Hi all,
wasn't sure whether to post this in the FX forum or in the "recording" forum, so I decided to post it here. I'm looking for a cheap-ish way to record an acoustic guitar and vocals. I'm looking for the digital equivalent of a traditional fourtrack, with a built-in microphone. The microphone should be okay at acoustic + vocals recordings, and not much more - I'm not looking to recreate an U2 album or anything like that. Just something that will allow me to record myself.
(Backstory for those interested: am going to have vocal cord nodules removed in a few weeks, and am scared to death what the result will be for my, err, vocals. I've had a hoarse "Tom Waits after a night out" voice since I was 17, and progressively more vocal problems over the last 7 years. Now that I'm finally going to get it fixed, I'm terrified of what my post-op voice is going to sound like. I'm not looking to go on American Idol - hohum - but I sort of liked my ability to croak my way through an old Townes Van Zandt tune or two. Hence, the fourtrack.)
Full Version: "digital fourtrack" for acoustic guitar.
(Hope your voice is okay after your sugery. I'd hate to go in with a Tom Waits and come out with a... Tiny Tim! (Or, worse yet, a Freddy Mercury. 
) Anyway, good luck.
I'm not much on digital recording stuff, being an old analog guy. (I have totally state-of-the-art stuff, if it were 1968 or 1972. )
I do have a Tascam digital four-track I picked up a couple of years ago (a... 414 Portastudio maybe?) and have had reasonable success with it (considering I'm a total know-nothing about more modern recording gear). Seemed easy enough for me to make it work, the few times I've used it. My daughter has a Tascam (D-4 ?) she likes. (It has a built-in mic.)
Sorry, I couldn't help more. And again, good luck with your surgery, Pascal. Maybe with a little luck you'll come out still a Tom Waits plus a little Joe Cocker with just a dash of Jim Morrison!
) Anyway, good luck.I'm not much on digital recording stuff, being an old analog guy. (I have totally state-of-the-art stuff, if it were 1968 or 1972.
)I do have a Tascam digital four-track I picked up a couple of years ago (a... 414 Portastudio maybe?) and have had reasonable success with it (considering I'm a total know-nothing about more modern recording gear). Seemed easy enough for me to make it work, the few times I've used it. My daughter has a Tascam (D-4 ?) she likes. (It has a built-in mic.)
Sorry, I couldn't help more. And again, good luck with your surgery, Pascal. Maybe with a little luck you'll come out still a Tom Waits plus a little Joe Cocker with just a dash of Jim Morrison!
Thanks for the suggestions, both of you. And John, if you think Mercury would be bad, imagine walking out of the hospital with a Robert Plant-wail . That's my biggest nightmare, right there. If it were up to me, I'd forget about the whole nodule-thing, but my voice has been getting progressively weaker, and it's starting to hurt my throat as well. Feels as if there's a burning lump in there - not too pleasant. Also, having a hoarse voice helps if you're going to do a whiskey-soaked 12 bar acoustic blues, but I work with hearing impaired patients in the clinic: *not* exactly a match made in heaven.
Anyway, thanks again for the help, both of you.
. That's my biggest nightmare, right there. If it were up to me, I'd forget about the whole nodule-thing, but my voice has been getting progressively weaker, and it's starting to hurt my throat as well. Feels as if there's a burning lump in there - not too pleasant. Also, having a hoarse voice helps if you're going to do a whiskey-soaked 12 bar acoustic blues, but I work with hearing impaired patients in the clinic: *not* exactly a match made in heaven. Anyway, thanks again for the help, both of you.
Despite being the digital domain centered around a computer setup-kinda-guy I'm just here to agree with dadfad. You mentioned you are familiar / or are looking for a similar device in the vein of the old cassette-based recording setups.
TASCAM's Portastudio line has been the leader in this (quick-demo)-domain for ages. The 'DP' (Digital Portastudio) range offers the exact same functionalitaties and hands-on interface as the cassette versions of yore, only record to either CD(-ROM), internal harddrives or SD cards (you know the type you put in a camera and can be read by a large number of devices), allowing you to easily backup these recordings to your computer or what-not. The built-in microphone is still right there, sometimes in stereo pairs.
The DP-004 and DP-008 are the most compact of these, but lack in the fader department , having only rotary knobs for the most basic of track manipulations (panning and volume, but I'm sure the EQ can be accessed through some nifty menu usage.. if that's your thing then you're fine with these as it will get ideas down quickly and offers easy multi-tracking.)
The DP-02 (basically the two digit range) has the traditional faders similar to most mixers, so you can easily perform the manipulations in EQ, gain, volume and others by twisting knobs and pulling sliders rather than have to delve into menu's on displays. Also there's more available in the input department (line inputs for guitars and XLR inputs with phantom power for external mics), so if you're getting into recording more, this device will useful for longer than the triple-digit line.
For ease of use, I'd recommend these. Have a look around in the second hand department as these devices get updated frequently, without their previous versions being exactly... outdated.
TASCAM's Portastudio line has been the leader in this (quick-demo)-domain for ages. The 'DP' (Digital Portastudio) range offers the exact same functionalitaties and hands-on interface as the cassette versions of yore, only record to either CD(-ROM), internal harddrives or SD cards (you know the type you put in a camera and can be read by a large number of devices), allowing you to easily backup these recordings to your computer or what-not. The built-in microphone is still right there, sometimes in stereo pairs.
The DP-004 and DP-008 are the most compact of these, but lack in the fader department , having only rotary knobs for the most basic of track manipulations (panning and volume, but I'm sure the EQ can be accessed through some nifty menu usage.. if that's your thing then you're fine with these as it will get ideas down quickly and offers easy multi-tracking.)
The DP-02 (basically the two digit range) has the traditional faders similar to most mixers, so you can easily perform the manipulations in EQ, gain, volume and others by twisting knobs and pulling sliders rather than have to delve into menu's on displays. Also there's more available in the input department (line inputs for guitars and XLR inputs with phantom power for external mics), so if you're getting into recording more, this device will useful for longer than the triple-digit line.
For ease of use, I'd recommend these. Have a look around in the second hand department as these devices get updated frequently, without their previous versions being exactly... outdated.
i third tascam dp 004...
its seem so damn easier than hooking up your set up to a computer...
its seem so damn easier than hooking up your set up to a computer...
Thanks all for the suggestions. I went to my local guitar store with my trusty J-45, and tried a number of recording devices. Tried the TASCAM series, and I wasn't too impressed with their mics - very easy to use, easy to mix et cetera, but even at the highest recording quality, my J-45 would drive it into overdrive when going from fingerpicking to flatpicking. (I do a few Steve Earle songs, where he goes from subtle fingerpicking to really driving the strings *hard*. When I had the recording volume set to a volume where the fingerpicking could be clearly heard, flatpicking would drive the Tascam into the red.) Ended up taking home a used Zoom "Handy Recorder H4n". I know Zoom has a very poor reputation, but at 150 euros (less than a new Tascam DP-004), but the microphone on this thing was quite simply the best in its price range. Just my opinion, your mileage may vary, and so on.
And now I'm off to croak my way through a few Townes Van Zandt songs, before they scrape my vocal chords into "Chris Martin"-mode.
And now I'm off to croak my way through a few Townes Van Zandt songs, before they scrape my vocal chords into "Chris Martin"-mode.
QUOTE (eulogy @ Oct 24 2009, 11:33 AM) 
Thanks all for the suggestions. I went to my local guitar store with my trusty J-45, and tried a number of recording devices. Tried the TASCAM series, and I wasn't too impressed with their mics - very easy to use, easy to mix et cetera, but even at the highest recording quality, my J-45 would drive it into overdrive when going from fingerpicking to flatpicking. (I do a few Steve Earle songs, where he goes from subtle fingerpicking to really driving the strings *hard*. When I had the recording volume set to a volume where the fingerpicking could be clearly heard, flatpicking would drive the Tascam into the red.) Ended up taking home a used Zoom "Handy Recorder H4n". I know Zoom has a very poor reputation, but at 150 euros (less than a new Tascam DP-004), but the microphone on this thing was quite simply the best in its price range. Just my opinion, your mileage may vary, and so on.
And now I'm off to croak my way through a few Townes Van Zandt songs, before they scrape my vocal chords into "Chris Martin"-mode.
And now I'm off to croak my way through a few Townes Van Zandt songs, before they scrape my vocal chords into "Chris Martin"-mode.
Dude I have the ZOOM H4.
That thing ROCK
This is recorded straight off the built in mics.
This is 3 tunes my Jazz Ensemble did.
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=8262414
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=8261593
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=8261473
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