Anybody have experience with Tascam 2488 or Yamaha AW4416?

  • Thread starter Thread starter SappyHad
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SappyHad

New member
Hello i'm looking to upgrade my digital recorder and am looking at these two units. Does anyone have experience with either of these?

Any input or suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

Eric J.
 
funny you ask.

My brothers band just recorded a demo at a place where they used a Tascam 2488. Seemed good to me, even tough I didn't use it.

If you like, I could post some sound clips or something.
 
That would be great Sloan

Yeah Sloan if you could post some samples of the Tascam it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a ton

Eric J.

"Music Heals"
 
Here's what I know. The Yamaha is built and handles like a professional piece of equipment. The Tascam feels like it came from Fisher-Price. I reallt hat that because I love Tascam gear.

I own a Yamaha AW16G which is just awesome and built are the same platform as the 4416
 
I have had a 2488 for about 8 months and I Love It. 24 tracks of digital recording, You can do just about everthing with this thing. Buy one you won't regret it.
 
You might PM Green Hornet he is a 2816 owner/user if he does not buzz in himself.

I settled for theAW16G for my needs but the 2816 would have been my first choice mostly for the 24 bit storage and some expansion options.

I still love and am amazed wtih my G though.
 
Alright.
I've got a sample up here:
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/2/sloanstewartmusic.htm

It's at the very bottom.

The recording was quick and nasty so it's not the best representation of what could be done.

Here's a quick rundown of what was used:
Drums - Nady drum mics
CM-88 overheads
DM70 on snare
DM80 on kick drum

Lead guitar - miced marshall valvestate halfstack

Rhythm guitar - Miced Ibanez amp

Bass - direct

Vocals - MXL 2001

Everything else is Tascam 2488 as far as I know.
I think the final mix was limited/compressed on pc using Cakewalk.

All done in one night really quick!
Not too bad for the time and gear.
Click to expand...
 
I also have a Tascam 2488. Being new to home recording, the learning curve was alot larger than I had anticipated. The 2488 is very user friendly and laid out nicely. There are a few things I don't like about it. The manual for one. Worst manual I have ever read. But there is a forum much like this one that will teach you pretty much what you need to know about the 2488. The faders are a dislike. There are 12 individual faders, the other 12 sharing paired tracks. The unit is very sensitive to vibration. It will freeze up if bumped while running. There have been incidences of vibrations from drums and loud guitars freezing them up. I have had no such problems myself. It has internal compressors(for 8 channels only at a time), a drum machine(I've never used it), midi sounds(never used), equalizers for each channel(paired tracks share), effects(delay, chorus, reverb, etc.), editing(cloning, cut & paste, silence, etc.), set points, auto punch, undo button, sub-mix capable, 250 virtual track capability, scene saving, pre-mastering, CD burner, and more. The display screen could have been a little larger. All in all, I think it is a great piece of equipment for the price. The onboard effects and compressors aren't the best, but will do until I can afford to add the luxury items. I have gotten really good results recording with the 2488. Now that I have gained some experience in the whole precess, I hope to add to it. For the beginner(like myself), the positives out weigh the negatives. I would recommend the 2488 to anyone. Just my $.02.
 
refresh-

I've done test driving with 2488, it's been an awesome unit, especially in comparison to a bad exp. with the Roland 840 menus/interface years ago.

it's all relevant... damn if I had time i'd love to side/side AW16G.

+ $200 cheaper on AW16G...
+ $200 more=2488 is 8 more tracks and USB, all 24bit.

the G's metal chasis doesn't justify a testdrive, IMO.
 
I own an AW2816, but need to sell it. I replaced it with an Akai DPS24.

You're comparing two very different pieces of gear at two very different price points. The Tascam is really not in the same league with the AW4416 in terms of build quality and sonics. True the Tascam is 24 track, but that is probably the only area in which it's going to out distance the Yamaha.

That said, I think the key to deciding is to analyze what it is that you're trying to accomplish. If you want to turn out pro quality recordings and you're building a serious studio around it, then the Yamaha (or, even a better choice- the DPS24) makes sense. If you're goal is to produce demos or this is fun and not a job or business or your budget is more limited, then the Tascam makes more sense. Is this for your band? How many tracks are your projects normally? How many mics do you need to record at once? How many line level sources? Will being limited to 8 tracks at a time be a problem? Do you need dynamic automation? Is this for a working studio? (Are you charging people?) If so, you can get more money with better equipment.

Personally, I found the AW2816, though it sounded fine, had a non-intuitive UI and was somewhat confusing to use, at least initially. In general, I just found that it left me cold. I can't explain why exactly. I really wanted the Akai from the start, but at the time, they were retailing for $3700.00! Since then they've dropped down to $2800.00 and I got a used one for $1800.00. For that money, it simply blows away everything else. 24 tracks. You can record on all of them simultaneously. Very high quality converters and preamps (12 of them!!). Very good effects. Lots of interface possibilities- 8 channels of ADAT out of the box and you can add 16 more, MIDI, USB, optional SCSI. I could go on and on. You get the idea. The Akai is a serious PRO unit and many people are using them in real studios to produce real commercial recordings.

On the other hand, if you're interested in my AW2816... :)

Ted
 
I did em both

I have used both of them, and I really have to say that it depends on you're specific needs, and surronding equipment. The yamaha seemed to be a more proffessional piece. but the tascam does have 24 trax, and it is very user friendly.
 
recording units

Dminor9-
To track-
Plug in a microphone into Track 1.

Press the SELECT button for channel1 (green light comes on)
Press the REC button on channel 1 (red light blinks)
Press PLAY+REC....(red light is solid)

your recording clean/flat!!! NO MENUS required..
<repeat 24times :)>

SappyHad-
What are you going to do with the units?? Mobile or Home??

IMO, if you are planning to take the 2488 unit MOBILE
i would probably look for another unit.
1) unit has been mentioned as vibration+harddrive issues
2) its not built like a tank..and may not survive a drop to the ground!!

not that any of em would? altho if you feel the need for a metal case, it
might help some but doubt it.

in a home or studio only -- less "monkey" business--
prisitine enviroment...the 2488 been exciting
and as mentioned 24/24. not one QC issue.
the unit has a great layout for Tracking.

For $1,000+ extra...i don't get the "feely touchy" comments??
it "felt PROFESSIONAL??"

I touched both units at GC too.
one has a metal case?? but for $1,000 extra....hmm

better have more tracks, better something other than a metal case.
if you need 24 IN's at once...which i don't...maybe 2 or 3 max.

as previous thread said all depends on your needs...
 
Last edited:
Coolcat, I guess I should have been more specific when I said the learning curve was alot larger than I had anticipated. I was referring to the mixing, final mixing, effects adding, pre-mastering end of it. Not the actual recording end of it. Although the actual recording end is a little more than assign track, plug in mic, and record. Recording chain, mic placement, Di box settings for different instruments, etc. I appreciate your thoughts and comments though. That is the whole purpose of the board. Sharing ideas and comments.
 
menu hell....vs Outboard

Dminor9 said:
Coolcat, I guess I should have been more specific when I said the learning curve was alot larger than I had anticipated. I was referring to the mixing, final mixing, effects adding, pre-mastering end of it. Not the actual recording end of it. Although the actual recording end is a little more than assign track, plug in mic, and record. Recording chain, mic placement, Di box settings for different instruments, etc. I appreciate your thoughts and comments though. That is the whole purpose of the board. Sharing ideas and comments.
Click to expand...

amen...your probably more into it than meself.
i haven't done much other than tracking.

the effects i'm learning...learning the unit doesn't do everything.
SINGLE is like one effect unit on everything. (Reverb)
multi- and mic effects are somewhat confusing, and don't like
"fixing it in the mix".

multi-effects is where i start looking for channel strips like the Toft ATC2 or hopefully something cheaper with pre/eq/comp.
say fhk it....fhk the menus...get it right, going in. use it like a ~HD24/ADAT
recorder.
 
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