These days I mostly use my OP-1 as a tape recorder for other gear. I’m wondering if it might be time to pick up a dedicated multitrack and pass the OP-1 on for someone else to enjoy, but it would only be worth it to me if I had enough cash left over to get an OP-Z as part of the deal. Is there a portable, cheap hardware multitracker out there with a similarly quick & intuitive interface? Specific desires:
$300 or less
Battery-powered
Fits comfortably in a backpack
Basic functions like seek, trim, overdub, etc. are accessible with 1 or 2 button presses
Stereo input & at least one stereo track
It looks like the Tascam Portastudio DP-006 might fit the bill, but I’m not sure about the interface. Thoughts?
I’m not sure about editing functions, but the Zoom R16 is a good one. 8 inputs that can be configured as 4 stereo pairs, up to 16-channel multitrack to SD card, and also works as a multitrack audio interface and DAW controller via USB.
Yeah, the Zoom stiff is really solid in my experience. The Zoom R8 (2 inputs, 8 tracks) is great, with some added samper/looping abilities. Small, long battery life, minimal menu diving, sounds good. Editing is limited, but so is editing on the OP-1. Looking back I was super productive when using one of those.
OP-1 is my main recorder too, and there really doesn’t seem to be a replacement out there that has that special four track meets looper magic. So, depending on your style you may miss the unlimited overdubs on each track and playing with tape speed. But if you don’t need those then I highly recommend the R8.