8-track Cassette Recorders

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Trace

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I am looking around for an 8-track cassette recorder for some cheap demo recordings. Can you guys tell me what machines I should look into?
 
The only one I hve personal experience with is the Tascam 238 Syncassette. Very good fidelity for a cassette based multi track but it requires an external mixer. Obviously, they're not made anymore so you have to find a used one but they're real workhorses. I paid about $1500 for mine new about a hundred years ago. You can find 'em now for $200.
 
Yo Trace:

I have my 8 track cassette Tascam in the lower level where I accumulate gear that passes into the studio and then, out of the studio.

I did some pretty good stuff on that Tascam as far as sound goes; however, it's a noisy box but you might find one somewhere.

I don't know about buying on E-Bay but Sweetwater might have one sitting around their store.

Besides Tascam, maybe Yamaha built one but I don't remember.

Why not look at the new Yamaha digital 16 tracker for under 1K? You can burn your own CD right in the same box. It's a new product which falls in line with the Yam 2816 and 4416 but it doesn't do all the "stuff" they do; however, it might give you a professional demo rather than a run of the mill demo from a tape tracker.


Green Hornet


:cool: :cool: :D :D :p :p
 
Thanks, Hornet. I don't want to get in the middle of the whole 'Analog vs. Digital' conflict, but I prefer to record to tape. At the moment I'm in no position to work with a 'reel' tape machine. ;)

So I'm looking for the next best thing.

Hey, Track Rat, the inputs and outputs on the 238 are those RCA or 1/4 inch.

Thanks

-Trace
 
Anyone ever taken to 4 track portastudios and sync them together?

What would you need to do that besides 2 4 tracks?
 
Providing that the decks in question will take external sync, you'd have to have a sync box of some description (Tascam and J.L. Cooper used to make 'em) and the stripe a track of each of the 4 track decks with SMPTE time code so you'd loose two tracks in the process. Then cross your fingers and pray that they'll chase and lock. For all your effort and money invested you'd get a expensive, hinky, low fi system with 6 tracks.:eek:
 
Axis said:
Anyone ever taken to 4 track portastudios and sync them together?

What would you need to do that besides 2 4 tracks?
That would be virtually impossible to keep them in sync,since the motors would not be precise enough to avoid drifting in and out of sync linearly, even with both machines striped with a sync track.

You can easily sync 4-track units to a ccomputer using a SMPTE stripe on one of the tracks, then the 4-track timing drives the computer via a SMTPE sync box.............
 
Trace said:
Thanks, Hornet. I don't want to get in the middle of the whole 'Analog vs. Digital' conflict,

Good, because if you are extolling the virtues of analog and using casette multitracks as your example then you don't really have much of an arguement.

Casette multitracks are the worst format for recording you could possibly buy. For the love of all that is holy please get anything else.
 
An actual answer (a few actually)

Cassette eight tracks

Tascam made four 8-track cassette units:

238 - Standalone rackmount recorder. Physically, it looks a lot like the Tascam digital multitracks. Records all 8 tracks at once. Ins and outs are -10 dBu on RCA jacks. Has an "Accessory 2" serial port, which allows it to chase sync (and do the full interface with Tascam sync boxes if it's the master). dbx NR switchable in two 4-track banks (and track 8 alone). Sturdily built.

688 - Portastudio (not very "porta" though). Very fully-featured mixer. Ten channel strips which can handle 20 inputs at mixdown. Real meter bridge. Electronic signal routing. MIDI scene changes, etc. Outputs MIDI sync. Records all 8 tracks at once. Has "Accessory 2" serial port, chases sync, etc.

488mk2 - Portastudio. Feature-wise it's more in line with the 424mk2, rather than the 688. Records 4 tracks at once. Two XLR inputs with phantom power (unusual in Portastudios). Used ones are likely to be newer than the other models, as these were still on the market until '98 or '99.

488 - Similar to the 488mk2, but it lacks a sweepable mid EQ and XLR inputs.

Yamaha also made one (I think only one) 8-track cassette unit. I don't know much about it.

Generally they work pretty well, and one that's in good condition is capable of making a nice recording. All of them run at "double speed" (3 3/4 ips). The track format is compatible among all of them, but is not compatible with anything else. They stagger the record/play head on alternate tracks and the head spacing doesn't line up with 4-tracks, so tapes won't happily move between 8-track and 4-track machines.

Syncing 4-tracks

The Tascam 644 has an Accessory 2 port, and will chase sync and interface with Tascam sync units. I don't know if that's the only 4-track with this feature. It may be. Generally, the Tascam units with sync capability sync very well -- typically, they stay within a hundredth of a frame (1/3000ths of a second). If you put the same signal on 2 tracks, one on each machine, there will be a flanging or chorusing effect, but sync is much better than you need to keep different parts in sync.

You could sync two 644s with a Tascam synchronizer (ATS500, e.g.), and they'd work together. Use the master's transport controls, and the slave will follow (rewind, go to locate points, etc.) Or you can make the 644 chase just about anything you record a SMPTE signal to (but you'll have to use both decks 'transport controls to get them close to each other before hitting play).

As noted, you don't get a whole lot out of syncing 4-tracks, though: because you give up a track on each to record SMPTE, you wind up with only 6 tracks. Syncing up two 8-tracks to get 14 tracks works well, though. You can even sync a cassette 8-track and a reel-to-reel, which gives you a lot of flexibility for different uses.
 
I second the applause.

But, "Don't calls me Johnson!!"

Green Hornet:D :D :p :p :p :cool:
 
I'm moving up to large format analog within the week.

I have a TASCAM 488MkII that will produce very good recordings for this format. PM or E-mail me if you are interested in purchasing
my 488 MkII.

Near mint condition.
 
Well three deals on e-bay have fallen through already. I'm not sure if I'll be getting one as soon as I thought.

It will be a TASCAM TSR-8 or MSR-16. There is also an ATR 60-8 that I'm considering. That one has a slight hub problem, so I'm still deciding on that one. It comes with DBX NR. The thing is a monster though. Probably weights as as much as my Lincoln.

So far I haven't had much luck. Been outbid twice on two different auctions. I'm going back to one to try again in the morning and see if I can sneak in another higher bid. One deck I was getting ready to bid on was pulled early with 14 hours to go. The guy sold it outright to some studio in Canada. That really pissed me off. It had just had the heads re-lapped, two new motors installed, and new belts and pinch roller. $420. Damn!

I'm not too sure yet about the ATR 60. The guy says it's a great machine except for the slight hub wobble, but says that the procedure to correct it is in the manual.

Haven't decided on a desk yet. Probably a Mackie 1604VLZ Pro.
Some of the larger TASCAM consoles look pretty good too. Especially the in-line ones. I'd rather go with in-line, but I'd settle for a split console too.
 
Near St. Louis. Don't you remember me sending you a PM a few weeks ago?
 
Doh! I do now. Sorry, it's the meds.:D I'm trying to figure out who's in the area.
 
I'd love to get a nice 8 or 16 track reel to reel but I never learned how to service them. How much work is really involved in upkeep on those? Do you need to buy a bunch of special tools?
 
Nothing like having to buy GM or Ford specific tools to work on their cars.

Just common hand tools. You also need a service manual with alignment procedures and a test tone tape to set the bias correctly. Test tapes are usually quite expensive. There are slightly different procedures for different tape speeds.

There are five positions on the head stack that have to be aligned for optimum recording and playback, as well as the tape path. Height, azimuth, zenith, wrap, and rack. These adjustments insure proper head contact with the tape and reduce head wear and tape shed.

There are a lot of moving parts in these machines and they all have to work together with very close tolerances to function correctly.
 
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