AKAI MG614 recordings newbie

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augur

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Hi!

I've just purchased an AKAI MG614 (4 tracks cassette recorder).
In good shape. It has been serviced recently and works great.
Going back to 87 like a dream for me!

I plan to record at home analog electronic music (moog, vermona & korg synths) with guitar & sing.

It's my 1st cassette recorder so I need some advices before starting my 1st recordings.
- Do you recommend using dbx ?
- Which recording level is better with dbx? -3? 0? red?
- Which type of tapes do you recommend (type 4 metal? which brand?)
- EQ before recording? or flat EQ for recording ?
- Any other advices on how to calibrate tape machine before recording ?

Thanks by advance !
 
dbx, Yes!
peaks between -3 and 0 vu are fine
Chrome, type II cassettes should do the trick. TDK SA60 or SAX60 or Maxell equivilents.
EQ can be applied pre and post and can be done smartly if you know the roll off characteristics of your microphones and then just a bit of touch up eq afterward to suit the mix.
If the machine was serviced recently then its all ready calibrated.

Enjoy!



Cheers! :)
 
I am happy to find someone talking about this, I purchased one two weeks ago and I am really happy with this machine.
Mine needed a little bit cleaning, I sanded just a little bit the idle tire, because forward and rewind was very slow, and now it is working great.

Can I ask what was in need of being serviced?
thanks
 
lol. What are the chances?!

Dreverb, you found whatever you needed to find inside that machine, yeah?
 
Thank you for your advices!
Belt has been changed by previous owner (200€ reparation for 5€ part changed).
Mechanical parts seems to work perfectly, and no crackle on pots!

Is it possible to bounce 2 tracks to 1 track thanks to BUS A-B ?
I don't understand exactly how it works.

I have 6 tracks actually:
- Beats (Vermona Drm1 Mk3)
- Bass (Moog Minitaur)
- Synth 1 (Vermona Perfourmer Mk2)
- Synth 2 (Arp Odyssey)
- Guitar (Vibrochamp)
- Voice

Is it possible to record Beats+Bass on 2 seperate tracks, then bounce them to 1 track thanks to Bus AB?

I have purchase Sony Metal XR 60 cassettes at a good price.
Is it better or worse than other metal cassetes or Chrome types?
 
Would you better recommend Chrome cassette than Metal for Akai MG614 ?
Is it a question of bias or somethin ?
 
The MG614 is designed to only work with type II/Chrome/hi bias cassettes.

Though type IV metal cassettes share the same bias and eq settings as type II tapes, they require a higher level of erasure to fully re-record over a section of tape that had previous content on it. This means that if you record with this tape formulation, you won't be able to fully erase a bad take and will hear a ghost signal of the previous take.

Now, if you're a well rehearsed musician and never make mistakes while recording, you may well be able to live with this limitation. For the rest of us mere mortals,...well, hopefully you get the picture.

The manual, if you haven't secured one yet or read it can be viewed or downloaded here:

AKAI MG614 OPERATOR'S MANUAL Pdf Download.



Cheers! :)
 
OK I understand.
Thank you for your advices!

I already have manual but it doesn't explain things that much...

Is it possible to bounce 2-3 tracks to 4rth channel thanks to Bus A-B, and then be able to record again seperate tracks ?
 
augur said:
OK I understand.
Thank you for your advices!

I already have manual but it doesn't explain things that much...

Is it possible to bounce 2-3 tracks to 4rth channel thanks to Bus A-B, and then be able to record again seperate tracks ?
Click to expand...

Yes, bouncing tracks is a basic staple feature and your unit was designed to do them just as virtually all other "Portastudio" type products were. You can not only mix multiple tape tracks and bounce them to an empty track but also mix in live tracks though the extra mixer channel strips while the taped tracks are playing. This is one of the ways of making the most of the available tape tracks to build up a more lush production. And once successfully bounced, you can then go ahead and re-use those tracks for more parts.

The manual, poorly written or not, does explain these concepts and I would encourage you to sit down with it and go over it as many times as necessary to digest the info contained within it. The diagrams which show the signal routings are probably the most beneficial to get a handle on as once you learn these electrical road maps and have them committed to memory, it will be like driving through a town you're familiar with versus driving through a new to you city and having to ask directions at every intersection.



Cheers! :)
 
I'm really novice for 4 track recordings sorry!
I will make some tests in the next days.

Thank you for your help!
 
augur said:
I'm really novice for 4 track recordings sorry!
I will make some tests in the next days.

Thank you for your help!
Click to expand...
You're welcome and no need to be sorry. ;)

Tests, as you mentioned, are probably the best way to get a solid handle on all of these written concepts... sort of like riding a bicycle verses reading about how to ride one.

Hopefully with the holidays just around the corner, you'll have some time to experiment and become well versed enough to start doling out your own experienced based advice here. :)



Cheers! :)
 
I have ordered some TDK SA-X, Maxwell XLii-S & Sony UX-Pro to make my 1st recordings!
 
Would you recommend TDK SA X vs SA? or Maxell XLSIIS?
Or other cheaper alternative?
 
augur said:
Would you recommend TDK SA X vs SA? or Maxell XLSIIS?
Or other cheaper alternative?
Click to expand...
They're all pretty close to each other so no, nothing critical to really favor one over the other. Basically, just grab what ever is available at the best price.



Cheers! :)
 
I know this is an older thread, but when bouncing tracks, try and skip a track when bouncing. So lets say 1&2 should bounce to 4. Or 3 bounced and mixed with a live recording to 1. Planning out your parts and how to track them with a 4 track is fun.

I bought a 614 when they were new and did a lot of tracking on that thing. I broke it out a couple of years ago and it needs service on the belts. Maybe I'll get to that soon and start recording again.
 
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