should I upgrade from a 388?

[curtiswyant]

Right now I'm using a Tascam 388 to record and I'm very pleased with the results. I'm mixing in the box, btw. I'm planning on buying a Sytek pre and maybe a small mixer. My question is, should I ditch the 388 and get a 1/2" or 1" 8 track? The mixer/monitor section is pretty crappy and I don't know if the pres and 1/4" tape is up to snuff if I'm using a nice pre/mic combination. I've never used any other tape machines so I don't know how much better it would sound. Opinions?

[A Reel Person]

The 388 is a complete recording/mixing package of very high quality, so IMO an external preamp and mixer is not needed, nor would it present any technical improvement or advantage.

It's ambiguous as to what "mixing in the box" means, specifically in the context of this post. Are you recording/mixing entirely on the 388, or are you recording tracks to the 388 & dumping them to the 'puter for mixing? Usually when someone says "mixing in the box", they're referring to mixing in the computer on software.

The 388 is capable of producing fine recordings and mixes as a standalone device. However, any larger format would tend to sound bigger & better, with higher fidelity, and that's only limited by your ambition and your budget.

A 1/2" (15ips) 8-track would surely sound larger than a 1/4" (7.5ips) 8-track, especially if you run dbx on the (38) for a direct comparison to the 388, with internal dbx. However, the 38 may be run without dbx, and that sounds fine too. The 1/2" TSR-8 has internal dbx, so the point is moot with regard to dbx and either the 388 or TSR-8. For the 38, dbx is an add-on device.

A 1" 8-track is something I have no direct experience with, but you could rightly assume that it would sound much larger than either the 1/4" 8-track or the 1/2" 8-track.

To procure an external preamp and small external mixer to record on the 388 is probably unnecessary, and/or does not present any significant technical superiority over the 388's internal capability. However, you're free to do so, and maybe prove me wrong.

Thanx. Good luck.