Is this Tascam 788 anygood or where can i buy it at. and is the Tascam Porta02 i need help.
Tascam 788 Digital Portastudio VS Tascam Porta02
- Thread starter CJ
- Start date
Prism
New member
To me, there's no competition between the two. Digital recording is way better. The question I would ask is, does the 788 have a digital mixer, or an analog mixer? I went to a studio once where they had two Yamaha automated digital mixers, which are nice, but they didn't run the sources straight into them. Instead, everything was pre-mixed on a large Mackie analog mixer, because it gives a "warmer" sound. Everything is recorded on digital, but I would just want to know whether the mixer section was digital or analog. If it's analog, cool... I'd get one. (If I didn't already have a Tascam 688.) And I never was interested in those little portable models. I just can't take them very seriously. I think you'll be happier with a nice big mixer and plenty of channels. And for downmixes and ping pong, you can't beat digital.
Isaiah
Isaiah
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
The 788's an all-in-one, compact, digital 8 track recorder & mixer- Portastudio. The mixer is all digital, with 8 inputs, 7 input faders, a couple rows of buttons, and all functions controlled thru this small LCD display. The media is a hard disc, and it has an optional CD burner. The CD burner can be used as a raw data backup, and a CD mastering device. The 788 records about 1 hour & 50 minutes, and then needs to be dumped or backed up. The 788 is pretty powerful, but it's all digital, and probably not as easy to use as an analog style Portastudio. The inputs & outputs are OK for a new user, but probably not as good as what an experienced user wants.
The Porta02 is the low-end cassette tape 4 track Portastudio. The mixer has only 2 inputs, and it has 2 band EQ. It runs at normal cassette speed only. It plays back 4 tracks with a minimal mixer.
It really depends what you want, and how much money you want to spend. The 788 & CDR will be well over $1000, and the Porta02 will be about $170, and both have their relative value.
I think if you were going to get a cassette 4 track Portastudio, the extra money spent on a 424mkIII would be well worth it. The 424mkIII is the top of the line 4 track cassette Portastudio, and has much better features than the Porta02. Shop the sales. I've seen the 424 for about $400.
And, if you're going to get the 788, you may be fine, but you may be better off in the long run with a nice analog mixer, like a Mackie 1642, and a discrete 8 track, like an ADAT or DTRS tape. This route will cost more money, of course.
Also, there's the used market, for older 1/2" reel 8 track analog decks, 16 track reels, etc.
Besides basic design features and useability issues, the issue of digital vs analog boils down to one thing: TAPE HISS. Analog has it, digital doesn't.
The Porta02 is the low-end cassette tape 4 track Portastudio. The mixer has only 2 inputs, and it has 2 band EQ. It runs at normal cassette speed only. It plays back 4 tracks with a minimal mixer.
It really depends what you want, and how much money you want to spend. The 788 & CDR will be well over $1000, and the Porta02 will be about $170, and both have their relative value.
I think if you were going to get a cassette 4 track Portastudio, the extra money spent on a 424mkIII would be well worth it. The 424mkIII is the top of the line 4 track cassette Portastudio, and has much better features than the Porta02. Shop the sales. I've seen the 424 for about $400.
And, if you're going to get the 788, you may be fine, but you may be better off in the long run with a nice analog mixer, like a Mackie 1642, and a discrete 8 track, like an ADAT or DTRS tape. This route will cost more money, of course.
Also, there's the used market, for older 1/2" reel 8 track analog decks, 16 track reels, etc.
Besides basic design features and useability issues, the issue of digital vs analog boils down to one thing: TAPE HISS. Analog has it, digital doesn't.