Anybody still dig 4-track recording?

Ranbat · December 10, 2011, 11:53:32 PM

I've got an opportunity to buy a Tascam 424 mkII 4 track machine still in the box for super cheap. I was just wondering if anybody else still uses them, if anybody has anything good or bad to say about the 424 mkII, and what peoples favorite 4 track machines are.

liquidsmoke · December 11, 2011, 02:20:30 AM

I bought an old Tascam 8 track cassette unit a few years ago, used it once for about an hour and then it sat collecting dust until I sold it on ebay a couple months ago. My Mac has GarageBand so I figure why mess around with something that has motors and what not that will eventually break down? If you want to go analog go real to real for some serious fidelity. I used a 4 track a long time ago for experimental/industrial/noise stuff and it worked okay but you could usually hear the tape hiss on the finished product.

bbottom · December 11, 2011, 03:40:56 AM

they are more trouble than what they are worth. Especially considering that their are other more efficient alternatives for about the same price if not less

jibberish · December 11, 2011, 08:44:32 AM

i did some really fun stuff with my yamaha 4-track.

yes the rewind back to a location is a drag. there obviously is no looping to learn a part on one.
you can't bounce tracks too many times or the background noise floor gets too big.

the positives:

1) tape saturates cleaner than digital. more forgiving if you touch peak.
2) flipping the tape over makes for easy reverse recording techniques
3) my yamaha had 2 speeds. one exactly double the other. this was a built in octave synthesizer. tape slow for ocatave up when played fast or tape fast for octave down when played slow.

i'm not sure i would deliberately get one now though. i would get a tascam or korg hard disc recorder first for a multi-tracker

That being said, I still have my yamaha should i decide to horse around more with mastering onto 4-track cassette for some analog vibe or some more tricks.

BrianDamage · December 11, 2011, 01:10:15 PM

Moss uses 4 tracks to record their albums and I love the way their stuff sounds. But they are a pain in the ass compared to digital recording. I use digital for demoing stuff and then when it's time for my bands to record I go to a local studio here that does all analog reel to reel action for that 70's vibe.

Ranbat · December 11, 2011, 05:54:21 PM

I've used Audacity and Garage Band. They're easy to use, but I just don't get as enthused about a project when using them. So, I'm sticking with the 4 track for awhile. I just love the whole process of dropping a cassette in the 4 track, twisting knobs, sliding faders, watching level LEDs... using a computer makes me feel detached or separated from the task.

fallen · December 11, 2011, 06:25:28 PM

A cool workflow if you are into the sound of tape is to track onto tape and then dump those tracks into protools for editing and mixdown.

Best of both worlds.

Ranbat · December 11, 2011, 07:05:51 PM

I did that for my last band w/Audacity. Made it easier to do fade outs (or ins) and edit endings. It was also easier to make discs and post songs on MySpace.

spookstrickland · December 11, 2011, 09:26:05 PM

I love the old Cassette studios. I had one for years but it died on me. If I could go down and buy a new one just like it I would but I'm thinking about picking one up on ebay or something.

mawso · December 11, 2011, 11:07:33 PM

i used to jam with a bassist about 8-10 years ago, and i loved his 4 track.

it was just a really easy way of getting song ideas down

it was also cool to tune down to C#, drop acid and jam along to a drum machine.. most of the shit we recorded was pretty much nonsense but some of it was awesome.. wish i still had those tapes!

i got one of those boss digital 8 track recorders some years later, and the thing took about 18 times longer to actually get anything done

these days i tend to just store the song i'm working on in my head, then show it to the band next time we jam, and that seems to work just fine

(my memory is way less impaired by drugs tho)

spookstrickland · December 11, 2011, 11:34:27 PM

Quote from: mawso on December 11, 2011, 11:07:33 PM

i got one of those boss digital 8 track recorders some years later, and the thing took about 18 times longer to actually get anything done

Yes, that is what buggs teh shit out of me about most digital recorders!!!!!

liquidsmoke · December 12, 2011, 01:03:47 AM

I had a digital unit in the late '90s that picked up hum from my guitar and bass. Lame. I think those are way better now though. This one used these weird big floppy like discs. I think it was a short lived technology.

mawso · December 12, 2011, 03:37:16 AM

tbh, as much fun as i had with the cheap 4 treack, i think that these days a cheap interface and reaper is probably the best thing for scratch ideas..

blackkrosses · December 12, 2011, 11:55:33 AM

I love my 424's. I wouldn't give it up for anything. You can't duplicate the sound with a computer. My project studio is digital now but I still use my Tascam for certain things. One of the great things them is that you can run each track out separately. Which is great for integrating tape sound to your digital studio. For example, if you wanted to throw four mics on a set of drums you can track to the Tascam and them transfer the tracks through a four-channel interface to your computer and overdub all your other instruments. This allows for you to blow out the level on the snare and kick track and saturate the tape. Makes for a nice sound. I've also done whole bands on the 4-track. Extremely cool and lofi. If you're just learning recording there is no better tool. Having your tape machine and console in one unit makes it less intimidating and fun to use. There is a plethora of information on these recorders online. I own two actually. I found both of mine for $100 each. When you factor in the computer and interface cost it's quite the deal for such a good sound.

P.S. I've had mine for going on 6 years with no problems. One of them is over 20 years old. I don't smoke around them and I'm sure to clean the heads before I use them.

Ranbat · December 12, 2011, 08:03:32 PM

Even worse than 4-track is that some of my favorite recorded jams are from a desktop tape recorder. I've got jams I send through my Behringer mixer and add a little reverb. To me, these are 'perfect' recordings. I currently have an old Toshiba PC4030 tape deck I want to restore to make the same type of recordings.

neighbor664 · December 12, 2011, 08:56:55 PM

I'd like to get an old cassette based 4-track so I can go through boxes and boxes of shit I've recorded over the years.

Isabellacat · December 13, 2011, 09:35:18 PM

I bought a blue Tascam 424 MK II still brand new in the box back in 2004 (paid around $250 for it then). Had lots of fun with it until it broke sometime around early 2008.

Had soda spilled on it and then what really killed it was it dropped on the floor really hard by accident.

I've got a Tascam Portastudio 4-track I bought off CL for 70 bucks sitting in my room but that one's broken too. I haven't recorded any music in years, but thinking about getting something different when I do again.