Withneilandi
New member
Hi chaps,
looking for some advice. I have for years been in DAW land, in fact I pretty much learnt recording from the computer based perspective (I'm 26). I have had some experience with cassette 4 and 8 tracks and briefly a 1/4" r2r and found that in about every way I prefer it. Sound, workflow, vibe, whatever it is, I really like tape, be it cassette or whatever.
So, I'm interested in getting away from DAWs for now and getting into as robust a tape setup as I can without spending tons of money. I would really like a Tascam 388 at some point, but they're a little expensive for me at the moment so I'm thinking of a 234 or 238. What I'd like to know is:
1. Given how rare and overpriced these things can be in the UK (where I live), how straight-forward would it be to convert one of these two devices to work on UK voltage if I could convince a US seller to send me one? Would it involve actually replacing significant parts like transformers or whatever, or would it be a wiring change? I know a good tech but I don't want to get into making huge mods lest it starts getting as expensive as just buying one in the UK.
2. What sort of a mixer would be good for one of these - it would be nice to get something a step up from the average portastudio but how far to go before it starts being lost on the cassette machine? By that I mean is there a point at which I'll see diminishing returns with what gets fed into the cassette recorder?
Many thanks all!
looking for some advice. I have for years been in DAW land, in fact I pretty much learnt recording from the computer based perspective (I'm 26). I have had some experience with cassette 4 and 8 tracks and briefly a 1/4" r2r and found that in about every way I prefer it. Sound, workflow, vibe, whatever it is, I really like tape, be it cassette or whatever.
So, I'm interested in getting away from DAWs for now and getting into as robust a tape setup as I can without spending tons of money. I would really like a Tascam 388 at some point, but they're a little expensive for me at the moment so I'm thinking of a 234 or 238. What I'd like to know is:
1. Given how rare and overpriced these things can be in the UK (where I live), how straight-forward would it be to convert one of these two devices to work on UK voltage if I could convince a US seller to send me one? Would it involve actually replacing significant parts like transformers or whatever, or would it be a wiring change? I know a good tech but I don't want to get into making huge mods lest it starts getting as expensive as just buying one in the UK.
2. What sort of a mixer would be good for one of these - it would be nice to get something a step up from the average portastudio but how far to go before it starts being lost on the cassette machine? By that I mean is there a point at which I'll see diminishing returns with what gets fed into the cassette recorder?
Many thanks all!