Key Of Grey

Photo courtesy of Tim O’Brien

July 30th, 2008 – 3NOS writes: “Thanks for the advice on what to invest in for a beginner’s recording set-up.
What I’m wondering now is, instead of buying an audio interface for my PC, is it worth it to purchase a smaller, stand-alone product like the Boss BR-600, or even bigger hardware like the Korg D3200 (which I have at work)? I’m doing “unplugged” stuff, vocals, acoustic guitar, and bass.
On a dedicated recording station, there are physical sliders and buttons, no extra software is necessary, and products like the BR-600 is portable (tho that’s not a high priority for me). Granted, I’ve read that limited memory can be a problem, and an integrated CD burner will cost more on a higher model, and I’ll still need to buy a good mic (as per your strong suggestion). I’m just thinking maybe a stand-alone product might help streamline the process and also cut down on set-up time.
Any thoughts?”

Good question 3NOS. I suppose the first thing to consider is how you will be recording and what kind of end product you expect. Hardware like the D3200 is good as a hybrid solution if you also want to mix your band through it for live performances, as well as record. If you want a “live off the floor” sounding recording, then such solutions will work well for you since you don’t have to lug around a computer. Also, the load time of the device is instantaneous. However, if you want to do any sort of professional mixing, you will need to be more skillful and have a lot more time to get the same output as a software DAW (digital audio workstation).

Let me explain. Let’s say that you are miking a person playing the acoustic guitar. Inevitably, that person will move back and forth so if you’re using a cardoid type microphone, that volume change will be apparent. There are two ways to solve this problem: you can either adjust the volume for each section where the recording is inconsistent, or you can apply a compressor. If you want to go the volume route, you will have to know exactly when the volume is going to change, and then ride the fader to adjust accordingly (this is assuming your recorder supports automation. If not, you’ll have to live with the inconsistent levels). If you want to use a compressor, you will have to make sure that the device you buy has one built in, or else you’re going to have to buy an external compressor and lug it around (kind of defeats the portability of your set up).

Now let’s examine the process through computer software. You will have any number of plug-ins available to you in the software itself so there’s no need to lug around external compressors and such. As well, instead of having to automate a fader, you can automate the volume changes by drawing a volume curve. Let me tell you, this is super easy and saves me so much time over riding faders on a physical mixer. Don’t get me wrong, I like having a fader for overall levels but being able to draw volume changes is fantastic, it saves so much time. Lastly, you will have so many more options available to you and you’ll be able to adjust everything you’d want to by adding software plug-ins. If the recorder you buy doesn’t have a CD burner included, you’ll have to transfer your files to a computer anyways so why not start with a laptop and interface.

From an expense standpoint, it really depends on how many inputs you want. The Korg D3200 has a 32-track input which means that you can record 32 simultaneous tracks at once. In your case, that would mean you’d need 32 microphones recording at once to use it at full capacity. I’m not sure about you, but I don’t have the kind of money for 32 microphones to justify a 32 track input mixer. If you are recording vocals, an acoustic guitar, and bass, the minimum number of microphones is 3 (assuming one vocalist only). The maximum for that same setup might be 5. I think that an 8 input device would be suitable for you. The BOSS BR600 you listed has 8 inputs but records to compact flash. Switching out flash cards might be a pain, but if you only pay $300 for the unit (a used price that I found while searching), it still might be worthwhile.

If you’re thinking of moving up to the Korg D3200, that comes in at $1300. An M-Audio Firewire 1810 is $550, plus you’d need a laptop (audio software is included with the Firewire 1810). If you want a decent laptop, the total will come in at a little more than $1300 but you’ll be able to do much more on the mixing side. Coming back to what I said in the beginning of this post, it really depends on what you want to do. Yes, if you’re worried about recording set up, the solutions you listed are cheaper and much faster for set up. But once that music is recorded, what are you going to do with it? If you’re happy with the way it is, then buying standalone recorders is fine. If you want to mix and clean up your recordings, it’s much better just to start with a more versatile set up.

I am slightly biased against stand-alone solutions because I like to be able to put together the best possible gear combination I can. I have recorded on 4-track tape standalones in the early 1990′s, and I have played around with more recent digital hard-drive based units. I didn’t enjoy using them, nor did I think the output was good enough to be considered professional. This is not to say that you couldn’t get something that sounded great out of them, but it’s very difficult. I have become wary of “all-in-one” solutions in anything I buy; I’d rather have one thing that only does one thing, but does it very well. Quite often, when things advertise their ability to do everything at once, they cut corners on each part of the chain.

I hope this helps! Let me know if I missed anything. Good luck on the recording!