Which do you like best and why?
I'm trying to figure which would be best for me. I know recording on a computer will offer more multi-track options, but the usability of a portastudio seems simple, Turn it on and record. My only concern with a portastudio is that it will limit me?

Key Things I'm looking For:

Easy connection for my 303 + 2000xl
Recording guitar/keys track
Vocal over tracks made with 303 etc..


Also, im not really looking for a "polished" sound..
I purchased a 8 track Cassette recorder for my 303, just to dirty up my sample..but am looking to get something else for the actual recording...Am I making any sense? Please offer some advice.

-tbg

Are you talking digital porta or tape? If digital, I could see some advantages over a PC in that there would be no latency. I used to lay tracks down on a digital 8 track and there is a streamlining of the process that is better than the computer (if you aren't anal about the mixing). I do a lot of post processing with vocals, etc as well as compression, so for my workflow, the porta doesnt currently work for me.

If tape, I would go with the computer. I love dirtying my stuff with tape, but for full mixes, its too dirty for me.

grab one of those tascam portastudios, i hear alot of good things about em, and i used to have the dp-02 8 track and they thing was easy as hell to use. and tascam makes some good shit. maybe even grab a iphone and grab a few apps. you should actually look into that, might be cheaper than portastudio and they got a bunch of shit to record track from a simple version to a multitracking version.

I have a Tascam 414 mk2 4 track cassette recorder and it works great, I got mine brand new still in the box for 80 bucks, lately I've been dumping my work into Logic Pro and I must admit logic has some amazing Lofi type compression to really get that lofi sound, it's all preference anyways, I say use them both...take full advantage!!!!

Gotta say the Boss BR800 looks like a good balance. It's a portastudio that takes multiple audio ins, allowing control of different channels like a proper porta should. Plus it comes with its own wave editor (similar to Audacity) via USB connection for doing the more complex stuff.

I've got the BR600 (older, more basic version with no wave editor & less inputs) & its internal FX are fine, its compression in particular sounds great to my ears. It does take a bit of menu-diving but its always clear where you are, what you've done & what you're doing. Plus it allows recording of multiple layers to a track, so its easy to record a bunch of takes & pick'n'mix the best bits you've done for a track. From what I can tell, all the BR600's features made it to the BR800 too.

I'm a bit of a fan of gear made by Boss, does it show?

Or maybe the new Propellerhead program, Record, would be a decent option if you've got a decent analogue-digital converter. Good thing about Record is it comes with a whole bunch of effects units co-designed by Line6 (including effects designed for treating your own recordings) & can be run in conjunction with Reason.

Both the BRs & Record are designed to handle both acoustic & electronic instruments (like what everyone else has named- those Tascams look like great value, cheaper than my options), so perhaps its really a thought about what process suits you best rather than product name dropping.

Main thing is that there's plenty of options out there for this stuff. Good luck with the decision making, you should be able to put together a damn fine rig without much difficulty.

with the tascam dp02 u can record to the 8track and export all individual tracks out to the pc, then work there. best of both worlds