414mkII...is it a good buy or not?

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emptie-pockitz

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i'm a rap artist and i'm trying to decide on what 4-track recorder to buy. i noticed that the 414mkII is in my price range(under $400) but i would like to know whether it's a good item to purchase or not? can i hook my keyboard and drum machine up to it? and if it's not a good buy what do you suggest?
 
I'm your man. I own and use a Tascam 414.

Here is the skinny.

*You CAN record on all 4 tracks at once.
*It records at DOUBLE speed (this means you'll have better sound quality, but you won't be able to play tapes on other decks, cause they'll sound too slow. BUT you can still mix down to regular cassette...

*the New 414 comes with a built in DI (usually used for guitar, but hey, it's one more input and you could try it with your drum machine and keyboard, I dunno what it'd do..)
and also has a mic input (on mine I have to use a 15 dollar adapter).

You can bounce tracks, it has noise reduction, 2 band EQ, etc.

I like it. For better sound quality, go digital. You can get a Fostex four track digital for $300 from musicians friend and then buy a zip drive for $140 or so. That would be way better for your needs I suspect.

The sound would be better and you could use cut and paste editing meaning looping and stuff.

The 414 is good, but for $450 you could go digital.
 
i think that any digitla player in that price range has compression algoriths, so the sound wont be as good as the 414. Hey empty. do yourself a favour and go to http://www.digibid.com , http://www.ebay.com , or anyother online auction and you may be able to snag yourself a nicer recorder excpet used. 488 mkII maybe, a 424 mkII or mkIII definitely, all have better pre amps better mixers, and in general you will not feel the need to upgrade in 2 months.
 
I like my 414, but wish I would have waited, saved, and bought a 424. I plug my Yamaha electric keyboard in two different ways, depending on what I want. If I just want one track, I just plug it right into one of the standard unbalanced inputs. Keep the fader in the shaded position, and use the trim to get the proper level, or you'll end up with to much noise.

If I want to record a stereo signal, I plug into the 5-6 or 7-8 input with a trs stereo cable, and record on two tracks.

So far I've had good results with any instrument or mic when I'm recording carefully, and not-so-good when I'm sloppy. I ususally see them advertised for $299, sometimes $20-30 less on sale or at some of the online retailers. I think it is a good deal, and it is a great learning tool, but for a little more you can get better tape or digital.
 
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