If you don't fancy struggling to get a 'PC plus soundcard' hard disk recording setup working reliably, you might be interested in a system where pre-configured external hardware shoulders all the complex processing, while your PC just stays in charge. Martin Walker explores the Soundscape solution.
The Masterport system consists of dedicated multitrack software and a high-quality card, allowing you to avoid the compatibility problems that can arise when software and hardware from different manufacturers are run together. Janet Harniman-Cook thinks it's the cream of the crop.
If you're in a situation where your DAT machine gets heavy use, it's probably worth considering a pro model rather than a domestic one. Hugh Robjohns studio-tests a new, moderately priced professional DAT from Sony.
Fostex take their stand-alone 8-track hard disk concept onward and upward, turning the well-received D80 into the D90 with some useful and welcome enhancements. Paul White is d-lighted...
Although it also forms part of the all-encompassing digital SoundLink system, Korg's 1212 PCI card offers a standalone, cost-effective option for getting multitrack digital audio in and out of your Mac. Paul White discovers that digital audio recording relies on going through the proper channels...
Digital audio recording on computers has been possible for several years now, but without expensive multi-channel I/O units, the inputs and outputs from computer-based systems have been limited to simple stereo jacks. Now, several inexpensive multi-output PCI I/O cards are coming onto the market. Paul White looks at Emagic's solution, and decides he knows what he likes...
This mid-priced DAT shares some rather higher-class innards with its more expensive siblings, and is also equipped with Sony's Super Bit Mapping technology for improved noise performance. Hugh Robjohns checks it out.
Take an Atari Falcon, strip away the outer casing, add some major circuitry and a host of external connections and package in a sturdy rackmount box. Stir in a copy of Cubase Audio, connect up a CD recorder, and the result is the new Sunrise Audio Workstation. Dominic Hawken checks out this unique new recipe.
Mac CD-writing has a head start over the PC, but recent arrivals like the TEAC CD-R50S come with both Mac and PC CD software as standard. Martin Walker plugs one in to see if writing your own CD is as easy as people make out.
Despite the increasing popularity of digital recording and MIDI + Audio sequencing, the cassette multitrack is far from being dead, and many a newcomer to recording still starts his or her recording career with some form of 4-track, cassette-based studio system. Paul White and Debbie Poyser discuss the features a potential buyer should be looking for, and round up the models currently available.
If you're looking for 8-track hard disk recording in a hardware unit that behaves just like a tape recorder, but with all the benefits of digital recording, you owe it to yourself to check out the Vestax HDRV8. Paul Wiffen reminds you that you should never judge a book by its title.
Sony's new MDMX4 digital multitracker heralds the beginning of a conscious attempt to woo the home recording market, and uses the company's own MiniDisc technology to put a digital spin on that home studio mainstay, the compact 4-track recorder. Hugh Robjohns checks it out.
Though Tascam have embraced the digital generation of Portastudios with their MiniDisk-based 564, they're not about to abandon the low-cost analogue cassette format yet, as proved by their latest analogue machine, the 414. Derek Johnson gets it taped.
The Fostex DMT8 was the first affordable 8-track digital recorder with a simple cassette multitracker-style user interface. Now, there's the new DMT8VL, which costs less and has fewer features than its forerunner, but also boasts a couple of improvements to the original design. Paul White is determined to remain unconfused.
Tascam, the originators of the Portastudio concept, which is now almost 25 years old, have taken a fresh look at the format for the 90's, substituting the digital MiniDisc medium for the analogue tape which has served home recordists so well, and adding a clutch of brand-new features. Hugh Robjohns indulges in a little 4-play.
Creamware's recently-updated, PC-based TripleDAT system attempts to offer a halfway house solution to those who've outgrown their MPC audio system, but can't afford a professional digital recording setup. Brian Heywood is the cat who gets the Cream(ware)...
Panasonic's latest pro studio DAT is priced to compete with Tascam's established DA30 MkII. Paul White gives his professional opinion on how it measures up.