Favorite 4-track!!!!!!!!

[mustang]

I can't believe you wasted the time you did on this, or that I wasted the time I did responding to it. I am glad you have time to post a couple thousand times here and that long drawn out crap above. All I can say is this putting you that much closer to where you want to be in the music business?

One last time guys...favorite 4 track: Tascam 488.

This is my last post in this thread so you will have to amuse yourself

 

[cjacek]

I too feel bad that I had to reply in such a manner to "mustang" but people must realize that they can't just come on here, post their opinions, expect that what they wrote will be understood in the way they thought it and then insult other members who reply back and disagree with what they had read.

 

[Beck]

I'm even starting to wonder if this whole written language thing is all it's cracked up to be.

 

[A Reel Person]

Look,...

He said his favorite 4-track was the 488, & that he considers it a 4-track because it records up to 4-tracks at a time.

I'll just accept that at face value.

 

[cjacek]

That is definitely a beautiful machine. No doubt.

 

[Herm]

You should take photos for a living Dave. You always get the greatest shots

 

[rayc]

My Lovely little Yamaha MT100 is still rolling on strong.
I use it, particularly for its nice little preamps. I record to it before bumping up to Cakewalk. As I have an INCA 8 in/8 out card & breakout box I can run all 4 taped tracks up into the comp with NO problems at all.
& YES this is the one I couldn't recall the noise reduction system for.

 

[MichaelM]

I voted for the 414mk2, because that is what I own.

I really like this 4 track, I bought it when I first wanted to try recording stuff. Great for recording demos and things, much easier than using the computer for that sort of thing - you just plug in and press record. The sweepable mids of the 424 would have been nice, but at the time it was all I could afford and I can use my mixer for eq if need be.

However I can't use it right now! Devastated! I left it home for a few months (I moved out and left it there) and my brother was playing with it. He doesn't think he did anything to it but track 2 doesnt work. When playing back audio (recorded before the problem) there is either no sound coming from track 2 at all, or there's a super loud humm instead. I haven't gotten around to getting it fixed yet...


EDIT
I'm an idiot! I just realised how old this thread is and that I have already posted almost the exact same thing about 18 months ago!

 

[travelin travis]

My Lovely little Yamaha MT100 is still rolling on strong.
I use it, particularly for its nice little preamps. I record to it before bumping up to Cakewalk. As I have an INCA 8 in/8 out card & breakout box I can run all 4 taped tracks up into the comp with NO problems at all.
& YES this is the one I couldn't recall the noise reduction system for.

I used one of those once at a friend's house once. He recorded alot of cool stuff with that thing and a drum machine.

 

[A Reel Person]

This thread, like 4-track Porta's, will be eternally young and relevant!!

...............

As for the problem on (414mkII) track 2, the description makes it sound like maybe a broken head wire. If you're moderately technical you can fix this with a touch-up soldering technique. It's hard to say until you've looked at the unit, but often times problems like this are caused by a cold solder joint or bad connection. Also reseat the connectors. With the 414's internals being relatively simplified, hopefully it won't be too difficult to troubleshoot. The real good news, is bottom-line used price on the 414mkII is appx. $65, give-or-take, depending on the day!!

PS: This might be an opportune time to upgrade to the 424mkIII, @ avg. $125/used, these days.

 

[A Reel Person]

My Lovely little Yamaha MT100 is still rolling on strong.
I use it, particularly for its nice little preamps. I record to it before bumping up to Cakewalk. As I have an INCA 8 in/8 out card & breakout box I can run all 4 taped tracks up into the comp with NO problems at all.
& YES this is the one I couldn't recall the noise reduction system for.

Nice pic...........

A friend gave me his MT120 (that had been dropped, another fixit project/TBA). I always thought MT120 was a cool design. It's competing toe-to-toe with the Tascam 414(std). It represented the pinnacle of Yamaha's porta-format line, & it has some progressive features for it's class, such as the graphic EQ on the stereo buss, whereas the 414 has 2-band EQ on each channel, (which I think favors Tascam). The Yamaha has 4x4/direct recording and 4x2/buss recording, on par with the Tascam 414/424 class of devices. The MT120 has 2-speeds, (which the 414 doesn't have, but the 424 does have). The MT120 is much smaller/sleeker than the 414(std), but it's equally as capable, (less the fancy EQ featured on the Tascam). Yamaha & Tascam both used dbx NR, which I think is a beneficial factor to the 4-track/cassette format, in general.

Comparing Yamaha porta's to Tascam Portastudios is a little like comparing apples & oranges.

 

[CoolCat]

hey REEL!
yeah, the 488 is a damn good 4-track as you have 4 extra-tracks as back up! That was my favorite of the cassette world tho 488....

but 4 tracks I think the 424MK2 blew the Yamaha away, I had both and the Yamaha to me, sounded very thin and cheap. Maybe my heads weren't setup perfect...but I thought Tascam blew the doors off that Yammie in general sound wise and build.

how about the 244 it has the super cool VU meters!

 

[cjacek]

COOLCAT! The 244 is my fav portastudio!! The pict made me all fuzzy inside!

 

[A Reel Person]

Yeah!!!

The 244 and 424mkII are great units, IMO. They were my first and second Portstudios, ever! All of my Portastudio recordings on my mp3 upload page were recorded on these two units!! Small world, huh?

I'm completely partial to genuine Tascam Portastudios, but I feel the Yamaha line of porta's whips Fostex, for the most part.

 

[CoolCat]

Reel you probably had more time on the Yammies than me.
I owned one or two. The one in the picture I recalled.
I had some good Yammie stuff...as you know I loved my MD8. jus 2 more cents.

Fostex, I only had one 4 track. It was alright. I wanted to try them out I guess.

But my brother and his kids are still using the TASCAM 144. He swears it just has really nice warm pre's in it....uses it as a mixer these days, but loves the 144 pre-amp channels. It was near identical to the 244. proabbly same pre-amps.

yeah cj... glowing VU meters cause that warm fuzzy feeling..

 

[A Reel Person]

Not really more time on Yamahas, necessarily,....

but I looked the MT120 over quite well, disassembled it, etc. The one I have had it's headphone and cue section wiped out with an inopportune drop,... which is a hazard of some of these smaller recorders,... to be inadvertently pulled off the table when you move with the instrument/cord. The inputs, recording, playback and line outs are still fine. I didn't do a lot of critical listening or any multitracking with it. Except for being broken, the MT120 seems like a fairly competitive design for a multitracker, and I've considered fixing mine or having it fixed.

Anyway,... I'll vouch that I have waaaaaaaaay more hours on Tascams than anything else.

 

[MichaelM]

...............

As for the problem on (414mkII) track 2, the description makes it sound like maybe a broken head wire. If you're moderately technical you can fix this with a touch-up soldering technique.

PS: This might be an opportune time to upgrade to the 424mkIII, @ avg. $125/used, these days.

Thanks for the heads up Dave! I pulled the recorder apart just now and there it was, one of the wires going to the head had snapped clean. Now to get the soldering iron out and fix the little b****** up!

By the way I hope you realise that while right now 4 tracks and the like are cheap - as soon as all the digital gear is crippled with DRM you are going to have to guard your collection like fort knox!


EDIT
Just soldered the wire back onto the head, and the 4 track is working as good as new! Thanks Dave!

 

[A Reel Person]

Yo, hey!

That's the best news I've heard all day!!!!!!!!!!................

Just soldered the wire back onto the head, and the 4 track is working as good as new! Thanks Dave!

PS: It's not something you or your brother did (wrong or maliciously). Things like this often just happen from normal wear.

 

[MichaelM]

Yeah I know it wasn't my brother now
I was blaming him because at the time when I heard the buzzing noise I was like 'Oh my god what did he plug into it' - but yeah I guess I have to stop blaming him

 

[srenity_sam]

Stark Raving Sober

TAZ 246...20 Years & Still ROCKIN' !! ​

I'm pickled tink to find my practically perfect 246 is so reveared...so holy!

It had the capstan belt slip down over the motor pulley ridge, making it run too fast. Tho' it needs a new one, it seems to be holding steady for now, once it shrunk back to fit right. What I wanna know is why is the uptake side pulls as aggressively on PLAY as it does on FF. Seems like it'll stretch my tape. My other cassette decks (Sony & Sharp) have a slower uptake speed than FF speed.

Can anyone tell me if this is normal for the 246, or where the (separate) motor speed adjustment is for this?