Alternatives to a laptop for Location Work?

[seanmccoy]

Hey all! I've always been a "play it safe" guy who hunkers down in the controlled environment of my studio, but I'm seriously considering stretching out into location work. I've got more than enough gear—except for a portable recorder. A laptop would be one clear choice, but since I really only need a way to capture the audio, I'm wondering if there are any standalone multi-channel recorders that can be recommended. They would need to be at least 16 channels, record to standard format files, allow for easy transfers back home, and be less expensive than a good laptop to make any sense.

I'm sure this has been discussed here ad nauseum, so please forgive my relative newbie question. Thanks for any advice.

[Corran]

A lot of us use Alesis HD24's or HD24XR's. They discontinued the XR's unfortunately. There are a few other options for 24-track or more recorders, like the Mackie and Tascam.

None of these would be cheaper than a laptop with a couple of cheaper interfaces for 16 channels though I don't think. Unless you buy a really expensive laptop and some really expensive interfaces. Do you have a budget in mind?

[seanmccoy]

Originally Posted by Corran

A lot of us use Alesis HD24's or HD24XR's. They discontinued the XR's unfortunately. There are a few other options for 24-track or more recorders, like the Mackie and Tascam.

None of these would be cheaper than a laptop with a couple of cheaper interfaces for 16 channels though I don't think. Unless you buy a really expensive laptop and some really expensive interfaces. Do you have a budget in mind?

Thanks for the info. I was thinking in the area of two grand, which would probably be a little tight for a decent laptop and audio interface. The HD24 looks pretty attractive, especially since I'd be using external converters anyway. My only hesitation is the reliability factor. Just about every piece of Alesis gear I ever owned ended up back at the factory earlier than it should have. Are these units an improvement over the "old" Alesis?

[Corran]

The reason the HD24 is a standard is it's reliability. I've owned my XR for a year and a half and it has never hiccuped even once. However, apparently in very high SPL environments (lots of bass especially) the hard drives apparently are prone to having an error. I don't experience that in classical recordings obviously.

If you are using external converters the HD24 sounds perfect for you. I bought the XR because I wanted high-quality converters built-in.

[LX3]

Another advantage of the XR is that it will replay 96kHz over its analog outputs. If you use a standard HD24 to do 96k (using it's optical I/O), you need something with 12 channels of 96kHz ADAT input to be able to monitor it.

Which definitely isn't as straightforward or cheap as a 12-way loom and a small analog board.

[mixedupsteve]

I have a friend with a studio and he has used an HD24 for years. Sometimes he patches it back into his board back at the studio and does the mixdown through it if he doesn't fell like an ITB mix. Pretty cool option.

[pkautzsch]

This isn't a new topic. The gist always is:

LAPTOP
+ you get a DAW session file right there on location with a laptop, and don't need to transfer. Punching in, giving the client a rough mix right after the show, quick editing - no problem.
- not as reliable as a good stand-alone recorder. Drivers, non-lockable firewire or USB connectors, OS hiccups, to name the most common issues.

STAND-ALONE
+ reliable if it's a serious recorder
- need to transfer files into DAW, need a hardware mixer for monitoring, editing/punching is more of a hassle without a mouse and nice screen.

Old story: As you need a backup anyway, get a recorder AND a laptop/interface setup.

[Corran]

Originally Posted by pkautzsch

Old story: As you need a backup anyway, get a recorder AND a laptop/interface setup.

Yes, I agree with this. And it's fairly cheap to get one of the lightbridge firewire interfaces and link an HD24 to it and record into your laptop. This is only a $350 or something expense. Plus it gives you monitoring. You could spend more than that just for hardware monitoring.

[Gerax]

Originally Posted by Corran

Yes, I agree with this. And it's fairly cheap to get one of the lightbridge firewire interfaces and link an HD24 to it and record into your laptop. This is only a $350 or something expense. Plus it gives you monitoring. You could spend more than that just for hardware monitoring.

That's exactly what I'm doing with my setup: preamps ADAT out to lightbridge/laptop and simultaneously to Mackie SDR2496 recorder. I record 48KHz max (when I have to do 96 I patch both adat to the laptop and use the pres analog out for the Mackie).
For me it's really the best way...works like a charm once you have nailed the right setup.