What studio to buy

[ynotuk1]

Am looking to buy an 8 track- 16 track portable studio and have been looking on the net to compare certain ones i.e -tascam, boss,korg,roland and zoom with a budget of around £600 but am having problems finding a site that actually does this can anyone help, i know its down to personal preference but do any of these stand out amongst the others?? ....thanks

[Danny Danzi]

Why would you want one of those when you could buy a killer software program that would give you nearly unlimited possibilities? Those all in one boxes are cool....but very limited. And, you have track limitations. You don't have any of that with a pc recording program. Personally, I'd not even consider one of the things you want to get, but that's just my opinion.

[TonyB]

I'm inclined to agree with DD. What is the purpose for the portable studio? Portable tells me that you may want to do some on-site live recording. If so, then maybe that's the route you'd want to go.

If you're looking for something strictly for your home use, then I'd go with the DAW HW/SW route for the reasons DD listed.

[Danny Danzi]

Totally agree T....even if he was looking for mobile use, I'd still take a lappy with a good soundcard over one of those all in ones.

[TonyB]

Originally Posted by Danny Danzi

Totally agree T....even if he was looking for mobile use, I'd still take a lappy with a good soundcard over one of those all in ones.

True. I'm assuming ynotuk1 is starting from scratch (square 1). Definitely not the first thing you'd want to buy for a home studio. Maybe down the road when you have an established suite of toys (i.e., DAW HW/SW, mic cabinet, acoustic treatment, etc) would I consider acquiring a portable studio (more than likely it would be if I had extra cash to burn...which I never do).

I'm having a tough time getting specific because:
- I don't know what 600 pounds equates to in USD.
- I don't know what hardware ynotuk1 already has

Sounds like an AI with multiple preamps would be a possible alternative for a portable studio, if DAW HW/SW is already available. If no DAW HW/SW is available and expansion in not an issue (i.e., limited channels), then a portable studio would work.

[newkid]

Originally Posted by ynotuk1

Am looking to buy an 8 track- 16 track portable studio and have been looking on the net to compare certain ones i.e -tascam, boss,korg,roland and zoom with a budget of around £600 but am having problems finding a site that actually does this can anyone help, i know its down to personal preference but do any of these stand out amongst the others?? ....thanks

What do you really need to do?

Definitely Look at the new zoom 16 track.
See if it does what you want.

And then go to a store and see how it actually works.
Stuff that looks good on paper is not always good in practice.

I got the zoom h2 based on features, which are good, but it was a PITA to actually use for what I wanted. I fear all zoom products have the same basic user interface annoyances.

I considered the zoom 16 track but found that superscope elevation software on a pc was far better for my needs.
And a pc with real software should beat any box like this for serious recording with multi tracks and then mixing etc.

Like the other guys suggested, consider a laptop with software and an interface card instead of a stand alone box. It might be a bit more than 600£sterling but would work better.


Kellys music and computer lets you compare lots of things in a custom table. You can add/delete to the table from their menu of things in that category eg interfaces.
You get to pick from all available ones that you want to see.
Not sure if a portable studio type of device is one of them.

Otherwise you may have to dl the user manuals and make your own comparison chart. Lots of sites spout features from the spec sheet but comparisons are hard to find.

Be sure the thing does what you need. The zoom claims 16 tracks but the number of mike ins with phantom power is only 2 as I recall. And 8 tracks is the max recording capability.

Lots of vendors claim more than they really deliver.

[TonyB]

Originally Posted by newkid

What do you really need to do?

........


Be sure the thing does what you need. The zoom claims 16 tracks but the number of mike ins with phantom power is only 2 as I recall. And 8 tracks is the max recording capability.

Lots of vendors claim more than they really deliver.

Bingo! Does your solution match your requirements?

[Danny Danzi]

Originally Posted by newkid

What do you really need to do?

Definitely Look at the new zoom 16 track.
See if it does what you want.

And then go to a store and see how it actually works.
Stuff that looks good on paper is not always good in practice.

I got the zoom h2 based on features, which are good, but it was a PITA to actually use for what I wanted. I fear all zoom products have the same basic user interface annoyances.

I considered the zoom 16 track but found that superscope elevation software on a pc was far better for my needs.
And a pc with real software should beat any box like this for serious recording with multi tracks and then mixing etc.

Like the other guys suggested, consider a laptop with software and an interface card instead of a stand alone box. It might be a bit more than 600£sterling but would work better.


Kellys music and computer lets you compare lots of things in a custom table. You can add/delete to the table from their menu of things in that category eg interfaces.
You get to pick from all available ones that you want to see.
Not sure if a portable studio type of device is one of them.

Otherwise you may have to dl the user manuals and make your own comparison chart. Lots of sites spout features from the spec sheet but comparisons are hard to find.

Be sure the thing does what you need. The zoom claims 16 tracks but the number of mike ins with phantom power is only 2 as I recall. And 8 tracks is the max recording capability.

Lots of vendors claim more than they really deliver.

And another +1! Well said newkid, good post!

[ynotuk1]

Originally Posted by Danny Danzi

And another +1! Well said newkid, good post!

Thanks for getting back to me about what studio to buy but i must admit that im a little more confused than i was in the first place apart from the fact that it looks to me the way to go would be through the computer....but thats where my problem starts as i am a complete novice and i,m not entirely sure what i need to get up and running....i think i have what i need in software i;e Ableton7 i understand that i need a soundcard to play my guitar through, what one should i be looking for...i have a desktop comp thats a few years old so i suppose i could do with getting a laptop with lots of memory???...........at the moment thats what i,ve got plus amps and effect pedals, any help u could give me would be very much appreciated.... thanks

[ynotuk1]

Originally Posted by newkid

What do you really need to do?

Definitely Look at the new zoom 16 track.
See if it does what you want.

And then go to a store and see how it actually works.
Stuff that looks good on paper is not always good in practice.

I got the zoom h2 based on features, which are good, but it was a PITA to actually use for what I wanted. I fear all zoom products have the same basic user interface annoyances.

I considered the zoom 16 track but found that superscope elevation software on a pc was far better for my needs.
And a pc with real software should beat any box like this for serious recording with multi tracks and then mixing etc.

Like the other guys suggested, consider a laptop with software and an interface card instead of a stand alone box. It might be a bit more than 600£sterling but would work better.


Kellys music and computer lets you compare lots of things in a custom table. You can add/delete to the table from their menu of things in that category eg interfaces.
You get to pick from all available ones that you want to see.
Not sure if a portable studio type of device is one of them.

Otherwise you may have to dl the user manuals and make your own comparison chart. Lots of sites spout features from the spec sheet but comparisons are hard to find.

Be sure the thing does what you need. The zoom claims 16 tracks but the number of mike ins with phantom power is only 2 as I recall. And 8 tracks is the max recording capability.

Lots of vendors claim more than they really deliver.

Thanks Newkid
After some of the replys i had today i,m even more confused as to which way to go and im now thinking to go down the computer path with recording, i basically just want to do some recording at home nothing major ,somrthing i can chuck ideas for songs on , practicing phrasing and soloing etc..........I just thought that getting a portable studio i would be able to understand it easier than the comp route and cheaper but i,m getting the impression that the comp route would be the wiser one................any help would be appreciated..thanks