8 track recording kit advice needed

[shunter]

I need to buy some recording equipment and know nothing about it. I'm not after anything too flash just something cheap on ebay. Can anyone give me a bit of advice. I's like it to have a drum machine, maybe some backing rhythms and obviously be able to directly plug a guitar into (and also a digital piano). And the output would be a WMV file (I think) so I can upload to a website.

I used to have a Boss BR micro but I found the menu system utterly incomprehensible so I sold it on.

Many thanks

[bettsaj]

Dependent on your sound card (If it's a soundblaster you're in business) you have a huge recording studio in front of you.... Just buy a small mixer and you're away. You'll need to get hold of Cubase which is basically a studio on your PC and somethjing like Propellerheads Reason for sequencing... I'm sure you can get hold of both those somehow for next to nothing to be honest

[shunter]

I did think about that but the computer is nowhere near the piano so I'm probably looking for some hardware rather than software - something portable without being Micro sized

[TSims1]

I just got a Boss Br600 brand new for $250[MF - they are selling for $300, but I dickered and got 'em down]. It's got a programmable drum machine onboard, tuner, effects, mics built in, USB-out, and even a bass effect to make your guitar sound like a bass[and it actually works!]. It's older, but works great and is fairly easy to use.

[Scott L]

If you want small and portable and a little cheaper, look a the Boss Mirco BR - not as many pre programmed effects as the 600, but are down to $150ish on sale. Down side is 4 tracks are actual, but you have up to a total of 32 by virtual tracks.

[shunter]

i had a Boss Micro but thought it wasnt user friendly and the effect tomes were a bit ridiculous

[ArlenBucy]

I used to use a Korg Pandora all the time and its pretty easy to use and has some effects and a drum machine. Its only 4 tracks though.

[Extra crispy]

I do all my recording with a BR-600 then transfer to Audacity on my PC for mixing and mastering. After a short learning curve this setup has allowed me to concentrate on playing music without having to spend a lot of time screwing around with complicated software and machinery. YMMV

[bettsaj]

Originally Posted by shunter

I did think about that but the computer is nowhere near the piano so I'm probably looking for some hardware rather than software - something portable without being Micro sized

Spend about $75 on a cheap midi controller... you won't need your keyboard

[Scott L]

Originally Posted by shunter

i had a Boss Micro but thought it wasnt user friendly and the effect tomes were a bit ridiculous

The reason for any issue in user friendlyness is due to packing so much is a small box.

Keeping in perspective that it is retailing for @ $175.00, very portable, battery powered, has built in rythm editor, onboard microphone and feature laiden with a lot of capabilites, menuing and button combinations are going to be required. I have yet to find anything is the price range that has as much to offer.

I have the exact opposite thoughts about the BR. I and quite a few others I know from Songcrafters.org are getting excellent results.

[Offshore Angler]

It depends how good you want things to sound. If you just want to use your computer as a recorder, most of the software will do it. If you want pro sounding stuff for demos and whatnot, you need to spend some money.

Real DAWs will let you do things like put a noise gate on the bass and move the trigger to the kick channel, select a frequency band and then use the kick to gate the bass - tightening up the sound a LOT. Or hundreds of other things like that we do in the studio to make things sound good.

The main thing to look for is to make sure the software is "forward looking" so you can pre-effect things like compressors to remove the clicky sound.