Basic 8 track home recorders

[Casey H]

Hi About 2 years ago, for $400, I bought a Roland BOSS BR-864 8 track. It's a nice machine with a lot of features. I only need something for very basic recording to lay down a rough guitar and vocal to give to a producer to use to make a demo. I like that it has some built in drum beats to help this timing-challenged boy attempt to keep time.Question: I find the user interface on it very clunky and hard to use. I eventually get it to do what I want by reading the manual and going through some pain, but it's very non-intuitive IMHO... and I'm a computer guy. Does anyone know if competitor models such as by TASCAM are easier to use? The TASCAM units look pretty much the same, so I wonder.BTW, next time I'd get one with a built in CD burner! Casey

[nomiyah]

The Tascams work good. Up until recently I was an Akai girl. First I had the DPS 8 track then the 16 track. Absolutely yes on the built-in CD feature!!!!BTW, my first studio was a Tascam PortaStudio. Remember them? It was a 4 track cassette recorder. I bounced the tracks back and forth to make about 12. Back before CDs even existed. I started my studio in 1986, shows how long it takes to learn music... it takes a lifetime!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Casey H]

Quote:The Tascams work good. Up until recently I was an Akai girl. First I had the DPS 8 track then the 16 track. Absolutely yes on the built-in CD feature!!!!BTW, my first studio was a Tascam PortaStudio. Remember them? It was a 4 track cassette recorder. I bounced the tracks back and forth to make about 12. Back before CDs even existed. I started my studio in 1986, shows how long it takes to learn music... it takes a lifetime!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Hi Nomi!!Thanks, as always, for the quick reply. I still have that Tascam cassette-based unit ($99!) in my basement. If it wasn't for it using cassette instead of electronic storage, I probably wouldn't have bought anything else for the simple stuff I do! My question is: Does anyone know if the Tascam units have a more friendly user interface than the Roland ones? There is one for about $600 that includes the CD-RW and advertises to be much simpler to use. The only thing the Tascam appears to be missing that the Roland has, it built in drum beats as opposed to only a metronome. Bear in mind, I will only be doing very basic stuff: multi-channel recording (usually 2-4 channels at most), quick mix-down, and transfer to my PC as mp3 or wav for storage and email. I am not looking to create my own home studio, given my level of performing talent-- just a way to get my ideas down as a template for a demo producer.P.S. Anyone looking to buy a slightly used BOSS BR-864?You guys rock! I hope Santa or Hanukah Harry bring you all good stuff this year! Casey

[matto]

Casey I haven't used either unit, but going by my relatively extensive background using recording gear...I would think much of that "easy to use" thing is subjective. I'm sure Roland didn't set out to bulid a confusing unit , so I think it's more down to finding something that makes the most sense to *you*...and the only way you could really evalute that type of thing is by having the unit demoed for you at a music store.Btw since you're a "computer guy", is there any particular reason why you don't want to get an inexpensive audio interface? Usually those come bundeled with entry level recording software such as Cubase LE or Tracktion, and to me something like that would seem easier to operate due to the large display. And of course it's a lot easier to keep your ideas organized, make mp3's, etc, if all your demo- and audio files are inside your computer in to begin with. The only drawback I can see is lack of portability (unless you have a laptop).Just a thought.matto

[arkjack]

CaseyI got the 864 about four years ago. I got it over Christmas and was at my in laws in the barren north country, so I got to sit with it and play recarod and really learn the program interface over a period of four solid non-stop days. I consider myself a BR864 expert. Likewise, when I went to upgrade last year, I figured I had a good bit of time invested in the Boss software schemes that I'd use BOSS for everything. Got the 1600CD, and FantomXa. Now the 864 , 1600, Xa are all midi'd together and I have 24 tracks digital recording and 16 MIDI tracks, plus a sampler, two built in drum machines plus all the drum patterns and sounds in the Xa.I'd be glad to help you work more efficiently with the 864 with any programming questions or operation. And since your only a half hour or less away,you're welcome to come by my place to chat hands on. ( with compatible equipment we could do some serious collaborations).... Let me know if I can help. If after all that you still want to dump the 864 for another brand, I will definitely be interested in your 864 as I was concerned about getting a spare for reserve in case anything happens to mine. they don't make em like they used to.....ArKJackPS Two songs on my broadjam site, Game Over and So Lonely Here were done exclusively on the 864......if you want to get a listen...

[Casey H]

Quote:Casey I haven't used either unit, but going by my relatively extensive background using recording gear...I would think much of that "easy to use" thing is subjective. I'm sure Roland didn't set out to bulid a confusing unit , so I think it's more down to finding something that makes the most sense to *you*...and the only way you could really evaluate that type of thing is by having the unit demoed for you at a music store.Btw since you're a "computer guy", is there any particular reason why you don't want to get an inexpensive audio interface? Usually those come bundled with entry level recording software such as Cubase LE or Tracktion, and to me something like that would seem easier to operate due to the large display. And of course it's a lot easier to keep your ideas organized, make mp3's, etc, if all your demo- and audio files are inside your computer in to begin with. The only drawback I can see is lack of portability (unless you have a laptop).Just a thought.mattoMattoYes, a much better solution for me. I was just thinking about that as I wrote my post-- I would much rather deal with a windows user interface. It looks like you can by a basic audio interface with Cubase LE for under $200... Am I right?I have both a desktop (office upstairs) and a laptop, so I could probably use it with my laptop in the basement where I make my noise.Thanks! Maybe I will take arkjack up on his offer and make a change...BTW, early this morning, I tried to bounce 2 tracks (a guitar and a vocal) so I could end up with a wav file to transfer to my PC. Well, I blew it and somehow erased my original tracks. I had already downloaded it via RCA jacks as pure audio to my PC, so it's not a big deal... and I should have made a back up first... But way more complicated than what I need...Thanks again...Casey

[matto]

Quote:It looks like you can by a basic audio interface with Cubase LE for under $200... Am I right?Yeah somewhere in that neighborhood. I really like that new Alesis one, pretty cool and straight forward...http://www.audiomidi.com/io2-USB-Interf ... spxAnother great advantage of the software/interface solution is that's it's just about impossible to erase anything by accident. Unless you have a HD crash, which is really rare (but of course you want to always have stuff backed up just in case).

[dada]

Casey,I am another computer recording guy that has alot of experience from the old 4-track cassette recorder days... Actually that machine is what eventually discouraged me enough to hang it up for while.. 2 worn out motors and too much frustration with crappy sound quality..I must admit though, going the computer route, you may end up spending alot more time learning to be a recording guy and not a songwriter.. There are so many effects plug-ins and software programs to emulate instruments it makes ones head spin..I would say if you have any ambition for doing recording production on your own, the computer route is the way to go.. If you are looking for a sketchpad device and don't care about the maximum sound quality that can be achieved, the hardware systems are probably okay... But like Matt said, if you already computer literate, the cost between the two makes more sense to go toward computer..DaveSounds by Dave musichttp://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandid=189280

[Casey H]

Quote:Casey,I am another computer recording guy that has alot of experience from the old 4-track cassette recorder days... Actually that machine is what eventually discouraged me enough to hang it up for while.. 2 worn out motors and too much frustration with crappy sound quality..I must admit though, going the computer route, you may end up spending alot more time learning to be a recording guy and not a songwriter.. There are so many effects plug-ins and software programs to emulate instruments it makes ones head spin..I would say if you have any ambition for doing recording production on your own, the computer route is the way to go.. If you are looking for a sketchpad device and don't care about the maximum sound quality that can be achieved, the hardware systems are probably okay... But like Matt said, if you already computer literate, the cost between the two makes more sense to go toward computer..DaveSounds by Dave musichttp://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm? ... 89280DaveI have no ambition to do any real music production. So, if the price is affordable (under $200), it comes down to whether all the bells and whistles make the user interface for doing the simple stuff, complicated. I'm pretty sure you can buy things like this at a music store and return within 30 days if not happy. So, maybe (if the CFO of my household approves), I'll buy myself a new toy for Chanukah...Thanks everyone for your input! Casey

[ernstinen]

Hey Casey,I've got a great TASCAM 38 1/2" 8-track with only 3000 hours on it. The reels kinda squeak, but I'll let it go to a new owner if you want it.Make me a bid, and I'll consider it!Ern