old gear. still useful?

Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 3:15 pm

alesis adat 8track pro digital audio recorder

a sony pcm r300 h igh density linear a/d d/a converter

a tascam 302

and a peavey pv500 amp

can these still be used? trying to incorporate into new set up. need help with that also. i want to record and mix. thanx for having me..

Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 7:25 pm

Well, I think it's still viable. As long as your ADAT is reasonably reliable. Few were. But there's a lot you can do with one of those that are far more easy to utilize that a computer based system. Then you just transfer it into the computer for later manipulation & mixing

Not sure what application your Sony PCM r300 can really be used in ? it's great to have an extra analog-to-digital/Digital to analog converter. You just never know when you might need one.

I would say the TASCAM 302 cassette deck should be given to your neighbors 12-year-old kid. You really don't want to send out cassettes anymore. They went away 25 years ago. We got CDs in the early 1980s and so, make sure your computer has a CD cutter. Only grandma might still have a cassette deck??

The amplifier? Great if it's 250 W per channel and will make an adequate control room monitor amplifier for a decent pair of passive monitor speakers. It's not what we call audiophile quality but it's a decent industrial amplifier, great for rock-and-roll. Get yourself a couple of JBL's or, KRK's. It will kick ass!

You'll still need a few things like microphones, cables, stands, etc., all the rest. But it's an ongoing process for all of us.

I'll use anything if it works.
Ms. Remy Ann David

Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 7:59 pm

sell 'em all as fast as you can, for as much as you can get. I'd keep the amp around for studio/music room playback.

Technology is cheap as hell these days, and unles it's true vintage gear (read: Vintage mics, guitars, etc.), you're looking at a rapidly depreciating asset.

Unless you need that ADAT around for a bunch of old tape transfers, don't even bother getting into it. You just don't need the tape, dropouts and other related hassles. It's a stone-cold DEAD format.

For a few hundred, you can get a nice laptop and run a USB interface that will beat the pants off the specs of the ADAT, and again, you just don't need the hassle. For pennies on the dollar in Hard Drive costs, you just can't beat the price of storage anymore, either. For about $100, you can get about a terrabyte of storage on a single HD. WHen you do the math on the same pile of VHS tapes, it just doesn't add up.

If you don't believe me, I have a bridge in Brooklyn you might be interested in. It's priced to move!

Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 8:11 pm

thanks for the reply. you gave me some good insight.

i had this stuff for years and never really focused on them. they been just sitting.

until i started reading about what equipment i would need to get good recordings and mixes.

i read that a/d d/a conversion is key. is the digi003 good? whats better?

i dont know how reliable these things is. but if i do use them,whats the best way to use adat?

best way to use a/d d/a converters?

im starting from ground zero on this, and want to make sure my set up is pristine..

Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 8:15 pm

thanks joeh..

most likely thats whats gonna happen.

i think i wanna start from scratch.

mac pro
dig003
mackie 24-8

now i got a rode nt2. talk about vintage mic..lol

what do you think?

Posted: Thu Aug 21, 2008 6:35 am

I still use an ADAT occasionally. It's still useful to me for recording live when I don't want to take a computer out with me. Open air stuff, that sort of thing. I also find it useful for tracking backlines in rehearsal rooms for later overdubbing. Still works OK. It's unlikely that many people would still have a use for them.

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