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As a matter of fact, I did.

I figured I was hearing some transformer thickening. You are spot on with the EQ section - almost useless. At the very least though, it's another color of preamp or maybe a summing box. I need to mess around with it some more.

Found some gear at a local yard sale. I got a Teac 3 8ch mixer for next to nothing. It all works. Needs a little cleaning, but all channels are good. I was never blown away by Tascam mixers. I am shocked by how much gain there is on this one. I plugged in everything from old ribbon mics to...

When you record, do you have the tracks armed ("Function Select" buttons, red lights should flash)? When you go back to listen, is the "Output Select" section have the "Play" button pushed in? Are you certain the tape is threaded correctly? Edit: Red "record" lights don't flash on the 22-4...

What is your budget? A Nagra IV-S will be your best bet. Portable, battery powered, and is among the best-sounding decks. It has nice built in preamps (with phantom power) that give you a bit of transformer color. They've been going on Ebay for around $3k. On the other end of the...

Personally, I would avoid Behringer just based on principle. Companies that survive by knocking off products of other companies are parasites. The original companies sell less gear as a result, then put less into R&D or cut corners to survive. We all lose. How good the Tascam sounds will...

I've gone through 10 or 12 rolls from different sources, never had an issue.

Scotch 207 is a good sticky-free alternative to 407. You can usally find NOS on Ebay.

I'll bet the main problem is between your overheads and your room mics. You essentially have four mics a few feet apart picking up the same information in what sounds like an under-treated room (not including the close mics on each drum). That's a recipe for phase hell. Start over with...

I hear boatloads of comb filtering, which points to phase issues between the multiple mics and/or room issues. It almost sounds like the polarity is flipped on one side of this sound file. Gives me a headache. How many mics did you use? Where were they placed?

What's there to think about? Someone will snap this up if you don't. Looks like a hell of a console for $500.

Hardcore DIY-ers might disagree, but I would start by finding at least one good tech in your area that can service tape decks before you buy anything. You WILL need service at some point. If you don't know what you are doing, you'll be wasting time and money. Either commit to learning or...

Amen. I lean towards Ethan Winer's view that a $25 Soundblaster is not much different than a "pro" converter. I don't want to start that debate here in this thread. I'm just saying that's where I am at.

I'd like to see a thread on converters from the perspective of the analog guys here.

Hopefully you already know this, but just remember that tape (as much as we love it here) is not a magic bullet. It is usually more subtle than you might think. You still need to make sure the rest of the chain (& room) is moving you towards the sound you want. Tape is not going to make...

I finally located a IV-S late last year. Prices seem to have been climbing. I've seen a few go for over $5k on Ebay without the QGB.

You can't really get at the adjustments like you can on a "pro" deck (I think the 22 sounds pro, and I have a pro deck to compare it to). If you are recording and playing back on the same Tascam 22, fine. I would not plan on playing back tapes recorded on other decks regularly, as...

I think my Tascam 22 is the perfect balance of fidelity and tape vibe. Not crunchy or noisy, but not too subtle either. A +6 tape like LPR35 at 15 ips with conservative levels will be pretty hiss-free and clean. Slow it to 7.5 or use a +3 tape like Scotch 207 and you can make it gritty.

Side note: When I record an ensemble where I know the best results will be had by sticking to a stereo pair, I just carefully explain it to them. I tell them "I will spot mic everything, but if you can perform with good balance, the recording will turn out much better if I don't have to use the...

Also, the Tascam 34b has four tracks. You can't spot mic each one and have a stereo pair. My first choice would be Blumlein or baffled omnis. Since that's not an option, near-coincident cards would be next.