Tacam 488 8 Track Portastudio

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werenotdeep

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I am now the proud owner of this beauty. This is the first portastudio I've ever owned, and I was lucky enough to score this little bundle of analog bliss for only $350 on ebay. For those of you who paid $1500 for them when they were still in production, sucks to be you. But guess what, you have gloating rights because unlike me, you probably know how to operate the damn thing. A friend of mine and I sat around and fiddle farted around with it and got 4 tracks recorded, but after he left and I went to record a vocal track (so as not to embarass myself by singing in his presence), I could not seem to get the right combination of knobs and buttons and switches turned such that any of my crooning got on tape, save for about ten seconds, but then I got all 4 of the other previously recorded tracks plus my singing all on the same track. That wasn't what I wanted, and I can't even seem to duplicate that mistake.

Okay, so how do I record ONE track? that's all I want to know. Feel free to ridicule my stupidity, I just want to use this thing. I suppose I should add that no manual was included when I purchased this. Maybe it would be worth the extra $650 for the manual? Hmm...nah.
 
Bummer dude!

Luckily, it's not hard to operate that machine, and you'll get the hang of it.

The cue/mixer knob at the top of each channel strip controls where the audio from the tape goes to...either to the cue bus so you can monitor it in your headphones while you are singing, or to the corresponding mixer strip for doing a mixdown.

So, to record your vocal with what you already have on tape, route the 4 previously recorded tracks to the cue bus with the aforementioned knob. Plug your mic in and turn on the input selector switch at the top of the strip. Arm the vacant target track for your vocal by pushing the button under the display (the track number should start flashing on the LCD display). Select the "group" that your target track is in with the switches just above the volume fader, and turn the pan pot to odd or even depending on what your target track is.

You should now be able to get a level on the display. Adjust your levels and EQ accordingly.

Now look at the "monitor" section just to the left of the display. You should select cue to monitor the cue bus, AND the group bus you are recording to so you can hear yourself singing in the headphones.

Now press record and play and sing like no-one is listening.

Let me know if you have problems, I did this from memory and could be a little rusty!

Twist
 
Okay, thank you. This response will probably actually get me somewhere versus the vague "tough luck, kid, buy the manual"-type response I got in the Tascam forum. Heh heh, but all things considered, that's probably true, but anyway, yeah, I think I'll be able to put that to good use. Thanks a million! You've just possibly helped a lo-fi "artist" (uh....whatever) find his footing. I'll send you a copy of my first seven inch! Heh heh....uh....okay, just kidding. Cheerio.
 
Yo Deep Ones & not sinking:]

I've had two 488's and it takes a while to get the hang. But, when you record a couple of tracks, let's say drums and chords, you must put those RECORDED TRACKS INTO THE CUE MODE TO CONTINUE OVER-DUBBING. If you don't, you'll lose some tracks or things will get screwed up.

So, it works like this: do the music and as you record a track, switch to CUE mode so you can listen to the cut and "add" on to it by "recording another track. You don't need to worry about how loud the drums sound; you control volume in CUE mode with the CUE volume knob, as I remember. [it works the same on my digital MD8] After you've added the vocal, which should be the last track or tracks you record, then you take every track out of CUE mode and put them into PLAY mode and set your levels and listen in via the monitors. [It is difficult to set the levels with cans on as they sound better than what you will actually get when you hear the tape. This is where you also add in reverb.

Your 488 will allow you to hear reverb as you record; however, unless you set it to do so, that REVERB will NOT be in the recording.

There are busses for two reverb units on the 488 so you can have a ball fiddling with reverb on vocals, etc. Tip: don't over do your reverb or your mix will sound like you are singing from the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

But, man, you have to wait for that tape to rewind and rewind and rewind. When you move to digital, you just push a button and, Voila, you're back to start and you arm the next track pretty much like the 488. Once you plug in a digital box, you will never go back to your 488.

But, man, have fun. Hope this helps you.



Green Hornet
 
hmmmm......

Okay, I've taken all the advice, and might I add that a lot of it was far too overly-technical for me at this stage, and answered questions that I didn't ask but eh, I guess I'll be glad later. Problem: I don't see how I've left out one detail of all the tips and instructions I've been given. Strangely enough, I'm still getting bizarre and non-desired results. I'm still just get my voice in the new track as very faint and muffled. All the new instructions make perfect sense (and no, it's not that I have a bad microphone, this is the same one that I used before that got everything recorded fine, but I can't figure out how to duplicate my previous results, and it's not because the microphone has since broken, because I've tried other mics), and they did get me somewhere, but not far enough. If you still don't know what to tell me...well, then I'll figure it out, find the manual somehow. Again, ALL I want to do at this stage is record on ONE track and ONE track only, and I need to be able to hear the tracks I previously recorded during recording without recording on top of them or having them dump into the new track. I don't care about mixing down or anything like that at this point. I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Thanks, though for the advice so far, and the patience.

-Chris
 
Yo getting deeper and sinking:]

I picked up your comment, you "want to record one track and one track only...." but you have other tracks in the background/previously recorded?

OK. All "previously" recorded tracks must be put into CUE mode. You can control the CUE volume and turn up drums or bass or chords -- it makes no difference until you get ALL TRACKS DONE and want to mix down.

So, with your background tracks in the CUE mode, you open up a track or enable it to record your guitar or whatever. This one track is in record mode, NOT IN CUE MODE. You can pipe in reverb but it won't be recorded unless you go through the right buttons to do so, which is in the manual. Nice to hear the verbs while overdubbing.

Got your guitar track done? Take all tracks OUT OF CUE MODE AND PUSH THE LITTLE BUTTON TO PLAY BACK MODE. All tracks in playback mode are now ready to be adjusted, tweaked, reverbed, volumized, etc.


Listen to the mix through your monitors as you make adjustments.

Now you are ready to go to tape, CD or DAT or whatever.


Good luck. Also, you can go to the TASCAM forum and find out more.


Green Hornet
 
humility

Hmmm, I contemplated in my initial posts putting the phrase "I'm not a total moron". But, uh, yeah I am. I had the track I wanted to record in Cue mode. I though you were trying to tell me that that's what I needed to do, heh heh. Okay, well, I'm going to go record some more tracks, and then I'm going to go learn how to READ. Heh heh, thanks again.

-Chris
 
Yo CHris:

If those engineers who write the manuals only knew that people who buy the recorders are not engineers, well, man, it would be easy. But, then, we wouldn't have this great site.

Glad to help. Once you get the hang of it, it's very easy, well almost.


Green Hornet
 
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