ilovefuzz.com

So I feel like I'm long overdue in looking into analogue recording equipment for my band's home studio/practice space. I'm really ignorant on this subject, but definitely interesting in finding a 4-track device on the cheaper side. Bottom line, what do you guys recommend as a starter? Educate me, please.

Thanks.

Look for a Tascam 688.
May take a little looking to come up with one.

It's basically an 8 channel mixer with an eight track cassette built in.
It also allows for midi control.

it has an instrument, line and xlr input for each channel.
Lots of outputs mixing panning etc.

you can ru the out put into an interface to load onto you laptop, pc etc.

It's a pretty versatile machine.

MM

That sounds fucking awesome.

metalmariachi wrote: you can into an interface to load onto you laptop, pc etc.

This is also absolutely key as I want to be able to digitally mix.

Any other alternatives that might be easier to find if this is an impossibility?

Edit: Also interested in learning about reel-to-reel type stuff as well, which I know next to nothing about.

i had a tascam 424 when i started out, sold it for a fancy roland v-studio (zip disks...ughhh), but have gone back to a 424 mkIII.

lol, i feel u tiger on the zip disks.....i recently escaped the zips in my mpc after my disks started gettin that click of death thing and corrupting all the time....got a card reader and it was the best thing that ever happend.


i had a tascam 414 for a lil bit, used it only a handful of times before i sold it but thought it was really cool and the sound quality was tight.
tascam seems like a good bet. as i believe a lot of music back in the day was recorded on those lil bad boys


what i really want to get into in the near future is a reel to reel.

I have a Tascam 424 mkIII that I used extensively for band rehearsals/demo recordings, with some very good results. Part of the cool thing about tape is that if you push the levels a bit it distorts and if you play around a bit, you can get some interesting effects. I'm afraid I've since gone over to digital recording on my laptop, but the Tascam may well get used again in the future. I'd highly recommend one and you can probably pick them up cheap.

My only concern with reel to reel is that it is a very expensive option - the machines themselves cost a lot in the first place, tape is priced high, and you have to factor in the inevitable repairs/constant maintenance to these pretty old machines, that can often be a pain in the neck to deal with. A well known producer friend of mine once advised me against it when I asked him for his advice. But you know, that's one opinion, and for sure if I had the money and the skills, I'd love to have a 8 track reel to reel setup for home recording.

But alas...