upgrading to 16 track... suggestions...?

F

fire.is.real

New member
i am currently recording on a tascam 688 cassette 8 track. although i love the way it sounds and i love its features, i dont know if i want to put anymore money into it (it is in need of some repair). since i'm finally making some money recording (woohoo!), i'm thinking about selling it and moving to a 16 track reel-reel set up.

if anyone could throw me some starting points such as which ones are good values and which ones are the mac-daddys... any machines i should steer clear of? is there anything i should know before moving to the world of reel-reel? is it really full of hidden costs? what about boards?

like i said i'm just looking for some starting points - i'm not sure what my budget will be yet (but i'm pretty sure a studer will be out of the question)

thanks a lot--

p.s. - anyone interested in a 688?? :D
 
For 16 tracks,...

I think the MSR-16 is quite a nice, narrow format deck, with decent sound quality, 16 tracks on 1/2" tape w/dbx.

An 85-16, 1" machine might be a step up in production value, but 85-16's are rather vintage, by now. It would be hard to find a low-use 85-16, this late in the game.

An MS-16, 1", would be preferable to the MSR-16 and/or the 85-16, especially with optional dbx, and would be a super-nice deck to have. You can still find some MS-16s as low-use decks.

I think the ATR-60-16, 1", would be 'the bees knees', top-of-the-line, and cream-of-the-crop deck, especially with dbx. The ATR-60-16 would be the highest-end Tascam 16 track recorder you can find, but they're somewhat rare, and hard to find. Every now & then, you may find one on Ebay.

Good luck.
 
hmm.

tascam does have an extensive list of 16 track 1"...

I think though if you are really shooting to make money and use 16 tracks 1" TRY to find an Otari MX70. I think thats what they are called. I used one once in a studio they are nice, I noticed the tape transport to be quiet and smooth. For specs, the are very much higher quality on frequency response stability.

Otherwise those tascams are a bit cheaper, but still do wonders for audio. Im not saying i wouldn't take a tascam but if you were really heading to make money, I think YOU woul dbe more happy with the Otari in the long run. But the Tascams will do nicely as well.
 
thanks so much for the reply...!

thats a good starting place.

the more i think about this though, my other question becomes more important: am i jumping in over my head? i've read elsewhere on here about all the "hidden" expenses when you move up to reel-reel. is that they require more upkeep or because they break alot or what? is it just that the tape is expensive? ya know...?

any more help would be appreciated...

thanks,
nick
 
costs.

$50 a reel of tape.

Seriously you will have to demag at the eginning of a session at the end.

Cleaning the head at the begining and the end of every session.

Alignment? I dunno its really easy to get wrong, probably best to have a test tape... anything seriously wrong have a tech look at it. Prolblem with this is most techs have a 30 list since there are so few of them.
 
Yes, tape is expensive, but what's new?

BTW, I've been able to find good, new tape reel media, of all sizes, on CLEARANCE at certain media suppliers & recording/specialty shops.

I've been able to get 1/4", 1/2", and 1" reel tape, [mostly 456 or 3m 986/226, with even a few BASF 900 and 911 in there, too], for 30-50% of retail, and sometimes LESS.

I won't gloat, or rub your noses in it, too much, but good tape media deals may be had out there, if you look hard enough. Fortunately, I live near Burbank & Hollywood, where you can't go two blocks, without seeing a studio or recording supplier.

Anyway, Tascam did have a few 16 track analog units, of various vintages, but today Tascam has NONE. Almost needless to say, but the 16 track reel market is for used equipment only.

Oh yeah, some vintage decks may need some maintenance, but a lot of R/R maintenance is relatively minor, and it's common for a vintage R/R deck to possibly need a drive belt, or an analog adjustment of it's components. That's common, should be expected, and is basically no big deal, and not necessarily expensive either.

Actual head wear on a used deck is more of a major issue, but practically everything else is minor maintenance.
 
FIRE.IS.REEL

To start with, your cassette deck is sheer crap compared
to the lowest form of reel to reel multitracks.
Any amount of money you spend, on either tape or DAW,
will increase your sound a hundred fold.

Here is some info, I hope it helps your decision.

About 2 years ago I decided I would finally buy & assemble
a home recording studio.
With the digital rage, I knew I could get analogue
equipment for a good price.

I knew I wanted an Otari 5050 mk-3 8 track,
I had used one once before & have heard great
things about it.
So, I got one about a year ago.
ONLY 500 BUCKS!
This deck was used in radio stations to make commercials.
It is considered the best 8 track made in the 80’s. I love it.

BUT………………………..

I found I needed a mixer that would have XLR outs.
Thus, the Tascam M-520 8 buss.
This mixer is good, but not the best, it will never do
the Otari justice, but it is all I can afford.
Then I needed to re-wire the XLR cables from 2 hot to 3 hot
(I think that what it was).
THEN I need to take it in to be serviced & aligned.
600 BUCKS!
THEN, THEN, THEN, I needed Mics…..
A FORTUNE! Even for crappy ones.
Processors, monitors, a room, time.

Now I got my small modest home recording studio,
it is 8 track analogue & I Smpte up my CPU with
my Audiophile 24/96 sound card which lets me
expand on tracks, about 24 all together.

But, the Analogue & the Mixer, & my old Analogue
2 track for mix-downs & even my CPU is kinda old.
The 8 track & mixer is about 15. This makes the setup
very temperamental; a lot of time is wasted figuring
out stuff, techniques, scratchy pots, and other problems…

AND YES…………..
There is a lot to learn.
AND YES…………….
There is a hell of a lot of hidden cost.

GOOD LUCK

SEAN

Ps.

If you really going to do this, Do your homework.
Find out what is really considered pro and what is
just dressed up to look like pro.
And, do not rule out digital, there is a lot to learn
on that subject also.
 
thanks for the feedback!

first of all - my 688 is not sheer crap, but i do know where you're coming from... i've made recordings on that thing that sound better than more expensive rigs, but you're right - a r/r machine will make all the difference in the world.

as far as mics and other equipment... i have plenty of nice mics and some nice outboard stuff, so that won't be one of the hidden costs.

as far as the digital element... i have explored the digital realm, but its not where i want to be. i work full time as a computer technician/systems engineer and to be honest with you - recording is a facet of my life that i prefer to keep seperate from computers. after 50-60 hours a week in front of my computer and my customer's computers, the beautiful simplicity of analog recording is very welcome. i do use my computer as a means to get my recordings onto cd, and i am thinking about upgrading to something with better A/D converters than my SBLive, but thats as far into digital i am willing to go at this time.

thanks again for your suggestions - i am continuing to do my homework and am beginning to formulate some ideas... keep em coming

thanks,
nick
 
upgrading your soundcrad will make a HUGE difference to cd. The SBLive i used a year or so ago sucked! you lose highend response, you lose definition. M-Audio makes a $150 stereo in/out 24bit card. This is the minimum i recommend. Analogue, if you have the space and aren't planning on being remote is the way to go still personally i think. For real live instrumens like drums, voice and horns. Electric guitar sounds fine in either realm its not that differeny. But there IS something to drums and voice and bass guitar as well.
 
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