line 6 toneport

I only know what I read since it has not hit the market yet but it sounds like they made a good marriage between the hardware and software. I read one review by an early user (probably worked for line6) and he could not say enough good things about it.

Hey Dog,

First, I have written about 4 posts to you in other topics, all good and a couple of long ones. EVERY TIME some dang thing happened and they were lost. It is as if ... some peculiar force is thinking, can't let these two guys get together or there will be some kinda bad blues goin' on.

I always think blues, man

Anyhow, just wanted you to know that you get more notice than what is evident in posts on the board. I cracked up when I read how you got your name, LOL.

On with the mission:

I have been crawling through information on recording gizmos for a couple of months or more plodding through technical stuff and getting really burned out. In fact I spent 14-16 hrs on it today, looked at every digital recorder on ebay, watching about 60 of them presently.

For each one I see, I do a search and read the technical stuff and the Reviews. I am begining to get familiar with it.

I am getting ready to get my first one. I think I want a portable one that can operate independantly of a computer connection because I have a nice quiet little get-away where I play better when I get away from the computer, but since it is winter I may decide on a non portable unit like the Line 6 UX2, or whatever.

CHECK THIS OUT for comparison against the Line 6 UX2:

http://www.presonus.com/firebox.html

Look for some reviews on this elsewhere. I was amazed, virtually ALL 10's in the reviews.
It requires a FireWire (IEEE 1394) port which you can add to your computer with a PCI card in the $30. range or I guess you can use a power supply.

Why is it taking so long to decide? Lack of money mainly, but that has given me time to really shop around. I get in this cycle where I want more and better features, price gets too high and it also gets more complicated I don't want to spend another 6 months learning how to use the thing, so then I think 'I WANT SOMETHING SIMPLE easy to use and something that I actually can afford without putting my neck out on a chopping block. I am on very low income medical disability so I have to pinch pennys to afford to get anything decent.

So, I am at a point where around $200 - $350 for USED or New, is my range, and I am back to keeping it simple again. Right now I am too burned out to even read about this again or write about it.

I'll catch up to you later.

In spite of being very tired I felt driven to read and compare specifications on each, they are actually more different than I thought but I can't sort it out right now.

My use is for songwriting/composing, by myself mostly, blues mostly and quite a bit will be acoustic, tricone for example where clean sound quality is important. I am interested in the music itself so effects don't mean much to me. They can always be played with after the [good] music is created, and otherwise I think that effects might just get in the way

Effects are OK and fun sometimes I guess.

I'll have to take a break for a couple of days, then come back and look at this all over again.

It takes a long time to learn this stuff, hey? I will be GLAD when this phase is over with, I get some recording gear of some sort so I can get back to my objective of actually learning, playing and creating music. All this having to learn recording technology is not what I want to do. I don't want to be a recording studio geek, I just want to create some music.

A standard pocket digital recorder with a USB cable for as little as $35-$40 records in wave format and can be uploaded to computer and placed into studio software and probably works quite well.

My neighbor gave me one, an 'Olympus' and I am going to test that out. Great for keeping track of ideas and it is very small.

I have to get some sleep....

end of the trail for me tonight

I got some sleep finally and essentially what I was trying to say is that I am interested in THE HARDWARE, and this is what I will base my decisions on.

I tend to be suspicious of anything that uses 'Effects' to sell the product. I am not a kid and I am not impressed with that sh_*t. I couldn't care less that different effects have uniquely different colored skins for the screen display for example, or that it has 297 effects that I will never use.

For me it is all about creating some very good songs/music and when that is accomplished then the finished song/composition can be modified and effects added later. If the song is good enough it will eventually go to a professional recording studio with professional performers, so all of this effects stuff is pretty useless unless someone wants to be an 'effects' rock star for a day.

My approach is pretty serious.

One thing I don't like is getting too technical about music and recording. I want to be a songwriter/composer and create music. I don't want to be a Studio Engineer and having to study all of this stuff I find is having a negative impact on my natural creativity.

You either want to be an engineer or you want to be a musician/songwriter. Maybe some people can do both but for me I would rather leave the studio engineering to professionals and just work on music.

In my opinion, all of this technical stuff is getting way out of hand for a musician songwriter.

I am going back to keeping it simple.

If I only use my existing line in on a cheap sound card and a cheap pocket tape (digital) recorder for portable use and recording ideas, that is probably enough.

When it comes time to make a nice recording I can go to someone who is a recording studio geek, because that is what they are interested in and good at.

It seems to be one of those situations where you can't have your cake and eat it too.

I may buy a digtal home studio recorder after all of the time I have spent researching it, but by preference, simpler is better.

By the way, you would be surprized at the quality of sound that these tiny pocket voice recorders have in the high quality setting with the internal mic- also have a connection for an external mic which I haven't tried AND they record in wave format so they can be transfered to computer via USB, so, starting at about $35 on ebay, and with free recording software you can have a simple portable recording studio which is probably quite adequate for a songwriter.

You know, it is the nature of a capitalist economic system, especially in the USA to creat ARTIFICIAL DEMAND for products. People are actually brainwashed into being CONSUMERS.

Do you actually need all of this crap? That is my purist perspective on it.

Hey, I just want to play some fkg blues

This is what I ended up with :D http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/FirewireAudiophile-main.html
I agree about the effects, I play mostly blues type stuff to, so I don't need all the effects, and the m-audio seemed simple to use and set up compared to the line-6 :wink: So I'm pretty happy with this( I found one for $169 ) I still use my tascam for a mixer( It makes a good mixer) --the dog

I'll never like that toneport. Just get a seperate audio interface and modeler so you can upgrade either without losing the other. If you just want to record some basic stuff, accoustic and electric you need:

-A tiny mixer that allows you to record vocals and guitar at the same time. $49
-A basic DI box for electric guitar, no effects. Check the samples. $39
-Two mics for vocals and guitar. This set gets you a spare one, it's cheaper then buying them seperately. $29
-Some cables, $15.

Total cost for a basic no-nonsense setup which allows you to record vocals and either electric/accoustic guitar, $135. Get yourself a used minidisc recorder from ebay for a few bucks and you'll have your mobile recording setup.

I was really very tired and burnt out from a couple of months of studying recorders so I was probably an a bad mood when I wrote that stuff. SORRY!!

Just won a BR864 on Ebay so thank goodness I can go back to music now instead of spending all of my time researching and trying to get a recorder.

Thanks for those links Arjen,

Smokindog I asked in another topic what tape studio you were using. A Tascam Porta 05 sold yesterday on Ebay for $25.00 plus 12.50 for shipping, after 11 bids.

That is about what it is worth in my opinion but I can see how it might make a good mixer :-)

A friend of mine has one and used it alot! He then inherited some money and bought a whole rack mount studio with top of the line IMAC and software, about $25K, then after 40 years of musicianship (Rock Guitarist and Band Leader) one professional CD, He QUIT Cold Turkey. Just totally fed up with the whole scene, has been selling everything! even his guitars (all gone). He is going out to some remote area get a cabin by a lake and 'go fishing' he says. It's over with for him 'Retired'. His biggest complaint was not finding dependable band members who really wanted to be dedicated and successful, and were willing to learn from him (40 years experience) rather than thinking they already knew it all, chasing the girls and drugs instead of commitment to excellence in thier music.

Oh well. Sad to see his career come to an end on such a bitter note. He is not very happy about it, but it is a done deal.

That's why I'm happy doing my thing on the net :lol: :lol: Did that guy at least keep an acoustic guitar to take to the cabin with him :cry: :?:

That's why I'm happy doing my thing on the net :lol: :lol: Did that guy at least keep an acoustic guitar to take to the cabin with him :cry: :?:

I thought exactly the same thing, dog, he should keep one. The only one left is a 1943 WWII Banner label Gibson LG2 (cross braced) with luxurious original case, beautiful condition with only one small scratch and beautiful sound. He takes very meticulous care of everything. I was going to sell it for him, with alot of other stuff- I was putting ads on the web- he wants it ALL gone. Meanwhile, a friend of mine offered to buy everything including the house so that deal is pending.

We did get him to play the Gibson awhile to try to rekindle his interest, because he is so bummed out. He was showing me some Allman Bothers slide stuff.

I don't know Dog. I could see that glimmer and smile in his eyes when he was playing, I could tell he loved it, it was pretty much his whole life's endeavor, but I think think he is too bitter and depressed to come back. He's gonna go out of town to that cabin of his dreams, I can tell.
So much for gossip

You have an interesting point about doing everything (or alot) via the internet. I will have to give that some more thought. The friend (neighbor) with the studio, does not do the internet, he's not interested.

You know what? as far as Music goes I think the Cabin is a good idea for me too. I would rather be out there than on the internet, but to each his own. While I am stuck here in so called 'civilization' I have do be crazy and on the web like everyone else.

I darned sure need to get off of here now though, gotta go into the city for a day or two and leave SOON, I am only a month late, (and a year a year or two behind in everything ) I keep getting side tracked on the internet. I need to *get a real life* ( It ain't funny!)
catch ya later, don't reply to this so I can get off of here and on the road to Seattle