Sick Analog Deal of the Day

[A Reel Person]

Tascam Midistudio | eBay

tascam midistudio

Item condition: Used

Tascam Midistudio TAPE multi track recorder. This is a vintage piece of gear. All functions work. I will even throw in a tape to get you started. Can you even buy tapes any more? Includes power supply module.

Ended: May 26, 201315:52:46 PDT

Winning bid: US $21.50 [ 12 bids ]

 

[A Reel Person]

My only consolation is...

I could save the $21.50 and find one of these in the closet.

 

[miroslav]

Meh.....cassette-based stuff doesn't blow up my skirt...not for like the last 25 years.
I mean, if you really just want the very lo-fi sound, OK...otherwise it's open reel multi-tracks and/or DAWs.....for me.

 

[A Reel Person]

The 644

The 644 seems a little too complicated for the newbie, casual user or weekend warrior, but there's a lot of capability in that little box! After the learning curve it could be wonderful, if not intuitive. Original price may have been upward of $600 (est). It was equipped with 8 channels, 16 inputs counting Dual, 4-buss and integrated plug & play sync capability. Was specialized for the MIDI musician with lots of sound modules firing off at the same time, but would suffice nicely for live-to-4 band recording, or any other 4-tracking purpose from the bottom up. Whatever your stance on little underpowered lofi cassettes, that's a literal steal! That seller is probably scratching his head and wiping the tears right about now. For the entry price of an MF-P01, someone got one of the high techiest 4-track Portastudios out there! Portastudio is not a generic class of devices, it's a brand. In this case, MIDIStudio, with that added layer of complexity, like icing on the cake! $21.50 is the price of El Pollo Loco for 2 with chips and guacamole or a couple medium pizzas and a 6-pack of beer!

 

[James K]

I bought a used 688 a few years back. Worst buy in the history of the world. It turned up ridiculously late and didn't work at all. I took it to my repair man who diagnosed it with a broken capstan motor. I then had to wait about six months for a capstan motor, capstan and pinch roller to be sourced from Tascam Japan (it was the last they had). He fitted it... it still wouldn't record. After playing around with it for more time he found that the heads weren't properly aligned. Then it sort of worked on a couple of tracks but was completely unusable. I sold it for parts and got an R8 and 812 desk. I've tried to wipe the whole experience from my memory but this reminded me of it.

I suppose the moral is... beware of online con men!

 

[A Reel Person]

Dude, Man, I'm really sorry!

I have a dead mint 688 in the closet... actually now in the garage, in original box. Mental note: put back into closet asap. I've made all of 1 test recording on it. "Check 1 2 3". Done. Paid some good bread for it, but it was worth it. My lack of fortitude for recording lately is entirely another situation. However, the R8/812 system is a huge step up in quality and was a good choice. The 644/688 has a much steeper learning curve and is not intuitive at all. Not for the feint of heart.

 

[JimmyS1969]

I just threw one out in the trash a couple weeks ago. I may have lost $20, but it wasn't worth my time to post it on Craigslist, and have some shmo show up, and see my poor grass growing prowess.

 

[A Reel Person]

A 644 out in the trash?

Anyway, the 644 is worth well more than $20. I'd estimate at least $80-$100, depending on the day. However, I think it's a bit too complicated for the casual user. It was a very specialized 90s recording niche it was selling into, in the first place.

 

[James K]

It was certainly complicated. It had the most ridiculous (and seemingly prone to breaking down) routing system ever. The R8 and 812 combo was a very good buy, I made some great recordings on it. I've upgraded to an MS16 with a studiomaster 20/16/2 desk now. The quality is noticeably better than on the R8 and it doesn't suffer any of the dropouts that I used to get. I kind of miss the 812 though. It was in perfect condition and, unlike my studiomaster, it didn't have any crackles whatsoever, a real joy to use. It also had mute switches which my studiomaster doesn't.

I sold the 812 but hung on to the R8. The buttons on the remote are wearing out (I actually bought replacements but got the MS16 before I had the chance to fit them) and it takes about a second to get up to speed but it still works. In fact, I'm going to be using it for some location recording very soon. Hopefully it's as good as I remember. I'll be doubling up the tracks to avoid the dreaded dropout though!!

 

[A Reel Person]

You made 2 quite advanced jumps, there!

It's pretty impressive how you went all-in on analog in a hurry! 688 to R8 to MS16 is a huge jump!

I also think the 644/688 were too complicated for their own good, but I think it was meant to be MIDI capable more than user friendly. Once the menus and functions are handled, it becomes more streamlined to switch between scenes and functions, but I was always more comfortable with physical switches.

$21.50 for a 644 is really a steal, but it's important to note that potential buyers should always verify the dedicated power supply module comes with it, or you'll have a real fine doorstop without it.

 

[dgvc63]

Well done!