PC for an 8 Track R2R

E

ecs113

New member
I'm thinking about selling one of my PC's (AMD XP1500+, 512MB DDR RAM, 20GB HD, ECS K7VTA3 mobo, DVD, Live! sound card)and buying an 8 track R2R. Is it possible to get a decent used one for around $300? I look on eBay, but the few 8-track r2r's they have a bit out of my range.

Sick of digital tracking....
 
I'm not EVEN going to get into the digital vs analog thing. There are valid points to go around for both. But I'd say even if you go with a 8 track reel to reel I'd still keep the PC for editing and as a mix down deck.
 
Notice I said said "ONE of my PC's" and "digital TRACKING". This is not a global analog vs. digital question, rather I would like to track in analog, and would like some input regarding my question:

Is it possible to get a decent used one [8 track r2r] for around $300?
 
Don't listen to Sennheiser. He's an analog soundfreak who doesn't accept any substitute for 2" tape. :)

Yes, it's quite possible to get a decent 8-track for $300. Beware though, that you will also need to get an reference tape, a demagnetizer and quite probably service manuals. This could set you back some extra $$$ (it cost me $2-300).
 
I don't know what is available in Paris, but $300US won't buy much of an eight-track deck.

If you find one that cheap, it's more than likely going to have problems. Bad channel cards, or hardly any head life left, are two things to look for. Don't buy a deck over the internet for that price. You'll probably get screwed big time.

Average prices for a TASCAM 38-8 are from around $500-$650 or so. TRS-8's are higher still.
 
OK, maybe prices have gone up. I bought my Fostex A-8 for $300 two years ago and that seemed to be a pretty normal price at the time, and prices were dropping...

I remember somebody else here getting both an 8-track and a mixer for $300 at that time, but he got lucky. :)
 
Yes. I've personally gotten a nice 38 for $299.

Other similar deals abound, if you follow Ebay a lot, like I do.

See the below, for the freak-deal of the century, I kid you not. Just more proof that analog's dead. I was busy & all stressed out at work when this bid closed, otherwise that would have been MINE, haha.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1949075531

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1949075480

OHMYGOD, we're all eatin' our hearts out on this one. I was almost there, then,... work! BAH!

I could show more examples of the Tascam 38 closing at about $300, sometimes even lower, on those down days at Ebay, which IMO go in cycles. However, keep in mind that a Tascam 38 will require a mixer to operate, and is probably best used with add-on dbx units, qty 2, at an additional cost.

NOT ONLY THAT, but let me not forget, [ya right], the Tascam 388. I've personally scored a nice 388 for $305, and mind you, the 388 is an all-included-Portastudio-type design, which is ready to record, right out of the box. FYI, the 388's a 1/4"-7.5ips-dbx-8-track design w/integreated mixer. You can count on the 388 to sound better than cassette 4-track, but not quite as good as 1/2"-8-track. The 388's integrated mixer is a big plus, being 8x8x2.

So, bottom line, can 8-track analog reel recording be had for ~$300?

YES. Prices vary a LOT, so you have to shop, be patient, be tenacious about watching Ebay, and make your best bid.
 
Not to my knowledge. They pretty much stuck with the 1/2" format for eight tracks and up.

I wish they had made an eight-track 1" machine like the Otari 5050.
 
Fostex had the long line of 1/4" 8-tracks,...

being the A8, A8LR, M80 and R8,... all 15ips/DolbyC units.

Tascam only made one 1/4" 8-track, the 388, a 7.5ips/dbx Portastudio-type all-in-one unit.
 
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