Multi Trackers

Hello guys,

Im thinking of either buying the Zoom MRS-1266CD or the Boss 1180CD for home recording!

However, I do not have a clue to which would be the better machine as I have little experience in purchasing my own multi-tracks and so cannot learn from mistakes at this point, heh.

Any Guidance would be greatly appreaciated guys!

Peace

What do you want to do ?

Are you looking for something to write music with / something to practice your chops with / something to act as a musical scratch pad ? If the answer to this is yes (exclusively) you may want to thing about a 4 track portastudio or similar (i.e. Tascam 424 mk III)

Do you want to use it to make a demo of your band playing?

How good does the quality have to be? Do you want to record real drums?

You can get away with a 4 track analogue unit providing you don’t mind the finished product being on tape. Sergeant Peppers was recorded on 4 tracks! However, four tracks are also a total pain in the ass when, with out spending a great deal more, 8, 12, 16 tracks are in reach!

How many tracks do you want to record and simultaneously and how many do you want to play back simultaneously? If it is just you doing over dubs, well two inputs is enough however if you want to do other band related stuff, well you are going to want a whole lot more inputs or a separate desk.

What sort of mics are you going to use, do you need XLR inputs do you need to be able to supply phantom power?

Another possibility is using a PC however if you can afford a standalone DAW than that is a good place to start as you don’t have to worry about latency and a gazillion other things that can make for a miserable recording experience.

The specs on the Boss unit are horrible (not to mention the many horror stories I’ve heard about it) and Zoom kit is very bottom end! Save for a little longer dude, you wont regret it ! I used to have a Korg D1600 and that was very cool. You will get a better piece of kit (than either the boss or the Zoom) getting an older D8, D12 or D16 on ebay (second hand). If you can afford it the D1200 and the D1600 are very nice.

Check out http://www.korgboards.com for much more info.

[Edited by Dr_simon on 07-08-2003 at 07:55 PM]

Thanks for telling me straight that Boss and Zoom may be a bit crap (to be frank).

I want to use it to record songs written by me, use it as a scratchboard as well as something to produce a professional-ish version of a song. This is because I am just about to embark on Music and Music Technology A-Levels.

I would go for a 4 track...but I think I need the extra tracks to be able to expand my ideas further, and try building upon the basic Drums/Rhythm/Lead/Bass recording.

I am also quite weary of the whole side of PC recording...having to get a decent sound card on top of a decent PC. And then of course software. It seems like a lot of hassle (correct me if I'm wrong).

I'm just not sure what exactly Im going to be best going for, as, as I'm a student, I don't have enough money to get it wrong and explore other things afterwards.

Ha, I'm in need of some real good advice really, that's all.

Ahhhh, I see !

Well Id go with a second hand Korg D12 or D1200(much nicer and more expensive) or even a D16 if the price is right. I had a D1600 (1400 USD new) and sold it recently on ebay for 1100 USD.

Korgboards will be back up at the end of the week I hope, they are a wealth of info as far as all things Korg and recording are concerned. I have moved into computer recording, it is more complicated but more versatile. A better starting point will be a stand alone DAW !

Thanks for the good advice guys, is much appreciated.

Ive just got me a Korg D1200 from eBay ($660 as opposed to $1K new) and Im completely pleased ! Im going to use this as a front end for SONAR and WaveLab and although recording using my sound card is possible, it is much more fun using the Korg, and after all fun is the reason I do it ! Yahoooo !