using two 4-tracks at once

[mattmiranda01]

Is there any good way to use two completely seperate four track machines to record 8 tracks at once?

EDIT: As in, if I, say, recorded everything live, drums on one four track and bass, guitar and room micing on the other, is there some sort of trick to getting the timing to line up when i'm mixing down, or should i just record it into Audition and line the drums up with the rest by ear?

[;ivlunsdystf]

Didn't the legendary Elliott Smith use this method some?

[moogplayer]

what he did was take 2 2-tracks or 4-track reel decks -- I forget -- and planted the machines down side by side, bolted to a table so they wouldn't move. Deck on the left would house the supply reel through the heads, then through the heads of the deck on the right, which has the takeup reel. The deck on the right is also the machine that controls the tape. Bizarre but cool

[wardshorsehead]

i dunno...in the tape op book he pretty much said he used two regular cassette 4-tracks and just pressed the buttons at the same time with some trial and error if i remember correctly.

frank

[Mark Alan Miller]

what he did was take 2 2-tracks or 4-track reel decks -- I forget -- and planted the machines down side by side, bolted to a table so they wouldn't move. Deck on the left would house the supply reel through the heads, then through the heads of the deck on the right, which has the takeup reel. The deck on the right is also the machine that controls the tape. Bizarre but cool

That's basically a tape-delay trick, ala 'Frippertronics'.

Is there any good way to use two completely seperate four track machines to record 8 tracks at once?

EDIT: As in, if I, say, recorded everything live, drums on one four track and bass, guitar and room micing on the other, is there some sort of trick to getting the timing to line up when i'm mixing down, or should i just record it into Audition and line the drums up with the rest by ear?

I'd do just that - try recording it on the two 4-tracks, bounce the tracks into Audition, line 'em up and mix that way.

[myleftfoot]

"in the tape op book he pretty much said he used two regular cassette 4-tracks and just pressed the buttons at the same time with some trial and error if i remember correctly."

yeah, i read that pretty recently, and that's what he says he did.

[moogplayer]

whoops - I stand corrected

I was thinking about Emitt Rhodes

There was a tapeop article some time ago about his early recording days, and he explained about lining up the two reel to reel machines for multitracking

[Johnny B]

You can certainly put them in Audition and line them back up. Keep in mind, though, that you will have speed variations between the two decks. Keep things that are miced close together (like a drum kit) on one tape or you will have some phase issues. I would also suggest slating everything by running a tone or something on both tapes simultaneously to help you line them back up. And if you head and tail slate, it can help you figure out how off the two tapes are.

[syrupcore]

And if you head and tail slate, it can help you figure out how off the two tapes are.

that's a good idea. if you can spare the tracks I'd try to get the bass on the same 4 track as the drums (or whatever the most ryhthmic instrument is if it matters).

I've never tried what you're doing but I did a zaireeka mix of a few of a friends songs for his birthday and I didn't keep those key rhythm elements together and it just sorta sucked. When I listened back to zaireeka, that was the first thing I noticed - all the key rhythm elements are together. same with acoustic guitar and vocals - generally together.

[syrupcore]

what about recording the snare track on both machines at the same time? That would help line them up later.

[kayagum]

Or, just get a cheap cassette 8 track (488,688,238,MTX8) and be done with it.

I mean, c'mon, it's only $200-300 these days.

[gevermil]