RoundUp
A LOOK AT SOME OF THE BEST PRODUCTS IN THEIR CATEGORY, ThIS ISSUE IT’s...
DIGITAL MULTITRACK RECORDERS
A LOOK AT SOME OF THE BEST
T
he Boss Micro BR is, as its name would suggest, somewhat diminutive – the idea seems to have been to cram a load of recording technology into a unit the size of a fag packet, without the health risks. As with the BR800, it has Boss effects and a drum machine built in but, being the size it is, doesn’t have XLR mic inputs. However, the aim is not connectivity but portability and, in
Tascam 2488Neo £649
The first home multi-track recorders or “Portastudios” were developed by Tascam in the ‘70s, miraculously fitting what was until then a room’s worth of technology into a (relatively) compact box. These empowered a generation of bedroom musicians to bodge together demos without the cost and inconvenience of going to a recording studio, or indeed having any other band members.
T
he first thing you notice about the BR800 is how damned modern it looks – all the transport controls (i.e. play and record etc.) are touch sensitive pads rather than actual buttons. This means the interface feels clear and uncluttered but, at the same time, you don’t get that reassuring clunk that you get
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from some of the other products here. The unit offers 4 tracks of simultaneous recording and sports four XLR mix inputs and an on-board condenser mic for quick recordings. The BR800, being a Boss product, has a load of Roland’s great COSM effects built in – basically effects from their popular stomp boxes – and also features a drum machine for instant backing tracks. It can also act as an audio interface for recording onto your computer – nifty.
PRODUCTS IN THEIR CATEG
ORY, ThIS ISSUE IT’s...
“a one-stop shop for all your recording needs”
D
Here we guide you through the options at your disposal...
“the interface feels clear and uncluttered”
this respect, it trumps all the other units on test here. Offering 4 playback tracks (and 32 “V-Tracks” – basically meaning you can record extra tracks but not play them back at the same time) and SD card compatibility, it’s a dinky but powerful unit for recording ideas while on the move.
eserving a mention because it has a higher track count than any of the others in this round-up, the Tascam 2488 Neo is something of a beast. Offering 8 mic inputs (4 of which have phantom power for condenser mics) and a total of 24 channels, it is ideal for taking along to a rehearsal and recording the whole band. It also has a full suite of channel effects (such as compression / reverb etc.) and mastering effects (stereo compression etc.). Aiming to be a one-stop shop for all your recording needs, it also has an in-built CD burner so, once you’ve mixed down your track, you can burn a CD for every member in the band (or your mum). Nice!
As is the way with technology, things have moved on a long way since then, and tape based multitrackersare defunct, paving the way for a digital future of infinite track counts and built-in effects / drum machines and more. Although generally everything you can do on a digital multitrack recorder can be done on a laptop with an audio interface, there is something re-assuring about not having to rely on software and being able to produce a whole track with only one box.
Boss BR800 £365
BossRound Up Micro DI BRGITA L MULTITR RECORDERS ACK £139
H
ot off the press, the Zoom R8 is the newest of the bunch here, sharing a release date with this very magazine, no less. The littlest brother of the R24 (we haven’t mentioned the middle sibling the R16 - in this round-up), much of the same applies, though obviously cut down somewhat. However, Zoom have clearly aimed to hit a very competitive price point with this unit and, for the money it certainly performs very well. Only 2 tracks of simultaneous recording are available but phantom power is
provided and there are still a load of DSP effects (150!) so you can get a pretty good finished track out. The R8 also shares the R24’s ability to work as a high quality 24bit / 96kHz audio interface, (albeit with only 2 recording tracks) and retains the sampling capability, meaning you can loop sampled drum beats etc. All in all, a great value option.
Zoom R8 £219
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