Tech: Home Recording Machines

Subject: Home Recording Machines
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Jan 01 - 09:15 PM

Hi, I'm just looking for some help on a home 4 track recorder (or 8 track). Just a regular machine for personal use (demos), with good quality but not top of the line sort of thing for serious studios. I had a 4 track before, but it wasn't too great as the 1st and 2nd channels were unable to be mixed to the "center" as it were. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Subject: RE: Home Recording Machines
From: GUEST,Terry
Date: 21 Jan 01 - 09:50 PM

There are three main ways to go with multitrack recording for us amateurs: 1) four-track cassettes, 2) four or eight-track minidisc, 3) hard-disk recording, either as a stand-alone unit or PC-based. I had a four-track cassette unit for many years, then upgraded to a four-track minidisc about four years ago. The cassette units are inexpensive (less than $300), but the difference in the sound quality and editing capabilities are a quantum leap better for the minidisc. You can get a Yamaha four-track minidisc new for about $500 now, or you can get used Yamaha or Sony four-track minidiscs on eBay for much less. Yamaha also makes an eight-track minidisc; I wish I had those extra four tracks. The stand-alone hard disk multitrack recorders are nice, usually with built-in effects such as reverb, chorus, etc. You'd need a way to archive your data, such as a Zip drive. A newer model is the Roland BR-8, an eight-track deck that records directly to 100 mB Zip discs. It has the Zip drive built in. It costs about $695. I've used that one extensively, and it has a lot of nice features. The PC based units take quite a bit more technology than first meets the eye. The software is quite expensive, and you need a high-quality soundcard, as well as a relatively high-end processor and a big hard drive for storage. I'd say your best bet is getting on eBay and picking up a used minidisc or checking out the Roland BR-8. Good luck!

Terry, home-recording fiddle player