424MkII Vs 488

D

Danglez

New member
Hi Y'all,

I'm so new at this I haven't even got my gear together........

My question is this. A second hand shop in my area ( Sydney Australia ) has a 424MkII & a 488 on sale..The price diff is only about $100 Oz ( that's about 20c to you guys in the US ). The 424 has a manual with it & the 488 doesn't. I've searched high and low for a copy of the 488 manual and haven't been able to find one either ( help here would be appreciated :) ).

I'll only be recording myself at this stage ( Guitar, Bass, Vox with some kind of drum machine ) so I'm wondering if the 8 track is worth it. From the wisdom I'm getting from this site & user forums I'm thinking along the lines that it would be worth holding out for another week or so & spending the extra on the 8 track but am uncertain.

Would the basic operations of the 488 be similar to a 424? I have managed to get a copy of the 424 user manual if that helps.

Any suggestions/opinions???

Thanks.

Danglez.
 
Hi Again,

Sorry to add to this........

I just went and had another look...The 488 is the original one ( MKI ??)...With no midrange eq.

I also spotted a 414MKIII for the same price.....

Just to confuse things.....

I appreciate your wisdom in advance.......
 
Well, the 424mkII vs the 488(std) is a tough choice.

The relative OVERALL S/N ratio of the 424mkII and 488 should be roughly the same, but PER TRACK S/N ratio is HIGHER on the 424mkII.

BTW, the 414's highest revision is the mkII.

I'd definitely choose the 424mkII over the 414mkII, but the choice between the 424mkII and 488(std) is a bit tougher.

The basic decision needs to be made between how much do you want either track-fidelity (424mkII) or track-count (488).

Good luck.
 
Thanks for that Reel,

I must of had fingy slippy with the 414.....ooooops ( or maybe my vision is going on me hehehe ).

It is a tough call........Maybe it's just the serial shopper in me but I've also had a look at a few small digital boxes that might do the trick.

Would be good if I could just make up my mind and get on with recording!!!!!!

Thanks again,

Danglez
 
424 / 488

I'd probably go for the 488, but that's just me. Eight tracks is markedly different from four to me, while the advantages of the 424mk2 are more minor to me. But it's your $100 (or 20 cents).

You should be able to figure out how to work the 488 with a 424 manual. In fact, I've done it (488mk2, actually). The basic theory of how to work the machine should not be a problem if you've used any portastudio (or mixers and recorders generally), and the weird specifics of the 488mk2 (like how to get the heads to pop up so you can clean them) are, for the most part, the same as the 424.
 
Thanks for all the info...Hope you don't think of me as a traitor

After weighing up what it was I thought I really needed, I've decided to go with the Zoom PS-02 ( I bought it last night, should get it sometime next week ). For my needs and newbie status ( and also the fact that I work with pooters for a living ) I've come up with a kinda hybrid combo of the PS-02 and my badly in need of an upgrade PC. You know what they say about the butcher having no meat in his fridge....

Anyway, regardless of my choices ( anologue v's Digital ), all of your comments to mine and others posts have been greatly informative and helpfull in my search for a start in this long awaited hobby of mine ( have been dreaming of getting into it for about the last 10 years, have been a part time muso for about 20 ).... Just wanted to express my thanks again!

Sounds like I'm saying goodbye ( I'm not )......

You will be seeing me around the forums for many years to come I hope.. ( might even post a toon or two ).

Let it flow, Let it flow....

Danglez.
 
Re: 424 / 488

sjjohnston said:
... and the weird specifics of the 488mk2 (like how to get the heads to pop up so you can clean them) are, for the most part, the same as the 424.
Click to expand...

So how DO you get the heads on the 488mkII to pop up so that you can clean them???

Bruce in Korea
 
Re: Re: 424 / 488

overseas said:
So how DO you get the heads on the 488mkII to pop up so that you can clean them???
Click to expand...

Hold down the "Stop" and the "Rehearsal" buttons while turning on the main power switch (in back).

There you have it.
 
Yamaha MT8X operates like the 488?

Sure, that's obvious, because most of Yamaha's recorders were me-too-Tascam-clones to begin with.
 
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