new to analog

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FBstdminime

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What would be the reel to reel (8 tracks) to buy for someone who is completely new to analog recording. I have an all digital studio and lately I've been really interested in reel to reel machines (I don't know why). I was thinking I could record the tracks on the machine and convert them for editing.

Thanks for any help,
Eric

P.S. - I've been researching and it seems the tascam tsr-8 is a popular choice.
 
DUDE,

Check this out......

Will make any tascam or cpu sound like complete crap!

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1448552426


Or if you are on a tight budget...

http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1260455158


Now, What I do is take my CPU with an 24/96 M audio audiophile card &
sync it to my Otari 8 track using smpte.
I usually put drums, lead vox, acoustic guitars on analog & synths, back voxs,
bass, & electric guitars on the sound card.
Doing this lets me use high quality of the Otari, and the convenience of digital.
Plus, I can record many tracks over eight using the digital.

The tascam I have shown you is very self contained. You will not need to buy a mixer.
This unit is also relatively simple to learn. Not much harder than a porta studio.
As for quality, not bad to pretty good, but you may get better results using a good sound
card, low end used mixer & a CPU.

The Otari, on the other hand, is far more difficult to understand, needs a
separate mixer with 8 XLR outputs, you may need to rewire XLR cable for
the Otari, has a lot of buttons and swiches that you will need to get adjusted
by a service place ( pricey), and will take a time of learning before you can record
even one song.

The advantages?

The Otari is not really semi-pro, it is on the low end of pro quality, or high end of
semi-pro take your choice, anyway it does sound fantastic.
Much better then those tascams, fostexs & even sound cards.

BE WARNED!!!
This setup holds a lot of hidden cost, which I found out the hard way.


Good luck,

Sean
 
I agree with the OTARI choice...I owned one a number of years ago and had no problems with it...I had it for three years and never had to get a tech to look at it....i then sold if for a fostex 16 track....i thought that would be an upgrade....but....
Anyway, the otari has a very very warm sound.....

I'm currently in the reverse situation of you (and most people) I am running a mci 24 track tape machine...I love it.....it's kinda sexy, but someone is giving me yep giving me a mac........so i'm now trying to figure out how to sync the thing to my 24 track....

good luck with you new reel to reel fascination
 
Tascam TSR-8. Built like russian tank to give many decades of analog recording pleasure.
 
Yes,

The Tascam 388 is an awesome machine. I have one. Sound quality is good, and the features are awesome. Built like a tank, not light, but full featured.

The Tascam 38 is also a great machine, and I also have one. The 38 is good by itself, and greatly enhanced with optional dbx, [2] DX-4D's. The Tascam 38: Simple, basic, and built like a tank.

The Tascam TSR-8 is roughly equivalent in sound quality to a 38 w/dbx, but the TSR-8 has built-in dbx, and is only a [2] head deck, but otherwise, like the 38 and 388, is built like a tank. The TSR-8 has more sophisticated locate and cue features, than the 38.

The Fostex R8 is also a nice, respectable deck, with good sound quality, as is also the Fostex Model 80, if you can find a low-use M80. If you can find a mint, low use Fostex A8LR, this would be a similar, nice deck, comparable to the R8 and M80.

There's also the Fostex E-8, 1/4" deck, which is quite a bit heavier than the Fostexes mentioned above, and is more comparable in size to a 38, and built like a RUSSIAN tank,... actually slightly BIGGER and HEAVIER than the Tascam 38.
 
you can't beat the convienence of the 388 with built in mixer . i've had mine for a while and had pretty much no problems. i've seen them for as little as $ 400.00 on ebay in good shape. good luck !
 
Yeah, I can't say enough about how great I think the 388 is.

It's really a great machine, unmatched, and literally alone in it's class. The recordings it makes are hifi. It's easy and fun to use. It's overall design is based on the Tascam Portastudio, being like a sister product, comparable to the 246, but at 87 lbs, Tascam wouldn't dare put the word "Porta" on the 388.

The 388 is the "Studio 8". Sure, it's portable. It's a ~90 lb, portable unit, that's not impossible to lift by yourself, but a lot easier to lift with a friend. It's a full figured, full featured all-in-one 8 track production platform. Originally, the 388 was very expensive, ~$3000-$4000, but now can be found on ebay at ~10%-15% of new price, and is still an all-around great choice for 8 track prodution. Find a mint, low use 388, and you've got a super-dee-duper 8 track recorder/8 buss mixer production setup, BOOM,... just like that.

To me, IMHO, the Tascam 388 wipes the floor with the Tascam 788, which I think is puny and underpowered.

Well, anyway, that's just my 2c, again.
 
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