Tascam 246!

  • Thread starter Thread starter ksounds
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ksounds

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Hi...been lurking around for a while, this is my first post. I grew up using analog 4-tracks. Around 3 years ago I decided to get serious and develop a digital home recording studio. Soo many problems. I really hated recording on a computer. So, I tried a digital multitrack(dp-01fx), better, I thought, but I was just kidding myself. So, with the used market value of the 246 I figured what do I have to lose right? Well $210.00 later(including shipping, what a steal), I have a mint 246, AND I COULDN"T BE HAPPIER! I'm like that 16 year old kid again with my 414. However, this piece of kit is a big step up! I love everything about it, from the uv meters to the dbx, the transport to the eq controls...it's all perfect, really. And the quality of it all! The funny thing is, years ago I did a quick two song demo on a 244 a friend loaned me for the night, and that sound has always been with me, in the back of my mind, even though I had no idea what I was recording on or what kind of impact that quick session would leave on me. It's taken a while, but I believe I've come full circle back to that point. Augment the 246 with a Jim Williams modified Lexicon LXP-1, LXP-5 and MRC, Symetrix se-400 and you have a truly awesome home studio setup. Analog rules, and cassette is analog, don't let anyone tell you differently! It's amazing how much MORE this unit is than what's offered in the digital tascams of today. Thanks for the posts everyone :D
246.jpg

studio.jpg
 
damn..."vu" meters. By the way, the preamps on this thing are awesome.
 
Couldn't agree more. The 244 and 246 are indeed the highest quality all-in-one cassette portastudios. It's an absolute joy to work with those machines. The LXP line is top end stuff too. Great picts btw! :)
 

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ah ha!

Is this how you make the images show up in the thread? This is a test.
studio.jpg
 
guess not...how do you do that? I tried attaching. hmmmmm.
 
Unfortunately and for some odd reason the IMG code is turned off and thus we are left with attaching images directly to the reply. Just press "Manage Attachements" below your reply screen and you can attach picts. The catch is, they can't be too large, 64k max I believe. What you need to do is get yourself a cool little free program called Easy Thumbnails and, via trial and error, arrive at an acceptable size and resolution via the compression settings. For your picture it was easy 'cause I didn't have to resize it but only compress it slightly. I used 89% jpeg quality with no resize option. Try it, it's quite easy. ;)
 
I still have my original 246 purchased new in the Chicago burbs about 20 years ago. Few people can imagine what 4-tracks on cassette can do until they give this mother of all portastudios a whirl. :)

And amen to the Lexicon LXP-1... another timeless piece that puts many modern units to shame. ;)
 
Thanks cjacek...I'll try that next time. Also, this unit is still new to me-have only had it two weeks, but I will post something up as soon as I get it done. Maybe in the next week...
 
By the way....
I need to mention to anyone who may be doing a little research on these units, that there is an insert for each channel, as well as two possible effects sends if you choose, making it extremely flexible to use with your outboard gear (great for equalizers compressors!) Also, if using an external preamp for phantom power, the gain from your preamp is more than enough to drive line level signals into the board with out having to even crack the tascam's trim control, in effect more or less bypassing the tascam preamp?-which leads to no audible noise increase with an external preamp, that I can tell anyway. However, as I said, the tascam's preamps are very quiet, and you literally have to turn them fully clockwise to hear any noticeable hiss. How great is that?! I know that with the dp-01, even using an external preamp, you had to open up the inputs up to around 12:00, so you there was basically a preamped preamp signal.
 
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