OK so I'm wondering..... what was the first "Serious" recorder that you had...or used?

Not counting going into a studio where you paid for recording time OR a basic cassette player in your bedroom with a cheap mic OR recording your band to a cassette from the board mix...... what did you use for multi track when you started?

I didn't realize until I wrote this... I'm actually on my 5th generation of a personal multitrack studio.


Here's my multitrack history.

My first multitrack recorder was a used TEAC 4 track reel to reel tape recorder. I used a Tapco 8 channel mixer into the tracks, sync recording was possible. Problem was the tape would not stay on the reels when I hit stop after a FF or Rewind. The result was a totally ruined track. I ended up selling it to a recording studio. I had bought it from a hobbist.

My second...and more successful mutiltrack was a TASCAM PORTA-ONE. Four tracks, on a cassette, with a Roland programmable drum machine, this was pretty cool but again, very limited because bouncing increased noise, and made track mixes permanent. Sold it on E-bay when I bought....

My third multitrack was Cakewalk Pro 8 delux with a DMAN PCI card. This was a good studio and worked well until I needed to update my computer's OS. DMAN didn't update their drivers so the studio was not functional after that..... so.....

Fourth multitrack... bought on Ebay.... Korg D-1600 all in one..... used it a few months, I found it to difficult to work with, since it had a very small and cryptic control screen, and it was all in the audio domain... in other words, no midi , I didn't really like it, and sold it on Ebay.

Fifth.... and current multitrack...again Cakewalk using Music Creator 4 with a Saffire interface. Having a blast and recording my music. Hopefully, this studio will continue to work for quite some time.

That's my story...what's yours?

Otari 8 trk - AudioArts Wheatstone console - ------ > Pro audio 5 ------- > Sonar 2.2 -------> Sonar 5

1. AMR MCR-4 four track cassette rack unit. Huge flywheel on motor, lowest wow and flutter of any cassette I've used, tape speed control, I still have it just for that so I can get cassettes in tune when I do transfers, playback sound is as good as cassette gets.

2. Alesis ADAT (black face). I was the first non commerical owner in Dallas. Paid $4000 for one of the first ones. Also got one of the first (USA made) Mackie 24.8 consoles paid $4000 for it. Recorded about 60 projects on that rig. Cakewalk for DOS 5 with a JLCooper DATASync for timecode from the ADAT. Rock solid chase lock.

3. Upgraded to three 20bit ADATs.

4. Cakewalk 2.2 with RME HDSP Hammerfall. Imported all my MIDI projects then transfered all my ADAT tapes in to line up in the project. Made first full backup of about 70 songs. Sold all my ADATs, the Mackie, two full racks of outboard gear, almost all my hardware (a room full)... on e-bay.

5. Cakewalk Sonar 6 with Lynx Two A card. Over the top sound quality and the computer does it all, full automation of everything. Woo Hoo ! Just a few preamps, guitar effects, and mics left in the hardware pile. SoundCraft Compact 4 is my analog front end.

1. Tascam 2488

2. Built my first computer, Sonar 8, Presonus firestudio project.....

cakewalk "gold", i think was the name of it. i'm pretty sure the computer i had was an AMD of some kind. a 200+ if memory serves. at any rate the cakewalk software came bundled with a soundblaster live i bought. two audio tracks max or something like that. i had a carvin mixer (which i still have), and a no-name SM58 knockoff that i borrowed from a friend. carvin went into the SB with a RCA Y adapter, if i recall. i had the breakout box but couldn't get it to mount in the computer (side screws in the case, bottom screws on the breakout box).

the rest, of course, is history

I had a JVC reel-to-reel which allowed me to do sound on sound recording. I forget the model #. It's been a looong time.

I never owned one, well unless you count a mini disc for recording..

DAT machines were quite expensive in the UK.. so if I wanted to put stuff to DAT a friend would borrow his machine to me.

or I used to use other peoples studios..

but I had an amiga.. 4 channels and a mod tracker when I started.. so that was my first multi track I guess.hehe

First serious recorder?

Sonar Home Studio 4

1.

2.



And then came my first true love, sonar ;)

Fostex X-15-----------------Guitar Tracks----Sonar

I did some early recording with two cassette decks. Never reel to reel though.