Analogue recording. Long lay off - help me out!

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gentlejohn

gentlejohn

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Hi, as the title says. I'm looking to get back to making some music in the analogue domain and need some advice & suggestions folks! I used to own a couple of cassette 4-trackers way 'back in the day' but, after a long lay off, I've recently been involved in a collaboration with a 'laptop musician' trying to make music with a computer. Bottom-line: I HATE it! I spend enough time staring at a computer with my work so the last thing I want to do to 'relax' in my own time is to make 'muzak' with one (I know, what a Luddite! Sorry, can't help it, it's just the way I am!)

Anyway, in light of this I've just forked out (fleaBay!) on a nice ol' Tascam 8 track machine (reel-to-reel) with desk. It has yet to arrive but, in the meantime, what external devices/gadgets/gizmos should I be looking to acquire for my makeshift retro home studio? (It's currently just an empty boxroom!) The plan is to be able to get to the stage where I can finally properly track the songs I've been carrying around with me in my head for the last couple of years or so (at least two albums worth of material in fact - possibly more!), process them, mix them down (to ???) and end up with a finished stereo master recording which is of good enough industry standard quality production to be able to get played on the radio & put on iTunes (as CD/mp3 formats). That's the master plan anyway! Any thoughts, advice, suggestions, whatever much appreciated! I have a good set of ears and a small available budget to put this all together so it would be helpful to know what folks suggest to achieve my aim. I very much look forward to hearing from the good people on here. Thanks for reading!
 
If you're going at it sans computer....then besides the 8-track, you will need some kind of multi-channel mixer (at least 8 channels), maybe standalone preamp(s) if the mixers preamps are not that great, some mics, possibly some outboard processing gear like EQs/compressors/FX/etc....and then yeah, something to mix down to, like a 2-track reel.
 
...

I hope very much for your sake the 8-track reel recorder comes through shipping in one piece. They do not ship well due to size and weight, and seller's packing skills are woefully inadequate in most cases. Best of luck.

PS: What reel 8-track did you pop for? Also, hadn't you just gotten the 688 and not come up to speed on it yet? Isn't that a very hasty hop from one to the other? What motivated you to invest so quickly in reel-to-reel? To me that seems a very big leap of faith, right off the starting line. With all due respect, inquiring minds want to know. Thanx!

:spank::eek:;)
 
Oops! My mistake, good spot Davemania! I meant to write 4-track not 8 track there. The 688 portastudio you mentioned is now on temporary hold until I finally get up to speed as you say. I was getting a bit out of my depth with it's onboard electronic routing system and managed to snipe a 4 track with a desk for a good price. I was just watching the end of an auction purely out of curiosity with absolutely no intention of bidding when 'WHAM!' , unbeknown to me at the time, I appeared to put a cheeky last second bid in and won it! So now I'm starting off small and will either work up to the 8-track machine or, who knows, perhaps I'll just stick with the 4 track and sell the bigger (more complicated looking!) machine at a later date. I'll just have to see how I go on but, if my very foggy memory serves me well, I reckon I'll have more of a chance to get going quicker by sticking with four tracks for starters.
 
That's cool!

The 688 has a steeper learning curve than the average Portastudio, with that menu driven assign matrix. Many users including myself have been less than enthusiastic about it in the long run. There's nothing intuitive about it, but there's a lot of power under the hood of the 688, and the cassette 8-track format can make surprisingly good recordings despite it's incredibly small format. As it's technically called a MidiStudio, there are functions in there that catered specifically to MIDI intensive setups, of the type and flavor they were in 1990. Things have changed a lot since then, but for what it did in context it was pretty amazing technology. You'll need the manual and to sit a while and tinker with it to get the hang of it's best utility for your needs. There was a tutorial cassette tape that went along with the 644/688 MidiStudios, which I have a copy of from a previous purchase. You can assign things manually on the control panel, and there are factory preset scenes which are set up for different configurations and common functions. Once you know what you're looking at, and looking for, and get familiar with the scenes, apparently it's very quick to switch between functions. However, it can prove too technical for some users, and sometimes simpler is better. I totally understand your situation re: the 688. It's not something you produce quick recordings with right out of the box.

I'm happy for you in respect to the quick eBay score of a reel recorder and mixer. I hope for your sake it arrives in one piece and trouble free. 4-tracks are good for smaller productions. I'd suggest a little caution about the ease of eBay gear purchase and the pitfall of acquiring gear lust. Here they call it G.A.S. I've lived that scenario from end to end, and it can be a fun ride but it doesn't always end well. However, it's nice to have good gear to use, and who doesn't like new toys? Congratulations!

Like Beck, inquiring minds want to know what recorder and desk did you get?

:spank::eek:;)
 
OK, back to the drawing board (or more actually to scrabble under the bed!) Looks like the decision has been made for me and I'm going to have to dive in at the deep end and get to grips with the electronic routing protocol for working with the 688. I'm sure it's no big deal I just need to methodically work my way through the .pdf manual - difficult for me as I'm not really a manual guy as I don't have the patience but hey, I'll try to make an exception and stick with it. As for my bargain eBay purchase .... hmm! The seller either: A) Dropped the auction lot I 'thought' I'd won on the way to the Post Office (they went to great lengths to get this point across!) or B) Decided that they weren't prepare to let it go for the bargain price I'd got it for! Bottom-line: After a lot of to-ing'n'fro-ing, that avenue is now closed to me. Ahh eBay! Don'tcha just love it??! OK, back to the music .......!
 
gentlejohn said:
....end up with a finished stereo master recording which is of good enough industry standard quality production to be able to get played on the radio & put on iTunes (as CD/mp3 formats). That's the master plan anyway!
Click to expand...


I think you really need to consider your goal above ^^^^^ before you chose your SOP.

I'm not looking to knock portastudios and/or whatever else people use in their home-rec steups.....but IMHO, "industry standard quality" will require maybe a bit more than going for the least expensive and most simplest solutions.

I know some people will say you can get great recordings with a cassette.....yada, yada, yada.
I've used cassettes myself a long time ago for 2-track mixdowns, when the better stuff was way out of my reach.....and yes, there's a reason why better gear exists. You can only milk a piece of gear so much. ;)

That said, if you're after a real lo-fi sound, then the cassette format will help get you there.
 
Hi MiroSlav,
Of course, you're completely right! I've been out of the picture where recording is concerned for some time now & I'm beginning to realise that a lot has changed! I have tried doing some stuff in the digital domain with someone who referred to themselves as a 'laptop musician' but it just didn't feel like 'making music' to me - I equate computers with work & seem to have a big mental block in this dept.

I'll make do with this cassette-based Tascam 688 unit for the time being. It's a good unit for what it is but yes, I know it won't give me the sort of quality I'm looking for in the long run. Writing recording and producing music is a very personal thing for me and it helps to be happy (and familiar!) with everything in your chain ie: mics/instruments>recording console>master mixdown. I'm definitely more of a 'hands on' sort of person when it comes to making music so, having given it a go at least, I now know for definite that trying to make music with a PC & a mouse is not a route I wish to travel - it's analogue all the way for me from here on in. (Sounds way better to my ears too!)

I've been doing a stack of research looking into finding the right machine for me that will serve my exacting purposes and I have narrowed it down to a very small short-list. Right up there at the No.1 spot way above the rest is the venerable TASCAM 388 Studio 8. That definitely looks like a versatile machine that I could very happily make music on! Incidentally, anybody on here know of where I might be able to snag one perhaps? PS: I'm UK based
 
They are quite rare in the UK, mind.

I realise this isn't quite what you're looking for, but if you are interested and able to collect from SE Wales, I do have a spare TSR-8 which I used to sync with the main deck. It hasn't been used much since I got the 24-track.

Obviously the tape costs will be rather higher and it will need a mixer of some kind, but it would be nice to see it go to a good home because at the moment it's mostly just taking up space.
 
^^^^^^ You should check it out.

The TSR 8 will bring you much closer to your goals than the 688 or 388.

That's what I though you were initially talking about...a 1/2" 8-track when you said reel-to-reel, which is why I said to just add a small mixer to it and you're good to go.
 
The TSR-8 is one of my all time favorite Tascam products. IMO it's the best of the 8-track on 1/2" tape machines from Tascam or any other maker of that format, including Otari and Revox.
 
Thanks very much for the offer! I'll certainly give that consideration (although sadly we're at opposite ends of the island!) PM me with your asking price amigo. CHEERS!
 
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