Gasman Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Is their Anyone out there that can recommend a recorder for acoustic guitar and voice? something simple and not allot of cost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erwin Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Tascam dp-02 is nice and not so expensive. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DQjMnX_HWI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 gasman... I like an iPad with an Apogee Mic. You can do quite a lot with it. It is what I use. For much less though you can still great sound if you are just recording single tracks (ie you singing along to your own playing all at once). Zoom H2N. $160 bucks on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Zoom-H2N-H2n-Handy-Recorder/dp/B005CQ2ZY6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DRC Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 I got a Tascam DR-05 on a special sale at GC for $30 after sale price and Tascam rebate. Excellent recorder that records in either mp3 or WAV format with many useful settings and adjustments. Superb clarity and vocal/instrumental reproduction. I believe the current price is $100 at GC....still good for this quality of recorder. Here's the best price I've found currently: http://www.amazon.com/TASCAM-DR-05EB-Portable-Digital-Recorder/dp/B0090XX0MS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1407086333&sr=8-2&keywords=tascam+dr+05 I've also read some good reviews on Zoom recorders. DC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 A Zoom H4n is a terrific, compact and great sounding recording device. You can use the built in stereo matched pair or use external sources. Record and edit up to four tracks with the onboard mixer. Zoom H4n Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rambler Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Jumpin' in. How about miking direct to Garage Band on an apple mabook or ipad? (mike suggestion for that) ? Or is it better going though a recorder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stubee Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 I use my iPhone with GarageBand, just the phone mic on the 'vocal' GB setting to record guitar & voice (one track). It actually works very well for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jjunk Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 I like the Apogee One... compact and battery operated. It's a bit pricey, but the sound quality is there. http://www.apogeedigital.com/products/one The unit has a built in mic, so I simply plug it into my iPhone or iPad. Runs on a 9V so I just keep it in my messenger bag. You also have the option of plugging in a guitar cable and an external mic simultaneously if you want to get a little more serious about it. Sometimes I do that to get separate mic / pickup tracks that I can blend together. Another option is to just use an iPhone. For rough takes I almost always just open the "Voice Memos" app and set my iPhone on the table in front of me. I usually name the file after the chord progression so I can remember it easily. I've been surprised at the quality actually, for quick times when you don't want to forget a song idea. And, Sal's recommendation of the Apogee mic is another excellent option... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarLight Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 The Zoom H4n recorder, as mentioned and shown by Drathbun above..or the Zoom H2n model, either one....they are available at Guitar Center and other retailers....EXCELLENT...SIMPLE....EASY...and INEXPENSIVE. Just turn it on, play, sing and your in. Then upload it to your computer and transfer it to CD. Couldn't be better..or easier...and extremely high quality sound for both guitar and vocal recordings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Tough question that can get real expensive depending on how serious you are! Guitar only track, there is not much to beat the Zooms for the money...stereo, fairly easy. Vocal ONLY, pretty good too. Vocal and acoustic guitar together - a whole different game. You can 'fluke' a nice balance after a bit of practice moving the thing around, up and down; something can always be wrong though - guitar positioning, voice positioning, extraneous noises from strap, hand, mouth noises. I mention this because it is good practice recording, but later it is a bit of a shame to have your best playing...'compromised' So I bought a little 4 track mixer and run a mic for the guitar and a mic for the vocal - getting a balance is easy and I may superglue the settings I have currently. It has some great echo/reverb settings too, and of course a separate control for each track's reverb is important - vocals need more than acoustic guitar!. The mixers now have all kinds of USB etc OUTs, so I run that mixed track straight to me old iMac and Garageband where I can edit/chop off the noises at the beginning of the tune..... BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretplay Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Surely the best recording system is Cubase straight into your PC. You can record guitar and voice only or add effects and build the sound as much or as little as you want. All it needs is a little consul box and computer and you're away. Not sure how much it costs but everybody uses it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR GIBS Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 ZOOM H4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarstrummer Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 I've got the Zoom H4 and recently bought the Zoom H6. We've used the H4 for recording the open mics at the Gibson Homecoming in the past and this year we used the H6. Both models are easy to use and worked very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phelonious Ponk Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Jumpin' in. How about miking direct to Garage Band on an apple mabook or ipad? (mike suggestion for that) ? Or is it better going though a recorder? There are USB mics you can buy. An inexpensive digital interface called iMic, but then you'll need a cable with balanced (mic) at one end and mini phone at the other. If you've got mice and cables, the best thing is a USB interface that gives you a couple of inputs, mic pres, gain...a bit of control, It will also allow you to set uo 2 mice for guitar and voice and just play, or lay down MANY tracks to mix to your liking. I use a Presonus Audiobox, but there are many out there. Good quality starts at about $150 for 2 channels. P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjl200 Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 Jumpin' in. How about miking direct to Garage Band on an apple mabook or ipad? (mike suggestion for that) ? Or is it better going though a recorder? I got the apogee one it's very easy and sounds great. Pricey though, http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/OneiOS/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayyj Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 I have a Tascam four track for emergencies - it's a bit fiddly and I don't like the lack of a back light but it gets the job done. My preference is the Blue Icicle usb preamp, which allows me to connect a mic of my choice without needing an audio interface. Since we always have at least one pro level mic hanging around this gets far better results than the Tascam if only one source is needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 So I bought a little 4 track mixer and run a mic for the guitar and a mic for the vocal - getting a balance is easy and I may superglue the settings I have currently. It has some great echo/reverb settings too, and of course a separate control for each track's reverb is important - vocals need more than acoustic guitar!. The mixers now have all kinds of USB etc OUTs, so I run that mixed track straight to me old iMac and Garageband where I can edit/chop off the noises at the beginning of the tune..... BluesKing777. The advantage of my set up mentioned above is that I could use the very same mixer/mics live with addition of a powered speaker or 2.... I have a box of all the other stuff that goes out of date pretty quick, whereas a little mixer with analog knobs is pretty cool for a lot of things. BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gasman Posted August 5, 2014 Author Share Posted August 5, 2014 Thanks Guys! It looks like maybe a Zoom recorder might be the best device for me. I don't have an IPad but I do have a IPhone 4S. I have a couple of decent mics and a Fishman Jr. Amp - But I have not gotten to the point where I want to throw a battery in my LG2 - I bought it mainly for its Acoustic qualities only - the Pickup is just a Ok extra. For me - probably the simpler the recorder - the better. Thanks for all your inputs. Gassy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonCarlos Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Mr. Gibs Zoom H4 +1 Just as good as the computer software recording setups and easier. I still use the Akai DPS 24 (but those are no longer manufactured, and hard to find, most are scooped up when they hit ebay). Let us know what you ultimately decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevbo82 Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Since you have an iPhone, if you want to stay as cheap as possible, use the headphones that came with your phone, it has a mic in it for hands free calls, plug that into the iPhone and drop the headphone with the mic into the sound hole and record in garage band. Play around with the placement of the mic, I usually leave it just outside the sound hole, actually get pretty good quality from it! When doing multiple tracks I've also left the mic in, and put the other ear bud into my ear as a monitor while recording the 2nd guitar track. After that if you want to add vocals, put the ear buds in as normal and the mic hangs right there. Turn monitoring on and sing away! Here is something I was messing with last night that was recorded in just this fashion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pepperland Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 Surely the best recording system is Cubase straight into your PC. You can record guitar and voice only or add effects and build the sound as much or as little as you want. All it needs is a little consul box and computer and you're away. Not sure how much it costs but everybody uses it. That's what I use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drathbun Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 Cubase 7 - $549 Laptop with external USB audio interface and at least 8GB Ram - $1000 or more or Desktop Computer with built-in audio interface and LCD screen - $1000 or more The OP said "cheap and simple". The above doesn't sound cheap or simple. The audio interfaces for desktops (motherboard audio) are horrible. The audio inputs for laptop are usually limited to 1/8" mic in... again horrible, noisy things (unless you enjoy the sound of the laptop's screen and hard drive on your recordings). The Zoom H4N is $249, has great stereo mics, external inputs for XLR and 1/4", can mix up to four tracks and outputs WAV and MP3 files. It is dead simple to use and the recordings are excellent. I CAN get better recordings than the H4N with my computer too, but that is through an M-Audio interface, Mackie mixer, Rode NT and M5 condenser microphones and into Sonar X3 then processed through Sony SoundForge Pro - not cheap or simple either. All prices are Cdn $ and, as always, YMMV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88mmll Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 Apogee Duet with a high quality mic for acoustics... I have a KM 184, Neumann. Although Rosewood guitars are hard to capture without lowering the EQ. I use Abelton 9.0. But Garage band has just as much resolution. For vocal it is better with a good large Diaphragm and a P filter shield in front. Recording both at the same time I never could set up well. Which can be counter intuitive after years of solo, singer songwriter, accompaniment mode comfort. I might go with my Panasonic ZS10 handheld, point and shoot, camera coming up. I can't tell you how many times I have written a good melody, memorized (or written down) the chords and then the next day. It is not there. With a camera I will be able to see the chords and more important regain the phrasing/FEEL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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