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[Muso] Multitrack recorders

Started by lazyhour, September 26, 2011, 12:23:25 PM

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lazyhour

Hello team!

I'm Googling away trying to find a cheap, basic mixer that will record each of its inputs separately, either into the device itself or into a computer via USB or Firewire. Unfortunately, my research hasn't yielded a positive result yet - strangely, most discussion online about this seems to be from 2006 and before. Does anyone know if such an item currently exists?

I suppose my dream is to get something like this:


Or this:


..that's capable of multitrack recording.

Anyone tried to find similar?

papalaz4444244

Yep, stuff like that exists. I suppose it depends how many inputs you wish to record simultaneously.

http://www.alesis.com/multimix4usb

I haven't used one of these but it looks like the bare minimum device you have described.


lazyhour

Thanks for your reply. However! As far as I can tell, this Alesis unit only outputs a stereo signal, either via analog out or via usb.

lazyhour

This Alesis mixer appears to offer proper multitrack output to a computer (via Firewire), but looks to be discontinued. Bah.

http://www.dv247.com/mixers/alesis-multimix-8-firewire-mixer--29911

jake thunder

I've been looking at the Alesis IO26 - 8 channel firewire thing. You can get one for about £200. Does everything I'd need.

We recorded drums on a cassette 4 track for about half the songs on my band's last album. Turned out great.

papalaz4444244

Quote from: lazyhour on September 26, 2011, 06:00:49 PM
Thanks for your reply. However! As far as I can tell, this Alesis unit only outputs a stereo signal, either via analog out or via usb.
The stereo output is your monitor mix, surely?

<reading> Reading the spec there, yes it does seem ambiguous.

As I said, it depends on how many tracks you want to record simultaneously. :P


HappyTree

Depends on what you mean by "cheap" and as others have said how many simultaneous inputs you need to record at the same time. The Zoom R16 looks great, you can use it standalone and with computer. Looks good value too.

I personally prefer a multitrack unit over a computer. It is a portable unit all in one that "just works" rather than me faffing around with plugins, compatibility and MIDI. Maybe one day when I have the money to have a dedicated computer just for the music I will move over but I find my AW16-G works fine for what I need it to do.

lazyhour

useful stuff, HappyTree - thank you! I agree that there's a definite appeal to having a standalone unit that just works, but as I've just recently bought a decent new laptop, it seems a shame not to utilise it.

It looks like the key to getting multiple audio channels into your computer is to find a device that uses USB2.0 or Firewire, as regular USB just doesn't have the data capacity to send more than a stereo stream.

I've found a couple of current Alesis devices that are more on the cheap side and that both do what I want. For just over a hundred you can get this, which will record 4 simultaneous inputs, which is what I ideally want (for band recordings):


The Alesis iO4

Or for just under £200 you can get this, more of a 'proper' mixer - not sure how many this'll record at one time, but it's at least 4:

The Alesis Multimix 8 USB2.0

Hmm, hope this is useful for at least one other person...

papalaz4444244


lazyhour

I think that's the previous model - USB but not USB2.0!