Reddit mentions of Tascam DP-006 6-Track Digital Pocketstudio Multi-Track Audio Recorder

Hey guys, real new to home recording- actually recording in general- and this is what I'm looking to purchase. I'm mostly a hobbyist who got sick of recording on his voice memo app on his iPhone and wanted to upgrade slightly. I tried the garage band app and hated it aesthetically. Plus me and my fat fingers kept hitting the wrong buttons on accident. Clearly not the sharpest tool over here. My brother uses an m-audio interface (I think) and an sm-57 to record on ableton live, but I didn't feel like dropping that much coin. Honestly, I was just searching the web for a classic cassette 4-track recorder, but the device I linked to kept showing up in searches. The reviews have been generally fantastic but I was hoping someone around these parts has had experience with the device, or something incredibly similar. Just trying to get a few simple projects done. I'd like to have something recorded nice enough I wouldn't be embarrassed to show a stranger, y'know? Thanks friends, for any advice or feedback I can get!

Honestly if you're on a budget you can use that mic with a smartphone, sync the audio to the video (start recording on mic, start recording on camera. Clap. Wait half a second. Clap. Sit down and start. In post you can line up the two audio tracks then bring the onboard audio down to about -30dB to give room sound)


Also I personally hate wireless. The only time you use them is if you are doing a live event and you absolutely cannot do wired.

I've used this on a few shots and liked it. http://smile.amazon.com/Rode-Videomic-Shotgun-Microphone-Rycote/dp/B00CAE8PM4/

I usually end up feeding audio into another device like this: http://smile.amazon.com/DP-006-Portastudio-Portable-Multi-Track-Recorder/dp/B00BEGS5NI/

Obviously thats a little more work but it gives you greater control.

The mic you posted + smart phone + spending some time in an audio suite should do just fine for you. If anything I said didn't make sense feel free to ask questions. Hope I didn't come across as too much of an ass.


EDIT: I came across some videos that might help you.

• Quick Tips: DIY Lighting Tricks!
  
  
• How to Sync Audio in Post!
  
  
• Quicktips: DIY Light Modifiers!
  
  
• Quicktips: Audio Editing!
  
  

Upgrade to a new Tascam Portastudio? I love my DP-008EX. I carry it everywhere I go. Records onto an (up to 32GB) SD card, functions more or less just like an old school Tascam. You can then take your individual tracks and either master them on the machine or dump them onto a PC/MAC for further tweaking/mastering via USB. Runs on power supply or 4 AA batteries. Batteries last a while not having to run tape heads or disc motors like in the old days. Records on 2 internal mics or 2 inputs: 1/4" or XLR. Phantom power for your condenser mics. 2-track simultaneous; 8-track total and with bouncing that's not much of a limit. I'm no salesman, but that's the basics.

Links below are to 3 units in the DP line. Just search "portable multitrack recorder" on Amazon or wherever you buy/research stuff. There's a few brands making comparable equipment also.

http://www.amazon.com/DP-008EX-Portastudio-Portable-Multi-Track-Recorder/dp/B00B9060X6/ref=sr_1_4?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1458658690&sr=1-4&keywords=tascam

http://www.amazon.com/DP-006-Portastudio-Portable-Multi-Track-Recorder/dp/B00BEGS5NI/ref=sr_1_8?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1458658690&sr=1-8&keywords=tascam

http://www.amazon.com/Tascam-DP-03sd-DP-03SD/dp/B00GGN4NXA/ref=sr_1_21?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1458658690&sr=1-21&keywords=tascam

Oh, I have a laptop and I've got Ableton. I just get distracted because I'll start a song and it'll be too easy to just jump and start another one, leaving me with these ever-expanding folders and half finished music. Wanted something that would force me to leave the screen out of it and just have a standalone machine that I could plug into and record 4 or 8 tracks and export that file onto a jump drive or something.

Based on what I've described, does this fit my needs?

https://www.amazon.com/DP-006-Portastudio-Portable-Multi-Track-Recorder/dp/B00BEGS5NI

get something like this (or one of the bigger ones if you can afford it), which is cheap(ish) and make demos. You don't even need a mic if you can't afford that.

If your demos do well then do all this investing in studios and gear. Spending a ton of money on your first recording experience seems like a waste of money to me.

If you need to use a computer, get one of the free programs. I used to use audacity, even that will be way better than garage band.

Well, this isn't the right sub for this, you're probably best served in /r/audioengineering or /r/recording, however, I do both, and can try to provide you with an answer.

The simplest way to accomplish what you want is to find a condenser mic that operates in Omni- which means that it picks up sound from 360 degrees around the mic. If you're on a tight budget, you could get a Blue Snowball that plugs directly into your computer via USB, has an omni setting, and runs about $70 USD. At that price, you could probably get 2, and use one for the table and one for you. You'll also need recording software. There are a bunch available in all price ranges, including basic function free programs.

If you don't have a computer that's capable of recording, you could find a recorder that records to itself digitally- and those vary in format wildly- but here are a couple of options from Tascam that have Built-In Mics or one where you plug in your own mics.

Again, that's the most basic, simple way to do it, and it can get almost infinitely more complex and expensive from there.