Tascam 1/4'' tape reel to reel

[DESSERT DWELLER]

I am thinking of buying a tape machine that will use 1/4'' tape (rather than 1/2'' to keep it more affordable). I am looking at either the Tascam 4 tracks or a 388.

I have heard that the 388 would work best with 457 tape and that 457 is thinner than 456 and easier on the inner mechanical parts of the 388. Does anyone know the chances of 457 being included in any new Tape productions.

I was also looking at posssibly getting a Tascam 34B as I already have a Tascam 308 mixer. What tape could I use with this machine and is it a popular enough formula that it would likely be included in any new tape manufacturing in the future?

One more related question please:
I read on this forum that the Tascam 34B has built in preamps that are of high quality. If I already have a Tascam 308 will the preamps on the 34B even be needed? Would one of the other Tascam 4-track reel to reel be of the same build and sound quality as th 34B?

Thanks for any help or advice. This site has been a great resource for me.

 

[cjacek]

I am thinking of buying a tape machine that will use 1/4'' tape (rather than 1/2'' to keep it more affordable). I am looking at either the Tascam 4 tracks or a 388.

I have heard that the 388 would work best with 457 tape and that 457 is thinner than 456 and easier on the inner mechanical parts of the 388. Does anyone know the chances of 457 being included in any new Tape productions.

The 456, 457, 406, 407 share the same bias and only differ in thickness, amount of oxide etc ... They're all good but perhaps the 1 ml tape would fit the bill better for the 388, which means the 457, 407. Personally I like the 407 and use it on all my recorders. It sounds more natural and gets the tape compression effect easier than the thicker tape. It's more "neutral" sounding.

I was also looking at posssibly getting a Tascam 34B as I already have a Tascam 308 mixer. What tape could I use with this machine and is it a popular enough formula that it would likely be included in any new tape manufacturing in the future?

You can use ANY of the above mentioned tapes. The 34B is biased for them. It is a good bet that future tapes will have similar formulations as the above.

One more related question please:
I read on this forum that the Tascam 34B has built in preamps that are of high quality. If I already have a Tascam 308 will the preamps on the 34B even be needed? Would one of the other Tascam 4-track reel to reel be of the same build and sound quality as th 34B?

Yes, the 34B preamps are of GREAT quality. Quiet with LOTS of headroom. If you need a mixer (good bet) then just hook up your 308 to the RCA ins and outs of the 34B and you'll be using the mixer's preamps for gain and not the 34B's. If you're using the 34B alone, then it's a different ballgame.

Define "other" ? There's a number of TASCAM 4 tracks which share quality of build and sound to the 34B. These differ in features, size, weight etc ... Good news is that you really can't go wrong with a TASCAM 4 track open reel recorder, provided that it's well maintained and working.

Good luck!

Daniel

 

[A Reel Person]

...

You can run 456 on a 388 with no adverse effects. The 388's "LOAD" function is designed to work specifically with an 1800' reel of tape (457), but LOAD is just an added feature, and not critical to the central recording procedure.

The Tascam 4-track reel that's most like the 34B would be the 34 (std), which is similar, but less the 4x1 CUE section and less the 1/4" jacks w/preamps. The 34 is designed specifically to run with the M30, M35 or M308, minimum, on RCA connectors. The 34 & 34B handles 7" and 10.5" reels.

Another 4-track reel would be the Tascam 22-4, which is a smaller version of the 34B, with the 4x1 CUE section, but LESS the 1/4" jacks w/preamps. The 22-4 handles ONLY 7" reels. Still, it's worth checking out.

/DA