Looking to buy a Teac/Tascam 80-8...

  • Thread starter Thread starter WhinyLittleRunt
  • Start date Start date
If it was a 30ips machine I wouldn't worry about it, but at 15ips I use it and I can tell the difference. Some put up with what little noise there is, but I like analog recordings with as little hiss as is possible.

Yes, I recommend the noise reduction. Unless of course that particular dbx model has problems of it's own. I don't think it's the same unit as the 38's used.
 
WhinyLittleRunt said:
He has everything, including the mixer too. I am going to see if he will sell me the deck and the remote for about $500, but last I spoke to him he was pretty adamant that I need the dbx unit because it records much quieter. Do you think the noise reduction muddies the sound at all? It seems to on the portastudios but that's a whole different animal.
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Get the dbx. When used properly, the results are much better (quieter and with no artifacts) than non dbx recordings.
 
WhinyLittleRunt said:
He has everything, including the mixer too. I am going to see if he will sell me the deck and the remote for about $500, but last I spoke to him he was pretty adamant that I need the dbx unit because it records much quieter. Do you think the noise reduction muddies the sound at all? It seems to on the portastudios but that's a whole different animal.
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all i can say is that if you get the noise reduction unit, try it out with and without and don't assume that you need it. i dislike what NR does and it certainly affects the way the signal responds to tape in weird ways. i like meters deep in the red sometimes and hiss other times.
 
So I went and looked at it today, and the damn thing wasn't pulling the tape when we were trying it! Of course, this was after I already told him what I wanted to pay for it. We messed around with it for a bit, but when you hit play, the tape would kind of unravel and fall. This unit has the DX-8 dbx unit which is actually built into the bottom of the recorder, so I'm not sure how it would fare to be parted out, but at that point I was thinking 'this sucks' and he said he'd mess around with it and call me about it. On my way home, he called and told me one of the fuses was sort of popped out and he reseated as well as clean all the rest of the contacts, and the thing was working fine. I'll hear back from him Monday after he runs through it again to make sure...
I just hope he's cool with what I offere him, the thing is in mint shape...
 
lonewhitefly said:
...............i like meters deep in the red sometimes and hiss other times.
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Which is the exact reason why the nr would sound sounds funny. You are not supposed to print hot when using dbx. Constantly hitting anything above +1 or +2 defeats the purpose and runs the processor out of headroom.
 
RRuskin said:
Which is the exact reason why the nr would sound sounds funny. You are not supposed to print hot when using dbx. Constantly hitting anything above +1 or +2 defeats the purpose and runs the processor out of headroom.
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i agree ... so if someone is looking for a certain kind of tape-saturated sound (or likes a bit of hiss), NR defeats the purpose. i think the guy should try it with and without to see which he likes better. i personally don't dig NR in general.

i think what we are both saying is: if you like tape artifacts, don't use NR. if you don't like tape artifacts and want as pure a signal as possible (still much more true to the source that digital!), the use NR.
 
jpmorris said:
That's from the new album, is it?
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hey! well no its not actually! just a little something we're doing on a limited cassette release. the 2nd record is kind of meandering in limbo as we get the final mixes together. we're actually about 1/2 way through a third and getting it all together. i'll get this tape out to you actually when i have some copies!

donny
 
The DX-8 being built in like that was a relatively rare factory option with the long side panels. I think it looks cool.

BTW, dunno if there are similarities in the electronics between the 80-8 and the 3340, but I loved how my 3340 sounded. And there was an aftermarket conversion kit to run the 80-8 as a 1" 8-track back in the early 80's...pretty rare but it DOES speak to the robustness of the transport and the electronics that they could operate in that format.

If it is mint, if it is working properly, if the heads look good and it comes with the DX-8 and remote and the rare side-panel kit, well then my goodness I encourage you to go for it if he'll take your offer and most importantly if you feel the 80-8 will love you back...
 
sweetbeats said:
The DX-8 being built in like that was a relatively rare factory option with the long side panels. I think it looks cool.

BTW, dunno if there are similarities in the electronics between the 80-8 and the 3340, but I loved how my 3340 sounded. And there was an aftermarket conversion kit to run the 80-8 as a 1" 8-track back in the early 80's...pretty rare but it DOES speak to the robustness of the transport and the electronics that they could operate in that format.

If it is mint, if it is working properly, if the heads look good and it comes with the DX-8 and remote and the rare side-panel kit, well then my goodness I encourage you to go for it if he'll take your offer and most importantly if you feel the 80-8 will love you back...
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3340 sounds different from the 80-8, the 80-8 being a bit more mellow or neutral (not as much as the 38 though), but they are certainly in the same "family" of sound. i think the 3340 has a real distinct, cool sound but its kind of hard to work with. the 80-8 is very user-friendly, sounds cool, gets the job done, etc, etc ...
 
Question -

The 80-8 that I'm trying to buy has the DX-8 built in at the bottom, and it almost looks like factory because the wood sides extend all the way down making me think this was part of the deck to begin with... did they have them later on with the DX-8 built in?

Also, how would I be able to tell how old it is by serial or model, etc...?
 
WhinyLittleRunt said:
Question -

The 80-8 that I'm trying to buy has the DX-8 built in at the bottom, and it almost looks like factory because the wood sides extend all the way down making me think this was part of the deck to begin with... did they have them later on with the DX-8 built in?

Also, how would I be able to tell how old it is by serial or model, etc...?
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Mine was one of the first. I bought it new on Dec 31, 1977 if I recall correctly. The deck and the DBX unit were sold separately, each in their own box. The large side panels came with the DBX unit, but in it's own packing box if I recall correctly. I removed the stock panels and installed the long panels with the DBX unit.

Here's my machine in its very expensive custom fixed console. ;)

3371040.jpg

A little item that I found recently....
126460290.jpg
 
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WhinyLittleRunt said:
Question -

The 80-8 that I'm trying to buy has the DX-8 built in at the bottom, and it almost looks like factory because the wood sides extend all the way down making me think this was part of the deck to begin with... did they have them later on with the DX-8 built in?.............
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You are describing the the "fully dressed" 80-8 package with the dx-8 and mounting unit for same.
 
Oh ok, that makes sense then. I have doubts that there are any other side panels, so I'm sure I can make my own if I wanted to out of nicer wood... :)
 
Richard King said:
Mine was one of the first. I bought it new on Dec 31, 1977 if I recall correctly. The deck and the DBX unit were sold separately, each in their own box. The large side panels came with the DBX unit, but in it's own packing box if I recall correctly. I removed the stock panels and installed the long panels with the DBX unit.

Here's my machine in its very expensive custom fixed console. ;)

3371040.jpg

A little item that I found recently....
126460290.jpg
Click to expand...

thats a totally bitchin setup!!! i love those pictures ... what is that board? awesome that you kept the receipts
 
That's a prototype Auditronics 16x8. It eventually came out as a fully modular version. This one was bought used from a studio in Memphis.
 
Yeah, Richard, I wish you had some more pics of that mixer. And is that an MCI remote on top of the meter bridge or just a cue indicator??

I've always loved your custom atr stands...saw some recently at a surplus office supply dealer...heehee...:D
 
Good eye. That is in fact an MCI remote. After I bought the 80-8 the studio that I worked out of bought an MCI 1" 8 track (after replacing the old rotary knob home brew console with the Auditronics in the picture). I continued to use the 80-8 though so that I could use the tapes in other locations if I needed to. I would bring my machine in and interface it to the console through the patchbay, having made up a 16 channel snake with RCA on one end and tini tele on the other end to get into the PB.

Edit... my first session with the 80-8 was the next day, Jan 1, 1978. The band was from Chile and spoke only broken English. I had a learning curve and a language barrier to deal with. Here's a cut from the album we did: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_songInfo.cfm?bandID=818206&songID=8285259
 
Dang!

So that whole project or at least that track were done on the 80-8? How much bouncing had to be done?

I love the sound...it actually has an early 70's vibe to it (which is a compliment).
 
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