What do you use for recording ?

[ted s]

Hey folks.. what do you use ? I tried a search but there are too many hits with "record" in them.
I have a new iMAc, and it is great. I have used it to record with but, for me it is a pain in the backside. To much stuff to deal with if my intent is to just record while practicing for example. Also not portable. I would like to be able to drop a unit on the table, press record and go, take it to my lessons etc.
The Boss Micro BR reads well, as do other Boss products.
The easiest and cheapest route obviously would be a good old cassette tape (huh ?, they still make those ?) but being able to import into a 'puter is somewhat mandatory for archiving and sharing purposes. I did try a little mp3 player/recorder, holy crap did it suck !
In order of importance, product quality, recording quality, portability, and ease of use.

What do you all say ?

thanks

 

[SuperSwede]

I can understand you, even though I look at my computer as a swizz army knife when it comes to recording (and Garageband has a very smooth learning curve if you compare it to other harddisc recording software). For me, recording with Garageband/Logic is pretty much touch and go, but of course it takes a lot of patience before you get the amount of knowledge to operate any recording software properly. One quick solution is to create a default project with one or two ready to record audio tracks. As for portability you would be better of with a standalone unit and I really would like to recommend the Korg D4 which is a very simplistic recording device.
http://www.korg.co.uk/products/digital_recording/d4/dr_d4.asp

 

[ted s]

Hey S.S, thanks for the reply but wouldn't Swedish Army knife be more fitting ?

 

[SuperSwede]

No, unfortunately this is a swedish army knife:

 

[ted s]

hmm, that would go right along with a Canadian Sea King helicoptor.

 

[Spudman]

My portable recorder is just a cheap cassette player/recorder that I got from Walmart. I never expect to get a recording that is good enough to edit and release when I use it. I mainly just don't want the ideas to disappear. I think I paid less than $20.

I guess a person has to be clear on what they want from a portable. The only way to get a mix right would be to get a signal from a mixing desk otherwise putting a recorder just out in a room with a mic won't guarantee that the instrument balance is going to be correct.

If you want a recorder to create music on there are plenty of those. They have rhythm sections built in. That is something that I take when I'm stuck in a motel for days, a Zoom 1044. Otherwise the cassette recorder and an acoustic is perfect for getting initial ideas down with.

 

[kerc]

I use a HP Compaq nx9030 laptop, with CoolEdit Pro 2.0 and ACID Pro 2.0. I either mic directly or go DI with a 1/4" to 1/8" mono converter, or use my J-Station to add cab simulations, effects, etc.

 

[sunvalleylaw]

Although I am just getting going, I was planning on using garageband and maybe Logic using what I have. Maybe ultimately using a laptop I plan on adding sometime in the next year. Here is a link to a discussion of one artist that goes that way.

http://www.apple.com/pro/profiles/collins/

Also a link to a seminar with Pat Metheny.

http://www.seminars.apple.com/seminarsonline/guitarists/apple/index.html?s=50

And a link to a more basic seminar:

http://seminars.apple.com/seminarsonline/macguitarists/apple/index.html?s=203

Might still need a portable recorder (I defer to the others with experience there) and I presume you could then import the recording into Logic or GB and play around with it. I hope to report more direct experiences as soon as I have more time to play with it myself.

Steve

 

[aeolian]

I did some recording 25 years ago with a cassette 4-track. It was tedious and really hard unless you are an excellent player, since I'm not I gave up after a few tries.

About 6 years ago I wanted to get back into recording. I bought a digital 8-track that records to compact flash card and did recording with it. The advantage is that it is very portable, easy to use, and I can easily do multiple takes. The disadantages are it has a small capacity (newer machines now have much more capacity, even large harddisks), has no eq and minmal mixing facility, and has the 8 track limit. To complete my home recording solution I added a multitrack recording software program on my PC. I don't use it for recording. I record on the digital 8-track, then I take the tracks to the PC. On the PC I use the recording software to align my track, cut and paste, eq (extremely important if the original record track is not perfect), set panning, adjust volume, and apply other processing like compression, etc.

Between the two things, for a few hundred dollars, I have a very flexible, usable setup for homerecording. The results may not be professional quality, but definitely very presentable. In fact I would maintain that unless I admit to it you will have a hard time telling that my recordings are just some hack job done in a room at my house.

aeolian

 

[Tim]

I use Audacity. It is free and can be used by both Windows and Mac computer users. It has a lot of bells and whistles. Go here to find it:

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/

 

[marnold]

I use Audacity. It is free and can be used by both Windows and Mac computer users.

And Linux too! I'd like to check this out one of these eons.

 

[Tim]

If I can figure out how to use the software program ... anybody can. Presently I have not tried to add the effects (reverb, chorus, etc.). There are other Fretters who should be able to help with adding on the effects.

 

[ted s]

For those that are using computers.. do you find a problem with any delay messing up your timing ?

 

[Spudman]

For those that are using computers.. do you find a problem with any delay messing up your timing ?

Ted
Are you talking about latency? Kind of a light delay when you are listening to your guitar while you are recording into the computer? If so, ya it bugs me too. Then I figured out how to lower the latency so I don't have that problem.
It was accomplished so long ago that I can't remember exactly what I did. I'm sure somebody here knows what to do if that is indeed your problem.

 

[ted s]

That's what I'm talking Spuds.

 

[zeusse]

I'm using my Digitech GNX4 and usb into the pc and Pro Tracks Plus plus a couple of other vst pluggins. And thats about it unless I mic the amp but I still route through the GNX4. Pretty simple sounds great and the GNX4 has too many bells and whistles to list check it out at Digitech's site. On the latency issue the Pro Tracks has a latency adjust slider on the audio tab, I just adjust to suit my recording.