TubeNet

I need to buy something to record home practice.

I've considered eventually making up a digital recording studio at home (including keyboard and tone generators) so if there's something that can serve as the basis of a studio, that'd be nice.

Regardless, I need the recorder now.

Thanks ahead of time for your help.

Alex C wrote:I need to buy something to record home practice.

I've considered eventually making up a digital recording studio at home

Hi Alex,

I recently got a new portable Zoom PS04 Digital recorder for the exact idea that you have mentioned. It is a four track recorder with a programmable Drum/Bass Machine & Multi-Effects as well as a very good quality built-In microphone with Pre-Amp. You can even plug an electric bass or guitar directly in as well. It also accepts my horn mic that clips on the bell rim and holds the mic over the center to get a nicer sound.

It is like having an old Otari multitrack track reel to reel plus studio effects all in one. I grew up editing with a razor blade and 1/2" Ampex quad machines so I am just amazed by all this can do in a handheld package.

It uses a SmartMedia card for storage which is what I have on my Olympus digital cameras so taking the card out and trasferring to my computer is a snap for burning to a CD or e-mailing etc...

Runs with batteries or an AC adapter. I love it as it offers so much in a tiny package. Price is around $200 but you have to buy the AC seperate. If you use a digital camera with SmartMedia you can even swap memory cards back and forth.

WWBW sells them at as decent a price as I found and has more info to read at their sale page http://www.wwbw.com/Zoom-PS04-Digital-R ... 0686.music Other tube.net vendors might have them too but that is where I got mine.

Another solution that isn't outrageously expensive is the M Audio OmniStudio. If you own a computer--and I would guess you do, because you posted a message here--and a couple microphones, you can record digital stereo by hooking the mikes to this gadget and plugging the OmniStudio into the USB port on your computer. It comes with software to load on your computer. Not a bad solution, because the USB feature makes it something you can use portably with a laptop, as well as with a workstation. It won't be quite as portable as the Zoom mentioned above of course, and it's more expenseive at about $350. But it probably gets you closer to the studio concept. You also have the option of simultaneously recording 4 tracks if you have another pair of mike preamps. I've had good luck with American Musical Supply for this electronic stuff.

http://www.americanmusical.com/item--i-MII-OMNIUSB.html

Hi all-

After EXTENSIVE research on this topic, I purchased a Creative Labs Jukebox III. This constitutes my 4th generation of recording devices. I'll enumerate them, to demonstrate my fetish history (omitting dates, to protect the innocent) -
1) fostex 4 track cassette recorder
2) sony pro cassette recorder
3) sony DAT-man
4) Creative Labs Jukebox III (henceforth CLJB3)

My current requirements:
Well, it's a digital age that we live in - I wanted to be able to record (1)lots of (2)high-quality sound digitally, then (3)easily be able to move those tracks over to a PC - to tweak them, render to MP3s, put on the web, put on CDs, whatever, right?
I also wanted a device that (4)didn't frequently break and require expensive servicing - which is why I retired my broken option #3. Anybody wanna buy a used DAT-man? Cheap...

Those 4 simple requirements led me to my choice.
I considered the minidisk recorders, but those violate requirements 2 and 3. My CLJB3 records uncompressed .WAV files! (at a higher quality than my DAT player did) and offers USB and Firewire connectivity to my PC for FAST transfers.

I also considered memory card based devices, but this violated my requirement #1. What if I want to record a whole gig? What if it lasted 3 hours? Not unheard of, for my band.
That is 180 minutes x 10 megs/stereo minute - almost 2 gigs.
You don't want to know how much you have to pay for that much card-based memory. My CLJB3 sports 20 gigs of hard disk based memory. I can go to Europe on tour for 10 days and bring it all back with me! The latest versions hold 40 gigs. I am convinced that HD-based recording is THE WAY to go, at least for my requirements.

Don't forget about battery life when considering these things. My CLJB3 has 2 bays for Li-Ion batteries, and will run for 22 hours solid. Amazing...

The other thing I love about my CLJB3 - it is an MP3 player. Didn't think I needed one of those, but I sure do use it a lot. I listen to a lot more music than I used to, which is a VERY good thing... I have about 150 of my favorite albums on it, with PLENTY of room to record to my heart's content. If you care, you can also use it to store files.

If you aren't sold yet - go check out the specs on this bugger:
http://us.creative.com/products/product ... roduct=296

Two final suggestions on this topic-
1) get a good microphone - I love my AudioTechnica AT-822
2) get a good set of headphones - I love my Sony Pro cans.

Good luck!
jg

Some cheap online retailer - probably buy.com - I don't remember, to be honest.
Do a price compare at cnet and let your fingers do the walking...
jg

Jim

I already have a Jukebox that I use for listining to music during my daily commute. I have often thought of using it to record but have been turned off on their remote/mike combination that ways for voice recording. Do you use there micorphone or do you use something else?

Thanks

I have used a Tascam DA-P1 DAT recorder since 1996... It’s very reliable (no problems for me) and has great sound. If you think you may want to record somewhere other than just your place, it may be a better option for your studio than a rack mounted DAT- due to its portability.

Recording straight to your computer is an interesting idea... make sure you get an input device with an excellent A to D converter if you want high quality sound. I owned a Soundblaster Extigy (external soundcard with mic inputs) a few years ago, and the sound was not great.

I have used some Sony DATs (DATman?) and they all broke on me, so I would not recommend going with one of their portable products.

jimgray wrote:If you aren't sold yet - go check out the specs on this bugger:
http://us.creative.com/products/product ... roduct=296

Two final suggestions on this topic-
1) get a good microphone - I love my AudioTechnica AT-822

I didn't see a mic input in the specs. Do you just use the line-in?

--paul;

I am quite interested in the CLJB3.

Can anyone answer the question about the mic input?

How is it for recording the low notes of the tuba range?

Any other anecdotal impressions are welcome!

Jim Gray:

I recently acquired a Creative Jukebox 5 gig version, and plan on doing what you're doing with the recording and transfer to PC.

A friend of mine strongly recommended a mic preamp for the Creative Jukebox/AT 822- have you used a preamp with your setup? How's the sound?