4 track recording deck?

K

kr236rk

New member
Hi,

Back in the day, how did you record on a 4-track cassette deck please?

How many overdubs could you do - were there buttons for overdubbing - could you erase an overdub without affecting the original recording (first track)?

Thanks
 
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multi-tracking / overdubbing?

Thanks :) are there any demos on the web, like you'd find in an instruction manual please ... YouTube?
 
That's not a 4 track recorder.
A standard cassette player/recorder is stereo with capacity for L & R (2) on each (+2) "side" of the tape (though it's actually all on the one side but access to the "sides" is achieved by flipping the tape & therefor getting to the other section of tape ) (=4).
 
For many years I used a Yamaha MT3X four track recorder.

See here:

s12856-3.webp

By bouncing from one track to another, you could go on forever, except you lose quality very quickly.

The technique for getting a lot of tracks with the smallest amount of generations goes something like this:

Record on Track 1 (R1)
Record on Track 2 (R2)
Record on Track 3 (R3)
Mix these onto Track 4 (R1 + R2 + R3)

Record new on Track 1 (R4)
Record new on Track 2 (R5)
Mix these onto Track 3 (R4 + R5)

Record new on Track 1 (R6)
Record new on Track 2 (R7)

This gives you 7 tracks recorded going through two generations.

If you are clever, as you are doing the two bounces, you can record along with the bounce, giving you an extra two recorded tracks, making nine all up.

Then you need to mix the whole lot down to two track
 
Here's my baby - I've had it since the mid 80's and even bought a back up. I used it last year.
The preamps are quite good & have a "sound" I like.
yamaha4track.webp
 
I ditched the mt3x a while ago. I would have liked to have kept it, but the microswitches were progressively failing, and it was only nostalgia that kept me hanging on to it.
 
Thanks guys - you just saved me $$$ :-o

So, I'm barking up the wrong tree :facepalm: basically need a 4 track (or higher) cassette recorder with sliders, anything else is home hi-fi ware not studio oriented?

Yes, it's retro analogue interest, I want that vibe, I know the limitations but I sure wish I knew about these pro multi-track cassette recorders back in the day - wow - I had no idea!

What are recommended brands please - Yamaha, Tascam, anything else?

;)
 
kr236rk said:
Thanks guys - you just saved me $$$ :-o

So, I'm barking up the wrong tree :facepalm: basically need a 4 track (or higher) cassette recorder with sliders, anything else is home hi-fi ware not studio oriented?

Yes, it's retro analogue interest, I want that vibe, I know the limitations but I sure wish I knew about these pro multi-track cassette recorders back in the day - wow - I had no idea!

What are recommended brands please - Yamaha, Tascam, anything else?

;)
Click to expand...

Fostex is another huge brand, although they're generally slightly inferior to the sound quality of Tascam and Yamaha IMHO.
 
Latest: picked up a Tascam 424 MK2 Portastudio. This is going to be a howl :D - last multitracked on cassette in 1980 on a home hi-fi stereo system (one and a half track?) been 100% digital since about 2000. Can't wait to see those sprockets turning!

Also, this seems to be a very late version - possibly 'modern' mics will be fine for it?
 
...

Hi-Z mics with 1/4" plugs or dynamic Low-Z mics with XLR connex will work, (SM57/SM58 & a whole host of others).
Condenser mics on XLR that require phantom power will require an inline phantom power device/box.
Electret condenser mics with internal batteries and either XLR or 1/4" connectors will work.
The onboard 1/4" jacks will accept mic/line devices (adjustable), which includes an electric guitar, bass or keyboard.
The Inputs 5/6 & 7/8 are for line level sources.
:spank::eek:;)
 
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A Reel Person said:
Hi-Z mics with 1/4" plugs or dynamic Low-Z mics with XLR connex will work, (SM57/SM58 & a whole host of others).
Condenser mics on XLR that require phantom power will require an inline phantom power device/box.
Electret condenser mics with internal batteries and either XLR or 1/4" connectors will work.
The onboard 1/4" jacks will accept mic/line devices (adjustable), which includes an electric guitar, bass or keyboard.
:spank::eek:;)
Click to expand...

That is fabulous news, the bulk of my recording gear is analogue including two electric organs - one hasn't even got a usb socket ;) as for reverb on vocals, i doubt this unit has that? I can experiment putting the mic through an analogue reverb pedal - had no idea cassette recording could be so flexible - stopped experimenting with cassette technology circa 1980 - missed all these portastudios! :-o
 
...

You'll need an external reverb unit that you can either patch inline to the source, or use the Effect-Send/Rcv section of the Portastudio. This level of vintage Portastudio is quite versatile.
 
send

A Reel Person said:
You'll need an external reverb unit that you can either patch inline to the source, or use the Effect-Send/Rcv section of the Portastudio. This level of vintage Portastudio is quite versatile.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that's great, will just experiment, plugs & sockets have been an enthusiasm for half a century :D But I never understood the 'send' option which also exists in digital software, I never got my head round it. I bought a copy of that Portastudio guide but it's coming in to me from over the pond so will take a while ;)
 
The send is a great way for several units to share the same processor. Here it is in a nutshell:

You set the reverb unit to the effect you want. You'd (typically in a send system) set the mix on the reverb unit to 100% wet and set the input level to 100% (usually)

Each track on the Tascam has a separate send level knob. If you want more reverb on the guitar than, say, on the lead vocal, you'd turn the guitar's send knob higher than the lead vocal's knob.

The signal for each track at that point is split. The dry signal (straight off the tape) goes on to the master mix. But a portion of it (depending on the send knob level) also goes to the reverb unit.

The reverb receives the signals and says "ok ... you want this much reverb on the vocal, this much on the guitar, this much on the drums, etc." It mixes those signals together into a stereo signal which is sent out the outputs and into the Tascam's 5/6 or 7/8 inputs. There's a volume on those tracks that allows you to control how much of the total reverb signal is sent to the master mix.

Does that help at all?
 
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