Just got a Tascam 488 mkII!

[Will25]

Really pleased with it so far and it came with the original box/instructions at a great price.

Could any please advise me...what do I need to get started? I'm hoping to go down a local studio when I've got to grips with it and use their mics/room for recording but will I need anything else? I'm recording drums, bass, electric and acoustic guitars. So what are decent (but cheap/good value) headphones for recording? Do I need a pre-amp for acoustic guitar and if so what one? Also do I need a pre-amp for vocals??

Thanks!

 

[briank]

What you need depends on how you want to record those things, but generally the 488 is pretty inclusive. You have a mixer with four preamps (if I recall correctly) already built in so no worry there. You'll want some 99% isopropyl alcohol and wood or at least paper stick swabs to keep the metal parts of the tape path clean.

Others here can advise you on the best tapes to use with this deck.

Headphones, whatever you get, choose a closed-ear (circumaural) type full sized headphone. The classic choice for tracking monitoring is the AKG K240, but Shure is making interesting competition with the SRH440s and Sennheiser does the HD280. If you like a very snug-fitting and highly isolating headphone, there's the Direct Sound Extreme Isolations.

 

[grimtraveller]

For tapes you'll need type 2, chrome. Metal is rumoured to wear the heads eventually. Not a good idea to go more than C90. That'll give you 22 and a half minutes recording on each track.
I have the MK 1. I've always thought the preamps are good. It may be an idea to use an external preamp to record acoustic guitar lead playing.

 

[Will25]

Thanks for the advice - hope those heads are easily replaced..

 

[VESSEL2020]

Congrats on your new purchase.
What I usually do when I record on my 488 mkII is...
Record on type II high bias,..and for mixdown I use type IV metal in my mixdown deck.
To do this you must have a mixdown deck that records type IV, not just play them.
I get some stellar results this way.
If I were you,..I'd start collecting / hoarding type II high bias tapes cuz they're not in production anymore (that I know of).
There are some places that do have some back stock though.
You can use 2 condensers on channels one & two which are good for recording drum overheads,..and a couple sm57's on the remaining channels...bounce your drum tracks to mono or stereo, whatever your preference,..then have the remaining tracks for your guitars & vocals.
If your heads aren't separating, and in good condition..I wouldn't worry too much about that right now. I would definitely look into finding some good head cleaner & rubber cleaner, along with a demagnetizer...and your heads should last for quite some time if you care for them properly.

 

[Will25]

Thanks for the info. I'll look into investing some time/money into maintaining it, it's in great condition!

 

[Will25]

Congrats on your new purchase.
What I usually do when I record on my 488 mkII is...
Record on type II high bias,..and for mixdown I use type IV metal in my mixdown deck.
To do this you must have a mixdown deck that records type IV, not just play them.
I get some stellar results this way.
If I were you,..I'd start collecting / hoarding type II high bias tapes cuz they're not in production anymore (that I know of).
There are some places that do have some back stock though.
You can use 2 condensers on channels one & two which are good for recording drum overheads,..and a couple sm57's on the remaining channels...bounce your drum tracks to mono or stereo, whatever your preference,..then have the remaining tracks for your guitars & vocals.
If your heads aren't separating, and in good condition..I wouldn't worry too much about that right now. I would definitely look into finding some good head cleaner & rubber cleaner, along with a demagnetizer...and your heads should last for quite some time if you care for them properly.

Hi, just out of interest would you mind telling me what you're using to mix down with? I'm doing it to the computer at the moment but would rather have a cassette deck! cheers