Tascam 688 Whatcha Thank?

[litlwing]

I'm trying to buy a Tascam 688 for some home recording. I was told (gullable)that Steve Via (spelling?)recorded his first album on one. I'm more blues oriented but I like the fact of getting quality sound and saving some money. So whatcha thank?...Is it true or do I need to go buy some swampland in Texas?

 

[Dex]

I don't know about the demo you're talking about, but I do have a 688.

I've used a multitude of the portas, from 414s to 388s (the 1/4" 8-track with mixer built into a console).
Most extensively I've used the 488MkII (to record/mix 3 demos) and the 688 (so far just one indy release on it).

My own experience is that the 488MkII might have some minorly improved electronics inside, but its lack of other niceties that the 688 provides doesn't really make it a comparable unit.

The main differences (to the average user) are:
488 - 2 mic. inputs (with phantom)
688 - 10 mic inputs (no phantom)
488 - 4-bus router/mixer (4 tracks recordable at once)
688 - 8-bus router/mixer (8 at once)
488 - pushbutton bussing
688 - electronic bussing
488 - No track outputs; stereo out ONLY
688 - individual track outs (so you can copy up to ADAT or similar)

The learning curve for the 688 is definitely steeper (takes 30 minutes to learn rather than 10).
The 688 is slightly larger, slightly heavier, and a hell of a lot more robust/tough than the 488.
The tape transport is essentially the same. The specs on it are identical (as far as I've been able to find). You can take tapes from one to the other without hassle.

Now, considering these main differences, and assuming you can find one in good shape (shouldn't be hard), I'd choose the 688 over the 488. Of course, you can get a digital unit for not much more, but then you're (usually) stuck with a mixer where you can only play with a couple of tracks at once and such.

I've never had any serious complaints about the sound quality of any of these units. They may not have ruler-flat response from 20Hz-20kHz, but they still sound damned good. In fact, when I saw the 488MkII for the first time, I groaned - then I used it. It blew my socks off. The 688 is no different in that regard. You'll find yourself wondering, "How do they do that with CASSETTE?"

Anyway. Hope that gives you some idea. If you have any other questions, please ask.

D.

[This message has been edited by Dex (edited 05-21-2000).]

 

[moo]

I was on a sesion recorded on a 688, we recorded electronic drums (direct into the board) fender bass (direct into the board) an electric acoustic (direct) and a Yamaha key board direct. the only miked parts were the vocals. the sound was fantastic! a bit of reverb on the vocals. This session was converted to digital and mastered on cd. i liked the sound better before it was digital. we did a nice country cd. good enough for the artist to sell off stage. if you can get your hands on a 688 grab it! icouldn't find one and settled for a 488 mkII. i like it a lot.
hope this helps
later moo

 

[rocky]

Dex:
Do you still have your 388? I bought one new many moons ago, and continue to use it for some analog tracking and mixing capabilities, although my primary recorder now is a Roland VS 1680.

But, those 388's were (are) sweet, no?

 

[Dex]

The 388 I used belonged to the local University. Alas, it was not well kept, and in the 3 years from the first to the last time I used it its condition had degraded so far that the outer tracks no longer worked, etc. It seemed that students kept using cue to rewing/fast-forward their tapes instead of the actual rewind etc, and thereby destroyed the heads in no time at all.

I've used several 1/4" 8-track machines (tascam and fostex) with dbx; yeah, the sound is great. The thing I love about analogue is the fact that the headroom and freq. resp. of a given unit/tape is actually a tangible thing on playback.

D.

 

[El Barto]

I'm thinking 8 tracks would be way better than 4 now, and I am an analog fan (screw digital), so do you guys think it'd be worth selling my nearly new Tascam 424MKIII and getting a used 688? Where can I find one now a days? Just ebay? I'm worried I might get shafted and have it be in not-so-good condition. If this is the case, how much would it cost to have it looked at and fixed usually?