TheUndertow Posted November 7, 2009 Report Share Posted November 7, 2009 Just curious what you all are using and/or would recommend. I was thinking of getting a Tascam stand alone but after getting turned on to Presonus, I'm thinking one of their models will do. I'm debating between the Firestudio 26x26 and the Firestudio Tube - let me know if you all have experience with either. I like that the Tube as a Tube preamp as well with limiters...etc but it lacks a Digital out...not sure frankly if that's a big deal or not (my dad aka Recording Adviser thinks it could be). Also I don't have a lot of experience with a Tube - my dad recalled them not being very 'clean" sounding...etc so I'm trying to debate if it's really a nice feature that will give me some more "sound" options, or just a gimmick and i'd be better off with the 26x26. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hall Posted November 9, 2009 Report Share Posted November 9, 2009 TUT: I have an ancient top of the line Tascam and still use it as my out front mixer to the computer & Tools. It was fine alone. The Firestudios I don't know anything about. Sorry. I do know if my Mac and Pro Tools should ever give up the ghost (God forbid), I think I will go back to a stand alone. Hope that thought is of some help to you. Maybe a, "Father Knows Best"? Groper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheUndertow Posted December 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 I'm leaning towards biting the bullet and going with an Apogee Ensemble (and going so far as selling this laptop for a new MBP or iMac). Has anyone had experience with both solutions that can offer insight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davie garden Posted December 4, 2009 Report Share Posted December 4, 2009 Hi, I've got a Boss 1200 CD digital recorder. It has 12 tracks and (from memory 12 virtual tracks beneath) so around 144 tracks to record on which no-one will ever do. You can produce a fully mastered cd from this unit and the vocal software is amazing. It will generate a 3 part backing harmony with either all male backing, all female backing or a mixture of both. The unit also has a multitude of Boss effects built into it . So all in all it's a good unit. I bought mine on Ebay for £400 three years ago when it was twice that at least new. It had not been used by the original owner because he found it too difficult to understand the manual. I found it relatively easy to get started and managed to record a track the first time I had it out of the box. You can buy video tutorials which show you how to operate the Boss mutlitrackers. Go into your nearest dealer and ask for a demonstration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewR Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 I'd second the Boss multitrackers idea. I've tried the PC route, and it's mighty fine, but you seem to spend all your time fiddling around with technolgy instead of creating. Then my wife got me the Boss MicroBR as a present a couple of years back. That's a hand-held 4 track with 8 virtuals, drums, passable guitar amp sims, effects (including mastering). I thought I was going to use it as a scratch-pad, but then I discovered with careful planning you can do amazing stuff with it. I don't actually use the guitar amps, I have a bunch of other modellors that I prefer, but I love this little box. So much so... That I went ahead and bought the top of the range Boss BR 1600CD. Much like the 1200 davie garden has, but more tracks. Some stuff is SO much easier than the smaller MBR, other stuff is actually harder because there are so many options... But at least I use them both... my PC recording software hasn't been started up in anger for 3 years or so. And, btw, I cannot get a finished recording out of it that sounds as good as what I can do on the MBR! What I'd say is this - why do you want to get into getting some recording gear? If you wanna get some tunes down and start learning about how to multitrack and mix - go for a box like the Boss recorders. They are fantastic and at the start you will not be able to tell the difference between tube pre-amps and wotnot (and even if you can, you can always get one and stick it between your mic and the input on the Boss). These boxes nowadays contain more power and better quality effects than most pro studios would have contained 20-odd years ago. They feel like toys, but they are very serious pieces of kit - you can learn everything on them and produce some good stuff while you're doing it. I understand Zoom stuff is quite good as well. If you wanna get wrapped up in and learn about recording technology, go the "state-of-the-art" route of computer recording and all the software and outboard stuff. BUT BEWARE - you are less likely to learn how to record and make music. You'll be looking for better sound cards, better mic preamps, better amp sims, better computer, faster memory, etc, etc... Either way is valid - but the best "bang for buck" for you really depends on what you actually want to do and what stage you're at. My PC stuff is well out of date now, but personally, I needn't have bothered buying it when I did - the Boss recorders already existed then. But I thought they looked like toys so went "the proper" route as I saw it. It was a mistake for me, I just wanna get some songs recorded! Hope that helps a bit - I just noticed how old this thread is though, you might already have got something by now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BentonC Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 If you have the $$ for the new computer and the Apogee, I'd pick that any day of the week. Pair it up with Apple Logic Studio, and you have a pretty mean recording setup. The stand-alone units are great for thier simplicity and are much more cost-effective, but that Apogee setup will provide one of the most transparent recording experiences possible in the home studio environment (provided you know or can learn how to use it properly!). There are not too many products that can top the converters in Apogee products, imho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolBritannia Posted September 3, 2010 Report Share Posted September 3, 2010 I've just purchased a Zoom R16 and I'm very impressed with it so far.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyg Posted September 3, 2010 Report Share Posted September 3, 2010 I've just purchased a Zoom R16 and I'm very impressed with it so far.... I have a friend who bought an R16. Hard to believe you can get that much stuff in such a small package at such a low price. Quite a nice control surface when it's linked to your PC too. Did you see they're doing a 24 track version now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolBritannia Posted September 4, 2010 Report Share Posted September 4, 2010 No first I've heard about that matey, might explain why I got i cheap. Got the R16, an SE2000 mic and a pop stand from DV24/7 for £340, muchos bargainos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyg Posted September 4, 2010 Report Share Posted September 4, 2010 No first I've heard about that matey, might explain why I got i cheap. Got the R16, an SE2000 mic and a pop stand from DV24/7 for £340, muchos bargainos! Can't argue with that, good deal, you're sorted. 16 tracks is enough for most people anyway. I use my PC which, in theory, supports "unlimited" tracks, I've still never used more than 12. Here's a link to the R24 anyway http://www.dv247.com/studio-equipment/zoom-r24-digital-recorder-sampler-usb-interface-and-daw-controller--74227 What do you think of the SE2000? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoolBritannia Posted September 4, 2010 Report Share Posted September 4, 2010 It's amazing compared to my other mic, some wharfedale crap that came with the cheap PA I bought a few years ago. Seems more suited to acoustic, but I haven't really given the mic'd up Blackstar amp a decent amount of effort yet. I'm very much a learner when it comes to home studio stuff, currently looking for a decent pair of monitor headphones for under £50, any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyg Posted September 4, 2010 Report Share Posted September 4, 2010 It's amazing compared to my other mic, some wharfedale crap that came with the cheap PA I bought a few years ago. Seems more suited to acoustic, but I haven't really given the mic'd up Blackstar amp a decent amount of effort yet. I'm very much a learner when it comes to home studio stuff, currently looking for a decent pair of monitor headphones for under £50, any suggestions? Don't know much about headphones. I had some nice Sennheisers a good while back but my dog chewed them up. I bought some Sony V150's and truthfully I couldn't tell the difference, except the Sony's were about £15.00 and my dog doesn't like the smell of them LOL. I know my gear and room so well now anyway that I know where the mic's sound best for vocals and acoustic and I go straight in with an amp sim for electric's. I use a sampler VST running off MIDI for the bass and drums so I really only use headphones to hear the backing for acoustic and vocal parts. I did recently buy a pair of Tannoy monitors though and that's made a whole load of difference to my mixes. If you're ever looking for another lowish priced, versatile mic I'd recommend the Behringer C3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbreslauer Posted September 6, 2010 Report Share Posted September 6, 2010 +1 on apogee if you have the $$. I have a Duet, and with Logic Studio it is impressive. The ensemble should be even better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerpalalexander23 Posted October 14, 2010 Report Share Posted October 14, 2010 +1 on apogee as well. I have the duet also with logic studio with my macbook pro. Sounds great and easy to use. The new Mbox 3 family just came out from avid and they look pretty cool. I think the easiest, cheapest, and best way to go is with a DAW. I dont see the point of using standalone digital recorders anymore because computers are becoming so powerful as well as affordable and they can now handle the workloads way more efficiently. Take 3 days on Pro Tools or Logic or any other DAW for that matter, and you will see just how easy they are to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted October 25, 2010 Report Share Posted October 25, 2010 My recording studio is based around a korg D3200. This unit has been on the market for a while, so I'm expecting them to offer an upgrade soon. It works very well. I would prefer a computer based system using pro tools, but the learning curve for me is huge. As such, I am slowly learning about computers and pro tools, and will up grade and use both my DAW and pro tools when I can. Remember, if you don't and/or have difficulties understanding your equipment, you will be frustrated in your recording endevours, and your results will show it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyg Posted October 25, 2010 Report Share Posted October 25, 2010 I would prefer a computer based system using pro tools, but the learning curve for me is huge. You should try Reaper. It's a free to try 6Mb download (no restrictions), $40.00 to buy a licence, doesn't require a high spec machine or other hardware to run well, comes with a free manual, has a not so huge learning curve and has the most helpful forum that you'll ever encounter (many answers from people actually working in the programs development). Many ex pro-tools users there. If they put it in a fancy box with a load of extras you don't need and charged £300.00 for it people would probably queue up to buy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjay777 Posted December 8, 2010 Report Share Posted December 8, 2010 Still using my old but trusty Yamaha AW16. Pretty outdated in modern tech standards, but holds up quite well with just about anything current sound quality-wise. I still prefer multi-tracks over pc or software studios, hands on >> virtual for my taste. But for the price of the machine, you'd think they'd add a USB port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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