Help me jump into the cassette recording world

[Codyeatruck]

Currently i am only using a motu 8pre into my MacBook where I use Logic Pro x.

I'm looking at a tascam 426 because I want that lo fi tape sound for certain stuff.
I'm completely green, would I hook the tascam up to my interface and just use it for it's controls?
Is that possible?
Or are these things meant to just plug a mic into and press record with no daw or anything?
If so, can I get what I record on tape, into logic, then add to it?

I'm also not a fan of being limited to 4 tracks for certain tunes.
Can I record on tape and when I get a take I like, put it on logic and repeat?

Probably very stupid questions that I could find if I googled (and I did). There's just too much nonsense out there and I trust what this forum has to say more than anywhere else.

[friendship]

Currently i am only using a motu 8pre into my MacBook where I use Logic Pro x.

I'm looking at a tascam 426 because I want that lo fi tape sound for certain stuff.
I'm completely green, would I hook the tascam up to my interface and just use it for it's controls?
Is that possible?

Yes, that's possible. Keep in mind that the controls on the cassette 4-track would only effect what is being run into the inputs and recorded to tape. The 4-track would have no effect on what's happening in your DAW, and vice versa, as it's not a digital interface.

Or are these things meant to just plug a mic into and press record with no daw or anything?
If so, can I get what I record on tape, into logic, then add to it?

Yes and yes. The idea behind 4-tracks is that you plug mics/instruments into the inputs and record directly to the cassette tape. You can then plug the outputs of your 4-track into the inputs of your interface which send the sound of the cassette to your DAW.

I'm also not a fan of being limited to 4 tracks for certain tunes.
Can I record on tape and when I get a take I like, put it on logic and repeat?

Yeah, theoretically you could just record over and over your parts as they fly into the DAW and use its unlimited track count to your advantage.

[Codyeatruck]

nice! thanks for taking the time to answer my novice questions, much appreciated!

[Ugly Nora]

You can also combine (bounce) tracks on your Tascam to free up new tracks. The downside of course is that if you wanted to do any post production on that track in your DAW, it would affect all parts you combined.

[Decibill]

In all honesty, recording to a 4 track wont necessarily give you a lo-fi sound. If you record a good performance, from a good source, using a good mic, in a good sounding space, you are going to get a good recording. The lo-fi sound will come more from overloading the pre's on the 4 track which will cause distortion, giving it a lo-fi ish sound.....You'd be better off by using a lo-fi mic or trimming some EQ....Better yet use a lo-fi sound source and record that signal to whatever medium you choose...

[rfurtkamp]

Yea, it's a misnomer that tape will magically sound like crap.

The limitation is in mixing/EQ/track limit on the old accessible cheapies.

On the later Tascams, using decent tape and a clue, you would never, ever guess what it was recorded on.

A poorly maintained shitty one won't sound lo-fi, just bad.

The magic of tape happens on the 1/4" and bigger tape run at speed and hit very, very hard on expensive consoles in the magic space between slight warmth and "The tape is toast" - I've gotten absolutely magical moments on old Tascams, but the problem is that you can't really control it. There's too much variance on the tape itself on consumer cassettes and these days, 15 years after the end of cassette viability in any real sense, I shudder to think how bad the available tapes are.

If you want to jump in, don't look at a 464. You're still limited to 4 tracks recording, just have more inputs on the mixer which could come in handy but not what you're describing. It's also one of the last, expensive relatively hi-fi cassette options.

And the line between good and garbage on 4-tracks is very thin, and you can't rescue garbage from itself.

TL;DR: It's not a bad toy to have if you're willing to jump through the hoops and deal with hassles, but cassette is no lo-fi garden of eden by any stretch.

[rfurtkamp]

Should add one thing: yes, you can record to cassette and import it to your DAW (don't use Logic, but the basic facts apply regardless) - but, and this is a big butt, and I cannot lie, you cannot guarantee sync of what's on the tape and the DAW.

In plain English, you can record complete things in the 4 track (or whatever you want as a base track), dump it to Logic, and add additional tracks there.

You will not be able to reliably record a guitar track, dump it to Logic, record a bass track on cassette too, and make it sync.

You are limited as well on the 4-track's bus options for signal routing out (typically two-track/stereo only) - and your DAW interface's options in as well. Again, plain English - you could record 4 tracks to your 4 track on one cassette, and dump a stereo mix down to your DAW. That's the limit of your production capacity unless you like pain, dumb luck, and the very real possibility you cannot sync everything together. You *can* take that stereo mix, add additional tracks in the DAW, etc - but those stereo tracks are what they are when you import them.

There is a reason I abandoned my beloved 8 track analog recorder besides tape cost, and that was the hassle of dealing with stuff, Modern digital recording is flat out amazing.

[Codyeatruck]

Ok I see what you guys are saying.

I'm curious as to why you say don't use logic though

[rfurtkamp]

I don't use a Mac is reaspn #1.

[friendship]

You can also combine (bounce) tracks on your Tascam to free up new tracks. The downside of course is that if you wanted to do any post production on that track in your DAW, it would affect all parts you combined.

This would actually be a good technique for you to use if you're specifically looking for low fidelity. Rfurtkamp is right, you can actually get great recordings on a 464 so it's not accurate to assume that tape is going to give you an obviously colored sound. With each tape bounce, though, you lose fidelity, so you could basically do this over and over until you get the grimy, hissy sound you desire, then fly it to your DAW.

In terms of the sync issue, this can actually be kind of fun in the lo-fi realm. I used to use a handheld micro cassette recorder, which, if you shook during playback, would vary the tape speed in a cool woozy way.

In fact, if you only want low-fidelity, and are only interested in recording one track at a time, you could pick up a handheld cassette and run that to your DAW. It would definitely be a cheaper, more portable option. Sometimes these have a built-in limiter, so you can get some really gnarly sounds out of it if you push it.

[kbit]

Welp now I want a micro casette recorder. Gonna go scrounge the goodwills.

[friendship]

Word. Keep in mind though when shopping that there are two formats: micro cassette and mini cassette. I forget the difference other than size but I'm sure the information super highway can help you out there.

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

Welp now I want a micro casette recorder. Gonna go scrounge the goodwills.

i got u homie. got a bunch of micros in a walkman lot last week.

[kbit]

[coldbrightsunlight]

Agree with rfurtkamp; 4 tracks can be great but if you record well you'd never notice it is one. If you start to push the pre they can be wonderful, but that can also be achieved with a good pre going into a digital interface.

The limitations of 4 track recording can be really fun I think, I've done some fantastic sessions to a 4 track that resulted in solid recordings, you just have to know how to use one.