Whats the best cheapest digital multitrack for guitar?

[Slobrain]

Hey Ampagers,
I wanted to ask if any one could recommend a cheap but good quality digital multi track recorder with a good drum machine?

I want to get back into playing again and need inspiration and practicing my chops, especially leads against rhythms as after this last two years my playing went to the dogs...Who let the dogs out...LOL..

Anyway I hope some one here can help on this problem.
Thanks
SLO

[Amp Kat]

Glad to see you getting back to it. You can get back into playing shape in a couple of months. IMHO I would go to computer recording and the reason why is everything is going that way and the multimedia support is fantastic and new products are coming out every day. If you get a standalone digital recorder you'll be stuck in it's realm forever hold your peace. You can get a nice e-machine computer with enough hardrive space and memory for about 3 to 4 hundred $'s then I can send you a copy of Cubase SX and then load Drum Agent and you you'll need a interface usb box like a M-Audio Mobile or whichever and you have unlimited tracks available to use. You can download lots of free programs on the internet and use a keyboard controller to run MIDI VSTI's plugins to get any synth,strings,hammonds,ect..... Hey I'm as analog as they get but the technology and support of Digital Computer Recording is just too good to pass up and it forced me to go to it allthough I really didn't want to but glad I did. Let me know and I'll help you all I can after all, you helped me with an SLO and it's still a helleva amp. Sooner or later your going to have to switch over to Computer Recording and the sooner the better SLObrain

[Amp Kat]

I guess that's not the answer you were looking for ey ! Doh

[Slobrain]

Hey Kerry,
Glad to hear from ya. How’s that SLO coming along? Any new mods?

Sorry I didn't reply back but things have been a bit crazy since I posted last.

Thanks for the really good info on the PC based recording. The problem I have is no room in my very very small area to do recording in as well as no PC in there.
The small and I mean (small) room I had to do any recording and playing got half absorbed up with a treadmill and some other household stuff that my wife didn't want in the other parts of the house.

Left me with only a few feet of floor space to have any guitar gear too.

Lately I've sold of a bunch of guitar stuff just to get my car repaired and to free up space in that darned small room.

The PC base recording would be the ideal way to go as I need to have rhythm tracks to play against but finding a decent small recorder to plug into a stereo is my only way to fit into the crammed space left for guitar. LOL...

I'm sure you know what I mean. How’s the PC stuff you use in sound?
I used to have a tascam porta 7 but it wasn't very good for much other than a decent scratch pad but sold that years ago and never had a chance to look into the cheap small digital machines on the market.

How’s things going there in LA?

Have a good one

SLO...

[Amp Kat]

Hey Kerry,
How’s that SLO coming along? Any new mods?

How’s things going there in LA?

Have a good one

SLO...

I knew that would get you to reply

You may be able to get a Tascam DP-01, The ZOOM MRS-8 or something like a Fostex MR-8 mk II for around $300. Of course you also know ebay may be your next option to pick up something cheaper. I can tell you that the Roland products are probably the best bang for the buck as far as what you get for what you pay but may be to big for your area but maybe not. I love the VS-8?? series but I just need more tracks you know. Anyway that's my $.002 on it.

An SLO is rocking like a big dog. You know I did all kinds of mods to that thing and after all said and done I realized that it is what it is and the topology is set up to sound like an SLO so I changed everything back to stock and as of now my friend is using it in his band Soundview and they just love this thing and get tons of complements. I did put a 5 volt DC box mounted to the rear and feed a 5 volt dc power plug to run the LDR's so theirs no tranny inside the chassic creating hum and I went to (2) KT-88's and it smokes. LA is very packed or at least B.R is and the traffic sucks tstl mostly from Katrina but on a good note LSU did well in the sugar and no matter what happens to the Saints they have by far exceeded my expectations so that's a good thing. If you need any help with anything let me know and hold down the fort over there. Texas needs you !

[Steve A.]

Hey Ampagers,
I wanted to ask if any one could recommend a cheap but good quality digital multi track recorder with a good drum machine?

I want to get back into playing again and need inspiration and practicing my chops, especially leads against rhythms as after this last two years my playing went to the dogs...Who let the dogs out...LOL..

Anyway I hope some one here can help on this problem.
Thanks
SLO

In reading the other posts here, your solution might be a combination of the two, if you get a digital multitrack that can send the tracks over to your computer for editing. For portability, nothing beats a dedicated multitrack for recording, but IMO they really suck when it comes to editing. I've had several computer-based hard disk recorders and they were always screwing up- adding pops and clicks to the recorded tracks, at least when they weren't actually locking up. Take a look at the support forums and unless your computer is 100& compatible you might have a lot of problems getting it to run properly.

However, a lot of the dedicated multi-tracks use a proprietary format for the files and you really DON'T want to record them on your computer in real time, one track at a time.

A USB or Firewire connection is one option; another would be if the recorder has a CD burner and you can copy the files (in WAV format) to the cdrs.

Steve Ahola

P.S. Some people actually LIKE editing their tracks on a Roland dedicated recorder, but not me!

[david2]

I've tried a bunch of different options from reel to reel, cassette multi track, The Fostex MR8 with a drum machine, several different pc software. It all left me unsatified till i found the Line 6 Tone port and the Riffworks software. It's easy to use and sounds great. They have awsome drum tracks and endless amp models. They have a free trial version. www.sonomawireworks.com

[sportster4eva]

A friend of mine just got one of these. This thing is incredible for the price.

http://www.rolandus.com/products/pro...x?ObjectId=818

[Slobrain]

Fellas, Thanks for the great info, looks like i'm gonna have some different things to look at now.
That Micro BR looks cool. Man, I bet if I opened it up, the electronics would be so small I couldn't even see them with my bad eyes...

The line 6 stuff is really cool too.

Thanks again

SLO

[313ryans]

If you use a laptop, and have a good mixer or interface...Tracktion is a great mac/pc multitrack/vst host. Way better than any freeware host.

It is cheap and easy to learn, but you would have to build your own sample bank for the drum kit. I am sure you could download a few drum kits, but I like to build my own anyways.

It may have limitations when compared to Cubase/Protools...but if you are either saavy or don't need bells and whistles, you can't go wrong.

[Steve A.]

If you use a laptop, and have a good mixer or interface...Tracktion is a great mac/pc multitrack/vst host. Way better than any freeware host.

It is cheap and easy to learn, but you would have to build your own sample bank for the drum kit. I am sure you could download a few drum kits, but I like to build my own anyways.

It may have limitations when compared to Cubase/Protools...but if you are either saavy or don't need bells and whistles, you can't go wrong.

So what you recommend as an interface for a laptop computer? Something that goes through the USB 2.0 or Firewire port, or one of those PC Cards (aka PCMIA cards).

FWIW I've been thinking of getting one of the DigiDesign boxes- either the $300 or $450 one- mainly because it comes with Pro Tools LE. (I heard that the M-Powered Pro Tools that works with certain M-Audio products is very limited- and I believe it also requires a hardware dongle so you rarely find, er, *special* versions of the program on-line... ) The rational behind that is that if I learned how to use Pro Tools it would be a marketable skill (at least compared to using Cool Edit Pro )

Thanks!

Steve Ahola

[313ryans]

I just use a simple USB 2.0 MIDI port for my hardware synth/samplers...and a modified Audigy 2zs/Audigy 1 setup with a combo of Creative software and 3rd party freeware for Soundblaster cards, called the KX project (For my desktop)...my laptop died a while back, but the KX drivers work on anything with Soundblaster/Audigy soundcards.

You just want to look into latency on USB/Firewire/Cards...last I heard, USB had the fewest problems. My Audigy cards have firewire capability, but I have never really tested it. I just stick with the USB.

The KX project helps turn the average soundblaster card into a music production interface vs. the video game implement it it sold as. It has a steep learning curve though.

Tracktion is way easier for novice PC multitrack/VST users. I have not checked out Tracktion3 which looks much more pro. It cost $250 and comes with drum kit presets, etc. I am not a novice (I beta tested the 1st PC version of Cubase way back when) but I am on a budget and like Tracktion.

But Protools looks better on a resume.

I don't like the M-Audio boxes...they are toys, not a setup a pro would rely on. I know nothing about the Digidesign boxes, but those products generally try to sell you stuff you don't need and try to be everything all at once...yet fall short of basic needs, Like good sound and easy interface. Just keep it as simple as possible and you will run into fewer problems.

[Steve A.]

...
But Protools looks better on a resume.

I don't like the M-Audio boxes...they are toys, not a setup a pro would rely on. I know nothing about the Digidesign boxes, but those products generally try to sell you stuff you don't need and try to be everything all at once...yet fall short of basic needs, Like good sound and easy interface. Just keep it as simple as possible and you will run into fewer problems.

Actually I have other hardware that I use for recording tracks. I want to learn to edit with Pro Tools, but I think you need the hardware before you can install the software...

I don't record MIDI instruments so that's not a requirement for me.

Thanks!

Steve Ahola

[313ryans]

Actually I have other hardware that I use for recording tracks. I want to learn to edit with Pro Tools, but I think you need the hardware before you can install the software...

I don't record MIDI instruments so that's not a requirement for me.

Thanks!

Steve Ahola

All you need is the Protools software and a way to get your tracks into your PC. A simple external or internal soundcard does the trick.

[Steve Conner]

I've heard that you can get those so-called *special* versions of Pro Tools LE 6 to to work with M-Audio hardware, like the Delta 1010 (don't ask how I know this)

I don't know how this translates to other hardware than M-Audio (which I like: I don't care if people call it a toy, it's great value for money and works with Linux)

The Pro Tools that comes bundled with the MBox is AFAIK the same as what they sell as Pro Tools M-Powered: the limitation in either case is 32 tracks. A friend of mine has the MBox 2, and it seems to work well: we've used it to track guitars and bass for a multitrack recording project. We just hired a practice space and took the amps, a pair of cans, a SM57, a laptop and the MBox in there for an afternoon, much cheaper than hiring a studio. (The drums, and guide tracks of everything else, were previously recorded on Pro Tools in a real studio. This is one advantage of PT, it seems to be almost an industry standard.)

The guts of the MBox 2 are made by Focusrite AFAIK, and it works fine as an ASIO soundcard with other audio software: it's not tied to Pro Tools. The only strange thing is that it appears to be USB 1.1!