388 or 3440 / i have choice...

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clevodrummer

Tascammer
which would you choose and why between a TEAC 3440 ( 4 track) or Tascam 388 ( studio 8)...

The way Im dealing its basically the same price but I am leaning towards the 388....

my current set up for tracking and mixdown is a Korg D-888 and a Tascam 424mkIII.

For mixdown I use a Masterlink or a TEAC A2300sx...

I can probably save about 50 bucks on the 3440.....

any thoughts or advice appreciated....

clevodrummer---des moines Ia
 
388

I'd get the 388 for the double number of tracks, 8x8 simul capability and premium mixer section.

Trust me.:eek:;)
 
I think you'd be more at home with the 388, based on your current setup.
 
I would personally go with the 388, because:

a) more tracks
b) I think they are really cool
c) it will probably have a higher resell value

This line of thought assumes that both units are in equal condition though... if the 3440 is pristine and the 388 is a little beat that might change things for me.
 
No offense but the way you are having to handle your mixing right now with the D-888 and the 424 mkII is a bit kludgey. What I mean is that you are having to work within some limitations there splitting duties.

I don't know if this is true but I imagine that might be a bit frustrating at times?

SO...I vote wholeheartedly for the 388. They do have a good following, parts are still available for them, and as mentioned above I think you'd be pretty happy having an 8x8 mixer with an intelligent monitor section, a much more powerful EQ section and metering that kicks booty over what you have at present...not to mention the 8 tracks all in one unit. think of what your life would be like if the only cabling you had to have was for your inputs, to your monitor speakers and to the masterlink...ahhhhhhhhhhh. The 388 mixer is far superior in features and quality to anything you are using now.

So how much for the 388?
 
The 388...

makes the D888 look like a toy!:eek:;)
 
thanks all...

Im definetly going to pursue the 388...good chance I may swing both, the 388 and the 3440, but the 388 is the holy grail to me...

all of everyones points were dead on and with my setup the 388 will make life easier...thanks sweetbeats..

god damn its a beautiful piece of machinery......Daves got it, it definitely makes the Korg D-888 in the toy class compared to it...its a fun little toy but bad on these old eyes...and ears...I like the sound of transporters kicking in and the whir of the reels...like a big steering wheel and push button philco car radios.

wish me luck and will keep you all posted and thanks again..

just hope all of the stars line up and work in my favor..if I score them both, nice knowin everyone!! will be busy making music and staring at real recording apparatus.....I shiver at the thought of mixdowns from the 388 to the 2300...

clevo
 
I'm not trying to rain on the parade, because the 388 is generally a delight to use. One thing I would point out is that the 388 is a two-head machine. If you are getting someone else to set it up for you and then just use the same tape all the time, that's no big deal. If it's you doing the work, I just wanted to make sure you knew that a three-head machine is a lot easier to calibrate.

Also, did you consider a 1/2" 8 track? That's a pretty reasonable format to work with, too, and you could get a nice little Tascam console that will be very much like the 388 console to go with it. A bit more stuff to hook up, but in practice about as easy to use.

Cheers,

Otto
 
damn good point

Now the Pendulum is swinging in my head....Might be able to score the 3440 with a trade on a killer amp I own... I do have a Tacam M-35 mixer which is an eight track mixer which I have been saving for this very thing...do like the fact that the 3440 is 3 head.....with the 3440, the M-35 and the mixdown deck (TeacA2300sx), that would be a cool setup without opening the wallet...

will keep you posted from Des Moines !!!

clevodrummer
 
clevodrummer: Heck, get both. What's a couple of hundred difference.;)

I also get the feeling that you've found these locally? That's good.

BTW, I would like to echo DuddyGuy about the issue of condition. As it's local (I assume) and you don't have that much choice, other than between those two machines, I'd get the one in the best condition or, if similar, get both, as I mentioned earlier. Then you'll have the 3 head 3440, which is a damn good recorder on its own and the very cool 388 with its all-in-one functionality.

Keep us posted before you retreat. :D
 
clevodrummer said:
I like the sound of transporters kicking in and the whir of the reels...like a big steering wheel and push button philco car radios.
Click to expand...

That's a very under-appreciated benefit of working with analogue. It's like the difference between looking at nature movies and actually being there, interacting, in person. We have more senses than just our eyes. ;)
 
The 388 would be my choice, but it really comes down to the condition of the machines.

Make sure there's plenty of life left on the rec/play head of the 388 because they don't make replacement heads for it anymore. If it's been heavily used with excessive tape path wear I would pass on it.

You can still get heads for the 3440 because there are several other decks that use the same heads. Unfortunately for 388 fans the head was designed only for the 388.

I’m not saying you should just grab the 3440 though… you might not want either. You probably don’t want to have to replace heads right away, but it’s good to know they’re available.

The 388 was introduced about 15 years after the 3440, so it has some benefit of refined technology.
 
clevodrummer said:
I like the sound of transporters kicking in and the whir of the reels...
Click to expand...

I'm fond of seeing the reels moving. However, and maybe it's just me, but I like machines to be as quiet as possible, so the ambient noise doesn't show up on the tape.

That's actually one of the nice things about my smaller machines (the Teac and the Otari)... the transports are pretty quiet. The Teac is actually pretty good, but it seems louder because it has a modest level of fan noise. The Otari is very quiet.

My 3M machines, OTOH, were designed to be in a machine room, where noise didn't matter. My M-56 1" machine was so noisy that I actually built a big wooden box about 3" thick to house it to contain the noise. I had multiple layers of Plexiglas panels on the angled top surface so I could see in to the meters and transport while it was enclosed. No need to do that with either Otari or Teac. Also, these days I record a lot with ribbon mikes and I can put the recorder right at the null and forget about it.

The 3M M-23 capstan motor is quite loud, but that's merely annoying, not deadly, since I generally don't have any live mikes in the room when I mix. I also have the option to wheel the M-23 just outside the door when mixing to keep the noise out. The noise does, however, make the idea of having a quieter little Otari 2-track appealing.

Cheers,

Otto
 
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