Picked it up on Ebay for $259 including shipping, and came with the $20 power supply.

Still getting through the 200+ page users manual, but tried it out today with a quick couple of guitar tracks. For such a little thing (8" x 11"0, it packs a lot of stuff into the package - 8 tracks (64 virtual), guitar effects, bass simulator and drum-rhythm machine.

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http://mjbphotos.tripod.com
http://www.myspace.com/mikebirchmusic

So how's it working out for you?  I love my Tascam.  Whether it's recording myself or my band, I'm getting better each time.  Lot's of fun.

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But I know I'm going to do it again!
Oh Yeah!
Robbie

Having never done more recording than live of my band, or bad "bounce-multitracking" with separate decks, I;m loving it, while learning.  The recorder has a built-in rhythmer and a bass simulator (play guitar low notes and get a bass sound).

I've put a few old songs up at http://www.myspace.com/mikebirchmusic 

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http://mjbphotos.tripod.com
http://www.myspace.com/mikebirchmusic

Wow.  It just keeps getting better and better.  Learning lots and not just about the machine but about recording and mixing.  (And bass since my bass player quit the band but that's another story.)  I'm impressed with the quality of this Tacam DP01-FX.

My drummer was going to go and do the whole Pro Tools set up for umpteen thousand dollars and paying a pro guy to teach him the in and outs.  But after a few songs on my digital eight track he's reconsidered that and will go with a Korg 32 track stand alone unit for less than $2000.  I wish I had that kind of expendable cash.  Does anyone know how good the Korg stuff is? 

 Good stuff on your myspace, MikeB.  Is it all original songs?  Are these recent recordings?  I was reminded of Tom Petty, The Guess Who and Harry Chapin while listening to your songs.

I've put a few songs, new and old, on my facebook profile, just covers for now.  Check out the "My Band" application on my profile and you can listen to themor download them.  (If you're not on facebook, send me your regular email address and I'll send them to you.)

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But I know I'm going to do it again!
Oh Yeah!
Robbie

Thanks for the comments, Robbie.  Yes, all originals.  I'm working on a song right now which was the first one I wrote for my last band (in 1982!)  Fun going "back in the catalog" that way!  Have to make do with the programmed drums, and simulated bass, but you work with what you've got.

How do I find your facebook page?  Are you a member of one of the GBS groups so I can track you down?

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http://mjbphotos.tripod.com
http://www.myspace.com/mikebirchmusic

I'm a member of the "I Love the GBS Online Kitchen Party" group.  Or you can search for me, Robbie McMaster, in the St. Catharines / Niagara network.  My profile pic is currently Puss from Shrek if that helps.

I'm lucky in the fact that my progammed drums are "That was good but can you do this on the next take?"  My drummer has Roland V-Drums and that makes recording drums way too easy.  Find the best kit for the song, make whatever adjustments, two cords in (left and right) and hit record.  No miking.  No simulated bass, it's all me, for better or worse, playing bass.

Going "back in the catalog."  I've started doing that too.  Finding old songs that still have something.  I've been in a creative drought for a while so it's great going back to some old stuff I wrote years ago and tweaking it up a bit.  Hopefully I'll get some of those finished the way I'd like 'em and post them up.

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But I know I'm going to do it again!
Oh Yeah!
Robbie

Out of curiout of curiosty, i recently got into Muse, so what kind of equipment would you use to produce this kind of sound with a guitar?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtmV5qiNRvY

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When the first caveman drove in from the drags
Didn’t know what would go with the bacon and the eggs
Must have met a genius, got it in his head
Plug the toaster in the wall, buy a bag of bread
Make toast.
YEAH, TOAST!

Hard to pinpoint the f/x used as the guitar is only part of the rhythm, not the melody/chord structure, but fuzz/stompbox and flanger/chorus sounds are evident. 

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http://mjbphotos.tripod.com
http://www.myspace.com/mikebirchmusic

You know what really sucks?  My constant need to upgrade.  Eight tracks are great, but I find I have to bounce tracks too much to get everything in when I doing a song.  I don't like losing control of everything after I bounce.

So now I'm looking at the Korg D3200.  32 tracks / eight virtual per track.  16 simultanious (sp?) inputs, great for recording a whole band at once.  Lots of effects options.

Anyone work with this one before?

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But I know I'm going to do it again!
Oh Yeah!
Robbie

Robbie - sometimes "less is more"!  I can certainly see needing more track if one is recording a live band - at least 4 mics for the drums, etc, but if you're doing it all by yourself, digitally, and you find that first bounce wasn;t to your liking when you get to the second bounce, just go back and re-do the first bounce!

I did htat with my most recent myspace song, which is a  cover version of Todd Rundgren's Hello It's Me.  First bounce was just not right for me, I listened to it again, contemplated re-doing the lead guitar track, but instead re-did the vocal track and remixed (I adjust volumes during the bounce) and was much more pleased. 

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http://mjbphotos.tripod.com
http://www.myspace.com/mikebirchmusic

Usually I'll bounce at least three times before I'm sure about it and I always copy it to another partition before I do.  It's the control that's lost afterwards that I don't like, especially when it comes down to the final mastering.  That's the point I'd like to have total control over everything.  I always seem to be thinking, "Gee, I wish I had that guitar panned a little more to the left." or "I'm not happy with the EQ on the bass once the drums are in."  or " That's just a little too much reverb on that vocal."  It's these little things that I want control over when it comes down to the wire.

My usual recording technique is as follows (for band stuff)

Electric rhythm guitar.  Then I'll double it.  One goes hard left, the other right.  (I'll usually put in a disposable vocal track at this time just to have a reference point.)  Sometimes an acoustic rhythm guitar track will be added, somewhere near centre.  Bass follows, usually right down the middle.  Then lead guitar, usually doubled as well.  This isn't the solos or fills, this is more of the accompaniment or melody type of lead.  That's six that I'll bounce down to two, overwriting that disposable vocal.  (After, of course, cleaning up any unwanted noise during breaks, rests and the inevitable clicks that occur)

Now come the solo leads.  This is all the fills and solos, punched in at the appropriate spots.  Twice.  Any harmony leads/solos will come next.  Again, twice.  These will be bounced down with all the rest to two tracks.  That's a total of ten tracks just for strings, bounced twice down to two.

Now I'll pack everything up and bring it all to my drummer/vocalist's place.  Luckily, he's got the Roland V-Drums, although he wishes he could use his full seven piece Pearls.  So there's another two tracks, two inputs in the stereo mode to take advantage of his programmed panning.  Bounce again to leave room for vocals.

Lead vocals, two tracks.  Two harmonies at two tracks each.  Sometimes we'll bounce these down to a track each to allow a third harnony.

That's a total of twenty tracks without adding any keyboards, mandolin, more vocal harmonies or foley effects.  The original rhythm guitar has been bounced three times.  Can you see why I need more tracks?That is doing everything one at a time, no floor recording.

I know that some times less is more, but why set limits?  Sometimes bigger IS better.

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But I know I'm going to do it again!
Oh Yeah!
Robbie

You don't have Virtual tracks on that 8-track?  If not, then that's the problem alright!

My usual method:

Fist track:  rhythm guitar with straight drum beat (esseniatly a click track, just for basic measure count. )

Second track "keeper" rhythm guitartrack, now with programmed drums.

Third track:  second rhythm guitar

Fourth track:  bass

5th track:  keyboards  (also 6th key track, if needed)

6th track  - lead guitar or mandolin, if used

7th: lead guitar  (+ 8th, if needed)

9-11: vocal tracks

Depending on how many track used, I'll try to put the whole rhythm section down in one bounce, then add lead guitar in the next bounce, and vocals on the last bounce.   That's why I love virtual tracks, though - I've got a total of 64 (some stereo), so there's no limit in going back and changing stuff.

 

 

 

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http://mjbphotos.tripod.com
http://www.myspace.com/mikebirchmusic

I haven't fully explored the world of vitual tracks yet on this machine.  I really don't know how many, if any, I have.  Okay, I just checked, no, there are none.

That means I definitely have to upgrade!  After a bit of research, it's looking like it'll be the Korg D3200.  I wish I had the cash to get a full ProTools set up.  Unless I can convince the wife to let me open a studio and spend unlimited money, I don't think that'll happen.  I should be happy that she'll let me upgrade so soon again (it's only been a year and a half since I bought the first four track cassette!)

On another note, are you using headphones or have you got studio monitors for mix down?  Headphones are a little constricting in my opinion.  The two sets I have have totally different characterisics and they both claim to be studio headphones.  One set has a heavy bass response and the other favours the high end (I've taken to listening to mixes using both now that I've come to see what the end product is and making adjustments based on that.)  I've heard that a good set of 2-way monitors will give an unbiased sound, based on what is actually in the signal.  Any thoughts on that?

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But I know I'm going to do it again!
Oh Yeah!
Robbie

I use both headphones and a set of small M-Audio monitors.  I'll usually do a run-through of the mix with both headphones, then speakers, figuring out where I want to fade stuff back or increase it, change the equalization, etc.  They when I do the mix I use headphones to avoid distractions and hear everything.  Then I go back and listen to it both ways again to see if its a keeper or not.

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http://mjbphotos.tripod.com
http://www.myspace.com/mikebirchmusic