4 track recorder or SONAR 6 home studio

[JTSC]

This may seem like an easy decision but the reason I ask is because I really would prefer to cut computers out of the mix in my recording process. For the same price as a cassette 4 track I can get SONAR 6, and my question is basically do the features of SONAR make it a better buy than a 4 track, regardless of how much I want computers out of the mix?

[Rob P]

It depends what kind of sound you're after.If I was in your shoes,I'd get the
4 track and use Reaper which has an uncrippled demo and has a lot of features and you would have the best of both worlds

[606man]

Sonar is awesome in terms of sheer power, but it's prolly too much if you just want to lay down a few tracks..

[Hot Sauce]

i've learned so much over the past couple of months in regards to recording and getting a nice sound.

a cassette 4-track is way too much trouble because most tapes you will probably buy are shit quality wise. it makes a huge difference.

i use my hi-fi as my "recorder" but i also have reaper on my computer which is more than adequate for my needs. if you're using a home studio you can't really cut the computer out (believe me i've tried) as it's still needed for the final parts of your production

[606man]

You can still get high-quality tapes, quite easily. Remember, most back-shed rock bands still prefer to record that way. Basslines recored to tape are awesome.

If you wanted to get digital quality recording, without a computer, you could also look at a digital hard-disk recorder. Or even a second-hand ADAT machine. Both these options cost $$$, but then so does a decent computer with a decent soundcard and decent software, so it's six-to-one-half-a-dozen-the-other....