the brotherhood of 388...

[swingdoc]

. I like it, but you can tell it is that dark-ish 388 almost like a mild gate on everything. Like recorded in a void... I dunno how to describe it,.

Exactly. I described it once as dark & hollow. But not dark in a smushy way, rather full of character. It paints a very nice spacial image; raw and live.

Man, like everyone else that ever let theirs go, I'd love to have mine back. It would be great as a unit to capture something unique on a session, like just the bass and guitars, then transfer to other medium.

If anyone wants to send me their 388 recordings, PM or email me, I'll throw together a compilation CD.

[the velour fog]

. I like it, but you can tell it is that dark-ish 388 almost like a mild gate on everything. Like recorded in a void... I dunno how to describe it,.

Exactly. I described it once as dark & hollow. But not dark in a smushy way, rather full of character. It paints a very nice spacial image; raw and live.

Man, like everyone else that ever let theirs go, I'd love to have mine back. It would be great as a unit to capture something unique on a session, like just the bass and guitars, then transfer to other medium.

If anyone wants to send me their 388 recordings, PM or email me, I'll throw together a compilation CD.

oh man! i can't wait for mine to come. looking back...i don't think i've ever come across someone who didn't like the 388. or anyone who's had major problems with one. is this a nostalgic thing...or are they really that wonderful?

[Slider]

WoW Slider-

I had read online that Primus used one of those to record that album. ( at Berkley square right???)

thats my favorite album by them.

I also read in an interview w/ Les that they used one for the more recent Brown album.

thanks...Yep the Berkley square. Primus and faith no more. recorded faith no more too since they were already patched in.
I saw some good shows there. And played there a million times too.
That primus record was a 388-
421 kick
57 snare
4 57's mixed together through a little mixer on two tracks for toms.
one 58 drum overhead (audience mic as well) this mic saved us.
direct bass from the amp (some ADA preamp guitar thing.)
one 57 on guitar.
58 - vocals
we mixed it back at my mom's house in fremont CA. (I was 17 yrs old)
micro limiter and microverb on the vocal.
We actually mixed that record to my mom's VHS VCR.
we couldn't afford a DAT machine.

the brown album was a 3M 2 inch 16 track, if I remember correctly.
micro limiters on everything.
sounds hilarious.
I still have a bunch of micro limiters.
poor mans dirty noisy 1176.
fucking cool.

[evicerator4000]

has anybody ever used an m-30 mixer? from what i can tell its just about the same as the mixer portion of the 388, i could be wrong though. its not bad... super cheap if you can find one, and it has xlr ins. no auxes or insert points though... kinda shitty, but for fifty bucks you get a cool looking colorful thing with big vu meters to sit on your desk.

[joel hamilton]

It is not a nostalgia thing for me, for the most part. I own all I need these days as far as tape machines, and consoles go.

They really have a cool sound. I used to try and squeeze avery last bit of "fidelity" out of it, until I learned to embrace its weird/good sound.

388's rock, but they are certainly not a full blown professional tool.

[eh91311]

I don't know if my 388 sounds professional or not... I don't much care, I like it anyway. Bought mine 6 years ago, it had some miles then, more now. Heavy as heck, but I was mobile with mine more than once. Just remember not to hit the tape hard (over 0) when using the dbx, it intensifies the "warm" sound even more. Instruments recorded to it come back "fat", no comparison to digital. 388's are great.

[Snarky]

I love my 388. I've done my last 5 CD's on it. I love the psycho low end. You can get really neat distorted vox too. I have the crazy ass manual complete with exploded views and stuff. I usually track drums and bass on it and then finish my O/D in the komputa. It makes everything sound so dark and heavy like kyuss.
388 brotherhood rocks!

[rafter]

dude all you honkeies need to try my magic trickkkk

i used this on many a record, if you have the 1st rapture record on the best song on it "mirror" makes great explosive use of it, plus many a gogogoairheart albummmm..

here it is -
record on your 388 HOTTTT with noise reduction ON.
then mix it with noise reduction OFFFF and your 2mix just way too hot.
it sounds like rock heaven noise. tons of bright over-compression.

yummy!~

i think i would choose my 388 over any other single recording machine ever.
i remember the day i was at git center 18 years old, looking at early HDisk recorders and then i saw this big brown lump in the corner..."what's that"?

i'm so glad i found you, 388.

[joel hamilton]

I didnt say "doesnt SOUND professional."

I meant that when a major label band shows up with 2" reels, the 388 isnt something that will help me get the session done.

My studer A827 sounds okay, too.

[OneZero]

No Doubt the bottom end is humungous!!!!!

I would like to contribute to a 388 compilation too.


Generally I've been recording with the DBX off, it sounds so LIVE!!!!


Slider - Thaks so much for sharing the Suck on This set up. A local band had heard somewhere I have a 388. They approached me to record them ranting about the Suck on This sound - Ya know I was probably 16-17 when that album came out and it really made a big impact on me and many of my friends. Thanks - Good Job. ( and i'm not a Primus fan, though I do go to the bar in Petauma where Les' mom is the bartender.)

[eh91311]

Joel... sorry. I didn't mean to misinterpret your post. Of course, major label clients and budgets usually mean using 2" tape & Studers, not 1/4" 7" reels and 388's, I'll bet your Studer sounds just fine. A 2" Studer is like state of the art analog, the best you can get. A 388 isn't state of the art analog, for sure, but people still like them.

[footswitchable]

So I am looking to join the brotherhood and was browsing ebay and saw this http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 3710397822. It's a 388 with some other stuff like tapes, remotes, cables, manual, etc. His reserve is 650, do you guys think this is a reasonable offer? Or should I try to wait for something else?

[Mark]

How about a 388 collab!?

Whoever has access to a drum kit and/or drummer to start.

[Snarky]

Anyone know how much these these mammoths of magnetizism originally sold for and what years they were made?
I've seen ones on ebay go for as low as $250 and as high as $800. I paid $550 for mine after a full maintenance and alignment, but I just wanted to know opinoins on the street price.

[radmike]

they came out in 84-85 and they cost about $4000.

388 lives on!