Gator Wing Posted July 28, 2001 Share Posted July 28, 2001 My birthday will be coming soon and I will be asking wife for a 4 track recorder. What brand and model do you recommend for a beginner? Preferably on the less expensive side. It will be mostly for recording myself to hear how I sound so that I can improve. Also, I will use it to lay a track or two down to playback and jam with for practice. Maybe even for recording a song (actually working on one!). Reading all the posts here keeps me from quitting. Great place to be. There are two theories about arguing with a woman. Neither one works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt.Hepworth Posted July 28, 2001 Share Posted July 28, 2001 Fostex has a basic new model called the X-12, I believe. Cost is about $120. I've had great luck with fostex gear, but also check out the Tascam in about the same range. Both basic 1 track at a time recording. No matter how good something is, there will always be someone blasting away on a forum somewhere about how much they hate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tedster Posted July 28, 2001 Share Posted July 28, 2001 Happy birthday, Gator! Let us know which model you choose. Anyone who plays music shouldn't be without a basic "sketch pad"... "Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted July 28, 2001 Share Posted July 28, 2001 Depends on what you call inexpensive. A great starter with about the same learning curve, would be the MD variety. Good sound with way more capabilities. They can be found used for under 400 sheckels. I had a Vestax 4 tracker way back when....and I spent alot of time fixing the broken pushbuttons. So servo controlled units are more desireable in my eyes. Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratman_dup1 Posted July 30, 2001 Share Posted July 30, 2001 Man, if at all possible try and go with a digital unit. There's nothing wrong with a tape based 4 track but the power and convenience of a digital unit makes the price difference worth it, in my opinion anyway. With all the new 16 and 24 trackers coming out I would think you would be able to pick up an older Roland 880EX or something like that for pretty cheap. The onboard effects on these are great, especially if you don't have any outboard gear, which I assume you don't. Make sure to look for one with on board effects, I believe some of the older ones don't have them. You'd be amazed at what a little reverb or chorus can do for a vocal or acoustic track, and by the time you get a tape based unit and even a cheaper outboard effects proccessor you could have just gotten a digital recorder with built in effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfjunkie Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 good suggestions here so far. since you have a computer, why not use it as your multitrack? if you get a cheap soundcard you could download Pro Tools Free and have an 8-track. you'd only be able to record 2 tracks at a time, though, without expensive hardware. just an option. This message has been edited by wager47 on 07-30-2001 at 07:41 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratman_dup1 Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 There ya go, another good option if your not worried about portability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 31, 2001 Share Posted July 31, 2001 I would recommend going digital by buying either a new ZOOM PS-02 3 track, or the forthcoming Boss 4 track, Korg 4 track. Each has virtual modeling of amps, etc. This way all you need is a cord. Also they have built in mics for acoustic tones or vocals. I have the ZOOM and it sounds amazing for a $300 device. Plus all these can run on batteries. Very portable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator Wing Posted August 3, 2001 Author Share Posted August 3, 2001 Thanks for the replies. I'm going to start looking and then leave hints on the kitchen table. The PC option sounds good; just have to wait to we get a new PC (next week). Tax-free purchase week will be then. There are two theories about arguing with a woman. Neither one works. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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