Anyone?

Sorry, double post.

Yes, buy yourself the Alesis HD24. Don't bother with the higher resolution version as its $500 more.

Now you only need to save for is some microphone preamplifiers and microphones, new laptop computer, external hard disk drive, reasonable software.

When's your birthday?
Ms. Remy Ann David

I'll second that, HD24 all the way. Hard drives are cheap and if you already have a computer, you can get the firewire drive connection (forget what it's called) to quickly import the tracks for editing/mixing. Yes, of course you're going to need all of the aforementioned gear but it is a good start. I think the best part about this unit is that you can do on-location recordings with ease. I'd stay away from the Boss brand, IMHO, Roland make far superior products.

I'll thrid the HD24.

They're a bit tweaky in a live tracking situation... the track arming buttons are a tad small in dim light, but other than that, I love both of mine! Definitely get the Fireport. You pull the caddy out of the HD24, dock it to the fireport and within seconds you can upload and download your tracks as WAV's.

You'll also want to invest in a reasonable UPS for the thing. If you are recording and you loose power before hitting stop, you WILL loose your tracks you were recording. Any decent UPS should do... then again, with ALL digital based audio you should use a UPS.

X

Thanks for the replies. I don't have any computer based recording programs, so I was hoping for just a multitrack recorder.

Is the Alesis useless unless I have a computer recording system?

Thanks.

Mockit wrote: Thanks for the replies. I don't have any computer based recording programs, so I was hoping for just a multitrack recorder. Is the Alesis useless unless I have a computer recording system?

No, on the contrary, it works very well without a computer. However, you need to devise a method for achiving your recorded data, and this is most easily done using a computer, but there are other ways. For example, if your projects will run to it, you can buy a new hard disk drive for each session. A 40G drive is relatively cheap and gives you over 5 hours of 16-track recording. Or you could back up to an FTP internet site, if you have the time to wait approx n times real-time, where n is the number of tracks to back up.

Yeah, a standalone multitrack is the way to go...but the Alesis might be too much machine for you.
Do you absolutely NEED 24-bit recordings? Do you NEED 24 tracks, and the ability to capture all of them live off the floor?
If not, might I suggest going back a generation or 2 in technology before the Alesis, and save yourself some more money to get that mixer you'll need, as well as some mics? I would advise saving your money until you can get as much out of the newest machines as they are capable...yeah, that's right, I'm tellin you to practice on the older stuff until you get your chops to a point that the newer stuff makes your abilities shine.

I have a gently used Akai DR16 for sale, with some goodies. Look it up online...it's a pro machine. If it looks like it might be the recorder for you, I'll let you have it for about 1/3rd of your budget, so you can still afford the mixer you'll need to go along with it. (I'm assuming you have mics and stuff like that, having owned some entry-level gear...and since you've posted to a webboard, you probably don't need to spend any cash on a new computer. Some software perhaps, but that's the next step)