We seem to be less focused on our recording hardware and more focused on songs

[IanR]

Its interesting that we don't seem to post very often in the recorders section anymore.  Its probably because Boss have not released any new recording hardware recently and we have learned to use our machines and we are focused on songwriting and performing.

I'm not complaining, just observing.

I still have GAS for other bits of hardware and recently bought a Roland midi controller to use with Sonar.  I seem to be transitioning to recording straight into the computer onto Sonar.  http://www.roland.com/products/en/A-300PRO/  It was very cheap and it works perfectly so its a great addition to the "studio".

However, I still really like the BR800 for capturing song ideas and doing sketches and it still acts as my sound card for driving my monitor speakers, and its my guitar and voice audio interface, so I will not be putting it away any time soon.

cheers,

Ian

[bruno]

Interesting point, I tend to look at songs and general discussions only, and what's on the front page. I must try harder.

[alfstone]

I seem to be transitioning to recording straight into the computer onto Sonar. 

Ian

...sign of the times... 

Alfredo

[Ted]

Its probably because Boss have not released any new recording hardware recently and we have learned to use our machines and we are focused on songwriting and performing.

I'm not complaining, just observing.

I think you are right.

I have so much time invested in learning the MBR, I'd really be hard-pressed to shell out for another piece of equipment with only a few new cool features that I might use.

I wouldn't want to see Songcrafters switch focus away from knowledge sharing about home recording and even specific recorders though. There are lots of things I still don't know about home recording -- going even deeper into the equipment I have.

[64Guitars]

Yes, I agree that it's probably because there are no new standalone recorders that we're seeing fewer posts about recording equipment and techniques. Also, we seem to be getting fewer new members who are new to recording so there aren't as many hardware related questions and discussions. In the early days of the site, it seemed that everyone had just bought their new BR and had lots of questions about how to use it because they'd never done any multitrack recording in the past or they'd only recorded on an old 4-track cassette from Fostex, Tascam, etc. But now everyone seems to have some experience with digital multitrack recording, whether it's with a standalone such as a BR or Zoom, or a software DAW, so there aren't as many questions.

As for the point of everything moving to computers instead of standalone, I still think that a combination of both is best. I use a midi keyboard controller to record my keyboard and drum tracks directly into the computer but I still use my BR for recording my guitar and bass tracks. I find it a lot more convenient and I like having all those effects and amp models available. I know there are lots of great effects and amp modelling software available for the computer but I find it hard to balance the guitar on my lap while I'm trying to use the computer's mouse and keyboard without banging the guitar on my desk or something. With the BR, I can keep both hands on the guitar most of the time so I'm less likely to smack it on any nearby hard furniture.

Of course, once I've recorded all my tracks, I like to bring everything into the computer for final mixing. I find it easier and I have more control over editing and mixing. I haven't mixed anything on the BR in several years.

I don't record with microphones but for those who do, there's another great reason for using a standalone recorder. Computers can be very noisy, especially desktop computers like mine which makes a hell of a din. To record anything with a microphone in the same room as my computer would be impractical because the microphones would pick up the noise from the computer. But a standalone recorder is completely silent; especially one that uses flash memory for storage rather than a hard drive. So it's ideal for recording with microphones.

[kenny mac]

I agree,I like older stand alone,s like the vs roland models.
I have recently been using the drums on the GarageBand and sketched the song basically on that , then added (as I put it)the real stuff on top I.e guitars ,vocals etc.
I spend a bit of time on the drums,double tracking different kits as some have better kick drum sounds for instance.
I then use the computer to convert to mp3 for uploading purposes.
I keep the tracks in larger form for the videos.
It's cool everyone has their own way to get the result they are looking for.
It's what's exciting about the site,  all those different recording machines and methods

[IanR]

My song construction method is very similar to 64 Guitars, which is understandable given that he's been providing advice to me here for a long time, although I do use microphones.  However, I also sometimes build the drum track first with EZ DRummer 2 and work from that, and then adjust everything as the song needs it to get the right arrangement.

I'm also experimenting with recording guitars and bass with Sonar, using the BR as an interface.  It does work but I haven't decided if I like doing things this way or not.

Ian