2488

Nico2112

Nico2112

New member
Hi guys. I finally got the money I need to upgrade from my DP-01 to a 2488:D:D
The downside's are:
1) to get full warranty and coverage I have to order it from my local Tascam dealer; and that my friends is going to cost me $1400
2) Their Latin American Tascam supplier only has the standard 2488, not the new 2488 MKII yet.

Since I'm a drummer, and the main feature I'm looking for is to be able to record 8 tracks simultaneously, the 2488 does the job perfectly for me. I know the price is insane, but so are all the prices you pay for music gear around here:(

I'll wait 1 month for the recorder to arrive; in the meantime, I would like to get busy reading the manual...BUT, I haven't been able to find the old 2488 manual online, I can only find the new 2488MKII manual.

If any of you guys have the standard 2488 manual in pdf format, could you be so kind to link me to it, or send it to me via e-mail?

Any help would be greatly appreciated:)

Cheers!
 
Thanks a lot mate, downloading and saving it right now:D

Cheers!

So what are your opinions on the two units?
 
Nico2112 said:
So what are your opinions on the two units?
Click to expand...

I really the 2488. I work with mainly real instruments these days (occasional drum machine aside) and I think it suits this well. 24 tracks is plenty enough for me and 8 inputs is just about enough to capture a complete band live. I've had various Tascams over the years (Porta 03, 414, 788) and I've always found them reliable and reasonably intuitive to use. My only real criticism is the multi-FX is a bit crap but with two external sends plus the internal FX loop I don't really need it (and anyway the the extra 4 insert compressors is much more useful).

As for the MKII, well they haven't really added anything extra that would make me upgrade. Even the larger hard drive isn't that bigger deal since as long as you remember to do a bit of housekeeping 40GB is plenty (the 788 had only 8GB and I never filled that)
 
Thanks for your comments.

That's what I thought.

Just gave the down payment:D:D

The wait begins............

Cheers!
 
hey, i am gonna join the 2488 club in a couple of weeks. i will buy it from Geetar Center. last weekend it was on for $799. i read a couple of reviews on a couple of people that had problems with them. anybody here have problems with their 2488?

Also--i want a drum pad (i'm not a drummer but have a lil rhythm) that i can literally "play" the beats i want and then hopefully the drumpad will save that in memory. then i'll be able to transfer that to the 2488. anybody have a clue about one of those?

not a drum machine, but a playable pad. i can't program a drum machine anyway. i had a boss dr rhytmn one time and was clueless.

anyway, any feed back would be cool.

in the future, hopefully i'll pickup some tips from you guys.;)
 
Hey mate, great choice:D

We both are soon going to join the 2488 club:cool:

I've read many people have had trouble with their units, but it's just a matter of luck. All standalone multitrack recorders, be them Tascam, or any other brand, may have bugs. I just hope we receive "bug free" units;)

If you happen to have any kind of trouble, you should check www.tascamforums.com , there's a wealth of information and quick fixes for all Tascam units there. You have to donate to register, but it's a great site for support.

Cheers and congrats!
 
Hi All,

Happy 2488 owner here (I have the Mk1 version) and no problems so far.
The one issue I have seen reported on repeatedly has been the tendency for the machine to lock up mid-recording when subjected to strong vibrations (such as bass and drums on live jobs) but other than that, it's an easy, intuitive machine with good sound.
You can get by with the internal preamps, but I would recommend using external ones for optimum sound.

jw, check out Yamaha's small 'pad kits' that emulate real drums; might be what you'd like.

Best,
C.
 
Cosmic said:
the tendency for the machine to lock up mid-recording when subjected to strong vibrations (such as bass and drums on live jobs)
Click to expand...

You might want to try putting it on a softer surface, It would be better for the hard drive too, if vibrations are a problem.


I'm an extremely satisifed 2488 user for about 2 years now. I love it.
 
jwgeetar said:
Also--i want a drum pad (i'm not a drummer but have a lil rhythm) that i can literally "play" the beats i want and then hopefully the drumpad will save that in memory. then i'll be able to transfer that to the 2488. anybody have a clue about one of those?
Click to expand...

There's the Ion IED04 (http://www.ion-audio.com/ied04.php) which is basically an Alesis SR16 Drum Machine built into a drum pad. Haven't tried it myself but had an SR16 for 10 years. Drum sounds are very usable if perhaps not the most up-to-date and you can either record the patterns you play direct onto the 2488 or record the pattern data on the IED04 and sync with the 2488 for playback.

Oh, and good choice getting a 2488. I've had no problems at all even when recording a VERY loud drummer. Just make sure you treat it with respect and it will be fine.
 
Rami, any tips for recording drums?
What setup you use (if you don't mind sharing with a fellow drummer that is;):D)?

Cheers!
 
thanks again guys, and i'll check out the yamaha pads Cosmic.

glad yall reminded me of the vibration issue.i bought a 4 ft table to put my KRK 8's on with the tascam in the middle. i won't do that now, i'll put the speakers out on their own seperate pedestals. with a softpad under the tascam.

i printed out a manual today for the 2488mkll and am soaking up what i can ahead of time.

i have a Russian mk319 mic i bought new 5 years ago and never used. it'll need the phantom power. i also got a new performing mic earlier in the year the EVND767A, that kicks ass useing it live. so i'm gonna give both a shot.....

a pawn shop up the road had a couple of used sm57's for $50 a piece. those have always been good for micing instruments, hell even vocals. might grab one....

anywho, i could get the 2488 this weekend if someone could front me 400 samolians......:D
 
jwgeetar said:
anywho, i could get the 2488 this weekend if someone could front me 400 samolians......:D
Click to expand...

Considering that most of the bad reports I've heard on the 2488 mark 2 are out right failures (as opposed to intermittant lockups, etc. like on the original 2488), I would definitely recommend an extended warranty. I think the manufacturers labor warranty is only 90 days. Musicians Friend on line will sell you extended warranties, probably for the same price as Guitar Center as I think they are actually the same company. American Musical Supply on line has a policy of extending manufacturer's warranties for a year at no cost for big ticket items , although I have not had occasion to call them on it for the two things I have bought there. Last time I looked the 2488 mk 2 was $799 at both sites.

Tom
 
Oancient1 said:
Considering that most of the bad reports I've heard on the 2488 mark 2 are out right failures (as opposed to intermittant lockups, etc. like on the original 2488), I would definitely recommend an extended warranty. I think the manufacturers labor warranty is only 90 days. Musicians Friend on line will sell you extended warranties, probably for the same price as Guitar Center as I think they are actually the same company. American Musical Supply on line has a policy of extending manufacturer's warranties for a year at no cost for big ticket items , although I have not had occasion to call them on it for the two things I have bought there. Last time I looked the 2488 mk 2 was $799 at both sites.

Tom
Click to expand...
you are correct sir. a 2 year extended warranty is $39, of which i'll take. i got a 1 year last week on my KRK's fpr $24.95. so that means i got 90 days then the extended warranty kicks in?

i kinda worry about the affordability of these 24 tracks for $799. some parts have gotta be cheap and put together fast for that price.....:eek::confused: you figure??
 
jw,

The two main things I see as 'scrimping' on the 2488 are:
Preamps
Small, dim display.

The preamps are usable, but not for critical work, especially not with lower-gain mics.

The screen is a case of: keep reminding yourself of the price of the machine. You can work with it, and get used to it, but it's far from great.

But for the money, you do get a lot. Those are just my caveats.

Best,
C.
 
ok, edit post, i read you already got one...congrats on the 2488! i think you'll really like.

in addition to Rami's above average tunes, i've heard numerous others too and its a great piece.

many articles refer to the screen size, but hell...look at all of the standalones? their what maybe .025" bigger?
i mean really...that "small screen size" thing didn't hold much meaning imo.
 
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Personally I don't think the screen size is much of a problem unless you want to look ar waveforms. The contrast is pretty rubbish though! Still, it's not like a computer based system where all the information is on the screen - there are plenty of bright lights all over the 2488. :)
 
jwgeetar said:
i kinda worry about the affordability of these 24 tracks for $799.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly. It just seems too good to be true, the price being close to what certain 8-trackers are selling for and less than most 16-trackers. All that said, I still may take a chance on one as the manual seems to me to be much better written than other units. But it'll be a while as I am not yet ready to upgrade.

Tom
 
What would be the comparisons between the 2488 II, the Boss BR1200, The Fostex MR16HD, and The Yamaha AW1600? Most Zoom equipment has always seemed fragile to me, so I left it out. If anyone likes the Zoom16 track machines I would like to hear that also.

Is there a difference in quality? Reliability?
 
If I'm not mistaken, when the 2488 came out, it was selling for $1,300. Tascam had to pay for the research and development of the product.
Then suddenly, last year, near October, the 2488 suffered a major price drop to $999, and then to $799 near Xmas.
Tascam has already been payed more than well it's research and development costs.
Lucky us:), now a 24 track standalone recorder is affordable!

Oh well, I will have to pay more than it's original price, but remember, I have to pay shipping and taxes all the way down here.

Just my 2 cents.:D

Cheers!
 
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