Cassette 8-tracks...

[Gear_Junky]

I currently have a Tascam Portastudio 04 - it's a simple 4-track, but I want an 8-track now (didn't know they existed on tape).

There's 2 - Tascam 488 mk and Yamaha's similar model. For some reason Tascam's 488 is not on their website and not offered in most on-line stores (musiciansfriend.com). Is it discontinued? And anyway, what's a reasonable price for the new 488 mk unit?

Also, those who already have it, does it really give you much more freedom than a 4-track (is it worth the money?). How's reliability?

Thanx!

[h7er6]

the tacsam 488 is discontinued. american musical supply has them for $ 879.96 http://www.americanmusical.com
search for 488MKII.

i got one after using a four track for years and i totally love it. no more bouncing! plus it has a great mixer, and phantom power.

i havent had a single problem with mine.

[chipper]

Yo, Gear_Junky;
I'd like say I totally agree with h7er6 on the 488 MkII - it's great! I would strongly suggest that you get one, if possible, as it will open a whole new world of recording for you. I am curently working on an album with my songwriting partner and it wouldn't have been possible on his Porta 04. I hope this has been of help to you.

Chipper

[Hot Rocks]

another one to look at is the tascam 238 with DBX.It was a professional model 8 track cassette recorder that records on all 8 channells at once.Best audio quality on a 8 track cassette,They also made a dolby s version.The dbxversion is about the same price or maybe a little less than the 488 MKII.I also owned a 488MKII,Thats a great all around 8 track deck but the 238's audio quality is just a little bit better.Down side, No mixer.But be careful,they stopped making these 4 years ago so you need to get one from a reputable sourse

[El Barto]

What about the Tascam 688? I'm also looking at getting a Tascam 8 track, too bad they don't make them anymore . Anyone know a place that sells the 688? And would you guys recommend the 688?

[virtual.ray]

I was going to mention the 238 as well;I would have wanted to buy one 16 months ago,but couldn't find one,so I got a VS880EX.I've heard a few different recordings made on the DBX version,and they sounded better than any other cassette multitrack stuff I've ever heard.Tascam made an extra effort on the transport for these machines,and they have a wider freq.response than other cassette based machines(even some 4 tracks!)I DID see one about ten days ago on a website for I think $599,but I don't remember the site's name,sorry.

[Hot Rocks]

There's two 238's on ebay today.The 688 is a 238 with incredible mixing capabilities.The 238 is a 688 in a rack mount unit

[Gear_Junky]

Thanks a lot, you guys! I still tend to think that I'd rather have an analog cassette 8-track portastudio than a digital multi-track. It's great to have built-in effects, but something just repels me from digital anything in music.

If I had 2 Porta 04-s, could I somehow sync them to have 8 tracks? I can also borrow a friend's MK-424 Portastudio. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[T.J.Hooker]

It is a hard bullet to bite pridewise I'd say more moneywise, it depends on the quality that you want out of your recordings. When you hear the difference that even a little 4 track digi makes. It's worth every bite. There is much more than just built in effects It's Faster, Cleaner, Cut and paste, Bounce all day and lose no sound quality. Just the average mixdown capabilities you lose in the end bouncing.
I don't know much about linking two 4 tracks
together. I've never tried it. I've never heard of anybody trying it. But I have thought about it when I was on a real tight Budget.It sounded like more of a hassle than it's worth. I don't even know if it can be done. I'm sure one of the recording gods around here will hop on and tell you about it though.
Goodluck Junky!, T.J.


[This message has been edited by T.J.Hooker (edited 07-06-2000).]

[Gear_Junky]

Sorry about misleading everyone. I meant to say that I currently have Tascam MKII 414 Portastudio. So does my friend.

[El Barto]

A guy is willing to sell a Tascam 688 with a hard case and the manual for $600, plus $20 shipping. Does that sound like a good deal?

[Hot Rocks]

If it's in mint shape it's a good deal,If you plan to stay in the cassette realm,I would low ball him with a offer of 500.00 +20.00 shipping,They have sold for that quite a few times on ebay .What the hell,He might take it.Like I said you can get a 238 for about 250.00 less

[El Barto]

Would I be better of getting a reel-to-reel? I really don't wanna go for digital...although I'm only 17, I dig the old fashioned way of doing things. Plus, digital is expensive.

[virtual.ray]

Anytime you try to sync up 2 analog machines,regarless of brand or format,you will lose a minimum of 2 tracks(1 per machine,maybe more) because you have to record a sync code on each machine.I say maybe more because sometimes especially with narrow formats,the sync code bleeds through to the neighbor track rendering it unusable.There is a phenomenon called the law of diminishing returns where you start putting more in and getting proportionately less in return.Good quality analog is at least as expensive as good quality digital when you look at the whole picture.Cheers!

[Prism]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by T.J.Hooker:
It is a hard bullet to bite pridewise I'd say more moneywise, it depends on the quality that you want out of your recordings. When you hear the difference that even a little 4 track digi makes. It's worth every bite. There is much more than just built in effects It's Faster, Cleaner, Cut and paste, Bounce all day and lose no sound quality. Just the average mixdown capabilities you lose in the end bouncing.
I don't know much about linking two 4 tracks
together. I've never tried it. I've never heard of anybody trying it. But I have thought about it when I was on a real tight Budget.It sounded like more of a hassle than it's worth. I don't even know if it can be done. I'm sure one of the recording gods around here will hop on and tell you about it though.
Goodluck Junky!, T.J.
(edited 07-06-2000).]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ah yes, but then, if you expect to get a digital multitracker with the nice mixer features such as the ones on the 488 mkII, then you'll have to spend a lot more. If I had a spare 2 grand, then I'd grab one of those Akai beauties that does 96kHz recording, and comes with a 10 gig scuzzy drive.

Isaiah

[Gear_Junky]

BTW, does the same footswitch (for punch-in) work with 488 mkII as with 414 mk II? It's just a plain "on-off" switch with a regular 1/4" connector - just like guitar.

[HFFritz]

I recently bought the Yamaha Mt8xII, brand new, for $750. The list price is much higher, but with the new digital revolution as strong as it is, you can haggle the price way down. You have to find a local shop that has one, and you won't have any trouble convincing them that the value of the 8-track cassette recorders is plummeting. The store I went to was asking $1000, wouldn't go less than $800, but I had $750 cash and he took it (plus tax).

I couldn't be happier with the machine. I was using a 4 track Yamaha, and this seemed like a natural progression. It sounds much better than the 4 track and the mixing capabilities are far better. My suggestion, therefore, is to try to buy new, not used, and haggle your way into a good deal.

[Mike Muscarella]

Hey Gear Junky and others...

I completely agree with all the praises about the 488, but am building a big studio and need to sell my old stuff. anyone interested in my 488? it's about 2 years old and has been in my smoke-free studio for its entire life. i have recorded 4 demos and a CD on it. I will take offers on it from anyone who wants it. i can pay for shipping.
email me: gungha@aol.com

[Gear_Junky]

Well, I finally got my 488 mkII a couple of days ago. I'm still learning it, but I'm totally loving it! I think I feel like a fish that moved from a bowl to a swimming pool )

And the quality, man, it's amazing (to me, the hobbyist). The tape seems to hide all of the unwanted artifacts and imperfections that I hear in the headphones when I track - clocks ticking, my chair squeaking, me touching and moving my acoustic guitar - it's all gone on the tape, it's all clear, smooth and nice! I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

My next thing is probably gonna be learning to mixdown to a VCR. I have a really nice one - a stereo Panasonic VCR. Thanks, everybody for helping me out with this machine!