How to Connect my Tascam 388 to my Mac

  • Thread starter Thread starter Larry Birdness
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Larry Birdness

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Hey guys! I've recently purchased a fully restored, like-new Tascam 388 -- and could not be happier. My ultimate goal is to record and mix individual tracks a little with the 388, then mix the individual tracks a little in Pro Tools 11 and master there with a variety of plugins and so on.
I was just wondering how you guys would suggest connecting my 388 to my Mac to Pro Tools. (I just bought the thing, I have yet to learn how to fully use it haha). Do I need an audio interface like a Saffire Pro 40? I appreciate any help. I have no idea what needs to be plugged into where on the 388 and what else I need to purchase in order to connect the two :)
 
Tascam 388, huh? That's awesome, man! I've never worked with a tape unit, but I'm pretty sure I have a solution to your question. As you have guessed, you will need an interface for this to work. Once you have your tracks recorded onto the Tascam unit you will want to connect it the interface and then record the tracks straight onto Pro Tools. You'll have to connect the Tascam's outputs into the inputs on the interface, and then you should be good to go.

Again, I've never worked with the unit, but this route makes the most sense to me. Even still, might want to get a second opinion haha.
Congrats on the new Tascam, I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun with it!
 
Thank you! Do you suppose an Apollo Duo would work for this?
 
I just looked it up, and I don't see why it wouldn't work. Just about any interface ought to do the trick, though.
 
That really helps :) the Apollo is up there price wise. Thanks for the advice -- really appreciate it.
 
I just thought of something -- would plugging the 388 into an Octopre Mkii which is connected through adat to an Apollo Duo Twin (two inputs) work?
 
I'm not positive, but how it sounds to me is that that would end up just recording two tracks into Pro Tools. I could be wrong on that though. However, if you were to get the Apollo Duo Twin that should be good enough. Instead of doing all the tracks at once, you could transfer them over two at a time. It would take a little bit more time, but wouldn't be much of a hindrance in the long run.

Any interface should do though. The Apollo Duo Twin is a lot cheaper than the full blown unit, but it's still pretty pricey. There are some good interfaces out there for under $500 that could serve your purposes. Before you buy an interface make sure it will run well with your operating system, just for safety.
 
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