Cheap interface for band demo?

[dobz]

O.k i'm looking to record some mates and my own demo at home. I have the mics but no interface.

I have a very small budget ($350) but i want to push it as far as possible. I'm looking at

second hand digi001
tascam1804
e-mu 1820
second hand layla 3G
secondhand motu 2408

I'm looking for something with ADAT so i can ada a ADA8000 for some extra mic pres untill i buy some nice ones, and i really dont mind using pro tools, cubase or sonar as i have experience in all 3. This will be for a pc and i would like either firewire or PCI

I'm leaning towards the 1804 it sounds like a good deal to me?

Cheers

[dobz]

any advice what you think is the most usable (best converters,pres) or any other interface you would choose?

[Finnish]

Get M-Audio FW1814

I just bought it, and I like it a lot!!!

[Harley-OIART]

Of the Choices you listed I would reccomend..

Echo Laya 3G
Motu 2408
Tascam 1804 + Behringer AD8000

Why not the others?
===============
Digi001 - I'm a protools user, and the Digi001 has garbage preamps and average conversion, plus it only goes to PTLE6.4.
EMU 1820 - Conversion sounds like garbage to my ears (YMMV)

Cheers,

Scott

[ersheff]

I think the Tascam 1804 would be great, too. With the ADA8000, you've got 12 pres, plus 4 more line-ins.

[dobz]

Cheers guys i'm going to pick up a tascam 1804 next week when i get my tax back lol. I'll put some recordings up soon after.

Then i'll need to save abit more to get some more pre amps....bummer

[jdier]

Originally Posted by dobz

Cheers guys i'm going to pick up a tascam 1804 next week when i get my tax back lol. I'll put some recordings up soon after.

Then i'll need to save abit more to get some more pre amps....bummer

Hey, if this is for one project and you want something quick and cheap, the Aardvark Q10 rocks pretty hard. The company has gone under so there is no technical support but there is a wealth of info on the net about them and how to get them running.

You could pick up 2 of them for about $500-600 and have 16 inputs all with their own preamps. The preamps are as good as or better than what you will find in a 16 channel mixing board (like a beringer or the like)

It is not a long term solution for you, but I got the vibe that you were looking for a quick solution to get some recording done.

[I <3 The Beatle]

I'd run into a local studio and try to track a nice live demo in one day.

You'd probably be much happier with the results and won't have to waste your time engineering the thing personally.

[dobz]

I've been looking at the aardvark q10 and it actually looks pretty good (And cheap ) Was wondering what you guys out there think of it compared to alot of todays stuff that will cost me three times as much.

Cheers

[DrDeltaM]

Why not get a Presonus Firepod? Will be close to the budget of soundcard + Behringer ADA8000, but will deliver good quality in one package, with Cubase LE included.

[dobz]

it looks like the aardvark is essentially the same as a firepod at about the third of the cost?

[DrDeltaM]

Originally Posted by dobz

it looks like the aardvark is essentially the same as a firepod at about the third of the cost?

The Aardvark is older, unsupported gear. Aardvark went bankrupt, there are no recent drivers. Buy with caution

[AlexLakis]

I'd vote for the Firepod as well, you probably won't even need to bother with an external A/D converter, the Firepod will do just fine for what you need it for. It's very stable, so there's a good chance it'll work with whatever system you plug it in to.

[jdier]

Originally Posted by dobz

I've been looking at the aardvark q10 and it actually looks pretty good (And cheap ) Was wondering what you guys out there think of it compared to alot of todays stuff that will cost me three times as much.

Cheers

Someone else said it well, buy with caution. It will likely be completely useless in 2 years when the new version of windows comes out and there are no longer any drivers for it, but if you keep watching ebay you might score one for $200. It is hard to beat at that price.

Be ready to futz around with drivers and irq's I have two of them and they still work and I have gotten to the point where they do not crash. AND I have never lost a single recorded track when using them.

I think they sound great and I like the fact that you do not have to buy preamps to get started.

[fonman]

Love my Delta 1010. Easily fits your budget.