Cheapest Multi-Track Rrecording

[Beanzy]

I use the h4n for normal recordings to the units SD card with the power supply unit it came with and works fine.
It only has issues if I use it as a USB mic straight to a laptop while powering from the supplied psu.
If I go analogue out to jack in on the laptop there’s no issue, just on the USB cable.

I bought a remote control and an extender, so I can sit in the orchestra, place the recorder at a distance and trigger it from where I’m sitting.

When running on batteries, if you just need stereo, it has a battery saver mode which does work. I’ve not been caught out yet while carrying a spare and keeping an eve on the power if it’s a lengthy session. If you want to multi-track in 4ch mode you can’t use the power-save though.

[Mark Gunter]

If the issue is to achieve this at low cost, my vote goes to buying a suitable USB microphone (I use a Blue Snowball mic), downloading Audacity, and getting started. Yes, the use of the software has to be learnt. But that's also the case for any portable recorder, where you have to get used to the hardware and software before recording.

Of course, if you need greater portability than you have with a laptop and microphone, a portable recorder becomes a good option. I wonder if you have a retailer near you who could demonstrate how to use it or even let you try. Doing your research on the web is good, but ultimately the chemistry between you and the device needs to be right.

... and why not use the phone for this: "Yet at times, like yesterday, found a tune of sorts - or it found me. Was looking for something to record it."

Admittedly, the phone is pretty crappy for capturing a performance track but if you have a tune idea that's just come about, what's wrong with making a scratch track on the phone so you can remember it? Are you intending to record a polished performance as you write? With a modest investment in mic/headphones and free audacity you can make pretty good recordings on your computer; use the phone for scratch pad stuff, and take your sweet time to save for the portable recorder. Just an idea.

[James Miller]

I did, and the audio was bad, beyond bad. Moto E4 audio is not good. Very tinny sounding.

Did get a recording, of sorts, on the idea using a Rat Shack Uni-Directional Electret Condenser Microphone that a friend passed onto me. Maybe I should of pointed it more towards me rather than laying it across the keyboard? Has a very short coiled pigtail However I did find the chords I was playing in and have been working it out. Sounds more Nine Inch Nails like, mostly G & D.

Downloaded Audacity and installed. Will see what I can make of it after work.

Get the craving to break out onto something after a while, but have no idea. Wonder if there are any new age or semi-pop music that has a mandolin in it?

[James Miller]

One day I got mad at the Moto E4 and said I've had it budget Android phones. Figured now would be the time to get an iPhone, cep't what I wanted and what my wallet was saying, ended up getting dinky SE - guts of the 6 with the body of a 5. Bought an OtterBox Guardian to give the thing some girth - and protection.

Then recorded myself using the supplied voice recorder, and was rather amazed at the quality. Wonder if there are better Apple recording apps or if they all perty much do the same thing? Tried playing around with Garage Band ... no idea how anyone does anything with it. And the iPhone SE does not have much real estate for screen size. The phone is half an inch+ skinnier and an inch shorter than a basic Android phone is.

Did record a video with it and trying to figure how to transpose it from its laid-over format to something that stands straight up, and in Win7 x64. No luck there yet, though been working my tail bone off. Did get a rather good looking photo of me, which is on the lock screen now. Avatar was changed too, of me playing the Seagull S8.

[OneChordTrick]

Think the recording apps are pretty similar, you may get a better quality with one that supports a lossless such as .wav.

Best way to improve quality is to use a better microphone

[rfd]

if quality of sound is a prerequisite, and it should be, it'll be a combination of recording hardware and software to best get the job done well, if not stellar. skimping or making do with lesser quality anything in the recording chain begets lesser quality recordings. my current bare bones system is not the best, but the recording quality is more than acceptable to me - sterling condenser mic > focusrite scarlet interface > multitrackstudio software - about $300 total, not counting the computer.

[Brian560]

Melosity ( https://melosity.com/ ) is an easy to use DAW that is cloud based and allows for collaboration with others on a project. For microphones portable recorders like the Zoom H2n work, and USB microphones also. Something like a focusrite with a decent microphone can be purchased for a couple hundred dollars. That is ideal. The people at Melosity are extremely helpful in getting people set up to do recording.

[Jim]

Nothing I read about the Zoom H1n leads me to believe you can overdub (play one track back while recording another) maybe I am missing something but it seems to be about the same as my tascam DR7 which I like , but is not a multi track machine.

[Brian560]

Nothing I read about the Zoom H1n leads me to believe you can overdub (play one track back while recording another) maybe I am missing something but it seems to be about the same as my tascam DR7 which I like , but is not a multi track machine.

The multi-tracking is done in Melosity. You record one track into their software, it can be played back while you record the next.

[derbex]

The multi-tracking is done in Melosity. You record one track into their software, it can be played back while you record the next.

Substitute Audacity for Melosity and that's how I use my H1

[James Miller]

Found that playing one mandolin along side the recording of another to be like a split-second off. Have not tried recording at the same time of playing, as only the laptop can do that and not had much in the way of spare time.

If I would of had something more portable, and remembering to take it with me, could record when I'm out and about. I've played the didgeridoo in some rather interesting spots... some places are like super rare or a chance of a lifetime. Hopefully the iphone SE will suffice for now. Wished Apple still sold phones at 64GB instead of 32GB. Barely managing 32GB.
Got an Adam Element's flashcard for the iphone, not liking it. Supposed to be able to offload recordings and music to the thing, and copy to computer (lightning & USB 3.0) but it is not working as easily as I hoped it would. /sigh

Ever play into a volcanic crater, well, it was dead cold but still... this place was over 100 miles from home, and you NEVER go out here alone. Worst part is, there is no cellular service either. ...or cows.

[Jim]

I would go with a Tascam DP 006, battery powered 6 Trac. Wish it had xlr inputs but it seems to allow overdub and run on batteries. You could always use a small mixer to run different microphones if need be.

[J.Albert]

If you want to "do it right", then the way to go is:
- audio interface (USB2 or firewire)
- decent mics (with XLR connectors)
- decent DAW (digital audio workstation recording software).

This will take care of the latency (you mentioned in post 62 above), by using "direct monitoring" from the interface during playback.

Firewire is "the best" for low-latency multi-tracking (unless USB2 has gotten better at it).

Insofar as recording software goes, I'm "a Cubase guy".
They have a free download/tryout to play with.

Buy a Steinberg USB interface, and Cubase comes bundled with it.

[Jess L.]

If you want to "do it right", then the way to go is:
- audio interface (USB2 or firewire)
- decent mics (with XLR connectors)
- decent DAW (digital audio workstation recording software).

This will take care of the latency (you mentioned in post 62 above), by using "direct monitoring" from the interface during playback.

Firewire is "the best" for low-latency multi-tracking (unless USB2 has gotten better at it).

Insofar as recording software goes, I'm "a Cubase guy".
They have a free download/tryout to play with.

Buy a Steinberg USB interface, and Cubase comes bundled with it.

I thought I've been reading for a while now that Firewire is already obsolete and/or often unsupported on new hardware?

And aren't they up to USB 3 and USB 3.1 now? USB 2 is kinda 'yesterday' I thought, or am I misunderstanding the USB designations?

A quick Google brought up this article, "Buying a used audio interface? Buyer beware", quick quote:

"It can be really tempting to consider buying a [used] interface... The problem? They either don't have modern connection types (such as using obsolete FireWire) and/or there's no drivers for them for current operating systems (macOS or Windows) and/or they're not compatible with your current DAW....

"... You don't want FireWire or other connections that are a sign of an interface's age (unless they also have USB).

"Sure, you can add FireWire to your computer... and some of you may even have FireWire already on your computer. But it's a sign of obsolescence and should be avoided."

I have a hard time keeping up with tech. Seems like it was just the other day we were still using external SCSI Zip drives (back then I was using a Mac, and SCSI was 'the' thing for external peripherals) and then they came out with USB (when it was still so new they hadn't even numbered it yet) which eventually rendered my entire system and all its devices 'obsolete' and 'unsupported'... sigh... being stubborn, I kept using it anyway for many years, but was unable to upgrade or update/change/add anything because no software was being written for something that 'old'.

[Beanzy]

Yep Firewire stopped development, ‘copper-fibre’ interfaces killed it off for the TV & graphics industries who were the real drivers behind that. Then affordable fibre cards for PCs changed the whole way those industries worked.
USB kept going and upgrading and got fast enough for serious audio use as well as acceptable video file transfer speeds where local storage is still used.

[Beanzy]

Found that playing one mandolin along side the recording of another to be like a split-second off. Have not tried recording at the same time of playing, as only the laptop can do that and not had much in the way of spare time..
Got an Adam Element's flashcard for the iphone, not liking it. Supposed to be able to offload recordings and music to the thing, and copy to computer (lightning & USB 3.0) but it is not working as easily as I hoped it would. /sigh

The solution that would let you do that is using the H4n or similar in 4track mode which I mention in post 11.
You record the guide track (l normaly do the stereo ones) then choose a different track to record over using an external mic or pickup, while listening back to the guide, with no latency issues. You can do guide track +2 others while out and about, if needed you can even duplicate the file and record a couple of others again, (or bounce the lot down to stereo and start again with that as the guide track) When you get home then you dump the lot into your recording software timeline and match up the guide tracks so everything else follows. That’s with the H4n or something like the Tascam DR40, the zoom H6n will let you do even more, but it costs a bit more and is a bit more bulky.

Like I always say it’s how you use the kit nowadays that matters rather than whether there’s good affordable stuff out there that will do the job. Which kit you use is less important.

[J.Albert]

JL wrote above in #64:
"I thought I've been reading for a while now that Firewire is already obsolete and/or often unsupported on new hardware?"

Yes, firewire is no longer under development, and no new Macs are sold with it.
But my trusty Echo AudioFire8 interface still runs as well as it did when I bought it.
On top of that, it was about the easiest peripheral I ever connected -- just plugged it in, and it was "there, ready-to-go". No driver installation, no muss, no fuss, no nuthin'. It worked.

USB1 audio interfaces often had painfully acute issues with latency during multi-tracking.
USB2 helps, I understand (although I've never used a USB interface, myself).

But Firewire had none of those problems.

These days, if you want a new audio interface on the Mac, it has to be either USB2 (or USB3 if there are any out there yet), or... thunderbolt.

But I will _guess_ that it's still possible to put a Firewire PCI card into a Windows PC, and use existing Firewire interfaces that way.

Actually, I've reached the point (getting older) where I'm not recording any more. Time to let the interface go, I guess. But it's been such a rock-solid piece of hardware, I might miss it after it's gone...!

[PhilGox]

Excuse me if this has been already mentioned but I use this for easy recordings:

"Boss Micro BR-80" for about 200€

You can use its built-in stereo microphones or plug in with jack.

Two Recording modes:
-One track: for quick on the fly recording:
Quickly chek level, Push REC, PLAY and that's all.
-Multi track: up to 8 tracks mono or 4 tracks stereo.
Choose a track, check level, REC, PLAY... not much more difficult.

In multi track mode you have access to many built-in simulations of the Boss effect pedals.
After recording you can do basic mixing and mastering in the machine itself.
For further mixing you can export/import separate tracks or the whole mix with USB.

It also have built in convenient tools for practicing like metronom or drum tracks.

The built-in microphones work very well.
I use it to record loud electric sessions with a drumer.
I also record quiet ambiances (sounds of street, storm, singing birds etc...)
All sound good.

It's quite small, just a little more big and thick than a phone.