Compressor for 488 MKII 8-track Cassette

[nopainkiller]

Could I use a cheap Alesis compressor with my 8-track cassette 488 mkII tascam? Also, what do I do about reverb??? And other effects. and what if I have two powered mics?

[The Green Hornet]

Yo TYLENOL WITH CODEIN:}

Yea, verily:

I had a couple of 488s--it is possible to do some nice work with one of those. You will need an outboard box for reverbing tracks. Lots available for various prices.

I guess the RNC is a modest-priced compressor, [I have one] new and even less used.

There are, of course, many other choices and prices. OR, you could sell your present gear and get a AW1600 and have ALL of that "stuff" you need on board the box. The 1600 will burn a FULL CD from the HD in about 9 minutes which is MUCH faster than my 2816 could do it. [over an hour for the 2816]

So, you have many choices. Buena Suerte,

Green Hornet

[hungovermorning]

Originally Posted by nopainkiller

Could I use a cheap Alesis compressor with my 8-track cassette 488 mkII tascam? Also, what do I do about reverb??? And other effects. and what if I have two powered mics?

It matters what you want to compress and what you want to reverberate. A lot of the issues can be fixed by using natural tape compression, which is why analog is fantastic.

[junplugged]

i have a 488 in the box. very low hours. not sure what to do, i don't really have any good old projects worth keeping it around, it's taking up too much space...

i used an alesis compressor, nano compressor, not so good. i now have the art vla, it's a really good deal now that they have a new model out, check it out before they're gone.

[nopainkiller]

So don't get a 3630 alesis compressor? The RNC ones are nicely priced. How would I get reverb though, what would I have to buy and how would I hook it up?

[The Green Hornet]

Yo Heavy-duty Tylenol:

The RNC is a nice unit. Price is reasonable new. I don't deal with used gear as I don't know how much beer was spilled in it.

As for reverb, there are some very inexpensive models and you just need to patch it in to your recorder or track that you want reverberation.

Adding the reverb LAST to a vocal or a track means if you don't like the outcome, you can do the track over and adjust or change the reverb.

If you put in the reverb when you "record" the track, it's a one time shot. You can't take it out but you can still go back and redo the track which takes time.

Seems like 4 hours in the studio passes as fast as a Martini seems to evaporate.

Green Hornet

[nopainkiller]

But you didn't answer. What about the alesis 3060 or wutever. It's 99 bucks. I want something that'll do everythign I need basically. Drums, acoustic guitar, voice. But it don;'t gotta be great, just respectable.

[nopainkiller]

what exactly is tape compression too? It has DBX which I have on all the time. I could just use that? That's compression? Or is Gate what I've been asking about this whole time. Could I just use a guitar pedal for reverb?

[nopainkiller]

could I get an example of the cheap reverb things? I can't find anything except guitar pedals.

[nopainkiller]

er another question, do I really need to clean the heads? How often, and how?! I bought it used for 130 bucks off ebay. everything works perfectly. A tiny bit of noise on the 4th channel trim, but that's it. peice of plastic missing on the corner like it was dropped. no problems at all though, I've used it a bunch. I still can't get a good sound tho. not without the right mics, and the thing has no reverb or echo!! I gotta buy both seperate?? And then a compressor too?? What else do I need, please tell me. I know I will buy a couple nice condenser mics, a bunch of cords, stands, drum mics, a compressor/gate, a reverb thing, an echo thing if I need that, and then I'll still need something to make it all work.

[nopainkiller]

nobody? hello???

[montage]

Yes, you could use a simple guitar pedal for reverb; you can also look into some sort of multi-effects unit that may also feature a compressor. I've owned a 488mkII since '95; I found I was never happy with additional compression (mostly due to my novice consistently over-compressing) and instead found results more gratifying by taking my time in terms of mic placement and doing my best to perform at a consistent level.

I forget exactly what the manual recommends about cleaning but at the very least try cleaning for every 20 hours of operation.

[Masters Of War]

I used a 488(std) for four years without ever demagnatizing the heads, I never heard any loss of audio quality, though someone who is much more knowledgable on the subject could probably give you some good reasons to clean them from time to time.

As far as compressors and reverb goes it's really up to you how much you want to spend right now. When I started all I had was my 488, a studio projects b1, and a crappy behringer mic pre. If I had had a compressor and reverb processor I dont think I could have put them to great use, but I was completely new to recording when I got my 488. If you're just starting out I would say get the best mic and mic pre you can afford.

If you're set on getting some signal processors there are some really good cheap units you can get. The rnc is a great compressor, I just bought mine about a month ago and I love it. For reverb I use a TC Electronics m300 which also has a multi-efects channel, I just saw one sold on e-bay for $102 shipped.

Good luck man, hope some of that was helpful.
-T