Cheaper multi-track hardware

Hey there

I'm in a college band and more recently we've been getting more serious about our recording, we want to get some decent recordings of our songs. Currently we use a Yamaha MG16/6FX analog mixer and an external USB soundcard on a laptop (not my idea!) to record from the mixer.

CoolEdit Pro does the whole recording thing and currently we can record 2 tracks at once, only mono. We need a cheap solution to recording more tracks and my idea was to go down the multi-sound card path and use a dedicated computer to do the recording.

The computers not a problem, I've got loads lying around. I'd just need to buy a few sound cards. What I want to know is, is this the right approach? Certainly cheaper than going for a digital mixer!

Thanks in advance

Anytihng that is halfway decent with the ability to do multiple inputs is going to be expensive. I use 2 x MOTU 828 mk II and that gives me (with out using the ADAT inputs) 24 simultaneous ins at 24/96. However as far as expense goes that is not the real killer. Mics, pre-amps, cables and most importantly a good monitoring system will knock a real hole in your budget. I the pres on my Peavey desk for things like drum mikes and for monitoring Pods however I still have two better than average mic pres that I use for vocals.

If you are on a sub-thousand dollar budget, you might want to have a look at a second hand Korg D1200 / D1600. These will come in at between 4-600 USD on eBay and are great bang for your buck. They are portable and you can also export tracks from them to a computer to mix and edit at a later date.

These machines will give you either 4 or 8 simultaneous input respectavley. And because they will not break the bank you can also think about some microphones.

Thanks Dr Simon

I'm going to look into cheaper deals, like the Korgs you mentioned. I'm just a bit on the slim side for cash at the mo.

Thanks again

the D12/1600s are great bang for your buck especially if you need to do multiple simultaneous tracks. I have owned both and they are just very cool !!! Don't forget to check out www.korgstudios.com
as well. That is a really great resource !