By derMole
Tue Jul 26, 2016 10:37 pm
I recently dusted off my old Tascam 688 and started to record and mix with it again... and it's just great. I've been using Logic for that past years and beside the problem that I often get lost in the endless possibilities it offers I never got it to feel right. Even with a control surface (still having a BCF-2000 collecting dust) it never felt as dedicated as the Tascam.
It would be all good if the way I make music wouldn't have changed. Today I'm recording a lot of live instrumentation. Basically I start with a small loop on the MPC, record some live instruments and process them, sample them on MPC, make the arrangement on the MPC bigger, record some more instruments and so on. It's a constant back and forth. The 688 can do this but it's a bit long-winded. Since it only has 8 tracks I don't want to waste 1 track to the MIDI sync signal. Therefore when recording an instrument I also have to record the MPC's output. The medium cassette also has its drawbacks: navigating through material takes time, there is no proper loop playing/recording etc.
That lead me to check out the current line of multitrack recorders... unfortunately there isn't much to check out. Is anyone still using these things? If so it'd be great if you could share your experiences and opinions to help me find a device that fits my needs.
Must have features:
- syncable via MIDI
- at least 8 inputs
- at least 16 tracks
- at least an EQ per channel. onboard effects would be nice
- aux sends for outboard effects
- motorized faders would be nice
- no deep menu diving
Only the Tascam DP-24-SD matches most of my criterias but it doesn't have MIDI sync. The predecessor (DP-24) does but I read that it has some flaws. From the older machines I've checked out the Yamaha AW4416 looks promising.
It would be all good if the way I make music wouldn't have changed. Today I'm recording a lot of live instrumentation. Basically I start with a small loop on the MPC, record some live instruments and process them, sample them on MPC, make the arrangement on the MPC bigger, record some more instruments and so on. It's a constant back and forth. The 688 can do this but it's a bit long-winded. Since it only has 8 tracks I don't want to waste 1 track to the MIDI sync signal. Therefore when recording an instrument I also have to record the MPC's output. The medium cassette also has its drawbacks: navigating through material takes time, there is no proper loop playing/recording etc.
That lead me to check out the current line of multitrack recorders... unfortunately there isn't much to check out. Is anyone still using these things? If so it'd be great if you could share your experiences and opinions to help me find a device that fits my needs.
Must have features:
- syncable via MIDI
- at least 8 inputs
- at least 16 tracks
- at least an EQ per channel. onboard effects would be nice
- aux sends for outboard effects
- motorized faders would be nice
- no deep menu diving
Only the Tascam DP-24-SD matches most of my criterias but it doesn't have MIDI sync. The predecessor (DP-24) does but I read that it has some flaws. From the older machines I've checked out the Yamaha AW4416 looks promising.