What Tascam 8 Track reel to reel?

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Ginazgifs

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Hello All,
I might be in the Market for a used 8 Track reel to reel, and I was wondering if someone can explain to me what the main differences are between the Tascam TRS-8, 38, and 80-8. (I was also considering the 388, But wasn't sure if would lose some fidelity with the 1/4" tapes, compared to the 1/2" tape machines)

I'm looking for simplest machine to operate, with the least amount of features and as maintenance free as possible (if there is such a thing when it comes to reel to reel) Thanks everyone
 
Tascam 8 tracks

If you want a easy-to-operate 8-track Tascam, pick the 388. It basically functions as a big portastudio. For 1/2" machines, you should probably pick the TSR-8, it's the last of the machines made and DBX NR is built-in. The TSR (or 38/80-8) has better fidelity than the 388, but the 388 has a cool sound of its own. In addition, 1/4* 7" reel tape is much less expensive than 1/2".

No matter which machine you pick, pick a good technician and have the machine serviced, aligned and calibrated for the tape that it was designed to use; for Tascams, that would be Quantegy 456 for the 1/2" machines and 457 for the 388. It won't be inexpensive, but your machine will work as intended and give you consistently good results.

If you truly want to run a machine with the newer tape formulations out there (499, GP9), then pick a more robust recorder, like a Otari or a Tascam 48 or 58.
 
Last edited:
Ginazgifs said:
Hello All,
I might be in the Market for a used 8 Track reel to reel, and I was wondering if someone can explain to me what the main differences are between the Tascam TRS-8, 38, and 80-8. (I was also considering the 388, But wasn't sure if would lose some fidelity with the 1/4" tapes, compared to the 1/2" tape machines)

I'm looking for simplest machine to operate, with the least amount of features and as maintenance free as possible (if there is such a thing when it comes to reel to reel) Thanks everyone
Click to expand...

80-8 if you find one in mint cond.

Trs-8 if you can find one in mint cond.
388 low quality for sound, period. Great package for recording ideas quickly, but poor sonics for real recording.

Had them all (use a 388 for a long time)

You can fight about it, or learn a hard lesson later. Either way,

Good Luck.
 
In terms of mechanical stability, only the 48 and 58 models offed direct drive capstan designs so as far as reliability goes, these decks would be the best built and originally designed for lower budget, professional recording studios.

The don't have the dbx built in but, if your recording rock and roll, (loud constant music), and keep your levels hot, you'll not have to contend with very much audible tape hiss except for quieter breaks in the music and that can be cleaned up with gates or software based solutions once transfered to digital. Optional DX-D4 dbx noise reduction units can also be added to either of these decks and on the used market, will add only a couple of hundred buck to the price and if employed, will give the deck comparable noise specs to the best of digital.

Which ever you choose, budget for maintenance to bring the deck into proper calibration and once done, you'll have a great tool at your disposal.

Cheers! :)
 
hi everybody.
thanks for all the comments. they were all very helpful. I'm going in the direction of getting buying a used mixing board and pick up a Teac 80-8 38, or a TSR over a 388-- only because if I'm going to invest the time and effort into a reel to reel I might as well go for the thicker 1/2" reel for a slightly thicker and higher fidelity sound over, the thinner 1/4" reels. although the convenience of the mixing board and recorder being included in one package, and the lower cost of the 1/4" tapes are still very appealing- so, maybe im still on the fence :)

however, im wondering since the 38 doesn't come with dbx, would I need to buy a dbx unit for each of the 8 tracks, or would I just need to buy one dbx unit for all 8 tracks, and what are some of the dbx units out there, that would work on the Tascam 38.

Thanks for yur help fellas
 
can anyone help out with this question?

I'm strying to figure out if I would need to buy a dbx unit for each of the 8 tracks, on a Tascam 38-8, or would I just need to buy one dbx unit for all 8 tracks, and what are some of the dbx units out there, that would work on the Tascam 38.
 
For the tascam 38 you would need two DX-4d units. Thease would be the cheapest and best way to go.
 
388

Ijust got a 388 what are the 4 buttons next to the counter?

KC
 
Reset - resets the tape counter to 0
RTZ - Return to Zero
STC - Seek to Cue
CUE - sets Cue point

In practice, you should press RESET at the beginning of the song, resetting the counter to 0. Play the song, and at the end of the song press CUE, which sets the Cue point. Then, press RTZ and Play, & the 388 returns to 0 and plays from the beginning. When it reaches the Cue point, it will rewind again and play from 0 (endless loop play mode).

If, by chance, you ever wanted to seek directly to the Cue point, you'd press STC, and the 388 would RW or FF to the Cue point.

The Check button just displays what tape count the Cue point is set at.

;)
 
Ginazgifs said:
I'm strying to figure out if I would need to buy a dbx unit for each of the 8 tracks, on a Tascam 38-8, or would I just need to buy one dbx unit for all 8 tracks, and what are some of the dbx units out there, that would work on the Tascam 38.
Click to expand...


There are also dbx-150 2-channel units that work with the 38, etc. You'd need 4 of them. That's what I have for my 38. I'm not sure if they are any better or worse than the dx-4d units though.
 
Thanks for the info! :)

So, are there any other dbx, or Tascam units that could provide dbx noise reduction on all 8 tracks, and that would be compatible with a Tascam 38?
 
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