Tascam 488 Cassette Multi-Track

[335ElectroSpanish]

Hello,

I wonder how these machines can mix 8 tracks simultaneously since a standard cassette has only 4 monotracks on it?

Thanks!

[a280281]

Anybody selling one of these GIVE ME A SHOUT

[BobWizard]

if you search for "tascam 238" the first link on top gives you video with a link that also leads to "wehappyfew" salespage on cdbaby....so, i guess i´m talkin to the same person here....i´m really interested in one of those machines....tascam 688, 488 or 238...gettin confused again ^^ but ehm, all of em demos sound good , sad they don´t build em anymore, fuck the digital age i wish it´ll a go back to old school, this is how you do it!

[wehappyfewmusic]

@BobWizard Glad to hear my band We Happy Few gets a link somewhere! The 238, 488 and 688 are all nice sounding machine as long as they're working ok, go for it! The 488's are probably the easiest to come across and tend to be in better shape as they're newer.

[bhurteau]

How would the 488 hold up with something like a mpc2000xl? I'm looking to just have 8 inputs to be recorded from the 8 outs on my mpc.

[tacomadc]

These things sound surprizingly good, don't bounce tracks and you'll be amazed how quiet they are.

[PPGCSuicide]

BOAh was ne irregeile Maschine xD, Ein Traum für Tapes

[guitarslf132]

whats the difference between this and the 688?

[wehappyfewmusic]

@guitarslf132 The 688 lets you record 8 tracks simultaneously (only 4 on the 488), has more inputs/outputs and has a digital routing system. The 488 is a lot lighter though and has phantom power.

[guitarslf132]

@wehappyfewmusic so the 688 isnt completly analog then, that why i wonted one really :/

[wehappyfewmusic]

@guitarslf132 the 688 is all analog, records to tape and has physical analog faders eq etc, it just the routing system which is digital to save on having loads of assign switchs. The routing system just controls which input goes to which tape track. The 488 has physical switchs to do the same job as it as less options than the 688. Hope that makes sense?

[guitarslf132]

@wehappyfewmusic yh thats great cheers!

[19jrp]

not badd

[wehappyfewmusic]

The 488 should do a good job as long as you don't need to edit the performances much. I've used some of the rode mics and they seem pretty good for the money

[ryanxavierlane]

Hey! Thanks for posting the video. I'm looking to record mostly acoustic punk. I want a powerful warm sounding recording and thinking about going analog. What type of condensers do you suggest I use? Would this rig be good for that? and also, is there a way to convert those sound files to digital i.e. MP3 files? Very new at all this. :/

[TheMoleintheground]

Does anyone know where to get one of these? I'm sick of digital recording, and I love the analog warmth, also I can't afford reel to reel.

[wehappyfewmusic]

@TheMoleintheground Hi, they come up on ebay every now and then.

[lilicantdrive]

@TheMoleintheground

I agree cassette multitracking is where it's at. Once you get the bug it never goes away. It will make a musician better too. Because you cannot cheat the tape. It will force you to develop the songs by playing and not looping and effects, which is great in the long run. Cheers

[ricflairjrs4]

The Tube is picky about posting links in comments, so replace the slashes with dots at:3 W's /babyjblog/wordpress/com to read my article on the Tascam 488mkII. Post more stuff from the 688 man!

[ricflairjrs4]

Excellent. The 488mkII is my all time favorite machine. babyjblog/wordpress/com has an article I put together about my experiences with it. The best Tascam PortaStudio ever...

[wehappyfewmusic]

@ricflairjrs4 Yeah they're great machines - Could you send me a link to that article as I'd love to read it? I've been recording my bands new stuff on a Tascam 688 too, nice to be able to lay down 8 tracks at once.

[danthemanpart33]

@09prizefighter09 I picked one up on Craigslist for $50 with the original box. It looks new and sound great! Nothing like analog

[wehappyfewmusic]

@09prizefighter09 I'd go for it if it's in good condition, maybe get him down to $150 ish though if you can. They cost over a 1000 new though but that was a while ago.

[robfisher1]

Great stuff. You've got such a good sound with that machine. Were you using any other gear?

[wehappyfewmusic]

@robfisher1 Thanks. Not really, just used a behringer ad800 preamp to add a couple more xlr mic inputs. There's no effects or compression, just a bit of eq from the 488.