Complete list of Cassette MultiTrack Recorders and Portastudios

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vernier
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Re: Complete list of Cassette Multi-Track Recorders and Portastudios

Post by vernier » Thu Sep 17, 2020 7:40 pm

Btw, they're all retired right? . . anyone know when the last one was made ?

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Re: Complete list of Cassette Multi-Track Recorders and Portastudios

Post by markjazzbassist » Fri Sep 18, 2020 6:49 am

i believe the last model made was the tascam 414mkIII. they were still being sold in the Aughts.

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Re: Complete list of Cassette Multi-Track Recorders and Portastudios

Post by jacksaturn » Fri Sep 18, 2020 6:20 pm

markjazzbassist wrote:
Fri Sep 18, 2020 6:49 am
i believe the last model made was the tascam 414mkIII. they were still being sold in the Aughts.
My guess is that the Tascam MF-P01 was the last one released; it was announced in January 2002. The date on the service manual for the 424mkIII was May 1999.

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Re: Complete list of Cassette Multi-Track Recorders and Portastudios

Post by markjazzbassist » Fri Sep 18, 2020 7:50 pm

jacksaturn wrote:
Fri Sep 18, 2020 6:20 pm
markjazzbassist wrote:
Fri Sep 18, 2020 6:49 am
i believe the last model made was the tascam 414mkIII. they were still being sold in the Aughts.
My guess is that the Tascam MF-P01 was the last one released; it was announced in January 2002. The date on the service manual for the 424mkIII was May 1999.
yes but they were still selling 414 and 424 well into the 2000's. the MF-P01 was short lived. so depends on "last released" or "last ones being sold".

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Re: Complete list of Cassette Multi-Track Recorders and Portastudios

Post by shedshrine » Sat Sep 19, 2020 2:38 pm

Interesting discussion, long sprawling thread covering reel to reel decks, cassette multitracks and digital recording protocols Anyone making NEW analog multitrack recorders?

"Dolby SR is not a cassette NR. Won't happen. 8 tracks on a cassette, horrible.(this man's opinion) And this machine would have to work with the available new tape, type 1 is what there is." (though type II still can be found ..)

Yes I know. I meant that for pros who still transfer and record analog tape, support for Dolby SR and A is still in use.

A cassette version of Dolby SR did appear on cassettes - Dolby S.
Dolby S appeared on 1 cassette 8 track tape machine. I am not sure if it was a Fostex or a Tascam. But Dolby was very fussy about Licensing it's Dolby S circuit. Any tape machine wanting the Dolby S license had to be up to a certain spec. That is why only three head models got the license. If Dolby S was on your machine it had to be good. Whereas Dolby B,C and DBX type 2 could go on any crap machine.

Yes, I agree. No way any company is going to put out any 4 or 8 track cassette machine. And without Type 2 tapes even using an old one would be pointless. You can still buy Type 2 tapes. Not in the millions of units that were sold back in 1986 but you still can get them. They will eventually run out.

With the exception of one company who is making a new quarter inch half track machine, new analog machines are dead. No argument there. My thoughts were merely academic sir. If they were to bring them back and if new Type 2 /4 tapes could be made then what improvements could we make?

1. The use of type 4 tapes
2 perhaps a 5 or 7 ips speed
3. Dolby HX Pro
4. Perhaps a new NR circuit.

All hypothetical and probably silly on my part. But apparently in 1995 Nakamichi built a cassette 8 track prototype that ran at 5 1/2 ips.
Rumored specs: 30 - 17 500 hz +-3db
Signal to noise ratio with Dolby C: 74 db A weighted. The story goes that Nackamachi was planning on entering the amateur recording market. Never happened. Sorry but no links to confirm this. The story comes from Uncle Jack and his Nak connection.

________________________________________________________________

“I wanted to see how far the medium of tape could be pushed”the brand new Metaxas T-RX tape deck
Last edited by shedshrine on Sat Sep 19, 2020 4:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Complete list of Cassette Multi-Track Recorders and Portastudios

Post by shedshrine » Sat Sep 19, 2020 3:08 pm

a little off-topic, but who even knew these existed?

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Re: Complete list of Cassette Multi-Track Recorders and Portastudios

Post by markjazzbassist » Sat Sep 19, 2020 5:43 pm

if you watch the cassette documentary, the guy who invented it takes you to philips and shows you a bunch of machines. there are some weird ones :)

it's a nice watch. here it is

https://tubitv.com/movies/457690/casset ... ry_mixtape

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Re: Complete list of Cassette Multi-Track Recorders and Portastudios

Post by shedshrine » Sat Sep 19, 2020 9:03 pm

Thanks Mark, that was cool! Though it's just a brief scene, I liked the cassette dj guy going wild manipulating several machines with a mixer and effects, and Leo the inventor listening to one of the first prototype cassettes which ran in the opposite direction so played backwards on "modern" machines, and his explaining that to his mind "people who like cassettes now are doing something kind of irrational. I like that."
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I shipped off my Tascam 238 Dolby S machine for a pre-emptive recap last weekend. I had basically stopped using it because I was afraid of frying the Dolby S daughter card chips due to the notorious little silver capacitors they used failing that would allow the unobtainium Sony Dolby chips to fry. It looks like there are at least 6 of these capacitors per daughterboard (see yellow arrow image).
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It's worth it to me because in use I get a lot of of it. Like the 388 It's part nostalgia, it's part glue, it's a fun workflow option, it's an effect, and it's just fun to have around. Mixing and matching, tracking and bouncing stuff around in a digital/analog hybrid setup gives you the best of both for sure with some satisfying options.

Jeff's also going to recap the capstan motor so there's no jet speed runaway in the near (or far) future. I'll post "after" pics when I get it back.
Last edited by shedshrine on Sat Sep 26, 2020 1:54 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Complete list of Cassette Multi-Track Recorders and Portastudios

Post by markjazzbassist » Sun Sep 20, 2020 5:58 am

who is doing the work? good cassette techs are hard to find

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Re: Complete list of Cassette Multi-Track Recorders and Portastudios

Post by shedshrine » Sun Sep 20, 2020 11:21 am

Jeffrey of Analog Only in Portland, Oregon
sales@analog-only.com

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Re: Complete list of Cassette Multi-Track Recorders and Portastudios

Post by jacksaturn » Sun Sep 20, 2020 5:02 pm

markjazzbassist wrote:
Sun Sep 20, 2020 5:58 am
who is doing the work? good cassette techs are hard to find
Mark,

I introduced myself earlier in the thread:

"I run a repair business in Portland, Oregon called Recursive Delete Audio/Visual, and my specific focus is repairing / refurbishing / reselling cassette-based multitrack machines, mainly supporting 4-track users in the Pacific Northwest. If anybody sees this thread and needs a machine looked at, is looking to buy one, or is searching for belts/parts, feel free to drop me a line and/or follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/recursivedelete "

I don't work on standard cassette decks or reel-to-reel machines anymore, in the interest of specializing my focus.

Shedshrine mentioned Jeffrey Hunt from Analog Only, who is a friend and associate of mine, also based in Portland. He used to do contract work out of my shop and his primary area of focus is reel-to-reel machines and hi-fi equipment.

Jack

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Re: Complete list of Cassette Multi-Track Recorders and Portastudios

Post by markjazzbassist » Mon Sep 21, 2020 6:24 am

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: thanks guys

i have a marantz portastudio, i have superscope do the service in chicago. they are still authorized marantz people and have tons of the parts (replaced a whole record head for me :) ). another option for the midwesterners

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Re: Complete list of Cassette Multi-Track Recorders and Portastudios

Post by vernier » Mon Sep 21, 2020 12:49 pm

markjazzbassist wrote:
Fri Sep 18, 2020 7:50 pm
jacksaturn wrote:
Fri Sep 18, 2020 6:20 pm
markjazzbassist wrote:
Fri Sep 18, 2020 6:49 am
i believe the last model made was the tascam 414mkIII. they were still being sold in the Aughts.
My guess is that the Tascam MF-P01 was the last one released; it was announced in January 2002. The date on the service manual for the 424mkIII was May 1999.
yes but they were still selling 414 and 424 well into the 2000's. the MF-P01 was short lived. so depends on "last released" or "last ones being sold".
My Fostex might be one of the last made . . early 2000s I think.

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Re: Complete list of Cassette Multi-Track Recorders and Portastudios

Post by jacksaturn » Mon Sep 21, 2020 9:23 pm

vernier wrote:
Mon Sep 21, 2020 12:49 pm
My Fostex might be one of the last made . . early 2000s I think.
Your Fostex X-24? The service manual for that model is dated 1998. Did you buy it new in the early 2000s?

Jack

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Re: Complete list of Cassette Multi-Track Recorders and Portastudios

Post by Mark » Wed Sep 23, 2020 4:20 pm

Have you seen this? :D

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WWRHS?

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