Several people have come here wih issues. I don't like low end Tascam whatever the reviews. Also, it is not at this time PT9 compatible due to how it reports it's buffer size.

Thanks for the quick reply! Do you recommend any HQ interfaces for me? My limit is 400$.

I know, i wish i could afford the "big boys" interfaces, but on a 17 year olds budget, i simply cannot afford that kind of thing.

How many gozintas do you really need? For that money the best one I know is probably the TC Electronic Impact Twin.

Well I do require at least 7 preamps.

How many of those gozintas have to be mic inputs?

Well I would like to have all of them be the mic inputs. I am a drummer looking to start a little project studio, and more than just recording my drums will take up some inputs, but since I plan on having friends come over and lay tracks down and stuff, I would like to have as many as possible. all while being inexpensive.

Thats why I after months and months of searching, I selected the Tascam US-1800, it has 8 Mic inputs, and in addition it has another 6 line-inputs. So if i was to buy a channel strip or something I could expand the interface up to 14 mic tracks if i wanted to.

Anyone else? There is also the Alesis MultiMix8 USB 2.0 But that only has 4 xlr, and idk how to connect the other 3 mics i would be using?

The Alesis doesn't allow you to record individual channels. 8 mic preamps is a rough request for $400. I think the cheapest 8 mic preamp interface that I can recommend in good conscious is the Presonus Firestudio Project. When you think about it, you're asking for eight $30 preamps and some cheap wire and parts. At least the Presonus has decent drivers and will work with any DAW and including PT9. And the preamps will be usable and reliable as opposed to the Tascam.

i wouldnt go that far to say they are unusable, many people will argue against that, i did a search here and found most people loved the transparency of them. Also, just so you know, PT9 is not in my planned future. maybe sometime when i can afford 600$ on just software ill consider it. but id be willing to bet I can use that extra 600$ on something i really need. The US-1800 comes bundled with Cubase 5.

Also, FYI, the MultiMIx USB 2.0 does multitrack, but when i looked into it, it doesnt have enough avaliable inputs to connect another 4 mics... so thats out.

im not looking to make a perfect studio, i have a shitty room, shitty acoustics and im just going to have to make the best. Also, gotta remember I have a 17year old's McDonalds budget

Cubase 5 LE probably. Cubase is a good program but any interface is going to come with some sort of program. If it doesn't, Reaper is a most excellent option especially at the trial price and licensed price. The Multimix ONLY sends the main L/R fader to the computer so you do not in fact multitrack with a Multimix. These are very buggy and the drivers and firmware crash often. I spent the first three months here at RO trying to help people make these work. Uncharacteristically I was not successful very often.

page 23 from the manual: "The USB port sends the Multimix’s MAIN OUT/TAPE OUT left
and right signals to the computer"

We have had half a dozen people with problems regarding the US-1800 in the last couple of months. I only mentioned PT9 because that was the most recent one.

[[url=http://[/URL]="http://backstage.mu…"]Alesis*MultiMix 8 USB 2.0 8-Channel Mixer - Find the largest selection and guaranteed lowest prices at Musician's Friend.[/]="http://backstage.mu…"]Alesis*MultiMix 8 USB 2.0 8-Channel Mixer - Find the largest selection and guaranteed lowest prices at Musician's Friend.[/] idk maybe we are thinking of a different multimix?

oh alright thanks for the help! I am not purchasing gear until the end of summer (hopefully) and hopefully by then i get stuff straight. because i KNOW what mics, cables, stands, other hw im getting. However the only thing i still cant get a grip on, is the interface.

Do you know about the ZOOM R24?

Well it seems that Alesis has "upgraded" the iMultimix when they finally got around to upgrading to USB2.0. I still wouldn't give money for it.

The R24 is a typically "all in one" workstation. The Zoom H4n is very decent but I have no comment on their workstations. Sometimes a workstation is useful for a beginner and sometimes it's a handicap. Too early to tell for you personally I imagine.

Yea the thing is, my income isnt very much, and 500$ for a workstation is quite a bit, but then again, it reduces the need for extreme processing power to multi trac and record without latency. When I record, it would be cool to have the computer completely out of the equation, and just record to solid state format, and individual mono files which i can later eq and compress and the rest.

What handicaps cn you think of? I was looking into the R24, and apparently you can daisy chain them, even though i wouldnt require it.

Any other input?

On a budget for sure, go for it. Here's what you do.

1. Using the Tascam to record the kit...Use whatever dynamic mics you want, cheap ones doesn't matter too much. The toms will sound cool enough, those hits you'll keep. All you really need is a decent overhead mic a condensor - maybe add one or two more.

2. Time shift or Phase correct the overhead or room mics. That will be your cymbals tracks and room verb sounds
3. Replace or augment the snare and kick tracks with some cool samples using Midi trigger FX off the recorded tracks. So it doesn't matter tascam/mic you could be using some of the best drum sounds on the planet!
4. Record the other instruments direct without mics. Vocals will be the most affected by the Tascam's amps and a/d
5. But if you use a mastering software with loudness maximizer and exciter ...something like Ozone I found that a few weeks ago hurrah...you can dial a lot of the lost ambience back in and it will sound really cool.

I used the M164UF it was OK. The Alesis I/F looks about the same thing.

DrummerDan, post: 368957 wrote: Any other input?

Dood just get the 1641 or 1800 for your purposes. Cubase LE5 that comes with it is definitely limited so Reaper may be best in your budget.

Stuff on my website was recorded with the 1641 in Cubase 6.
http://stricklerstudio.com

wow guys thanks for the replies! i will definelty look into that Reaper program, it seems like a good place to start! Thanks for those links jimmy, i checked out your site and your studio is pretty cool! Recording sounds great too.

UPDATE! As I was just looking around, i noticed that Focusrite has announced new USB 2.0 interfaces! One is called the Scarlett 18i6m which has 2 preamps, and 6 balanced line in on the back, and as i figured my budget and things, I can buy two external tube pres along with the 18i6, and stay in budget that i need!

Now im kinda excited, even though none of my purchases will be until like september :(

Cheap tube preamps are not worth the money. Also, USB 2.0 is not worth getting excited about but if the proposed interface meets your needs then thats great.

thats my bad actually. they arent "TUBE" i read the one list thing and jumped to conclusions. But they are only 30$ with 170+ 5-Star reviews...
Not many computers are coming out with Firewire anymore so its harder to find a good firewire interface and a cheaper computer with everything you are looking for.

I trust Focusrite alot more than Tascam

A $30 preamp is not worth money spent on it. Truly. I don't care how many 5* reviews you've read. Those reviews are written by people such as yourself that don't know any better.

Firewire is not going away anytime soon and most computers (not all) built in the last five years have either not had any firewire inbuilt or had a crappy non-Texas Instruments firewire chip that didn't work for audio. So everyone has pretty much used PCI/PCIe/Card Bus/Express Card adapters for it. USB 3 isn't even being utilized at all for interfaces so it's being skipped to go straight to Thunderbolt which won't have anything available for at least half a year. Allegedly this will be reverse compatible with adapters so don't get twisted up thinking you have to wait for it.

I can't speak to this particular unit (Focusrite) as I haven't seen it so it may function in fair fashion. Be advised that only eight of the "18" inputs are analog plug n play inputs. The other ten are digital and would have to be fed digital signal from some outboard piece of gear. Many of us do this as needed with high end interfaces so that isn't much of a long term issue as long as you think it through with clock source etc. You will need six more outboard preamps to maximize the analog inputs of the 18i6 but I would save my pennies for something better than a $30 unit which can't possibly work out in the long run.

The external pres would just be for the two mics that wouldnt go into the focusrite pres. The snare and kick mic would be those ones. I wouldnt be using for sound improvement, just amplification to line level. Can you recommend any extremely extremely cheap ones?
Like the ART Tube MP, that is the one im looking at.

I use an ART DUAL MP and an ART TSP II for preamps on the line in's with good results. They seem no better than the built in pre's on the Tascam, but serve the purpose well.

I do however only use them for less important instruments. Scratch guitar/bass/vocals/talk-back mic or HH and ride mics if I have to. I have had no success using them for useful tone coloration. I would not trust them for kick or snare.

jimmys69, post: 369662 wrote: I do however only use them for less important instruments. Scratch guitar/bass/vocals/talk-back mic or HH and ride mics if I have to. I have had no success using them for useful tone coloration. I would not trust them for kick or snare.

thank you for the response, but why in your opinion? I would use absolutely NO coloration just a flat response. its singular purpose is just to amplify my mics to line level so it can be used in the interface

Cheap preamp circuits do not do well representing the depth of an audio source. Specifically they don't handle low end very well and become crispy on the top end. The more complex the sound, the worse they do.

TheJackAttack, post: 369665 wrote: Cheap preamp circuits do not do well representing the depth of an audio source. Specifically they don't handle low end very well and become crispy on the top end. The more complex the sound, the worse they do.

Very true^^^

They seem to color a bit by merely plugging them in. Mostly noise. I would personally not use them for something of great importance. Though what the hell do I know, I use built in preamps on a $300 unit. They (1641 pre's) seem to be fairly clean by comparison to the ART's. But like I said, they serve their purpose.

thank you for your input, if you could recommend any others, as inexpensive as possible, it would be appreciated

It really doesn't get much cheaper. I got the MP off CL for $30 and the TPS for $90 on Ebay. You could always find a mixer with direct outs, or at least channel inserts and use the send as preamps from them on the cheap.

! of course. i have a two channel mixer that i could use~ !!
idk how i forgot about that i use it everyday!

LOL! Sometimes it's the obvious that makes the most sense. :)

jimmys69, post: 369678 wrote: LOL! Sometimes it's the obvious that makes the most sense. :)

no joke man, i was dealing with this problem that those preamps might blow. then u say that, and BOOM i remember i have a TWO XLR mixer that i currently use for monitoring applications on my kit!!

jeez it was literally in front of face as i typed some of these replies too (I was using my phone :I)

Alright, now that this thread got moved, I have a question!

I have 2 options.

The focusrite 18i6 plus the Behringer Rx1202fx patched into the 8 inputs using its inserts. (One-Click) Then later expand to 16 mono in using the ADAT....

OR

The Tascam US-1800, then later add on the RX1202fx to add the extra 6 mono ins.

Its either or right now. The tascam approach is about 220$ cheaper.... However, I do have one small issue. It has ZERO latency hardware monitoring...BUT how do i control their levels? I read the manuel and i just cant seem to see anywhere where it says how to do that!

I thought you already bought the 1800. I'm missing something I guess. An issue with zero latency monitoring? Not clear what you mean. Your initial investment will be less than $220 cheaper as you will already have 10 preamps available with the 1800. I'm not sure of what you are asking. The F18 will allow you expansion capabilities in the future. 1800 gets you started now.

yea i didnt, i have no money YET and im going to start getting all my things hopefully soon.

but the knob on the front says i can choose between the direct, and the computer monitoring-wise. I understand what that means, but i want to know, can i change the levels of some of things i want to monitor? Also, How would i play to my ipod?

Well, the direct monitoring of the Tascam is just the input level of the inputs. The 'Mix' knob controls volume of the inputs to the interface in relation to the signal your DAW is putting out. Zero latency from the inputs, and the latency that your system gives from your computer. This is really only useful for me with a separate headphone amp with aux inputs. There is no ability to add eq or effects to the direct signal from the 1800 without recording the effect. I typically record while monitoring from Cubase (computer) at a low latency setting. This pretty much limits me to one reverb plugin before latency becomes noticeable.

Play to your ipod? Not sure I understand what you are asking. You can export an mp3 file to listen on whatever.

well, i have no need to play to effects... all i need to hear is my kick and the song.

well would i play to my ipod, like listen to it, OR would the song be in Reaper and i just play it from there? Bc if im going to direct HW monitor, how would i listen to it?

my main concerns are quality, and being able to monitor myself AND control levels at the same time, with NO latency... and Pro Tools compatiablity. Once it passes that. im set

DrummerDan, post: 371012 wrote: well, i have no need to play to effects... all i need to hear is my kick and the song.

well would i play to my ipod, like listen to it, OR would the song be in Reaper and i just play it from there? Bc if im going to direct HW monitor, how would i listen to it?

If you loaded the song into your DAW, then that is exactly what the 'Mix' knob on the 1800 would be used for.

DrummerDan, post: 371074 wrote: my main concerns are quality, and being able to monitor myself AND control levels at the same time, with NO latency... and Pro Tools compatiablity. Once it passes that. im set

Um, not Reaper now? You need to look into Protools compatibility with the 1800. I remember reading somewhere that because of the way the interface deals with latency settings, that it cannot be used by Protools. I don't remember which PT version they were talking about.