The "Best" 8 Track Cassette Recorder

general questions, comments and ideas about recording, audio, music, etc.
Locked
Noah
pluggin' in mics
Posts: 31
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 12:45 pm

The "Best" 8 Track Cassette Recorder

Post by Noah » Wed Jan 19, 2005 6:45 pm

My 4-track finally crapped out on me after 4-5 years of being kept on a dusy rug in a room that had people constantly smoking in it (dont worry i keep better care of my stuff now) and now im looking to buy an 8 track.

its going to be for laying down ideas and getting the song/arrangement fully developed before i record onto my r2r. im not too worried about tape hiss/noise.

I now have a mixer, so 8 tracks with built in mixers need not apply.

Suggestions?

moogplayer
steve albini likes it
Posts: 358
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 12:39 pm
Location: San Diego, CA
Contact:

Re: The "Best" 8 Track Cassette Recorder

Post by moogplayer » Wed Jan 19, 2005 7:50 pm

Tascam 238 is your answer. The 238S has Dolby S which is considered the best.

User avatar
wedge
tinnitus
Posts: 1088
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2004 9:08 pm
Location: Washington, D.C.

Re: The "Best" 8 Track Cassette Recorder

Post by wedge » Wed Jan 19, 2005 7:51 pm

Agreed, whole-heartedly...

Noah
pluggin' in mics
Posts: 31
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 12:45 pm

Re: The "Best" 8 Track Cassette Recorder

Post by Noah » Wed Jan 19, 2005 11:14 pm

sounds good, thanks guys.

i just did some research on it and looks to be right up my alley.



any idea on what these things go for? i would like to buy one from a reputable dealer but most used online music shops only seem to sell reel to reels...

Now if i can only find a 238s too.

User avatar
wedge
tinnitus
Posts: 1088
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2004 9:08 pm
Location: Washington, D.C.

Re: The "Best" 8 Track Cassette Recorder

Post by wedge » Wed Jan 19, 2005 11:36 pm

Check this out:

http://www.prepal.com/data/Tascam.htm

The 238 averages around $250 and is trending downward. Probably a 238S would go for $50 more or so on average... A good time to buy one, really...

User avatar
Milkmansound
george martin
Posts: 1253
Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2004 3:15 pm
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: The "Best" 8 Track Cassette Recorder

Post by Milkmansound » Wed Jan 19, 2005 11:36 pm

I saw one for $200 at a Daddys Junky Music not too long ago - but it was gone last time I was in there.

I think that means that you can find one for less than that, since they seem to jack everything up a bit.
(((((((((((((((((((((((((())))))))))))))))))))))))))))
www.pedalsteelamp.com
www.milkmansound.com
Follow me on Facebook!

User avatar
bobbydj
on a wing and a prayer
Posts: 5357
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 2:58 am
Location: astride the vortex console
Contact:

Re: The "Best" 8 Track Cassette Recorder

Post by bobbydj » Wed Jan 19, 2005 11:45 pm

238 is probably the ONLY answer, isn't it?
Bobby D. Jones
Producer/Engineer
(Wives with Knives, Tyrone P. Spink, Potemkin Villagers et al)

Mark
tinnitus
Posts: 1231
Joined: Fri May 30, 2003 12:50 pm
Location: Leicester, Uk
Contact:

Re: The "Best" 8 Track Cassette Recorder

Post by Mark » Thu Jan 20, 2005 2:25 am

This might be of interest to you :wink:
WWRHS?

kayagum
ghost haunting audio students
Posts: 3490
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 11:11 pm
Location: Saint Paul, MN

Re: The "Best" 8 Track Cassette Recorder

Post by kayagum » Thu Jan 20, 2005 8:08 am

You can't have mine! :P

Seriously, if you can land one, I think you'll be very happy.

Also, don't rule out the Tascam 488 (the mkII has phantom power) or the Yamaha MTX8. Yeah, it has a mixing board, but it's quite handy for spot/transportable recording. The 238 is quite heavy, which is great for durability, and not so great on your back. I would highly recommend getting a rack box for it (it's a 3U).

User avatar
Kyle Motor
takin' a dinner break
Posts: 182
Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2003 12:55 pm
Location: Madison WI
Contact:

Re: The "Best" 8 Track Cassette Recorder

Post by Kyle Motor » Thu Jan 20, 2005 8:20 am

I'm another happy 238 user. For 8-track cassette, its a great fun-to-use machine.

User avatar
vvv
zen recordist
Posts: 10139
Joined: Tue May 13, 2003 8:08 am
Location: Chi
Contact:

Re: The "Best" 8 Track Cassette Recorder

Post by vvv » Thu Jan 20, 2005 7:47 pm

Used mine for about 3 years; I still have it, and someday I plan to dump all the songs (I have about 40 exclusively on it, and cassette mixdowns...) to the computer, maybe when I'm 64.
bandcamp;
blog.
I mix with olive juice.

benton netty
studio intern
Posts: 25
Joined: Fri Oct 17, 2003 6:59 pm

Re: The "Best" 8 Track Cassette Recorder

Post by benton netty » Thu Jan 20, 2005 8:52 pm

i've been using the tascam 488mkII for a few years, and i like it a lot. the only things that bug me are the fact that you have to track with the bit you're recording panned far to the left or right, for some reason, and you can't do stereo effects in mixing. other than that, it's quite a machine. i'm currently recording a sad-bastard album on it, and it sounds just fine. hiss is not a problem.

Locked

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 42 guests