Bouncing to/from Tascam 238 - DAT? Dig.MultTrack? A 2nd 238?

[0wl]

So you guys just helped me pick out a mixer for my Tascam 238...

Now I'm looking for a second OTB machine/recorder to bounce tracks to/from the 238. Most of the literature I'm reading from the 90s recommend DATs as the best option. But in 2016, is that still the way to go (assuming I'm staying OTB)?

What's the difference (function and/or quality-wise) between a DAT recorder and a digital multitrack? There is a surprising dearth of info on the webs regarding DAT recorders.

AND since they're relatively cheap, I was also thinking about just buying another 238. Then I could, for instance, build a drum part that is 8 tracks deep on the first 238, then just play it in stereo to two tracks on the 2nd 38.

Eeny n' awl help 's 'pur-shee-ate'd


-0wl

[floid]

You could route six recorded tracks from your 238 (plus something "live") through your mixer to tracks 7/8. Then record over tracks 1-4 and repeat the process to tracks 5/6, and so on. No need for another machine there, it just adds an unnecessary step.
But you will want something to record your final mix to. This could be a cheap consumer tape deck from the local thrift, a two track reel to reel, a standalone CD recorder, a computer's soundcard, etc etc.

[0wl]

The stuff I'm reading calls that an "internal bounce," and recommends against it because more and more noise is piled on with each pass. Is it not as bad as they say? I suppose I wouldn't be bouncing more than a couple times. Anyone else wanna weigh on in internal vs external bouncing?

[kslight]

The stuff I'm reading calls that an "internal bounce," and recommends against it because more and more noise is piled on with each pass. Is it not as bad as they say? I suppose I wouldn't be bouncing more than a couple times. Anyone else wanna weigh on in internal vs external bouncing?

"Internal bounce" is the way most folks will do it, however you would only be able to use 6 tracks for drums, not 8, and then bounce those 6 down to 2 (or bounce up to 7 to 1). If you must use all 8 tracks for drums, then you will need a different machine to bounce down to, because you won't have any free tracks to record to on the 238? If you aren't going crazy with submixing things the noise probably will not build up excessively, especially with something loud like drums. You probably wouldn't want to keep layering hundreds of vocals together back and forth by internal bouncing..but then again, it could be cool..I mean that's how those old Queen records were made on an 8 track (albeit a much cleaner format than cassette).

Obviously you will accumulate some noise and degradation this way, but the other option is to sub mix your drums LIVE to 2 tracks of your machine which would in theory be sonically 'the best' case scenario.


In theory I would think that recording to 8 tracks of the 238, then dumping that to a 2 track machine, and THEN dumping that back on 2 tracks on the 238, would be sonically inferior to internal bouncing, if that is a concern.

Either way you are probably going to add noise to and degrade the signal.

[floid]

Either way you are probably going to add noise to and degrade the signal.

This.

238 - mixer - 238 is a shorter signal path than 238 - mixer - external 2track - mixer - 238, which reduces opportunity for said noise and degradation.
Paying attention to your gain staging both in tracking and bouncing can produce better results. Too hot adds distortion, too quiet adds hiss.
You can apply a little high boost, or just choose a brighter mic, on tracks you plan to bounce, so that rolling the highs back down where you want them deemphasizes tape hiss.
Muting dead air sections in the tracks gets rid of hiss.
Mixing a "live" track into the bounce, like say a tambourine over three keyboard pads, will make the live track stand out a little more, sound more forward, and you can plan tracking order to accommodate this.
Bouncing together sounds that occupy different frequency ranges allows you to use eq to readjust their balance if you find it necessary.
Submixing multiple mics on the same source to tape saves you a bounce.
Saving "star" tracks like lead vox and instrument for the last open tracks will keep them up front where they belong.

[0wl]

Thanks all. I think I got a bit too caught up in what I was reading and stopped thinking clearly. An external machine is just an unnecessary link in the chain!