MSR 16 or 388????

[up-fiddler]

Great pix and thread on the 388. Here's my ???????? I have the MSR16 and am getting used to it and like it by the gallon. Would I be even happier with a 388? Dave

 

[wildflower soul]

I owned a 388 and sold it so I could get a MSR-16. I like the MSR-16 much better to be honest. Everyone who heard my first demos on it said "wow that sounds way better than your 8 track". It doesnt sound "WAY better" but 15 ips does sound better to me. The 388 doesnt have phantom power either which was always kindof a pain. I love having 16 tracks too so I can do 8 tracks of just drums

388 is a great machine, I just prefer the MSR-16 for the reasons above.

 

[SteveMac]

I would think that the MSR 16 would blow the 388 out of the water. Is the MSR 1" or 1/2". I wouldn't trade an MSR 16 for a 388. I'm sure the 388 is a sounds great. It's a great piece But having had a similar set up in the past at 7 1/2 ips even the Tascam 38 is quite an improvement to my ears.

I wonder why they never made a 1/2" 15 ips machine like the 388. That would have been something.

 

[Dr ZEE]

I wonder why they never made a 1/2" 15 ips machine like the 388. That would have been something.

My guess would be - 'cos the whole idea was to DOWNsize everything ... slowingdown - included .... PORTA-studio that is ... so as we know later - later two ugly reels were cursed into nice slim affortable single-piece soapbox-size plastic units, aka cassettes

also, if I had msr-16 I would not think about 338. But I had non- of 'em. so what can I say ... ..arrrrrrrrrrgh

 

[cjacek]

I think you've missed the whole point about the 388! You can't compare it to anything 'cause there was only ONE TASCAM 388 and there's nothing outthere to compare it to. It isn't JUST a recorder or mixer .. It's a an all-in-one 8 track open reel concept "studio" with an extensive mixer, and from a "home recording" perspective, it really does fit in very well indeed. Can one make commercial CD realeases with the 388 ? Of course! So ..... What's the problem ? Also, a 388 which would run 15 ips on 1/2" tape, carrying 8 or 16 tracks would have to be MUCH bigger, heavier and MUCH more expensive, to fit in 10.5" reel capacity, bigger motors, more expensive heads etc .... That would possibly bring the weight up to about 50% more than the current 83 lbs, make it quite impossible to carry by oneself and very difficult with 2 people and may have doubled the price to an astronomical level! Again, I think you have missed the point of the 388. Plus, you'd have to think about tape costs ... 1/4" tape is dirt cheap and can be bought very easily .... 1/2" tape is more expensive etc .... 15 ips wears heads 2x as fast as 7 1/2 ips etc .... and 15 ips does not sound astronomically better than 7 1/2 ips, to my ears at least ... etc ....

~Daniel

 

[A Reel Person]

The 388 is unique.

You can like it/dislike it, based on any of it's features. I've heard it both ways now.

You can like it at 7.5ips because it's so much better than cassette, or you can dislike it because it's not a full 15ips. You can marvel at the awesome 388 mixer section, or you can regard it as unneeded. You can dislike the 388 because it's heavier than a "regular" Portastudio, or you can like it 'cause it's still lighter than an M312 and 38, combined. Some people would prefer separate components, and for other people the 388's purebred "Portastudio" design is fine. There's no definitive feature, spec or answer that suits everybody all the time.

If you have an MSR-16, the 388 could be a sidecar scratch-production device. The 388's mixer section would support at least half the MSR-16. There could be many uses for a 388 with an MSR-16, but you don't absolutely need one for the other. That's not news, and I'm sure I'm not saying anything you don't already know.

If you already have the MSR-16, IMO, there's no reason you wouldn't also like the 388, but that's why I always add "YMMV".

Aw heck, get'em both!

 

[Dr ZEE]

I think you've missed the whole point about the 388! You can't compare it to anything 'cause there was only ONE TASCAM 388 and there's nothing outthere to compare it to. ~Daniel

Sure you can compare it with the whole lot of gear. I gues the question is about how 388 does the job comparing to msr-16 (or I gues similar gear) Unique? - yeah. that's true. Collectable? - hell yeah! Beautiful in its 'ugliness" - absolutely! ...etc... Being a "Concept Holder" does not make a gear "an untouchable" sacred relic for a tech discussion... ;-) You can compare it with other 1/4" 8-tracks... (what are they? hmmmm fostex(s)?) ... or with other 8-track reel-to-reel tape machines ... whatever... and you can compare its mixer-section with the whole bunch of mixers out there (vintage or modern cheap and expansive ones ...)... they are all "unique" in a sence

/respects,

 

[wildflower soul]

My friends band recorded their album on an MSR-16... to hear how amazing it sounds check out http://www.myspace.com/murdocks and listen to "Saddest Star" in the mp3 player. The producer they recorded with did an amazing job.

Some of my better demos were done on a 388 though, It depends on what youre recording I guess... I outgrew it because I needed more tracks. If you only need 8 tracks, I'd have to say the 388 is the best 8 track(for the money)in the world! I hated to let go of it, but had to in order to actually make room to USE the msr-16.

MSR-16 does sound similar same track width, the 15ips does sound nice though

I wish I could get a MSR-16S with the Dolby instead of DBX, but I'm happy for now

 

[acorec]

Great pix and thread on the 388. Here's my ???????? I have the MSR16 and am getting used to it and like it by the gallon. Would I be even happier with a 388? Dave

Maybe. Depends on how you like it.

In *analog tape recording* terms. the MSR is far better in many respects like faster tape speed, better electronics and slightly better dbx NR.

In *would I like it better to suit me for whatever reason*
That is for you to decide.

Any further possible discussion about which is better falls into the second catagory as the first is a list of facts that any decent audio engineer will know and accept.

 

[up-fiddler]

I think you've missed the whole point about the 388! You can't compare it to anything 'cause there was only ONE TASCAM 388 and there's nothing outthere to compare it to. It isn't JUST a recorder or mixer .. It's a an all-in-one 8 track open reel concept "studio" with an extensive mixer, and from a "home recording" perspective, it really does fit in very well indeed. Can one make commercial CD realeases with the 388 ? Of course! So ..... What's the problem ? Also, a 388 which would run 15 ips on 1/2" tape, carrying 8 or 16 tracks would have to be MUCH bigger, heavier and MUCH more expensive, to fit in 10.5" reel capacity, bigger motors, more expensive heads etc .... That would possibly bring the weight up to about 50% more than the current 83 lbs, make it quite impossible to carry by oneself and very difficult with 2 people and may have doubled the price to an astronomical level! Again, I think you have missed the point of the 388. Plus, you'd have to think about tape costs ... 1/4" tape is dirt cheap and can be bought very easily .... 1/2" tape is more expensive etc .... 15 ips wears heads 2x as fast as 7 1/2 ips etc .... and 15 ips does not sound astronomically better than 7 1/2 ips, to my ears at least ... etc ....

~Daniel

Thanks. I've never used a 388 and this is exactly the insight I'm looking for. Dave

 

[up-fiddler]

You can like it/dislike it, based on any of it's features. I've heard it both ways now.


Aw heck, get'em both!

This is where I'm leaning. Just gotta convince te wife. It would give me a lower cost option for clients/demos/etc. but I use the 424 and 488 that way now with good results. Thanks though, Dave.