I think and I got one several years ago for about $300. The small screen is a turnoff to many, so not sure if it’s something you would like. I ultimately sold mine for basically what I paid for it as it is just too large for my small space. I know of at least one fairly big artist here in Japan that still records albums on it now.
What is wrong with the tascam dp?
It is very easy to do editing on and I would think it is probably the best there is, since it is a current system… I edit on my dp32sd all day and find it very easy… Actually it was a big relief how easy it is because I feel that on past Roland things they made it so convoluted.
At the very other end of the spectrum, I really liked the Boss BR-80 for what it was. I think the Roland mastering algorithms are quite nice. I used to just record my Digitakt into that and run the mastering algorithm on it, and the levels were always perfect. It’s mainly designed for guitar players but I loved the size. If they ever made an updated version of that multitracker with quarter inch jacks, maybe the size of the small Tascam, I would be all over it. I’ve heard people say that Roland’s digital mutitracker mastering algorithms have a nice pseudo-tape sound. I’m not sure how true that is, but it sounds nicer than I would expect.
I’m sure it does its thing quite well. Not hating on it, just hoping for something similar to what I used to do.
What I really liked about the 808 was being able to move the cursor around and edit things graphically (worth looking at the manual to see what I mean). Kinda like the op1 tape machine.
Looking into other MTRs, from what I’ve been able to tell so far they all seem to fall towards editing via numerical entry (boss br series included). Some are more janky than others. But if numerical entry turns out to be my only option then there’s no reason why a DP couldn’t be a potential contender.
I have wrist trouble. Years ago I switched to using my left hand with a trackpad. It takes a day or two to get used to it, but it’s a lot easier than learning jazz chords on a guitar
I still have my BR-8 but as it has a zip drive, as @rex-mundii said that is a major pain. I always wished I could find a CF Card reader that it would work with.
Having been looking for the last couple of years, it does seem like the Tascam options are about it now. At least the model 12 (etc) have MIDI again.
Been trying to use a mouse left handed for the past few weeks and it’s been an absolute nightmare, even though I’m left handed! prolly something to do with it going against a lifetime of learned behaviour & fine motor skills.
Trackpad I can operate with LH easily enough but wrists always tended to ache after a while, regardless of hand. So trackball for LH might be a wee bit better.
With that being said, while not quite as fun as a new (or new 2nd hand) toy it’s prolly the cheapest & most sensible option. So definitely appreciate the suggestion.
Has anyone else ever managed to do it without issues? 808 can use a hard drive using the edirol A6 operating system but some of the functionality is removed; always hoped someone would find some other option. Can’t say i ever heard of people swapping out storage for other roland/boss gear like you can for some other gears (but to be fair I’ve never looked).
Actually have the mpc one and while it’s hella powerful with a lot of audio editing editing functionality, it’s still missing that overview that helps with the bigger picture when it comes to collaging sound. Even though I could prolly force myself to get comfortable with it, I’ve been planning on selling it for a while for money reasons; dragging my feet cos I hate the selling process.
I’d definitely jump straight on the force if I had the dollariedoos though. That arranger update looks perfect.
The large Tascam DP recorders do have a graphic editor that you can enable. You go into jog play and then you can use the jogwheel to set your marker points.
The only fiddly thing is that sometimes you need to try it a couple times to ensure there are no pops or clicks at the edit points(tip for other users, I find markers must be set to whole numbers to avoid this). With a ten level undo setting this is not a big issue as you just undo the edit and try again. Otherwise it works a treat!
Also you can edit on the track level or across the whole recording at once.
Just ordered a Kensington Expert trackball to use with my other hand. Perhaps a daw might still be the simplest option after all. Thanks for all your replies!
Remember finding one of them in a pawnbroker 10-15 years ago. Looked like it had been through the wars but was still one of the most exciting things I’d seen in a long time.
I might try a trackball for my left. I use the trackpad most of the time, but find it’s too slow and inaccurate for DAW use. I’m also considering a vertical mouse. I have a Wacom trackpad and pen, which is great, but there’s obviously no good way to park it without it falling over.
Yah, I’d seen the bit about using markers for setting IN and OUT points in the manual. Thought TO had to be entered numerically (looked everywhere for any mention of setting another marker) but turns out I’d overlooked the bit about it following the cursor.
Apologies to @Kja as it’s actually exactly the sort of thing I was looking for
