Help with small multi track recorder.

[benderman57]

Hi Everyone,

I’d like to dabble a little more in recording songs I write so I’m after some advice. I’m pretty old school and usually just hash out a hook or if I’m lucky a chorus, a verse. I grab my acoustic and use a little digital memo recorder (a little Sony) I use the built in mic and just strum & sing what I have. It does record in Wav format and works well as I can then USB it into my computer and send it off to my band mates and they can give a listen and when we get together they usually will contribute.

What I’d like to do is be able to multi-track a little. I play a bunch of different stuff like Mandolin & Banjo so sometimes I’d like to be able to add that to my original recording. I don’t really want to get into adding mic’s and such. Really the same approach I’m using now but with the capability of running a few more passes with an internal mic. I could use headphones to monitor my previous pass.

A little learning curve is OK but really I’d like it to be as simple as possible but with more passes and a way to upload them into my computer so I can send them out as Wav’s or MP3’s.

Any help would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks!

[Bob1131]

There are a lot of great options available, such as these. The Zoom H4N is yet another possible option, and there are great buys on used recorders, such as the now obsolete Boss Br800, BR864 and BR900 units. All of these recorders have decent sound and most have built in effects. Only the small units have self contained mics, which will not sound as good as an external good quality mic(s) that can be positioned appropriately to obtain the best sound in a given location. In the end, it all depends on how much you want to spend and what level of quality you will accept.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by benderman57

Hi Everyone,

I’d like to dabble a little more in recording songs I write so I’m after some advice. I’m pretty old school and usually just hash out a hook or if I’m lucky a chorus, a verse. I grab my acoustic and use a little digital memo recorder (a little Sony) I use the built in mic and just strum & sing what I have. It does record in Wav format and works well as I can then USB it into my computer and send it off to my band mates and they can give a listen and when we get together they usually will contribute.

What I’d like to do is be able to multi-track a little. I play a bunch of different stuff like Mandolin & Banjo so sometimes I’d like to be able to add that to my original recording. I don’t really want to get into adding mic’s and such. Really the same approach I’m using now but with the capability of running a few more passes with an internal mic. I could use headphones to monitor my previous pass.

A little learning curve is OK but really I’d like it to be as simple as possible but with more passes and a way to upload them into my computer so I can send them out as Wav’s or MP3’s.

Any help would greatly be appreciated.

Thanks!

Hi b-man...
My son is kind of old school and we bought him a small standalone 4 track recorder for Christmas - Tascam DP-004. It's about $150 and very easily laid out. Runs on AA batteries, and he likes it a lot.

Built in stereo mic and inputs for the rest of things. It's really quite small - about 4'' X 6'' X 1.5''.

Lots of YouTube help videos (how to do things with it).

Hope this helps...

[niteflyguy]

I have a Zoom R8 and love it. The internal mics sound great, and it's easy to use. You can do a lot with it if you want, or just keep things simple and use it like an old portastudio.