cheap 99 buck tape recorder

Hi Arjen,

I have been offline for a couple of hours and I got to thinking....

Using a four track cassette recorder as sonicdog was explaining is A REALLY GOOD IDEA.

Most people don't even want these old cassette track recorders like the portastudios because most people want to go digital, so there seems to be an abundance of these around and I have seen quite a few on ebay going for quite low prices.

Some months ago a friend of mine tried to sell me an old Porta 05 with about 80 blank tapes, and I thought, no I don't want this old piece of junk, I want digital stuff.

NOW, I am seriously rethinking that because they are portable, you don't need a computer to operate them, and they have alot of good functions.

I have not researched these so I don't know much about them but I may consider getting an inexpensive used one and using it this winter, like I said, just for getting my ideas down and working on songs. I don't care about digital CD quality recordings. At this point my skills don't even justify that so I can wait until late next spring at least before I get a digital recording set up.

Now I'll be off to the races to learn about these 4 track cassette recorders. That might be just what I need for now.

Thanks dog for explaining how you used yours.

FOLLOWUP:
It didn't take much time, reading about the older cassette type recorders to decide that I am not going to pursue that route any further.

I felt like I was going back in time to read specs and reviews about those contraptions and I quickly decided that digital storage media is the only way to go for me, whether it be internal hard drive or memory cards, probably the memory cards.

Hehe, same here, but I'm a Digital Prostitute. Old analog stuff has it's advantages but recording digital over a $99 tape recorder has nothing but advantages. I don't even want to know how long it will take me to get each seperate track out of the cassette on my computer for proper mixing, with even the cheapest digital unit that will take fifteen seconds at most.

Note: make sure you have a way to connect a digital recorder to something with speakers or you can't do much at all with it. Many recorders don't have speakers of themselves and you can't take the tape out and listen to it since there is no tape anymore. :D

Thank you, Arjen, that is very helpful advice.

I went to Soundclick site, listened to your music and I much compliment you for some very beautiful work. I was inspired. Thank you.
I had wanted to play classical style music, without the standard confines, more like transcendental, or ethereal, I am not sure what to call it. I was studying yacht design back then (late 1970s) with an intense interest and planning to build an ocean sailing yacht to sail all over the world. I thought that out on the ocean would be the place of most freedom. I also remember very clearly wanting to have a guitar with me so I could play and create music.

I love Piano and if I had one choice of all instruments it may well be the Piano. I have long fingers and I'm sure I would become good at it. In fact after hearing your music I will get one. I had an old junk organ and I was learning 'Whiter Shade of Pale' by Procol Harem one of my all time favorite songs. I junked that organ and aquired a large beautiful church organ, a Rogers 32B, about 1970 vintage, solid state, and very fine quality,and I understand a great sound. Rogers makes huge pipe organs for churches. I don't have any speakers for it and I think there is an electrical problem in the main power supply. I know how to fix it, having some education in electrical occupations but with no speakers and with not enough money to buy the repair manual ($54) to get specifications, or buy speakers I have not done anything with this beautiful organ.

It is still here but I gave it away to some friends who are building a recording studio. My friend has Leslie speakers for it. I may deliver it to them soon and then I will have room for a Piano :-)

I have consoidered getting an electronic keyboard which would be great but I don't know enough about them. I suppose that with an interface I could get a midi keyboard, another thing I know little about~midi.

How did you record your Piano work Arjen? The strings were very nice too and the drums.

In fact I noticed that listeners could vote for songs, 'Hot' or 'Flop' and I wanted to vote for your songs so I registered as an 'Artist' so I could vote and later put up some music.

I voted 'Hot' on every song except the last one, however: I found the last song to be very interesting, I like it!! It was the loud noise interruptions in the recording that could have awakened my neighbor that led me to 'flop' that song In the daytime it wouldn't matter, the noise interruptions are great. I LIKE THAT. It is a strong impression and I think that people need that kind of 'therapy' once in awhile. Next time I listen to it (in the daytime so I can play it loud) I will probably vote 'Hot' on it.

Thank you for the good advice in this topic and also for sharing your music, it was appreciated here, near Seattle WA on the Kitsap Peninsula.

Phangeaux

Hehe, same here, but I'm a Digital Prostitute. Old analog stuff has it's advantages but recording digital over a $99 tape recorder has nothing but advantages. I don't even want to know how long it will take me to get each seperate track out of the cassette on my computer for proper mixing, with even the cheapest digital unit that will take fifteen seconds at most.

Note: make sure you have a way to connect a digital recorder to something with speakers or you can't do much at all with it. Many recorders don't have speakers of themselves and you can't take the tape out and listen to it since there is no tape anymore. :D

I have to say that recording on the PC is much more versatile than the 4-track, but something about analog sound that i like :D It is a bit of a throw back but then like i said, you can use your deck for a mixer and record with the pc. I just upgraded with a M-audio firewire so I have the best of both worlds. I got the MR-8 befor the tascam , but i sent it back, It just didn't have enough memory and I thought the sound was lacking. I got better sound with my pc even with a Cheap soundblster live card.You can get audacity for free and have 16 tracks and the memory is only limited by your PC. you can get a cheap mixer for well under $100.--the dog

I'm saving up to get myself a digital piano, right now I'm using a wimpy OLD keybord. You can hear it on Waiting to Fall. The piano on 'The could be classical etc' song is actually programmed and edited using free software (Guitar Pro demo for the composition but any midi program would work, soundfonts for the samples and kristal/audacity for the mix). My keybord is acceptable for lo-fi popsongs but nowhere acceptable for highly-dynamic classical-oriented music. And my skills aren't good enough to play what I did. Heck, try just counting the beat along, there's no way I can play 16th notes at a pretty high tempo with a time signature that's changing from 21/16 to 7/8 and such nonsense. Maybe one day I'll be able to do that, but not anytime soon.

If you want to record piano, definitely go digital over analog. You can just plug the line-out into your mixer, recorder or computer and you're good to go. Recording an analog piano is really, really tough. You'll need at the very least two mics and it needs to be able to handle both high and low frequencies well, handle loud volume peaks and pick up the softest touches without too much noise. That means expensive mics, expensive cables, expensive mic pre-amps and an expensive soundcard. There are some very nice digital pianos starting around $800 (Korg, Yamaha). Piano is a great instrument, started it a year or so ago and I already know I'll never quit it. It's way different from guitar, not just the physical part but also in how you mentally write and play the songs. It's almost like playing guitar and bass on your own while maintaining a single fluid sound.

The last song was, like some others, more of a musical experiment. Written with a German friend we just thought of a new chord one after the other and fitted lyrics on top, in the early morning or late night, depending on how you look at it. The noise interuptions can be irritating and even painfull at loud volumes. Most hate it, some tolerate it and a handfull of people like it. That's ok, there's plenty of sane music for those who like that.

And that yacht idea is awesome. The idea of having a small studio inside a yacht and just going wherever you want with a few good friends is just mind boggling. But I'm not rich, and I can't even fold a paper boat if I tried so that's not going to happen I fear. If you ever find a way to do it come sail this way. As all roads lead to Rome all waterways lead to Holland.

Finally, thank you very much for listening to the songs. And the fact that you liked it means a lot, really. Two years ago I'd never thought someone living thousands of miles away would appreciate a song I'd written. It's a crazy world.

Arjen said: Two years ago I'd never thought someone living thousands of miles away would appreciate a song I'd written. It's a crazy world

I would have never imagined a few years ago that I would be making recordings with folks from Holland, England And other places around the world over the internet, How cool is that 8) 8) 8) --the dog

Thanks Arjen, and hello there smokin dog!

Yeah, piano is a wonderful instrument and would be great for songwriting, no doubt. I don't have any kind of 'lots of money' to spend on anything, but I have a pick-up truck and I can pick up a big upright piano for $50-$100 USD and sometimes even FREE. I just don't have room for one right now until I move that organ.

I want to emphasize an important point. My objective is to create some good music, song writing/composing. I am wise enough to see that I don't need expensive recording studio stuff to create good music. There is no way I can afford the equipment and time to learn to be a studio engineer and compete in that area. I would rather do the music thing. If the music is GOOD it doesn't matter what the recording quality is to make a presentation. I don't care if something is recorded on a pocket tape recorder set at low quality recording, If the music is good, then that is all that matters.

From there, I can always take it to someone with a nice home studio who is GOOD at recording technology and mixing, and LIKES to do THAT part of it.

I am not going to waste my time trying to be a good recording engineer and try to compete with people who love recording and will always have better equipment and better studio skills than I will have.

If I make a good song I will have no problem finding someone who will want to record it and profgessional musicians who will want to play it.

As far as portable recording I am just going to use a tiny digital pocket voice recorder with a USB connection- cost for this one: $35 slightly used. That is plenty adequate for recording ideas that come to mind, records in .wav format too with 3 different quality settings.

NEXT, I have decided to wait another month or two and save more money to buy a home studio recorder. MEANWHILE, I am going to assemble a new computer because this one is TOO NOISY to record with, (fans etc.), plus I have some new components already to put together a 2.6GHz AMD 266mhz bus with a gig of DDR RAM. I just need to buy the processor and some RAM mainly.

Right now I am on a 1.3GHz AMD with a gig of PC133 RAM, /XP Pro, all of which is very borderline for recording. This one has served me well for about 4 years but it is time for something better.

Catch you later in another topic.

I never did read all of the specs for the $99 4 tracker in the opening topic so I am going to go back and do that real quick.

HEY DOG, ONE FOINAL QUESTION FOR YOU HERE: What kind of 4 track (tape) rewcorder were you using? I have noticed some on ebay.

HOLY MOLY, While I was writing this I was checking EBAY and with 3 Minutes left on an auction for a BR864 WITH A MICROPHONE I Entered a bid and WON IT!!! FOR $227.50.

I would have rather had something with phantom power, was hooping for an MR8 Hard Drive model, but hey, Finally I can set aside all of this time consuming sesarch for a recorder and get back to Music!

Dude, that's an amazing price. Awesome piece of kit, just check the difference with a USB stick once you get it. That is going to be money extremely well spend!

I use a TASCAM portastudio 424 mk 3, I,m pretty sure they don't make them anymore but the mixer is nice even if you don't use the tape. you ca probably get one on eBay cheap. mine was $350 new about 1-1/2 years ago :D congrats on the mic!!!--the dog

here is somthing I did on cassette tape-- http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=213596&songID=1796219

and this also http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=213596&songID=1476184

you can get an idea of sound qaulity, the second one I over dubed twice ( 7 tracks)

Hey smokin'dog, that is some VERY GOOD STUFF!

Christmas song is cool! That second song idea, Cut My Stone is awesome. I couldn't hear the lyrics well at all, listened in Lo-Fi due to slow dial-up connection, and on plain computer speakers with a cheap 16 bit soundcard. So I have really no idea of the lyrics yet.

Re: Cut My Stone, I didn't care much for the Rock style of playing, in a song idea which has so much potential depth which I can relate too well.
I never saw that program you mentioned re: Folsom Prison.

The song reminded me of Marking Stone Blues as recorded by Kelly Joe Phelps. I did a search to find those lyrics and post a link here but was unsuccessful.

So, Instead here is a good suggestion:

http://www.guitarseminars.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/010978.html

phangeaux
PS: Here is Kelly Joe Phelps own Personal Website for further reference:
http://www.kellyjoephelps.net/

. I use a TASCAM portastudio 424 mk 3, I,m pretty sure they don't make them anymore but the mixer is nice even if you don't use the tape. you ca probably get one on eBay cheap. mine was $350 new about 1-1/2 years ago :D congrats on the mic!!!--the dog

here is somthing I did on cassette tape-- http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=213596&songID=1796219

and this also http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=213596&songID=1476184

you can get an idea of sound qaulity, the second one I over dubed twice ( 7 tracks)

Thanks, Cut My Stone was actually written as a delta blues in open G. I just got carried away when I recorded it :lol: That's a cool link, I'll check it out further in the morning :D --the dog

here are the lyrics

Cut my stone

My name is Jeffrey lee
You know the warden is hunting me
His posse is running me down
They show no mercy when your found

If they catch me they'll put me down
Put me in shackles, Folsom bound
That will be my last dying day
Who'll cut my stone when I'm in the grave

Hell hounds are after me
Shot in the back running through the trees
Laying down in a pool of blood
Hunted down, died in the mud

All you rounders you listen to me
Lay off the bourbon, let that crack coke be
It's not to late to change your ways
Maybe put off your dying day