first attempt with cassette 8-track

[inasilentway]

I just got a Tascam 238 and a Tascam 308B 8-channel board to go with it. Last night I had my friend Annie over; even though my 8-channel snakes and good cassettes aren't here yet, we decided to make an attempt at a full track in the couple of hours before my roommates and neighbors went to bed. It's a cover of the Velvet Underground's "I Found a Reason". I only had enough cables to utilize 7 tracks and I had to tape over an old mixtape, but I'm pleasantly surprised by how it turned out, and I'd like to hear comments.

Disclaimer (update): Though I am a bit off-key, I discovered that my pitch was not as bad as I thought and it was a problem with the motor 8-track.

You can download the track here as a 46MB WAV or here as a 7MB 320kbps MP3

Mics used were Audix i5 (guitars), Oktava MK-012 (percussion, which was all recorded at once to one track), MXL 990 for vocals, and a cheapo Behringer DI for bass and electric piano. Instruments were Harmony Rocket into an old Gibson 9-watt tube amp, an MIJ EB-2 clone bass with flatwounds and a pick, and Wurlitzer 200A. An Ibanez DE-7 pedal was used for some slapback on the voice and drums. I mixed it on the board and into Pro Tools. Output is really low because I just compressed it a tiny bit in Pro Tools, should have done more.

The mixer and 8-track are now both for sale.

[evengangstersreadtapeop]

i think that sounded really good! much better than anything i've gotten out of cassette. the delay on snare really bothered me with its volume and how it contrasted with how up front the tamborine was, but it has a nice vibe to it at the same time. so you recorded to cassette, mixed on the board, and then from the board sent the stereo mix into the computer?

also, you might get more listens if you had dithered down to 16bit or converted to flac to help out the filesize..

[inasilentway]

i think that sounded really good! much better than anything i've gotten out of cassette. the delay on snare really bothered me with its volume and how it contrasted with how up front the tamborine was, but it has a nice vibe to it at the same time. so you recorded to cassette, mixed on the board, and then from the board sent the stereo mix into the computer?

also, you might get more listens if you had dithered down to 16bit or converted to flac to help out the filesize..

The snare, cymbal, and tambourine all went down at once to one track through that Oktava. I was playing cymbal and snare and she played the tambo about a foot behind me; I tried to balance out with positioning but time constraints meant that I had to live with it. That whole percussion track is going through the delay but the snare pops out so much more. You're right though, I probably should have turned down the repeats.

That's right, I mixed on the board, and what an experience it is! I can't go back to clicking faders with a mouse anymore, it's just so much fun! It also helps with volume rides, because I was never much one for automation but it's great to just nudge up a fader here and there.

I tried an iTunes-FLAC converter but couldn't get it to work, it was easier to just make a 320kbps MP3 so I uploaded that.

[silvertonejones]

I like this ALOT..There are NO rules and this is how you find who YOU are.....