246 v 424

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thepsychedelicdollhouse
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246 v 424

Post by thepsychedelicdollhouse » Sat Jul 02, 2022 5:41 am

Curious to hear from those having experience with 246 and 424 (MK I, II, or III) portastudios.
Already have the 424, but have GAS for a 246 and wonder if I should pursue that.

numberthirty
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Re: 246 v 424

Post by numberthirty » Sun Jul 03, 2022 9:09 pm

thepsychedelicdollhouse wrote:
Sat Jul 02, 2022 5:41 am
Curious to hear from those having experience with 246 and 424 (MK I, II, or III) portastudios.
Already have the 424, but have GAS for a 246 and wonder if I should pursue that.
Straight talk...

Heck no.

You probably should not even have bought a 424.

(Not trying to throw mud all over your parade. Just saying...)

thepsychedelicdollhouse
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Re: 246 v 424

Post by thepsychedelicdollhouse » Mon Jul 04, 2022 3:55 am

numberthirty wrote:
Sun Jul 03, 2022 9:09 pm
thepsychedelicdollhouse wrote:
Sat Jul 02, 2022 5:41 am
Curious to hear from those having experience with 246 and 424 (MK I, II, or III) portastudios.
Already have the 424, but have GAS for a 246 and wonder if I should pursue that.
Straight talk...

Heck no.

You probably should not even have bought a 424.

(Not trying to throw mud all over your parade. Just saying...)
Well I've been really happy with my 424 over the years.

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Re: 246 v 424

Post by jacksaturn » Mon Jul 04, 2022 6:23 pm

thepsychedelicdollhouse wrote:
Sat Jul 02, 2022 5:41 am
Curious to hear from those having experience with 246 and 424 (MK I, II, or III) portastudios.
Already have the 424, but have GAS for a 246 and wonder if I should pursue that.
I saw your post and initially wasn't going to answer because I didn't think I had anything especially technical to share, but since the one answer you did receive was so unhelpful, I felt I should chime in.

"Straight talk," you should do whatever makes you happy! That's what recording and making music should be all about.

I run a business repairing 4-track cassette machines, so if there's a 4-track model out there (Tascam, Fostex, Yamaha, etc.), I've probably worked on a handful of them, if not dozens.

Some 4-track users rally behind "the sound" and "the EQ" of their particular model, and these are two of the phrases I've heard from champions of the Tascam 246 and the Tascam 424 models. As I say, I'm constantly working on different 4-track machines, and while I am sure there are differences in the sound of the various machines, it's very subtle, and you'd really have to be looking for it.

So if you wanted to migrate from a Tascam 424 to a Tascam 246, ideally it would be for workflow reasons and for the tactile experience. The knobs are a slightly different size and arranged a bit differently. They're all flat rather than on a slope.

If you want my personal opinion? The original 424 (the one you have) has a benefit over the 246 simply due to being lighter weight. You can carry it around much easier, and it has less chance of being damaged. If you're into pitch-shifting, it has an advantage over every other Tascam model - to my knowledge - in that it has High, Normal *and* Slow tape speeds, the latter of which doesn't exist anywhere else.

I hope this has been helpful! You might also peek through the owners manuals for each machine and make a list of features, to see if you're missing out on anything with your Tascam 424. But like I say, your 424 has some perks that the 246 can't provide. Again, just my opinion!

-Jack
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A.David.MacKinnon
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Re: 246 v 424

Post by A.David.MacKinnon » Mon Jul 04, 2022 8:08 pm

There are always people who chime in to the cassette multi-track threads and suggest not using a a cassette multitrack. I get it but they miss the point and it's really not helpful to the questions at hand. Anyway....
I can't really comment one way or the other on the machines in question. Most of my experience is with 8 track machines. I ran a 488 for quite a while and really liked it. I'd imagine the 424 is in the same family. What are you missing with it that you think you may get from the 246? My issues with the 488 were all about the onboard mixer and pre-amps. I was using standalone pres for input and mixing on a real board or dumping tracks into pro tools. I found taking as much of the internal mixer out of the chain as possible improved the sound immensely. In the end I sold the 488 and got a 238 because it did all the same things and I didn't have to work around the mixer.
That said, some folks love the sound of the tascam preamps and mixer. If you're one of those folks you might be best to stick with what you've got. I think the 400 series machines were the high point of the portastudio line. They're head and shoulders above most other all in one machines I ever used.

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Re: 246 v 424

Post by shedshrine » Mon Jul 04, 2022 9:15 pm

tascam 424 vs 246

this site is a good resource as well tascam 246 424

thepsychedelicdollhouse
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Re: 246 v 424

Post by thepsychedelicdollhouse » Tue Jul 05, 2022 4:06 am

jacksaturn wrote:
Mon Jul 04, 2022 6:23 pm
thepsychedelicdollhouse wrote:
Sat Jul 02, 2022 5:41 am
Curious to hear from those having experience with 246 and 424 (MK I, II, or III) portastudios.
Already have the 424, but have GAS for a 246 and wonder if I should pursue that.
I saw your post and initially wasn't going to answer because I didn't think I had anything especially technical to share, but since the one answer you did receive was so unhelpful, I felt I should chime in.

"Straight talk," you should do whatever makes you happy! That's what recording and making music should be all about.

I run a business repairing 4-track cassette machines, so if there's a 4-track model out there (Tascam, Fostex, Yamaha, etc.), I've probably worked on a handful of them, if not dozens.

Some 4-track users rally behind "the sound" and "the EQ" of their particular model, and these are two of the phrases I've heard from champions of the Tascam 246 and the Tascam 424 models. As I say, I'm constantly working on different 4-track machines, and while I am sure there are differences in the sound of the various machines, it's very subtle, and you'd really have to be looking for it.

So if you wanted to migrate from a Tascam 424 to a Tascam 246, ideally it would be for workflow reasons and for the tactile experience. The knobs are a slightly different size and arranged a bit differently. They're all flat rather than on a slope.

If you want my personal opinion? The original 424 (the one you have) has a benefit over the 246 simply due to being lighter weight. You can carry it around much easier, and it has less chance of being damaged. If you're into pitch-shifting, it has an advantage over every other Tascam model - to my knowledge - in that it has High, Normal *and* Slow tape speeds, the latter of which doesn't exist anywhere else.

I hope this has been helpful! You might also peek through the owners manuals for each machine and make a list of features, to see if you're missing out on anything with your Tascam 424. But like I say, your 424 has some perks that the 246 can't provide. Again, just my opinion!

-Jack
Thanks Jack. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts. I wouldn't dare ditch my 424. it's been too good to me and it's helped me produce some great music (he humbly said). Honestly? If a 246 is capable of equivalent outcomes to the 424 my reasons for wanting one are debatable. Weight doesn't bother me. It'd be planted in my home studio. I like that the build quality is reportedly very solid. And I've always been a sucker for VU meters. I purchased a TASCAM 48 & TSR8 but I don't use them like I believed I would. There's something I really like about what I see as the simplicity of 4 track cassette recorders. I feel comfortable using them. In closing, the 246 looks old school and built to last. Call me superficial but that's where I'm at.

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Re: 246 v 424

Post by markjazzbassist » Tue Jul 05, 2022 5:59 am

i've recently been through a large unofficial test of 4 track portastudios. Teac 144, Tascam 244, Tascam 414, Fostex 250, Marantz PMD720. I've also owned 488mkII and 238 and 388. I, like yourself, lusted after vintage and VU and got the 244 hearing about the "mojo" of those vintage preamps (144 as well). The funny thing is the 1 machine that stuck and is my recorder now, is the newest machine, the marantz pmd720 (1994). This is mainly due to service (cleanest, quietest of all the machines) and parts that haven't gone out of spec (ie. noisy headphone opamps). I wanted the 244 so badly to be the one, trust me. As for the preamp mojo, honestly i listened so hard and could tell the differences between them all, but it wasn't worth buying a machine over. it wasn't like 144/244 was Neve like and the 414 was mackie quality. They all sounded very similar, just the older ones slightly better (and i mean slightly, like 5% better). I found the S/N and crosstalk was greatly improved on newer machines which was another factor, i'm not sure if that's a real issue or just the older ones needed calibrating/service. So i know the 246 is talked about reverently, and i get it because the old ones are built well, and heavy, and look cool, but honestly in practice i've found the difference to be negligible. For me the newer models perform better, i know it's sacrilege, and i'm a vintage nut so it hurts to kinda say it, but for cassettes i think it's true, they really refined that tech over the years, with late 80's (238) and early 90's being a peak of sorts.

thepsychedelicdollhouse
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Re: 246 v 424

Post by thepsychedelicdollhouse » Tue Jul 05, 2022 6:51 am

markjazzbassist wrote:
Tue Jul 05, 2022 5:59 am
i've recently been through a large unofficial test of 4 track portastudios. Teac 144, Tascam 244, Tascam 414, Fostex 250, Marantz PMD720. I've also owned 488mkII and 238 and 388. I, like yourself, lusted after vintage and VU and got the 244 hearing about the "mojo" of those vintage preamps (144 as well). The funny thing is the 1 machine that stuck and is my recorder now, is the newest machine, the marantz pmd720 (1994). This is mainly due to service (cleanest, quietest of all the machines) and parts that haven't gone out of spec (ie. noisy headphone opamps). I wanted the 244 so badly to be the one, trust me. As for the preamp mojo, honestly i listened so hard and could tell the differences between them all, but it wasn't worth buying a machine over. it wasn't like 144/244 was Neve like and the 414 was mackie quality. They all sounded very similar, just the older ones slightly better (and i mean slightly, like 5% better). I found the S/N and crosstalk was greatly improved on newer machines which was another factor, i'm not sure if that's a real issue or just the older ones needed calibrating/service. So i know the 246 is talked about reverently, and i get it because the old ones are built well, and heavy, and look cool, but honestly in practice i've found the difference to be negligible. For me the newer models perform better, i know it's sacrilege, and i'm a vintage nut so it hurts to kinda say it, but for cassettes i think it's true, they really refined that tech over the years, with late 80's (238) and early 90's being a peak of sorts.
Wasn't aware of the Marantz pmd720. I did a quick look and discovered the 740 as well. Nice.

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Re: 246 v 424

Post by markjazzbassist » Tue Jul 05, 2022 7:26 am

thepsychedelicdollhouse wrote:
Tue Jul 05, 2022 6:51 am
Wasn't aware of the Marantz pmd720. I did a quick look and discovered the 740 as well. Nice.
yes i've owned that one as well. they are both nice and have cool VU's :) The 740 has more bells and whistles and is a nice machine too, the more deluxe version if you will.

numberthirty
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Re: 246 v 424

Post by numberthirty » Tue Jul 05, 2022 7:09 pm

A.David.MacKinnon wrote:
Mon Jul 04, 2022 8:08 pm
There are always people who chime in to the cassette multi-track threads and suggest not using a a cassette multitrack. I get it but they miss the point and it's really not helpful to the questions at hand. Anyway....
I can't really comment one way or the other on the machines in question. Most of my experience is with 8 track machines. I ran a 488 for quite a while and really liked it. I'd imagine the 424 is in the same family. What are you missing with it that you think you may get from the 246? My issues with the 488 were all about the onboard mixer and pre-amps. I was using standalone pres for input and mixing on a real board or dumping tracks into pro tools. I found taking as much of the internal mixer out of the chain as possible improved the sound immensely. In the end I sold the 488 and got a 238 because it did all the same things and I didn't have to work around the mixer.
That said, some folks love the sound of the tascam preamps and mixer. If you're one of those folks you might be best to stick with what you've got. I think the 400 series machines were the high point of the portastudio line. They're head and shoulders above most other all in one machines I ever used.
Personally?

Having used a few different "Porta..."/"Porta-Studio..."/"Tascam Cassette Based..." machines over the years, this is about where I am at.

The "424..."/"488..." are the best mousetrap that Tascam ever came up with.

(That said, it is still not the "Toyota as an everyday driver..." that a bunch of other things that I can think of would be...)

While It's not "Apples..."/"Apples..."? I kind of think of the "424..."/"488..." as being along the same line as the later versions of two inch twenty-four track machines. All of the "Know How..." gained as time went by was kind of there in those two machines.

(Obvious exception for that the 488 kind of has a learning curve to a degree where I absolutely get the argument for going with the 238...)

Now, that long winded bit out of the way?

I'm starting to get that the machine in question might be something of a "Classic Car..." purchase. Which is a little bit different situation.

That said, it's probably worth noting that a "Classic..." car might not be the most sensible buy if you intend on it being an everyday driver.

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