Transition to Digital
Not too many years ago the cassette was the format of choice for home recording. But at the time of this writing, there are no longer any four-track cassette recorders in production. It's likely the number of four-track recorders on the used market will diminish over the coming years; digital technology is so common and inexpensive that few people will see the value in trying to sell their old four-track. Now that digital technology is here to stay, the era of the cassette tape has passed. In spite of that, a four-track cassette recorder is a great learning tool and can be used as a creative sketchpad for years to come.
Low End Digital Multitrack Recorders
Small multitrack recording devices proved to be so successful that it was only natural that more powerful digital recorders would replace the cassette four-track recorder, especially as digital recording technology became cheaper. While computer-based recording is still the most powerful method of recording today, there is still a good selection of inexpensive digital multitrack studios-in-a-box. When you enter the digital multitrack recorder market you instantly gain some nifty features compared to the old four-track cassette machines. Built-in effects such as reverb, delay, and even guitar amplifier simulators are standard. Today's digital recorders record on CompactFlash or SmartMedia cards. CompactFlash and SmartMedia are the memory modules originally used in digital cameras. They have now found their way into the home recording market.
For between $200 and $400 you can purchase a digital recorder from manufacturers such as TASCAM, Boss, Alesis, or Fostex. These low-end digital recorders let you play back between three and eight tracks at once. The built-in effects are a great addition, but they won't sound as good as external effects processors. And the number of simultaneous inputs is usually small in this range, so don't expect to record more than two sources at once. However, if you plan to record track by track, that won't pose a problem.
With digital technology, the size of the storage or memory media determines the length of your recordings. The more megabytes the unit has, the more music you'll be able to store, and even the least expensive recorders offer significant storage capabilities. Of course, there are some limitations to low-end digital recorders including fewer inputs than a similarly priced audio interface, fewer controls, and a smaller display screen for editing.
One really neat feature that you can find in these units is background drum and bass rhythm tracks. You pick the style and tempo you want, and the machine creates the background music for you. And many of these units can run on battery power, making them great for taking with you to capture spur-of-the-moment ideas. In addition, many offer a USB port for easy connectivity to a computer. You can use a USB cable to transfer the music to your computer and then burn a CD.
Mid-Range Solutions—Studio-in-a-Box
The next step on the ladder will take you up in price. Every jump in price will add something to the previous level, usually more inputs, better quality effects, and more support for multiple channel recordings. Hard-drive storage begins at around the $550 mark and tops off at $1,000. At this level you start gaining more control over your sounds. You'll be able to play back at least eight tracks, and some models will let you play back as many as sixteen. You also get into editing features at this level: the ability to move music around, cut and paste, and easily rearrange tracks. Many units also include a built-in CD burner so you can master to a CD when you have finished your sessions. Small LCD screens are standard for accessing effect settings and editing the tracks.
Mid-priced hard-disk recorders (shown in Figure 4-2) can be purchased from TASCAM, Fostex, Korg, Yamaha, and Boss. Pay particular attention to the size of the hard drives. The bigger the disk, the more music you can store. Since the hard disks are buried inside the unit, once it's full, you have to finish the process and get the music off in order to record more. Compare models to see what's available. You can achieve very high quality results in this price range.
Top-of-the-Line Solutions
Units that cost more than $1,000 can be considered top-of-the-line. This category consists of studios-in-a-box and standalone recorders.
What do you get in a top-of-the-line studio-in-a-box? More inputs, higher quality, larger hard drives, bigger LCD screens for editing, more tracks, and other fun toys. As you climb the price ladder, you get extra goodies, including motorized faders, external computer displays, mouse inputs for editing, and digital outputs for transferring to your computer.
Figure 4-2: Studio-in-a-box
