OK... What are you looking to do with your recording? This will have a bearing on the best way to go. I'm, personally, a stand alone guy, but then computer systems weren't all that stable when I opened my studio. (They're still not, in my opinion, but they can be great for certain applications.)

Give me every recording instance you think you may run into or think you may want to handle. I have lots of inputs, but then I need them. You may not need to go overboard with it. It's all going to depend on what you expect to get out of it.

I want to be able to take a condenser mike and record straight from my Dreadnought. I also want to be able to record straight out of my Roland Cube. It has a 1/4" jack for direct out. I want to be able to put drumbeats on each recording, wether bongos or double kick, but I don't just want a metronome. I am looking to be able to take it with me and record say if I go over to my mothers and she plays piano, and my sister plays Cello. What other kind of info do you need? Let me know.

The "take it with me" part leans you heavily to the stand alone unit. They're designed for recording and just recording. (Well, playback too, and mixing and all those recording related activities.)

I know it's tempting to go the software route as it appears a little cheaper. After all, we all have computers, so why reinvent the wheel? It's because your computer wasn't DESIGNED to record music. It's a multi-purpose machine and while I LOVE stuff that does more than one thing, owning a studio has taught me that having a recording system that was designed as a recording system beats the simple software solution all to hell.

I also like the Roland/Boss stuff. The BR units are pretty good! Get one with a hard-drive and CD burner, (regardless of the brand, you'll have less headaches.)

Mics... If you've never used a condenser mic, you will probably be amazed with the sound and sensitivity of a cheap one. It won't take long until you're also amazed with the noise and coloration. (You won't notice it at first, but it will grow on you!) Don't go bottom end on your condenser. I would say that the Marshall V69 Tube mic is a GREAT buy for only $300. Great on acoustics as well as vocals. I've never had one on a cello, but it's a mic I would consider. Should work fine for piano too. In fact, you could set it up as a room mic and get everyone at the same time. Very few condensers under $300 perform well and none of them perform this well.

Direct recording out of your cube... Yes, it can be done, but I'd also get an SM57, or an E609 to mic that cab. Not only will you get some practice with mic'ing, but you'll have it should you want to record an amp that doesn't have direct outs.

The recording unit you get doesn't matter as much as the mics you use to record with. Everything starts in the air and it's the mic that transforms it into electrical signals that can then be disected and AD'd for storage on the hard drive. (Yeah, preamplifiers come into play here too, but you shouldn't need one to start with. You can always add a preamplifier later as you get deeper into the recording morass.

I started much like you. Caught the bug. Now I spend every extra dime on recording gear. Just be careful, or you will get hooked!

Oh... Make sure the unit you choose will make drum beats. MIDI capability will give you drums, keys and bass. Many of these units will also allow for import and export, so if the unit itself doesn't have MIDI you can develop those tracks on a computer, render them into audio files and then import them back into your stand alone. Lots of ways to accomplish what you're looking to do.

I am pretty set on the ZOOM Hd-cd. Don't know if I want to have 16 recording tracks or 8? I am hoping by the time I save my money for this whole studio I want to build, that I will know which one. Either that or the IMAC is what I am looking for. I am nmot much on getting new computers, but ours at ho,e is about 13 yrs. old, and My wife figures if we are already going to replace it, why not get an Imac. Have you had any experience on that end? I know that having a recording unit by itself is probably worth it, but I am just wanting to be sure.

I haven't gone to "computers" yet, but I see it on the horizon. I currently have a Roland unit with 16 inputs. If you're not looking to record whole bands, that would be overkill. Even having 8 inputs would be a waste if you're not recording that kind of stuff, but having more inputs is always welcome as you will find a use for them. (Remember that mics will cost you!)

I went the Roland unit because when I added up the cost of a computer, the software, the interface and other sundrie accessories it was FAR more expensive than buying a unit that was designed to record and mix, instead of running all kinds of unnecessary applications in the background. (And I hate computers to start with. Probably because I work on them all day long and being UNIX servers I can't deal with the stupidity of Windows. MAC is a little better but it's still not UNIX!)

Be prepared! If you intend to open a studio, put aside about $20,000 for decent mics. About $20,000 for decent pres. And another $20,000 for mic stands, cables, compressors, patch bays, construction, amps, monitors, miscellaneous equipment, (RTA, cable testers, headphones, headphone amp,) more cables, (you will NEVER have enough of these,) and a hundred other things I've probably not thought of at the moment. Did I mention you'll need a LOT of cables?

It's a process and it's not something that happens overnight, just because you bought the gear. There are a few studios in Denver like that. Guys spent a FORTUNE on top of the line gear, but... We hear all the time, "I'd rather come to you guys because you make it sound great, rather than go to the other guy who has all the best stuff, but clearly doesn't know how to use it all."

Because of the studio, I don't play much anymore. Not enough time to sit down and practice. Other people's music is taking all my time.

That's cool. I definitely want to learn each piece as its own instrument, because that is what I believe it to be. It is an extension of whoever has their hands on the controls, be it guitar, bass, drums, recording equipment, etc. I have a cell phone that I can record up to five minutes of what ever. It is not a very good quality mike, but I have been putting it at all areas of the living room where the Roland Cube and my guitars are, and I will start playing just to get an idea of a song. Inspiration strikes you gotta do what you gotta do! Know what I mean. I believe if I were to go the Imac toute it would be easier to interface with more ways on the net, such as this web page for instance. It would be interesting to try out. I have never been a computer savy person, but it would be nice to be able to go to the net, and download my music.

I use a BR-600 for all the reasons you listed at the start of this thread. I am very happy with it. It costs $350 bucks. It has everything you need for composing songs... guitar, bass, drums, onboard mic's. Great for getting your ideas down.

You can listen to my stuff to hear what I've recorded just to get a feel for what the possibilities are. Most of the stuff I have posted to Icompositions was recorded on the BR-600. (link below my posts)

There are at least two other members here who also use this machine. I havn't read any bad reviews of this recorder. My only complaint with it would be that the manual isn't near thorough enough to explain the functions.

The ability to record 8 tracks and have the onboard drum machine were the selling points for me.

There are other similar digital recorders you can look into. I don't know if they offer the same amount of functions though...

Good luck shopping for one that suits your needs.

Yeah... Roland's manuals leave a LOT to be desired. Perseverance opens a lot of doors, however, so working with it is really the only way to figure everything you can do with almost ANY unit or software on the market.

I would really suggest starting small. Learn EVERYTHING you can about the unit and mics you buy. (There's more to mic setup than just sticking one in a room, so there's a lot to learn there too!) Even having the knowledge, it's just not a good idea to buy a whole bunch of stuff and then try to figure it out. I bought EVERYTHING for my control room when I set up my studio. It took more than a year to just figure out how everything worked together best. The fewer variables you introduce to start, the easier it will be to get going.

note on the BR-600 -- It does not have the capability of providing power to the mic. So this may exclude this machine if you intend to use a condensor mic which I assume requires phantom power. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

Yes! & No!

AKG C1000s is a small diaphragm condenser that allows for phantom power by inserting a 9 volt battery.

There may be a couple others, but they're slim. All condenser mics require phantom power because they all have a small preamp that requires power to operate. Tube mics DO NOT require phantom power from your board or preamp. They come with a power supply as they need a bit more than 48vdc to run the tube. Phantom power is supplied by the power supply and you plug a cable from that to you board. No phantom required.

Some dynamic mics require phantom power too. Royer R121 Ribbon, (if you're planning on dropping $1200,) comes in a phantom powered model. Ribbon mics have VERY low output and need a HIGH gain preamp to be used effectively. Blue makes the Blue Ball and Kick Ball, both are dynamic and both require phantom power. If you do get a ribbon mic, (NADY RSM2 is KILLER on guitar cabs, and inexpensive for what you get,) DO NOT EVER SUPPLY PHANTOM POWER TO ONE! Applying phantom power to a ribbon mic is the best way to prepare it for the trash can!

Typically, you get phantom power from your preamp. (Yes, your mixer is a preamp too.) If the BR-600 doesn't supply phantom power, you can still use condenser mics, IF you have a preamp that supplies phantom power to the mic. The pre will then plug into the input.