What do I need doing to my cassette tracks?

W

Will25

New member
Ok so this isn't exactly a newbie question but I don't know where else to put it!

I have some songs on a tascam 488 mk II and I want them converted to digital and then edited a bit to get them sounding 'better'. I don't want them remixed as such...I can do mostly what I want on the Tascam itself but I would like to have them refined to CD/marketable quality as doing it through my cheap USB interface isn't that great, and I want to get all the tracks out separately. How should I describe this to a studio and what would actually need to be done to the single tracks once on the computer? The engineer I'm emailing at the moment likes to work on the tracks on his own and then show the client, whereas I'd prefer to be there really...

many thanks
 
Firstly, are you able to get all the tracks out separately, simultaneously ? I'm currently doing this with the MK 1. It can be done pretty easilly. Because of the way the tracks are gotten out, quite a bit of work needs to be done to them, depending on how they were recorded in the first place. Mine were/are a combination of newbieness, experimentation and too much effects and as such, are hard to do much with, but I persevere.
 
Ahh really? I haven't actually tried it yet but I was assuming the tracks would come out the same way as if you were doing a normal line out (ie so all the eq settings were kept)...is this still the case? :S
 
Yeah, it's the case. I did a thread in the Tascam forum on getting 8 tracks out of the MK 1 with pictures, settings and all.
Basically, the four group 'outs' are the ones that fall 100% exactly as they come out. The two that come out of the effects sends are fine but when there's nothing on the tracks, you hear a low level mix of some of the stuff. Easy to remove and once there's sound on it, the signal to noise ratio makes it not an issue. The sounds that come out via the headphone socket are a little raw, but easilly fixed and the track 8 that comes out of the sync out is the one over which there is no control. The dolby is disabled and it comes out as is, depending on how it was recorded. It's a little fizzy, but again, it's not hard to fix.
Basically, all the EQ settings and effects and whatever are pretty intact. The four group outs are the best though. Having said that, it's negligible.
Bit by bit, I've been transfering songs over to my 12 track DAW and remixing. I think they sound better, but I'm conscious that it's a salvage job I'm doing here.
 
I see what you mean, thanks for clearing that up. Would you recommend just using a stereo mix then, and effectively editing the track as a whole? I mean, is there much need to have 8 separate tracks? I just thought it would be necessary but if it's not much more beneficial it seems a lot of hassle (and studio time) editing the 8 tracks separately.
 
Well, that's kind of dependent on you. I think there is value in having the 8 tracks separate. Sure, it may be time consuming but the end result may well justify it. Earlier today, I was cleaning up and working on one of my old tunes that I'd flown in to my DAW from the MK 1. I was able to do a little editing and general jiggery pokery that I couldn't have otherwise done. And when I mix it in the next couple of days, I can EQ it to tame some of the experimental excesses that I cursed it with back in 1999 when I started recording it.
 
Hmmm...I'm kind of undecided. I'd love to spend the time/money on doing the tracks separately, not sure if I could afford it though. I'll enquire for an overall price, I think it does sound the better option. Thanks again for your help.

On a similar (but slightly different) note, when I have the tracks on the computer as a 2 track stereo mix, is there much difference in how people master? I know mixing is much more subjective but would I be better off sending my tracks to someone like this 24-96 Mastering | for e-mastering because they've worked with artists I like the sound of, or should I work with my local recording studio? Obviously the bigger studio will have more resources but I'm not sure...
 
I don't know about how people master but I would imagine that each mastering engineer is every bit as subjective and different in how they approach a given project. Same way a mixer would be. Or a guitarist. Or a trumpeter.
I remember something that was written in the manual of the first multitracker I ever used, the Fostex X15 FOSTEX.JPGregarding mixing. It said something to the effect of "Aside from the accepted practice of putting the vocals and bass in the middle............mixing is far more art than science". You've only got to look at the wide variety of opinion on any one subject here to see that subjectivity is the order of the day.
I can't recommend online masterers because I know nothing about them but what have you to lose ? That said, I would ask our own Massive Master about this.
 
Hmm that's exactly right I guess! I think I'll worry about that later on, time to plough on with some more recording and mixing I think then I can address the songs as a whole. Thanks again for your help
 
Is it possible to transfer single tracks one by one and then lining them up on a DAW? I'm guessing it's hard to line them up though...might give it a go later.
 
Will25 said:
Is it possible to transfer single tracks one by one and then lining them up on a DAW? I'm guessing it's hard to line them up though...might give it a go later.
Click to expand...
From the 488 I've never been able to. When I've tried, it turns into the most frustratingly infuriating night in living memory. I would imagine there is a way but having managed to get all 8 out at once, I'm home, James.
 
Really? How come? Just out of interest! I'm only thinking of the price difference between a 2 track interface and an 8 track...
 
Will25 said:
Really? How come? Just out of interest! I'm only thinking of the price difference between a 2 track interface and an 8 track...
Click to expand...

I've never dropped 8 tracks out and tried to line 'em up one at a time, but I see no reason why it's not doable. Something that would help....if you've got room before the tune starts on the 8 track master, record across all 8 tracks, 4 strong clicks.

When you import those tracks as .wav, one at a time, you'll be glad you've got those 4 spikes in the waveform to help line em up.
 
I found it to be a pain in the patootie trying line up the tracks simply because of the drift. Because cassettes never run at exactly the same speed in any two plays, even if you start your transfer at the same point, they drift out of time. It could be done by 'striping' track 8 and using some kind of time code thingy but you'd always lose track 8, which meant you only had 7 tracks. Well you can do that anyway on a Mark 1 using the Dragon/Les Cargill system. But since I can get 8 tracks out simultaneously, there's no looking back. And like I mentioned earlier only track 8 {coming via the sync} is in need of a more drastic cleaning up.
I've been regularly transferring my 8 tracks to my DAW over the last couple of months. I wouldn't bother if I couldn't get the 8 out simultaneously. Been there, done that, lived the frustration, survived to tell the tale !
 
I guess that makes sense actually, I can see that begin frustrating. Will I *need* to get 8 tracks out separately to get a professional sounding recording though? I've only been using a cheap interface and not using compression on my final mixes in the past, but with some treatment on a DAW can I get a full sounding recording?
 
Will25 said:
Will I *need* to get 8 tracks out separately to get a professional sounding recording though?
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what you mean by this exactly. Actually, I don't understand the question. It seems like 2 separate issues in there. Getting eight tracks out simultaneously seems to me to only make sense if you want them in a DAW, a reel to reel or another 8 track cassette portastudio. The only reason I can think you'd want them in another cassette portastudio is because there's something wrong with your original one or the tape itself is about to die and you want to copy it across before it does die.
That leaves the reel to reel and the DAW and both are sonic quality issues. Half, one or two inch tape is going to give you better quality than the width of cassette split into 8. So you'd transfer to the R2R for that.
Going into the DAW would be for editing advantages and/or the kind of stuff you could do to make the tracks sound better {to you}. Whether or not you could get them to sound 'professional' is another matter and down to taste. Whether you get the tracks out simultaneously, 2 by 2, one at a time or however they come, is no guarantee of how they will end up when you're done working on them.
Will25 said:
I've only been using a cheap interface and not using compression on my final mixes in the past, but with some treatment on a DAW can I get a full sounding recording?
Click to expand...
I suppose so. But to reiterate, nothing in and of itself is going to make any recording sound professional. It's how you deal with the combination of tools that will determine that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top