Portable digital recording stations

[MikeS]

Anyone have experience with the Boss BR-1600 digital recording station? We have long overgrown our Boss 8 track (64 virtual tracks) recorder, not to mention the 8 track has a zip drive, and zip discs are both expensive and getting harder to find. So, we are looking at the Boss BR-1600. It seems to otherwise operate the same as our existing studio, except it’s got 16 tracks, has 8 XLR and 8 line in puts, and uses a CD-R instead of a zip drive. It’s familiar to us, but I still wouldn’t mind other opinions on the matter. Any other similar systems that are preferred?

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=rec/search/detail/base_pid/241064/

These portable mini-digital recording studios are ideal for us right now… please don’t recommend computers and computer based recording software, as we haven’t the money to buy the whole outfit (which would cost several times what we have to spend).

 

[MikeS]

Re: Portable digital recording stations

No one can make any recommendations?

 

[xerxes]

Re: Portable digital recording stations

the boss is a great one...i actually just bought the yamaha aw16g (older version of the 1600, same thing basically). its great, just really difficult to use. i have lots of good things about the boss one when i was doing research for this one (just fell out of my price range). id say deffinately go for it...

 

[Wattage]

Re: Portable digital recording stations

I use a Tascam Digital Portastudio 2488 and I have been very happy with the results. I have flown from NY to FLA and back with it 2x for recording, did the bulk of the tracks from my bands most recent CD on it and just did another track for release in Italy later this year with it as well.

I like Tascam over BOSS for only one reason really, the BOSS recordings always sound a bit squashed to me. God knows I don't have great ears and I don't know why I notice it but I do. It is not unbearable but noticable, I also notice it with some of the Fostex recorders as well. I have had several Tascam recorders and I moved up to this one from the 788 and they have been reliable and easy (relatively speaking) as any other digi recorder I have tried.

If you know the BOSS stuff well there is something to be said for that. I don't know how fast there transfer to CD is but the Tascam is a bit slow for my tastes so I generally use the USB functions. I am pretty sure you need a PC with 2000/XP to use the USB. I haven't really mixed on the Tascam except for some real quick flash mixes I generally dump it to disk and transfer it into Pro Tools at my friends studio where we mix.

You can check around www.tascamforums.com if they are back up for some more info. I'd be happy to answer any particular questions if I can.

 

[MikeS]

Re: Portable digital recording stations

So you record onto the digistudio and send to ProTools for final mixing? That sounds pretty cool... We have been able to do decent mixes with the BR-800 that we have, and that's why the BR-1600 is attractive because the interface is identical, it's just more accomodating to our needs.