Any 2488 Users??

[David-H]

Just wanting to contact & discuss with, 2488 porta studio users.
Dave Huffman

[fuzzy math]

yes,

what do you want to know?

[Zaphod B]

Yep, right here.

[philboyd studge]

Ditto here, since its early release.

Hey, anybody know of software upgrades about v 1.0?

[David-H]

I was just wondering about your likes & dislikes of the recorder. I am just now really learning to use it as I am new to recording. I am taking a basic class at a local studio, Pogo studio in Champaign IL. I also ordered the DVD from Tascam & thay helped a lot.
I am setting up a rehersal - small project in a 4 car garage I have.
Dave Huffman

[Herm]

What town are you in Dave?

[Zaphod B]

David-H -

I'm new at this also, and the 2488 is the first home studio device I've owned. I don't have anything to compare it to, but so far I find it very easy to track, mix down, master, and burn to CD, using the most basic functions.

IMHO, the weakest element of the 2488 is the lack of documentation. The User's Manual and Technical Reference are woefully inadequate and fail to address some of the 2488's most basic capabilities. For example, there is no mention of how to record the tone generator drum patterns to a stereo channel pair, and I'm not sure how one could figure it out without the expertise of someone who's had more time to fool around on the machine.

That said, I'm having a lot of fun with it!

[COOLCAT]

Originally Posted by philboyd studge

Ditto here, since its early release.

Hey, anybody know of software upgrades about v 1.0?

yeah if you notice B and myself just finished upgrades. send me your address and i'll send it to you. 1.02....piece of cake to do.

Mr Rock gave us the Upgrade CD, but its all free and friendly...if you like I'll send it as soon as it shows up from Florida to Texas.

[David-H]

Herm, I live Just nort of Urbana off of Leverett Rd. U??
I would go to the Tascam web site & order the 2488 DVD it's around 50 bucks but has LOT'S of good info on it!
Dave Huffman

[RAMI]

Zaphod, I don't know if you were just using that as an example, or if you really still don't know how to record the TG onto 2 tracks. In case you're wondering, just treat it as a bounce. Turn up the TG, mute everything except your destination channels, go into BOUNCE mode and record. If you already knew this, I apologise.

[philboyd studge]

Originally Posted by COOLCAT

yeah if you notice B and myself just finished upgrades. send me your address and i'll send it to you. 1.02....piece of cake to do.

Mr Rock gave us the Upgrade CD, but its all free and friendly...if you like I'll send it as soon as it shows up from Florida to Texas.

What does it do that's an improvement? Mine is working fine for how I use it, which is much like my old 788.

Anyway, thanks for the offer, right now I'm working without a net on a laptop but when my computer comes back I'll take you up on it.

[Herm]

Normal Bloomington

[Zaphod B]

Originally Posted by RAMI

Zaphod, I don't know if you were just using that as an example, or if you really still don't know how to record the TG onto 2 tracks. In case you're wondering, just treat it as a bounce. Turn up the TG, mute everything except your destination channels, go into BOUNCE mode and record. If you already knew this, I apologise.

RAMI, I know how now, but I wouldn't have if not for the forums at Tascam.com (specifically, Double's user guide). I appreciate the tip, though.

But something this simple - should it have been in the user's manual, or is it one of those basic things that anyone who has been around recording stuff would know?

So it makes me wonder what other kind of information I'm missing out on, so that, perhaps, Tascam can sell a bunch more tutorial DVDs?

[RAMI]

I agree. Luckily, I already owned the 788 so I had a pretty good idea of what can be done with the 2488. But the 2488 manual really blows. I think you can learn more about the 2488 by having a 788 manual as well. It wasn't a great manual either, but it did go into much more detail and alot of the featires are similar.

[fuzzy math]

i love mine. it took a couple months before i was comfortable on it though. ive been a 4-track cassette recorder for over 10 years, so its wasnt too difficult.

my main complaint would be the tiny led screen. i wish there was a way to hook it up to a computer monitor. i got spoiled working on p.c. and being able to look at all the tracks. makes wave editing a hell of alot easier when you can see all tracks at once.

my other complaint would be the effects. there are some really cool ones on there that ive gotten alot of use on. monks (for black metal vocals - evil!) and tiny piano, which i have run a kalimba thru to very haunting effect. however, the compression and the reverb, which are the 2 most important effects, leave much to be desired. dont get me wrong, they do the job fine, but i feel that they could be alot better.

i dont use the cd burner on the 2488. i dump each track onto my computer and into guitar tracks to do final mixing/mastering. it makes doing the final clean-up alot easier.

all in all though, one of the best music purchases i have ever made. the stuff im doing w/ it sounds ten times better than anything i had previously done.

[marts500]

The 2488 is a great multitracker...my only gripes are maybe that they should have dumped the tg and the effects and put in a bigger and better display with some more clipping led's and maybe a little built in mic for quick ideas.Also Tascam should have included the tutorial dvd!

[Zaphod B]

+1 on including the DVD!

[mikey@thecave]

you should have got the roland 2480

[RAMI]

Why???????

[mikey@thecave]

well the main reason i say that is because you can use a monitor with the 2480

[soundchaser59]

using a monitor wont make it any easier to navigate the infamous Roland Learning Maze!

Sure, Roland gear often has great sound, but when it comes to convoluted architecture and non-intuitive designs, Roland is king! Roland designs are to music as IBM code is to computers. If you want to discourage a newbie from getting into music, buy him a Roland!

I've seen hardened veteran engineers struggle for weeks to learn a Roland board, while a rookie with a 2488 had a decent demo done in a day.

[BMWerks]

I just wish everybody would stop calling my 2488 a "porta-studio". Sounds alot like portapotty. besides, it's really NOT a porta studio. Though it may be somewhat "portable," it's strongly advised NOT to keep moving it around. IMO it's really not travel worthy. It's hard enough keeping the paint on it just sitting in my livingroom studio. I can imagine halling it from gig to gig. The poor thing wouldn't last outside of 3 months.

So, please call it a 24 tracker, digital recorder, deck or anything else but "Porta-potty" I mean, er, porta-studio.

[Zaphod B]

Hey, I like my 2488 porta-potty....errr, Porta-Studio!

But you're right about their portability. I wouldn't drag one around town any more than I would a desktop computer.

[BMWerks]

Originally Posted by soundchaser59

using a monitor wont make it any easier to navigate the infamous Roland Learning Maze!

Sure, Roland gear often has great sound, but when it comes to convoluted architecture and non-intuitive designs, Roland is king! Roland designs are to music as IBM code is to computers. If you want to discourage a newbie from getting into music, buy him a Roland!

I've seen hardened veteran engineers struggle for weeks to learn a Roland board, while a rookie with a 2488 had a decent demo done in a day.

Boy! You can say all that again. I couldn't agree more! HEAR THAT ROLAND?

You think Roland's bad? What about M-Audio and MIDI controllers? Makes me wonder who they're designing this stuff for. All these music tech companies are competing against eachother for our business. However, in their efforts to give us "more bang for the buck", they fail to make the technology user friendly.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. My Tascam 2488 was a god send compared to waht I was using before; TSR-8, M-3516, MTS-30 (syncronizer), and all the outboard gear W/all the cabling etc..etc...etc.....I guess I managed to save about 4to5 hundred sq. feet of realestate in my home livingroom studio. There's now room for another couch, a table and a chair.