Recording gear dilemma: 2 chan mixer or 16 chan interface?

Brenton it has been done and it works

See
http://forums.presonus.com/posts/list/10966.page

I am not claiming its the ideal situation, but it works.

Thanks for the read! Well, yes, you can technically record 32 tracks onto a 5400rpm hard drive (which is pretty amazing!), but mixing and overdubbing are another matter. And, the OP is concerned about being able to mix the audio he's recorded, and he probably will want to overdub plenty, so the hard drive speed must be considered.

Basically, it's not the data collection that's a problem for a 5400rpm hard drive, it's all the back-and-forth.
 
Bumping this thread with a question on the output from the Tascam 1800. In http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_bvUMAd05Q&list=UUAyzWsyzdlHSxrKAXy74O5g&index=11 it says "up to 16 inputs and 4 outputs ...", which is what confuses me, aren't all 16 channels recorded separately into the e.g a computer? Or does it mean that 4 different outputs can be used simultaneously, e.g usb+midi+line out, while monitoring through headphones?

Are there any devices similar to Tascam 1800 that you would recommend instead?
 
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Bumping this thread with a question on the output from the Tascam 1800. In http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_bvUMAd05Q&list=UUAyzWsyzdlHSxrKAXy74O5g&index=11 it says "up to 16 inputs and 4 outputs ...", which is what confuses me, aren't all 16 channels recorded separately into the e.g a computer? Or does it mean that 4 different outputs can be used simultaneously, e.g usb+midi+line out, while monitoring through headphones?

Are there any devices similar to Tascam 1800 that you would recommend instead?

16 inputs meaning 16 simultaneous tracks can be recorded at a time. Those are inputs.
The 4 outputs are balanced line outs, plus seperate L/R monitor outputs. The Balanced Line Out output signals sent from the computer to the unit by USB. Use your DAW to set which signals to output. Connect these outputs to an external mixer, recorder or other device (ie: use these outputs for personal headphone mixes).

The TASCAM 1800 is the absolute best bang for the buck. There isn't anything I would recommend over it.
 
The demo version is fully functional. I would highly recommend it but I would still pay for it even if it does function in demo mode unpaid. For a World-class DAW, $60 is incredible and the fact that it you receive two version upgrades and regular incremental updates as well as a fully-functioning and vibrant community makes it more than worth the tiny price. Even the commercial licence cost is tiny - some DAWs (SADiE) are horrendously expensive with little difference in functionality; although sometimes holding the advantage of specifically dedicated hardware systems.

+1 Reaper is fantastic....and a monster bargain at 60 bux

F
 
+1 Reaper is fantastic....and a monster bargain at 60 bux

F

I've been using Reaper now for some considerable time and it really has lived up to all my expectations. I've followed it since the early days and made the commitment to use it as my main system around this time last year. I have almost nothing bad to say about it. I still operate in 'Logic-Mode' sometimes (I used that almost exclusively for about seven years) but Reaper is intuitive and well-designed, inexpensive, comes with good basic plugins and is easily expandable. A great DAW.
 
16 inputs meaning 16 simultaneous tracks can be recorded at a time. Those are inputs.
The 4 outputs are balanced line outs, plus seperate L/R monitor outputs. The Balanced Line Out output signals sent from the computer to the unit by USB. Use your DAW to set which signals to output. Connect these outputs to an external mixer, recorder or other device (ie: use these outputs for personal headphone mixes).

The TASCAM 1800 is the absolute best bang for the buck. There isn't anything I would recommend over it.

I've been using a US-1641 for a few years now, and I was about to steer you to the 1800, but you got there on your own. For anyone wondering, the separate monitor outs allow you to overdub without latency issues, since you are hearing yourself directly through the hardware. If you monitor out of the mains, you get a big bunch of delay. As far as I can tell, the DAW corrects the incoming signal to allow for the actual latency (Cubase LE5, in my case), so you can overdub as accurately as you could with tape.

If you have a second computer, put Audacity on that one, and send the main outs into that one for mastering. I'm doing this with a mixer in between the two computers so I can stick some old effects boxes into the mix, and it also functions as a replacement for my old tape deck.
 
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