Tascam 32 as 1/2 track mixdown deck

[bloomboy]

I'm looking into buying a 1/4 inch half-track to mix down to, and as far as i can tell from searches here and research all over the tascam 32 seems to be the best for the price (usually ~$150-200 on ebay). Before I commit to buying one of these though, i was wondering if there was anything in specific i should be alert about, or any option that's clearly better. Also, i just bought a tascam 38 and am absolutely thrilled with the sound, which is another reason I'm leaning towards the 32.

Thanks

[Beck]

The 32 is a nice unit with a long distinguished history in the recording and broadcast industries. Its little brother, the 22-2 is also a good choice if 7-inch reels aren’t a limitation for what you’re doing. The two decks have nearly identical specs sound wise and each has advantages for various applications. I’m partial to the 22-2, but can highly recommend the 32 as the standard.

I could list every half-track I know, but that can be as useless as saying nothing at all. So, I’ll just say you won’t be disappointed with a 32 in good working condition. Many parts, including the rec and repro heads are still available new from TASCAM Parts. Support for these aging machines is one of the most important factors when purchasing a used deck. IMO, at this time, TASCAM gets an A+ for supporting their legacy analog products.

eBay is hit or miss depending on the seller’s knowledge. You’ll want to ask questions and hopefully end up with a machine ready to go out of the box. Some calibration/maintenance is expected… it can be minimal to severe depending on the circumstances.

Spending a little more than the going rate with a seller that has calibrated and put the machine through its paces is worth every penny. Some real treasures pass through eBay, but some real dogs too.

Buying from someone like Vintage TX or musicgoround.com is often a better route if the current eBay offerings seem like slim pickins’.

http://www.angelfire.com/electronic2/vintagetx/
http://www.musicgoround.com

I would be happy as a clam with any one of the following TASCAM half-tracks:

22-2
32
42B
BR-20

[jpmorris]

Originally Posted by Beck

I could list every half-track I know, but that can be as useless as saying nothing at all. So, I’ll just say you won’t be disappointed with a 32 in good working condition. Many parts, including the rec and repro heads are still available new from TASCAM Parts. Support for these aging machines is one of the most important factors when purchasing a used deck. IMO, at this time, TASCAM gets an A+ for supporting their legacy analog products.

I wouldn't go that far: TASCAM have discontinued the capstan motor on the BR-20, and it's only been what.. a year and a half since the unit was dropped? Studer support their machines for ten years.

In all other respects I agree completely.

[Beck]

Ok, an A- then.

The BR-20 wasn't around very long. That might explain why I can get about anything for the 32 and 22-2 from TASCAM. The 32 was around so long there are still brand new replacement parts waiting in line for the call.

Plus the 32 and 22-2 had so many interchangeable parts with other models there are more spare parts for those things than we will ever need.

[bloomboy]

thanks a lot for the info! that was really helpful.

[technoplayer]

Another option might be the Tascam 35-2B. This is a half track record/reporduce with an extra head for quarter track reproduce. It has on-board DBX. I have one and its a great machine. You don't see them too often, however, and I am not sure why. It's not for lack of build quality however.

[superbeatballer]

Here's one. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MakeTrack=true

It'll probably sell fast at $150. The seller says it's "fully operative," so I guess it's undercover. I hope it's a dustcover of some sort, not something covert.

[krhall]

Hmm... I got a huge collection of 1/4 tape reels in all sizes ranging from 3" to 10.5" and i got well over 100 reels.
Hence the reason i have never bothered with a half track machine.

Ok... so simple question.

What can a 1/2 track machine offer me that i cannot get from a quarter inch machine besides suport for 16+ tracks of recording time ??

Look forward to your reply....

Keith

[superbeatballer]

Originally Posted by krhall

Hmm... I got a huge collection of 1/4 tape reels in all sizes ranging from 3" to 10.5" and i got well over 100 reels.
Hence the reason i have never bothered with a half track machine.

Ok... so simple question.

What can a 1/2 track machine offer me that i cannot get from a quarter inch machine besides suport for 16+ tracks of recording time ??

Look forward to your reply....

Keith

I think 1/2-track and 1/4-track simply refers to the number of tracks per width of the tape. So there could be 1/2-track 1/4", 1/2-track 1/2", and so on.... I use 2 tracks of my 1/4" 1/4-track to mix(1/8"). More magnetic mojo would be the advantage of wider tape if I can venture a guess, but as you can see I'm limited to 1/8" which is the widest format I've used to date.

[superbeatballer]

Sorry krhall. I see your question was in reference to another post. I'll shut up now.