Going reel to reel

M

mfdjuve

New member
I want to 'upgrade' from my tascam 488. What would you guys go for next? I want get away from cassettes to actual tape. Any fairly priced equipment recommended? I was looking at a 388, but they seem very rare, and I keep reading how easily they break.

thanks
 
Well, technically speaking, cassette is "actual tape." :-)

I don't have a 388, but it would be logical in the sense of a portastudio type integrated machine. If you go 1/2" or larger, you're looking at increased costs. 1/4" tape costs are lower, but the mahines are more rare, and the 388 the only Tascam. There are plenty of Fostex 1/4" 8 tracks out there, but there is ZERO support from Fostex, so maintenance is a DIY game, and they aren't the highest quality build. Any deck/mixer combination is going to entail some maintenance costs. There are a lot of discussion threads here about htis question, and if you decide to buy something not local to you, make sure you review the shipping thread here and insist your seller does the same.


That said, there is a guy e.g. in Oregon (don't know where you are located) Selling an A-8 small mixer and A-2 on Ebay right now, (don't know seller at all) but that is a nice package deal.
FOSTEX MODEL: A-8-8 - A-2-2 & 8 Track Mixer (3) Items | eBay
 
The Tascam 388 would be the next logical step up. they are not any more prone to issues than any other machine, in fact, teac/tascam decks generally are workhorses.

other than that, you would probably want to consider the 1/2" 8-track format. look for Teac 80-8 or a Tascam 38, both go for pretty cheap ... and you'll need a mixing board to go with it.

perhaps also consider the 4-track decks (teac 3340, 3440, 40-4 / tascam 22-4, etc) if that suits your style.
 
A TEAC 3440, a new say Mackie mixer and some decent mics will produce stunning results. The 3440 is in good supply and service parts can still be had.
 
Regarding the 3440, I'd be a bit reluctant to proscribe a 4-track deck as an 'upgrade' from an 8-track one.

I've not had happy experiences with the Fostex A8, FWIW (heck, if someone wants to collect it from SE Wales, I'd be happy to get shot of it). Also, note that unless it is an A8-LR, it can only record up to four tracks at once (though it can play back all 8).

For a 1/4-inch machine I'd look at the Fostex model 80 or R8, since they're physically newer and also more modern designs. However, if it's affordable, 1/2" 8-track is nice to have (e.g. TASCAM TSR-8, model 38).

However, for all R2R machines beside the 388, you will need an external mixer unless your plan is to mix inside a DAW or something.
 
There are a myriad of Tascam/Teac boards that would be fine. Research e.g. the M-312. Also, note the 3300 is a 1/4 track deck unless it is a 3300-2T.
 
Blue Jinn said:
Also, note the 3300 is a 1/4 track deck unless it is a 3300-2T.
Click to expand...
To amplify that, tapes recorded on it can be turned over like a cassette and recorded on the other side. That's okay for consumer stuff, but for a mastering deck you really want a 1/2-track deck, where the two channels are spread across the entire tape. That gets you an improvement in sound quality, but the tape will play backwards if you try to turn it over.

For mixers, it depends how you work. What many people seem to do is get a mixer with more channels than the deck - e.g. 16 channels for an 8-track tape machine. Then they use half the channels for mixing, and the other half are fed into the tape deck to act as pre-amps and EQ for the incoming signal.
What I do myself is I have two mixers - a sub-mixer at the front, that feeds into the tape deck (for pre-amps and EQ etc), and an actual mixing desk which I use to mix the songs. That helps me in that I can get away with a 16-channel mixing desk if using 16-track tape, etc.
It probably helps that I always record things layer by layer, though - if I was recording an ensemble I would have to do things differently.

I can do a block diagram if it helps :3

For 16-track machines, the Fostex E16 and G16 were quite popular in the day - they record on 1/2" tape and use Dolby noise reduction. There is basically no parts support for them nowadays, though.
TASCAM's entry in that market was the MSR-16, which again records on 1/2" tape.

Moving further up, there are 1" 16-track machines like the TASCAM MS-16 and ATR60-16. There's also the 8516, but that's going to be pretty ancient by now and I gather the original model (non-B) had a problem with the capstan servo causing it to make weird fluttery noises at 3KHz on certain types of material.
Bear in mind that 1" tape isn't cheap, I've just spent £90 on one, shipping and tax included. They use DBX noise reduction.

Otari also had a 1" 16-track machine, the MX70 I believe, but it will be pretty hefty and probably rather expensive. I don't believe it had noise reduction built in.

After that, you've got 1" 24-track machines like the MSR-24 and Fostex G24. These are liable to be expensive if something goes wrong, and you'll spend a lot on the mixer. The Fostex uses Dolby S, I believe. The MSR-24 is DBX, and the MSR-24S used Dolby S, but there was a problem with this and for the most part, the noise reduction cards have died (avoid!).

After that, basically you're left with the 2" machines which will be very expensive to run, but are basically IT - as high-end as you can go with tape.
 
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