We used a reel to reel back in the day, and it`s so easy to spin back or forward and record over or listen to.

Jeff, The DR-05 will work fine, keep the recording levels very low for a start & work it up to a comfortable volume for your band.

Cheers

Hey thanks, were gonna give it a try. Whats the best way to listen to playback?

I have a pretty good sound system attached to my PC...

But,

you can pick up a split lead 3.5mm stereo to 2* 1/4" (mono guitar lead plugs) .. Then you can playback at rehearsal through a mixer or even 2 channels of your Guitar amps etc..

Cheers

Sounds good, I was telling the guys we could use one of those splitters with the plugs (RCA jacks ?) that would connect to the stereo we have in the practice room and listen to us over that. But the PA or guitar amp would be better yet. Our PA is a real old Peavy and half the board is dead so I will have to check that out.

Using another input on your stereo system would be the way to go. The guitar amp will work, but the frequency response is tailored specifically for guitars and you will be amazed at just how mediocre that sounds when listening to a full range recording.

One thing to note: it is often humbling to listen to playback, especially at first. Whatever you can do to make your recordings sound better will improve that experience and therefore make the entire process more palatable. I have known many artists and band members that simply refused to listen to a "board mix" (a recording directly from a live audio console) because they sound so mediocre. To that point I have seen engineers that were fired because an unknowledgable artist did not like the sound of a board mix. All of that to say, put a little thought into your playback options. On the other hand, don't make it so complicated that it is too much of a pain to even bother with.

Thanks Scott! We need to keep it simple for sure. I just think we need a easy way to hear ourselves. Im sure it will take some experimenting with the device to get the sound right. I assume we place it far from the amps and drums as possible. We practice in an old basement but we have carpet on the floor and most of the walls. The ceiling is exposed floor joist.

You will just have to experiment with placement just like studio engineers did in the very early days of recording.

One thing about your stereo that is simple, cheap and save some aggravation is to purchase a stereo RCA extension cable. You can patch this into the back of your stereo and then have the female ends readily available to plug in so that you are not constantly digging around the back of your stereo. Of course some receiver/amps have a set of aux RCA's in the front so that may not be an issue.

I have just found that the easier you make something to do, the more apt you are to do it.

Ya, that is exactly what i was thinking. I have that setup in my wood shop for the mp3 players. After going threw a few cd players being ruined by the dust, I ended up buying and amp and the patch cord your talking about. Now I just plug the Mp3 player in and go. This will work fine for the band as well.

Thanks everyone!

Note, I see a device out there called Zoom H1 Handy digital recorder. I like it has a usb port, that way each member of the band could bring thier own USB drive and load up the recording to take home.