wanted to know(effects)

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billyboy2674

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looking to buy the tascam 424mk-II four tracker.My question is-If I get a decent condenser mike for vocals will I be able to get reverb/echo effects for these from the machine itself or do I need an external effects source to make the vocals sound wet?If I do need an external source what would be the cheapest way to go(lol)as I'm rather financially handicapped at the moment?someone plz lemme know!!!!!:-)

p.s.If i CAN get the effects from the machine itself-can I get them off any tascam 4 tracker or is it just in some?
 
I doubt it...

I've never used one of these tape four tracks, but after reading the product info, it doesn't sound to me like it has reverb (or anything else, for that matter) built in.

However, on the TASCAM page they have an MSRP of $499 for this thing.

Paying that much for a four-track tape recorder is ridiculous, in my humble opinion. Check out http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7...5184/g=rec/search/c=4762/c=4763/c=5315/c=4867 ...it should show you some listings for digital recorders over at Musician's Friend. There are some there for the same price, some cheaper, some more expensive, but all much more practical than a four-track tape recorder.

I have an old Boss digital recorder...I think it's the BR-8; regardless, it's pretty sweet, and I paid $400 for it. These digital recorders all include scores of effects; in fact, I still use some of the effects on my Boss board with my Pro Tools studio.

Good luck...
 
Unfortunately the 424 does NOT have built-in internal effects.
(as fas as reverb,chorus, etc.)
The only effects that it does have are the EQ controls.

You can pick-up a unit that attaches to the 424 fairly inexpensively (79.00). I have an Alesis Ineko that I use to make the effects loop on my 424.
Follow the instructions in your manual as how to wire it up and you can't go wrong. You can then control the amount of effect you want using the effects 1 or 2 controls.

Good luck!
 
I'd seriously consider taking that money and figure out a way to record on your computer. Even a built in sound card will sound waaayyy better than a tape 4 track and the limitations of 4 track will drive you nuts after a few minutes. You could get a little cheap-o Behringer mixer, few cables to hook the stuff up and Acid Pro 4 for well under $500,with enough cash left over to buy some quality beer to help you figure it all out. You could use that little setup to make decent drum tracks and record your guitar vocal stuff. Not a pro level setup but it would blow away a 4 track, not to mention you can edit alot easier. SUper easy to record and edit audio parts in it. Say you have a guitar part in the middle of the song and want to use it somewhere else. Couple clicks later it's there too. Maybe throw in some compression and reverb ect. Reverbs could be a litttle better from what I've tired, but I heard you can use Cubase VST plugins?
Then when you want to "mix down", you can render it to a wave or MP3 file for putting it on CD or emailing it to your friends. Neat app. I'm addictced.
 
I would agree.... go with a digital unit if you can. Cassette will drive you nuts after a short time. It is (IMO) one of the worst audio formats ever. A digital unit will sound WAY better, give you more tracks, and more than likely include effects.

You can probably find a used Roland VS digital workstation on Ebay for a reasonable price. I had a VS1680 for quite some time and it was a great tool.

Another thing... You mentioned a condenser microphone (which is a good choice btw). Be sure that whatever you get recorder-wise has phantom power (required for condenser microphones... unless you get an electret condenser, like an AKG C1000 for instance, which can be powerd by batteries). No cassette multitrack recorders that I have seen offer phantom power onboard (but then again, I had one for a VERY SHORT time when I was getting into it too and since then avoid them like the plauge). That will require you to get an external unit (Yeah... you can get one as cheap as $30, but that's just one more thing, ya know?)

Just my 2 cents.

Later

-Chris
 
2 more pennies

I am one of those die-hard analog home recorders.
I started out with the 424 and after some time moved to the computer recording. While I'm sure that there are much better computer recorders out there, there are worse ones also.
I found that the analog is a much warmer of a sound. It was more of a "real" sound. Something I could not get with the PC. It was way too "computerized" for my tastes.
Even though it could do more tracks and all that stuff, the final sound just didn't sound like me.
Needless to say I am back recording with the 424 and enjoy it much better.
Remember this, If you are looking to have a recording unit that does alot of "tracks", be prepared to go the PC way.
But if you opt for the 424, don't plan on using the machine to do more than it is intended to do. If you wind up wanting say 5,6,7, or more tracks, the quality of sound will surely decrease.
Small add-on effects units are fairly inexpensive though and can change your sound dramaticly.
 
cap

thats exactly what I wanted to say but didnt have the nerve.besides that-Ive had such a hard time with computers that Ive rendered them unreliable.You store ever bit of information in there-do your backups once in a while-but one night you go to sleep and when you wake up the damned thing wont work and viola!-youve lost plenty of information.If I ever turn digital-it'll be with a self contained recorder of some sort.
 
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