Tascam 4-Track recorder question
jimbo_lizardking
Posts: 14
Hey guys,
I just new to recording and Im looking to buy a 4-track tape recorder just to put down some demos. Was having a look through ebay, anyone know if this is a decent enough recorder for starting with?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7399782258&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1
I just new to recording and Im looking to buy a 4-track tape recorder just to put down some demos. Was having a look through ebay, anyone know if this is a decent enough recorder for starting with?
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7399782258&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1
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the only thing "wrong" with that is that it is TAPE ...
check these out...
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/home/navigation?N=100001+9&Ntk=All&Ntt=digital+recorder&Nty=1&page=1
any of them ...
if you can scrape togeather the extra $100 ... or find any on ebay ... DIGITAL is the way to go.
TAPE demos are all but GARBAGE in this day and age.
Trust me, i spent $800 on a tape 8track tascam in like '95 ... and it is WORTHLESS to me now ... i would NEVER use it ...
you can't get anything you've recorded on tape OFF of it without it hissing and sounding like utter crap.
at least if you record in digital on a dedicated 8 or 4track, you can burn or otherwise transfer the tracks off to computer for mixing\editing\mastering\effects later if you want ...
digital means you have the possibility of NON-LINEAR EDITING too.
and, honestly,
if you have even a half decent computer,
I WOULD CONSIDER THIS:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Recording/Computer/Hardware?sku=241483
think about where you are headed & need,
let us know.
If I opened it now would you not understand?
Harrison
2005.09.05
"how many people did die from that?...did P.Diddy kill them?" - Eddie Vedder 2006.02.19
you're telling him an oldschool tascam casette 4track is going to have better fidelity than a digital device !?!
c'mon now ...
those things have channels that bleed in to eachother SOoooooooooooooo bad it hurts.
but what are you gonna do?
it's a freaking casette tape.
i still discourage the purchase of a casette 4 or 8 track.
the freedom you'll find mixing on a computer or a digital device FAR outways the benefit of whatever harisson is talking about ...
the fidelity on those things is poo-poo,imho.
If I opened it now would you not understand?
im in 100% on your side, lol, i just needed to get that off my chest, lol, but "direct to disc" (live-time vinyl cutting) recording is supposed to be the number 1 way to capture the studio sound without losing any quality of the performance, only problem is, there is probly less engineers to do this than there is machines even, rare rare rare!
Harrison
2005.09.05
"how many people did die from that?...did P.Diddy kill them?" - Eddie Vedder 2006.02.19
Shortly thereafter, I decided I simply had to upgrade. So, I bought myself a new Roland VS-880ex, which was going for the best part of 2500 Aussie Dollars at the time. Wrote and recorded three songs and fiddled around with delay and reverb and that stupid record player effect for the next two years. During this period, I decided it was necessary to buy about ten more microphones, a few good preamps, some better monitors and finally, a Roland VS-1680 (because 64 virtual tracks was obviously not enough for the THREE tracks I'd recorded in TWO years).
So now I've got about twenty grand worth of recording gear collecting smoke and dust in my garage and what does it get used for? Check out the "Drunken Covers" thread and find out.
Moral of the story? The more stuff you've got to fuck around with, the more you'll fuck around.
you should definately try to avoid overloading on gear before you get grounded with some basics.
that being said,
if he had a computer, this is no frills recording goodness:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...are?sku=241483
there is actualy less to fuck around with on this thing than on the 4track.
there is no EQ section, and he doesn't have to worry about physicaly rewinding tape.
Sure there is some stuff to goof around with in Cubase LE ... but, as it is the "LE" edition ... there really isn't too much.
Besides,
I still maintain that learning the fundamentals of NON-LINEAR EDITING is a MUST!
Punching-in over a tape track just won't get you very far ... imho.
Just a thought.
That and the quality of demos recorded on tape sucks so bad.
You have four REAL tracks on a cassette tape ... it's the way they are made ... two on each side ... and the 4track runs them all the same way ... so you're recording on four paralell bands that are side by side ... sound is GUARANTEED to BLEED from one track to another ...
that means if you lay down some drums, after you lay down guitar ... but then decide to re record the drums ... you can go listen to the guitar track by itself and you'll likely still here bleed from the OLD drum track ...
it REALLY SUCKS!
If I opened it now would you not understand?
Sorry, just to clarify: you're not looking at becoming a recording engineer? You just want to "put down some demos" and want a "decent enough recorder for starting with"? No need to spend more than $200 on the recorder itself. Use any extra cash to buy a second, or better, microphone.