Phantom Power is just that, power, think of it as a substitute for having to plug a condenser mic into a wall outlet in order to function.

voodoochild wrote: Hi, I'm new here. I'm also new to recording. I've been looking into some recording gear, and I'm a bit confused with phantom power and preamps. The Korg D888 looks nice to me, but I'm not sure if I would need a preamp along with it. It has phantom power right in the console. So my question is: do I need a preamp if my console has phantom power?

To answer the last question, no you don't need another preamp.

Do you need it to be portable? I'm just wondering because I find these all in one recorders frustrating. Editing on those things is like using a calculator wrist watch(if you remember what those are). The are menu driven in operation and the screen is as small or likely smaller than the one on my iPhone.

To be brutally honest I don't think that this is a good purchase. These portable recorders are about as useful as a bike with training wheels, and about as flexible too. This device isn't even considered 'budget' which is the only reason I can see someone buying one of these 'all-in-one' packages. For the money you are paying for this you can get so much more.

For what it's worth, I had one of these units back a few years, and it made some pretty noises, but it was a headache to operate. The workflow is completely illogical and it takes all the creativity out of the process. I've got mine lying around catching dust in the drawer just under the one where I keep all my trinkets from past relationships... Once I moved to DAW recording I have never had the inclination to go back, it was the worst $300 I ever spent.

Those portable units have made leaps and bounds in recent years...
I bought a Sony MD recorder several years ago w/ the intention of recording my band's practices... nice stereo mic, but it was nearly impossible to get the data off the damn thing. I've since poo-pooed mobile recorders for some time.

However, I've got some friends that have used the new units to record practices/shows, and I've been fairly impressed w/ what they've gotten.

No, it's not the same as a firewire interface into a dedicated machine, but I can't discredit what I've heard from the more recent models of a couple of different brands.

I wish Soapfloats had mentioned which of these recorders they were getting good results with as I would be open to changing my mind regarding them. My past experience has been that these "all-in-one" units lack many things. My biggest complaint is workflow, you have to scroll thru too many screens when trying to do something and all on a 3" very lo-def screen. Overalll recording quality has been an issue but I'm sure they have come a long way in the last few years now offering 24/96 in some units. Virtual tracks, if you are into more than 8 tracks are a complete pain the a$$ during mixdown and the built in effects leave a great deal to be desired. These units have almost zero resale value. You can record on them and mix in a DAW if the unit transfers files easily and is some format like .wav files.
If you are not computer "savvy" or if you don't have a computer that you can dedicate to recording this is certainly a way to get up and running for low $$$'s. The recordings will be sufficient to throw something up on Myspaz or boobtube, etc. I still use my Fostex 4 track for band practices, field recording, or when travelling to capture song ideas.
I think your money would be better spent interface/computer recording system but to each his own.

I'm going to be buying it used for about $500 (retail $700). I've heard nothing but good about the Korg D888. It's entry level, and that is exactly what I want. 8 mic/ 1/4" inputs, I can record up to 8 at a time. I'm am pretty sure this is exactly what I want. As long as I don't have to buy a preamp along with it. I did some more research and It does have a preamp built in.

voodoochild wrote: I did some more research and It does have a preamp built in.

It has eight of them.

hueseph wrote: [quote=voodoochild]I did some more research and It does have a preamp built in.

It has eight of them.

Same difference.

voodoochild wrote: [quote=hueseph][quote=voodoochild]I did some more research and It does have a preamp built in.

It has eight of them.

Same difference.

Well it's not but that's beside the point. Just realize that this is a $500 unit and when you do indeed decide that you are ready to take the next step it will cease to have any use to you. If that is something that appeals to you and your needs then go for it.

I used to have a tascam 2488 all in one unit. It was decent, although a bizarre workflow that took getting used to but was manageable and way too much messing around with a 2x3 inch screen for my tastes. But after switching to computer-based DAW I'd never go back. If I want to upgrade my interface, I can, without replacing the whole system, or if I need more storage space I just buy a bigger external HDD and it's done, no proprietary file formats, no tiny screens to work on, and no problem if one component in the chain fails, you just fix that component. Some people like all in one units, though. If you're more comfortable with analog control surfaces and want the convenience of everything in one box that works straight out of the box, an don't mind the limited upgrade options, it may be for you. If you're more tech-savvy and can deal with the minor complications of using a computer to record, I can't see any reason to use an all in one digital recorder. For 500 bucks you can get a decent entry-level 8 channel interface that will come with the software you need and a bunch of effects and other plugins. And the option to download thousands of free effects and use them if you feel like it. I think it depends on your style more than anything. All in one units are ready to go out of the box, but have limited upgrade options; computer based systems take a little more configuration and messing about, but they are much more flexible and can adapt more easily to your changing needs as you do more, learn more, and subsequently demand more from your recording system.

You won't have to buy a preamp for a computer recording interface either, it will have 8 of its own. And it will have phantom power on at least some (and sometimes all) of those channels as well.

As you can see the prevailing advice is against, not this unit, but all in ones, however this unit can be purchased new with a warranty for $554.00 here
http://www.djdeals.com/korgD888.htm?gclid=CPaxlIO9w50CFQ4MDQodsXYksg
So I am not sure that is such a great deal.

Did you consider the fact that this person wants to sell it might really be he has learned all of the above?

I'll ask those friends which they actually own.
I forget specifically, but the bandroom recordinds I've heard were pretty nice - at least they impressed me in spite of my presumptions about them.

I for one prefer a computer-based DAW, just wanted to point out that I've heard good recordings made on them.

Ok so you get an all in one recorder, and are able to do everything including burning to CD. Even when you decide you have tapped out the all-in-one box, and want to move to a computer DAW you will have a huge software learning curve. Nip the problem in the bud and go computer DAW, unless you need the all-in-one box for its ease of portability.

My apologies, I was thinking of the portable recorders like the H4N.
I own a Yamaha AW16G, an all-in-one as has been discussed. It served me well when I was doing bar recordings of bands sets for the hell of it. Good recordkeeping, and I did get a few worthwhile recordings. The unit had some decent processing.

I agree about its utility though. I spent many hours at the thing w/ headphones on. The most frustrating thing was the difficulty in getting the individual tracks off of it. Never did figure out how...