Tascam 424 MKIII Opinions

[El Barto]

I just got a 424 MKIII the other day, and so far I'm enjoying it, even though I'm lacking mics (I'll be getting a few SM57s soon). I was wondering what everyone else thinks of this 4 track? Is it really good? Could it be used to make good albums? Or is it too "low quality" for anything like that? Some people say it could work, I think it could. What do you all think? And I've heard talk about recording to a 2-track...one of my favorite bands, Frank Black & the Catholics, did their last two albums "live to a 2-track." How does that work out, and how much do 2 tracks cost? Thank you in advance for any response.

 

[Macka]

You'll make a good album with the Tascam 424 III no worries. The bouncing is the best part, you can come up with very lush and full sounds if you get the mixing right when you bounce down. You might find that when mixing down, you'll hear, very slightly, some sound from other tracks that you mightnt want (little pops when you turn the mic on and off, stuff youve faded down, things like that). Turn off the "Input" switches your not using when mixing down, it sounds better.

 

[El Barto]

Thanks a lot for the reply...I'm really enjoying the 424, and I got my first mic today, an AKG D790...I dig it.

 

[jaebaeli]

El Barto- I use the MKIII and love it

I record all the time with my MKIII, and after you learn a few tricks, i think it does a fine job. I have tested my tapes in jamboxes, car stereos and home stereos and can't really tell the difference between my tapes and commercial ones as far as sound quality. Any problems i have are due to my inexperience in recording and tweaking.

Here's something i HIGHLY recommend:: when you record, put the tape speed on the tascam on HIGH and the pitch on HIGH as well. That eliminates most if not all the residual tape noise.

I use Audiograbber and Audacity software. Both are FREE, easy to use, and do a great job. I run my finished tracks into my PC sound card and use Audiograbber's line-in feature with the normalizing on, usually. Then i open those waves in Audacity and tweak what i need to.

Noise removal is a great feature...during recording i always let the tape run a few long seconds before the drum track starts, so that any room noise (or crickets, or the cat diving in and out of a cardboard box, or the hum of anything i have plugged in) can be taken out by doing a noise sample of that beginning part in Audacity, and then removing it from the whole song. It's amazing how much noise there is underlying the tracks, and it can make the sound muddy. Anyway. I sometimes use compression or High Pass and Low pass filters or Amplify, etc...whatever that particular song might need. I also make sure my mp3 settings are for 192 bitrate. that way i can post it to places like Mperia.com. And the sound quality is better. ....

I use Behringer Studio B1 mic and it does very well. I would never go back to those Shure 58's again, i tell you that. And i have a basic DOD pedal, a Zoom 504 II Acoustic pedal, and an ART Tube MP Studio preamp for the Behringer mic. For drums i use the Casio WK1630, and run a guitar cable from the headphone plug directly into a track on the tascam. I have Edirol MA-5D magnetically sheilded monitor speakers hooked up to my PC for playback. That's about the extent of my equipment. Go to THIS LINK on mperia.com to hear some songs done with the setup i described, using the Tascam. I know i still have a lot to learn in making the best recordings, but i'm so glad to have the basics out of the way, and the recording process is so much easier having done that.
Good luck!
Jae Baeli

 

[A Reel Person]

Agreed, the Tascam 424mkIII Portastudio is a fine, robust, versatile & good sounding-

unit. If you maximize each track, for what it's worth, an "album" may be recorded on it.

I'd say bouncing is a tricky technique, which can be used successfully to beef up the tracks a bit, but a badly done or over used bounce technique can also be the death of an otherwise good mix, so use moderation and forethought in planning, when endeavoring to incorporate bounced tracks onto your 4-track compositions.

The 424mkIII is the best 4-track Tascam Portastudio that's available as new, for a limited time to come, but there are certain little nuances to the limitations that were built in to the 424mkIII, by design. On the flipside, there are other "vintage" (used) Tascam 4-track Porastudios that are a bit more advanced in design and funciton, but that's another post.

If you have a "2-track" recorder, which can be anything from a common cassette deck to a half-track reel-recorder, or even your 'puter, then you may use your 424mkIII's 8-input/6-full channel mixer to mix your live elements into a L/R-stereo mix, and "Line-Out" that signal from the Portastudio's mixer to the "2-track's" inputs, & record what's known as "live-to-2-track", "live-in-studio" or "live-off-the-floor" recordings. Simple as that.

 

[seatick]

older tascam mkII wobble problem

I have an older tascam model 424 mkII ...problem is when it has been running a short period of time....the pitch has a slight wobble...any sugestions?

 

[The Ghost of FM]

I have an older TASCAM model 424 mkII ...problem is when it has been running a short period of time....the pitch has a slight wobble...any suggestions?

Try cleaning the capstan and pinch roller with q-tips and alcohol on the capstan and a suitable rubber cleaner on the pinch roller.

Does it do this all the time on all tapes or just recently on a specific tape?

Cheers!

 

[A Reel Person]

Could be the capstan drive belt, showing it's age.

The 424mkII is going on 7 years of age, by it's initial design, (not necessarily your own 424mkII), but over that span of time, the capstan drive belt can become stretched, loose or unstable.

I'd say: it's the capstan drive belt.

 

[cjacek]

I just got a 424 MKIII the other day, and so far I'm enjoying it, even though I'm lacking mics (I'll be getting a few SM57s soon). I was wondering what everyone else thinks of this 4 track? Is it really good?

Not as good as the "vintage" 244 and 246 but still very usable. However, you must remember that it is HOW you use a recorder (and mics etc..) that's important and not so much which one you have. The 424 MKIII is a fine choice. I'd also not recommend turning the pitch knob to "max" when recording, as some may suggest.

Daniel

 

[DigitalSmigital]

Why the long face, Barto?

you must remember that it is HOW you use a recorder (and mics etc..) that's important and not so much which one you have. The 424 MKIII is a fine choice.

And use it every chance you get, even on less-than-perfect material! (Sorry, private joke)

I do all my homerecording on my 424 mkIII and 464 TASCAM 4 trackers, and enjoy the results, and you will too!

(cue the music) A long-standing favorite of the home enthusiast, the 424 mkIII boasts a 3-band EQ with sweepable mid on each channel, 6 channel strips and one stereo input, plus dbx noise reduction! Perfect for the beginner, and the seasoned pro as well!

 

[cjacek]

And use it every chance you get, even on less-than-perfect material! (Sorry, private joke)

Oh, come on ... .........