I own Portastudio 488mkii and I love it. Like you said, there no point to use this kind of recorder today. But I don't know why I always come back to it. I like the picthcontrol, i like the little flickering, I don't even use DBX, etc... :)
I owned one of these from '97 till '05. I think half the appeal of these is the ease of use. I often use simple 3 band EQ in Ableton to get a similar level of simplicity. If I roll off the top end and use a tape simulator, I can get a similar sound to the MT8X. Still, the MT8X is more grungy!
This brings back memories. I had a Tascam 8 Track where I'd record a sync signal on CH8 and slave my old Roland MC500 sequencer. Done wonders with so little!!
I do find on these older tape machines you have to stretch the tape before you record. Fast forward it to the end the rewind it all the way again and that will help fix the tape drift or warble.
Had one of these, lots of fun! Being able to record drums on the 4 first tracks (kick, snare, toms/cymbals stereo) And then STILL (!!!) have 4 (!!!) tracks left for bass, guitars and vocals was just amazing
I own an old tascam 424 portastudio I bought with my graduation money, that's when I learned the difference between high bias, and non high bias cassettes. It always had a warm sound, unlike my modern digital 2488 neo. Man did I have fun trying bounce as many tracks as I could on to only 4. We are spoiled nowadays.
I also had one. Can confirm tempo drifting. On my so much I sometimes need to turn off and on because the pitch shift was making it impossible to double track guitars etc.
I've got one of these in the loft. Awesome multitrack, had it for about 20 years now. I recorded a couple of albums on it back in the early 2000's, so easy to use and a great overall sound, I always used TDK SA 90's for recording. I use a DAW these days but I still miss the days of cassette based recording, you've got to be a lot more inventive when you've got limited recording technology. These days everything is just a click of the mouse away. Also got a Yamaha MD8 and a Tascam 464 as well keeping the MT8X company in the loft! Great video, thanks for posting it. Nice to see some people still have an interest in cassette multitracks.
Technically the Tascam 688 is superior as it can record 8 simultaneously tracks all at once as this one only records 4 at a time. Still really really fun and it sounds amazing! I have both and find the Yamaha MT8XII is faster and easier to use. I have made more music with the Yamaha although the 688 can sync up to another machine or even multiple 238’s!! Tascam, ATR, and RTM all have or still make new high bias cassettes that sound amazing! A trick though, ;), is to use good old tape like scotch or type 1 as it will saturate easier and you can get some really cool vibes... welcome to 8 track cassette recording! Cheers!
I was born in '69 and discovered music in or around '76. There were reel-to-reels and vinyl records but as I entered my teens none of my friends wanted to lug a moving crate full of records or reel-to-reels to teach others house for music listening sessions. Enter the glorious cassette magnetic tape. Oh me Oh my. What glory. So much easier to pack around 60 cassettes in a briefcase style tape holder. Who can forget rewinding with a Bic pen? You know what I'm talking about. Mix tapes? I was the king of splicing and looping cassette tapes. I also had a little cheapass 4 track recorder probably gifted to me from my parents who bought it from Sears for 99.99 CAD. Now, almost 40 odd years later and a studio full of synths and controllers and MIDI gear and wires and mixers and you know what I'm talkin' about, I want to get back into playing and making music with cassette tapes. Thanks for the reminder. Great video. Keep on rockin in the free world.
the tascam 688 is incredibly lame lol. I'm half joking. some people love that machine. and some of us think it's ridiculously nerdy, enormous, with complicated digital routing that destroys the point of using an analog machine. i think sonically it's supposed to sound good but i really don't care.
New tape is truly new, but only made by two companies (reel to reel is made by RTM and ATR, with a few more manufacturers making cassettes). Cassettes aren’t as good as they used to be; you can only find type 1 or type 2, but they’re still made. I’ve been using a 1/2” 3M M23 4-track reel to reel + reduction mixes for a while, but finding one of these would be sweet for demos, lo-fi stuff, or even just to saturate stuff. Really cool piece of tech you found!
@@travisraab All kinds of things, like adding a variable speed control, adding sound on sound, even replacing the internal recording circuits with something better.
I got one of these from a polka hall of fame inductee, it rules so hard, despite the hiss, harmonics, crust, etc, it sounds like whatever you record is RIGHT THERE IN THE ROOM
I didn't realize how similar (form and features) the MT8x2 is to the MD8, which is the minidisc version..technically for 8 tracks it uses MD Data which are rewritable minidiscs with 140 mins rather than 74/80 . I'll stop before this rollercoaster of multitrack fun goes off the rails though
Most Powerful Cassette Recorder on Earth? It's a great one for sure, easily among the top 5 cassette multitrackers ever made, but I'm afraid the #1 spot goes to none other than the Tascam 688 Midistudio. Still enjoyed the video, though. :)
Yeah what made me get the Tascam 688 wad the fact that it could actually record all 8 channels at the same time. Most other 8 track portastudios only recorded maximum of 4 channels at the same time so you HAD to do overdubbing if you wanted to record more than 4 channels at the same time. And i needed to have at least 6 channels. The 688 is also the BIGGEST and heaviest machine and certainly not a "Porta" studio x3 And the channel routing matrix really requires Neuron levels over 9000 to actually understand it.
the prob with those 8 track cassette recorders (whether Tascam or Yamaha or anyone else) is that they partitioned the tape so heavily that they suffer from noticeably reduced dynamic range vs the 4 tracks. It's literally impossible for them not to have reduced dynamic range.
We can’t compare these to what we have today. But, there was a time when we were buying albums on cassette. No one complained about the dynamic range. It was two track stereo, but we thought they were great. Also, these tape decks didn’t have any of the many issues that we battled when we first started using computers. Hit record and go. What we have now is a lot better, but the MT8X at that time allowed us to step into the recording world which was very enjoyable. 🎧
@@mafronverizonnet Again, a standard cassette had four lanes of tape, right/left side A, and right/left side B. A 4 track multi used all four lanes (effectively "side A, 4 channels"), so no inherent degradation in quality as the tape lanes were the same size as a standard cassette. An 8 track, however, further split each each of those lanes in 2, giving physically less space on tape for each lane of encoded audio. I switched from a Tascam 464 to 488 mk2 in the 90's and the 8 track had a noticeably duller sound (with the dbx making it even worse). Frequency response of 40 Hz ~ 14 k Hz on 8 and 20 Hz ~ 20 k Hz on the 4. That's a big difference, and those specs are being kind to the 8. And I had to constantly degausse the 8. Don't get me wrong, having 8 tracks in a portable, easy to maintain unit was amazing, but the 4 tracks were around many years while the 8 tracks were short-lived before digital recording made them obsolete. I started with a Yamaha MT 4 track and found that the 464 sounded just as good. But the 488, no. I can't believe that Yamaha found a way around the inherent limitations of lack of tape real estate. I've still got both Tascams because I have so many tapes I still haven't got around to digitizing, but an iphone makes a much better dawless multi-tracker these days.
To track down pitching issues you can use an oscillator app. Fire that onto each track and playback into something like Audition. Use the spectral display and you will visually see what the tape is doing to your signal. Guaranteed, there will be nothing good about it.
@@travisraab Um. It's a perfectly normal diagnostic for checking a recording set up. It's why all studio masters in the old days used to carry a 1kHz sine tone at 0dB on a leader. So the playback machine could be calibrated to account for tape speed variation when cutting. If you do identify slowdown, then it's probably to do with the tensioning of the tape spooling, or possibly a slipping capstan. All fixable.
@@hansmemling2311 I have the Tascam 234, And I'd describe it's sound as hazy, saturated, colored. Maybe a 1970s Deep Purple or Black Sabbath character. The Yamaha MT4x is cleaner, crisper, probably more like a 90s Blur or Oasis. I love the way drums sound on the Tascam 234. I also greatly prefer the workflow on the Tasacm simple and intuitive. If I a haven't used the Yamaha in awhile. I have to watch a tutorial video to remember how it works. Perhaps that's indicative of more routing capabilities. Check out some videos of the models you're interested in, and that will give you an idea of the drum sound character. Ultimately the best 4 track cassette is one that works, and can still be serviced obtain parts for. It's tough to find people that can repair them so that should be considered as well. Maybe experiment with cassette software emulations 1st, before buying a deck.
The Yamaha MT series is awesome. I used an MT2X for 10 years, it sounded amazing. I upgraded to a Fostex 8 track, and things sounded worse as a result. 😀 I think the Yamahas imposes a sound on everything that makes it really easy to mix, without making it sound cheap.
Question, at the end you talk about DBX like it is somehow not analog or interrupts your Analog flow somehow. What do you mean? Most Dolby and DBX types found on any 4 or 8 (or even 16 and 24 ch Reel to reels decks) IS an analog path.
I think there is a misunderstanding. I said a lot of people complain about dbx and say it sounds bad and prevents you from getting tape saturation etc. Is that the part you're referring to?
@@travisraab Yeah. Just sounded like you were saying it wasn't Analog Tape sound. I think a lot of people confuse tape sound with saturation. well balanced high end machines are relitively saturation free.
Thanks for the video! I have found a YAMAHA MT8X first version. I want to try to record a blues trio in cassette. Do you recommend to buy Yamaha mt8x first version ?
7:05 I honestly don't know what you're whining about :D sounded fine to me 👌 also, there are people like my cousin (he loves abstract electronic music) who just love irregular and/or hard to follow rhythms. So if you really feel like you can't pass your song on as being "pop" you could always send the tape as a mixtape to some obscure label or something 😁 Great video btw dude! Loved it ✌️
Hello, I am from PA.. I use to own one of these when my band was recording allot. I have about 30 tapes of us, just catching what we played.. My singer Steve, just passed away Aug. 29th, and I no longer have this unit to get the tracks down on the computer... Would there be ANY way I could rent this unit for about a week or two? I know you don't know me from adam but it would mean allot to me, and his parents. If not, could I make payments? If not, I understand, I just can't find this anywhere, and the ones I do either don't work or playback... Thank you for your time. PS: I have mixed allot of bands, If thats something you would want to work with..? Sorry if this message is out of line for asking, I just dont have any options.
You can only record on one side of the tape when you are multi tracking on a cassette like this. it records on both sides of the tape at once so you can only record on one side without overwriting your previous recordings.
Getting 8 tracks onto a 1/8" piece of tape running at 3.75ips comes at a massive sacrifice of fidelity. Some people like that. I used to have the rackmounted 388 Syncassette back in the 90's before going to ADATs and then ultimately a DAW. With great power becomes great responsibility - and when people tracked to tape the tendency wasn't to overcorrect performances. That, to me, was the advantage. It certainly wasn't the dynamic / frequency range.
everyone keeps commenting that the 8 track cassettes were compromises and that yamaha only went down to 40hz and dbx sucks... i mean who cares? it's all about what our ears tell us. my ears tell me that there is very little compression happening, that the kick and bass tones are really nice, and that just by using the full range of the eq i was able to get a happy mix.
Can I ask a noob question. I’m getting into hardware using samplers etc can I just use these 8 track portastudios as my main mixer or would it be best to get say a mackie 8 track ? I would need 3 aux sends etc thanks
These portastudios are generally a mixer that can be used standalone but it's coupled with a tape recorder. I think 3 aux sends is either rare or non existent. Generally it's one or two.
I just bought a fostex 280 off marketplace. Upon playback sometimes all the highs will cut out for a period of time, up to 15-20 seconds even. It seems to be sporadic (not the same part of the song every time). Any knowledge on that issue? Thanks and love your videos !
Nice surprise to see a Michael Joly mic out in the wild! I have 3 pairs of his mics - MK319s, M179s and Apex 205s. A real shame he gave up the mic modding business.
This was an awesome video Travis. You're freakin hilarious. I love the drum sound you got. Was that all the 57 on the snare and a bass drum mic? I've recorded quite a bit with the mt4x over the years and have always loved the sound of dbx on it as well for whatever reason. I usually use either my tascam 488 or marantz pmd 720 these days to record. Thanks for the video.
Nice Video!!!! I like your music!!! I used the Tascam 424 from like 1990 through to 2000??? till I finally got a Roland Digital Recorded. Had many good times with all of that cassette recording, You could get a level of distortion on the tape.
I had one of those as well as a Tascam 8 Track Cassette recorder. I never liked how they sounded compared to the 4 tracks. The bandwidth when you are only using 1/8th of a 1/8' wide piece of tape is just really lacking. You gotta run them maxed out speed and do the treble boost while record, Cut while mixing trick helps.
nope the complete opposite. I noticed I had to be way more aggressive withe EQ and literally maxed out highs and lows on certain tracks. the fidelity was greatest, noise way less. of course i used dbx. but this has less tape character than a tascam
I sold the MT8X (original version) on Ebay in 2020. Hadn't used it for anything but a mixer since maybe the year 2004, and stopped using it as a mixer in around 2006.
I got a lot of mileage out of my MT2X 4-track back in the late 80's and early 90's, but some recordings suffered from momentary dropouts or mysterious fluctuations in the recorded level of instruments. It turned out that the unit had some cracked solder joints that needed to be resoldered. I eventually got it fully repaired, but my respect for the build quality of the unit took a hit. Maybe something similar is going on with the recorder in the video. It might not even be the seller's fault, if the shipping subjected the unit to mechanical stress. About the 8 track: Jyoti Mishra (performing as White Town) recorded the album "Women in Technology," including the song "Your Woman," on a Yamaha MT8x. Whether the mark 1 or 2 I do not know.
@@travisraab audio converters are good for a little 2488 recorder! Can get muddy if you try mixing to much stuff together! But you can mix down and bounce tracks and come up with some pretty incredible sounding music! Thanks!
Wanna hear something kinda amusing? So I got a Tascam 488S/H so kindly gave my older brother my tasty old Tascam Porta 5! Few weeks later he visited me winging about how "when you turn the tape over it just makes a racket"! Went to try and explain you DONT turn the tape over but he just winged and said "It doesn`t matter" like HIS feelings where hurt! Thicker than a bucket of rocks that guy!
THIS machine almost became my very first Cassette Multitrack machine. But sadly someone else bid higher than me lol... (BASTARD xD) but at least i ended up with a Tascam 688 shortly after. The Seller was incredibly friendly and i even got the remote control addon for it as well. But my god... the routing matrix is super difficult to use so i really much more enjoy the more simpler 8 track machines such as this one by Yamaha. Also i really love your Barn Studio.
get the heads cleaned and checked....they might not be aligned correctly for the tape pathway.....and the idler my be glazed up so it slips ever so slightly......pinch roller rubber for the tape drive
I had the Tascam version of this, 8 tracks on a cassette. The thing would go through capistan motors, it would work for two weeks and then the motor became unstable, replaced the capistan motor and it would work for two weeks and the same issue. It went into the trash and I got an ADAT HD24.
@@travisraab Well, yes and no. The ADAT HD24 uses hard drives instead of tape, so while there are no motors in the ADAT HD24, there are motors in the hard drives. Newer machines work off some type of flash memory, so no motors in the new stuff.
I have been using this machine for a year now. It's pretty cool but tempo always goes off. Different amounts of stretching on different tapes. It can be exhausting if you record live drums. Mostly using mine for recording the final mix from the daw into it. And also planning to record some ambient synth music with it. Love the dbx sound but cuts off all the high frequencies.
Love the DBX sound-put those meters in the RED..1st 4 track was a MT1X..Have a MT4X now on a slide out shelf.Still put the Denon tapes in it once in a while.30+ years later,Denon tapes still sound great and were well worth the money...Me and a buddy did a lot of Analog recording at 1 time.Used the direct outs in the back to go to my interface..And saved a lot of good memories to digital..Hope you can Fix channels 7&8..Sometimes simple really is better...Really enjoyed your video.Understood that Joy when you showed us what you had..Best Regards...👍👍
About these modern cuts and stuff... I think it was maybe a little bit too much, like 20% too much :) It could be ok or even not enough for younger tik-tok addicts, but for me and other people who are 30+ it's just too fast 😁 And most cassette lovers are 30..40+, so.. But I see this video is kind of trending and you have views and new subs. So I understand what you did and why. But maybe in the long run calm videos would have been better, but who knows.
Get Analog vibe in your DAW (free) ua-cam.com/video/hFcaBZ29eZc/v-deo.html
Better than the TASCAM 688 MIDISTUDIO ? Sacrilege 😮😳
@@djgeorgieporgie7862 no offense to all the 688 lovers but that thing is too nerdy even for me
The chaotic energy this video manages to have while still managing to be informative is really impressive
i hope you were for the new york times
Watched for the world's most powerful cassette recorder. Stayed for the world's most entertaining jump cuts...
i just had to look up what a jump cut was. turns out i invented it back in 1972. thanks rook!
I own Portastudio 488mkii and I love it. Like you said, there no point to use this kind of recorder today. But I don't know why I always come back to it. I like the picthcontrol, i like the little flickering, I don't even use DBX, etc... :)
i'm living the past. gotta have me that analog sound Yoann! i love that pitch control too
@@travisraab Me too! Sure I will do some more analog recording.
I owned one of these from '97 till '05. I think half the appeal of these is the ease of use. I often use simple 3 band EQ in Ableton to get a similar level of simplicity. If I roll off the top end and use a tape simulator, I can get a similar sound to the MT8X. Still, the MT8X is more grungy!
very cool andy!
just subbed because of your edit skills and humor, hahaha
Welcome aboard Dolleman! some people tell me how much they hate it lol
This brings back memories. I had a Tascam 8 Track where I'd record a sync signal on CH8 and slave my old Roland MC500 sequencer. Done wonders with so little!!
Sounds fancy! I like it
Did you check the switches to make sure they're armed to accept the audio on tracks 7 and 8?
I do find on these older tape machines you have to stretch the tape before you record. Fast forward it to the end the rewind it all the way again and that will help fix the tape drift or warble.
Had one of these, lots of fun!
Being able to record drums on the 4 first tracks (kick, snare, toms/cymbals stereo)
And then STILL (!!!) have 4 (!!!) tracks left for bass, guitars and vocals was just amazing
I own an old tascam 424 portastudio I bought with my graduation money, that's when I learned the difference between high bias, and non high bias cassettes. It always had a warm sound, unlike my modern digital 2488 neo. Man did I have fun trying bounce as many tracks as I could on to only 4. We are spoiled nowadays.
Maybe one day they'll say "you had to actually play your instrument back then? I just program it with my computer which has every sound known to man"
I own something very similar to that which I’ve been using the last 22 yrs. It’s the Yamaha MD8 digital multitrack MD recorder.
oh that's a cool machine. i'd love to mess around with one of those. people seem to love them
I also had one.
Can confirm tempo drifting.
On my so much I sometimes need to turn off and on because the pitch shift was making it impossible to double track guitars etc.
wow that's a couple now who have mentioned tempo drift. i had no idea it was a common issue among these and it's not just this machine.
I used to bounce background vocals to cassette with Dolby OFF, then sample them from there to get that airy sound.
that sounds cool napynap! i'll check that out
Tascam 488 MkII was the best damn multi-tracker I ever used.
id like to mess with one of those!
It's a crime this man only has 4.7K subs.. I've been looking for a channel like this for years im telling ya!
Very cool to hear! Thanks for being here 😊
The rest of us oldies cannot handle the supercuts.
Truth
This guys quality is great, deserves more subs but no doubt hes gonna get em soon 📈
thanks so much!
This brings back so many memories of the mid-90s! Just seeing the buttons and faders made me smile, awesome video!
thanks shy maronic!
Another fun video! You're making me nostalgic for my Fostex X18 though... 25 years gone but not forgotten.
Thanks Sanger! fostex x18 i'll have to check it out
@@travisraab it's pretty basic! Man I loved it though
I've got one of these in the loft. Awesome multitrack, had it for about 20 years now. I recorded a couple of albums on it back in the early 2000's, so easy to use and a great overall sound, I always used TDK SA 90's for recording. I use a DAW these days but I still miss the days of cassette based recording, you've got to be a lot more inventive when you've got limited recording technology. These days everything is just a click of the mouse away. Also got a Yamaha MD8 and a Tascam 464 as well keeping the MT8X company in the loft! Great video, thanks for posting it. Nice to see some people still have an interest in cassette multitracks.
your loft is epic
@@travisraab Thanks.
any plans on acquiring a independant reel to reel...seeing as you already record on 388. #4comparisonsake #thanks
it would prob sound a lot cleaner to have a wider tape! maybe someone will donate one idk lol
Technically the Tascam 688 is superior as it can record 8 simultaneously tracks all at once as this one only records 4 at a time. Still really really fun and it sounds amazing! I have both and find the Yamaha MT8XII is faster and easier to use. I have made more music with the Yamaha although the 688 can sync up to another machine or even multiple 238’s!! Tascam, ATR, and RTM all have or still make new high bias cassettes that sound amazing! A trick though, ;), is to use good old tape like scotch or type 1 as it will saturate easier and you can get some really cool vibes... welcome to 8 track cassette recording! Cheers!
You are next level! I love it
that was a genuine journey through your entire brain and an absolute masterpiece!
My band had four of these. We loved them. They served us well until we switched to DAW’s around 2001.
oh man that's cool! very cool to hear. cool machine it is
I was born in '69 and discovered music in or around '76. There were reel-to-reels and vinyl records but as I entered my teens none of my friends wanted to lug a moving crate full of records or reel-to-reels to teach others house for music listening sessions. Enter the glorious cassette magnetic tape. Oh me Oh my. What glory.
So much easier to pack around 60 cassettes in a briefcase style tape holder. Who can forget rewinding with a Bic pen? You know what I'm talking about.
Mix tapes? I was the king of splicing and looping cassette tapes. I also had a little cheapass 4 track recorder probably gifted to me from my parents who bought it from Sears for 99.99 CAD.
Now, almost 40 odd years later and a studio full of synths and controllers and MIDI gear and wires and mixers and you know what I'm talkin' about, I want to get back into playing and making music with cassette tapes.
Thanks for the reminder.
Great video.
Keep on rockin in the free world.
i love your story derrick! thanks for sharing
How would this compare to a Tascam 688?
the tascam 688 is incredibly lame lol. I'm half joking. some people love that machine. and some of us think it's ridiculously nerdy, enormous, with complicated digital routing that destroys the point of using an analog machine. i think sonically it's supposed to sound good but i really don't care.
@@travisraab really ? I’ve heard nothing but good things about it in terms of the sound when running stuff through it and back into a daw etc
@@saren6538 like I said, maybe it sounds great. Seems like an unnecessary behemoth for that simple function.
New tape is truly new, but only made by two companies (reel to reel is made by RTM and ATR, with a few more manufacturers making cassettes). Cassettes aren’t as good as they used to be; you can only find type 1 or type 2, but they’re still made.
I’ve been using a 1/2” 3M M23 4-track reel to reel + reduction mixes for a while, but finding one of these would be sweet for demos, lo-fi stuff, or even just to saturate stuff. Really cool piece of tech you found!
Dude your performance was spot on!!
I would have KILLED for something like this back when I was a kid. I was always modding tape recorders, trying to improve them or add new features.
what kind of mods
@@travisraab All kinds of things, like adding a variable speed control, adding sound on sound, even replacing the internal recording circuits with something better.
This is pure genius, That demo you recorded was killer, Is this track available for download?
thanks Joe! I think I'm gonna spend a day and make all my youtube songs available on spotify if there's enough interest.
I love the fact that you were like “I’m so fucking tired and I don’t want to do it again.” Subbed lol
Thanks man thats the type of excellence I deliver
@@travisraab lol. Keeping it real.
I got one of these from a polka hall of fame inductee, it rules so hard, despite the hiss, harmonics, crust, etc, it sounds like whatever you record is RIGHT THERE IN THE ROOM
Best news I've heard
I have the minidisc version of this and I will never go back to using computers for music
really? does it sound better>
@@travisraab better than tape Idk but definitely better than PCs
I didn't realize how similar (form and features) the MT8x2 is to the MD8, which is the minidisc version..technically for 8 tracks it uses MD Data which are rewritable minidiscs with 140 mins rather than 74/80 . I'll stop before this rollercoaster of multitrack fun goes off the rails though
@@djmattpositive yeah that's a cool looking machine the md8!
@@travisraab on the whole, I think the MD 8 multi tracks can be found in much better condition and for 1/4 the cost of it's cassette cousin
I find that recording percussion and drums on cassette gives it a sound that stands out better... ☮️🔥
It does! I agree
Most Powerful Cassette Recorder on Earth? It's a great one for sure, easily among the top 5 cassette multitrackers ever made, but I'm afraid the #1 spot goes to none other than the Tascam 688 Midistudio. Still enjoyed the video, though. :)
🙏
Tascam 688 has poorer fidelity than a 4 track recorder
@@user-gq6sf4si6j Really? Funny, when the band White Town used one to record their song "Your Woman", it sounded pretty high-fidelity to me.
Yeah what made me get the Tascam 688 wad the fact that it could actually record all 8 channels at the same time. Most other 8 track portastudios only recorded maximum of 4 channels at the same time so you HAD to do overdubbing if you wanted to record more than 4 channels at the same time. And i needed to have at least 6 channels. The 688 is also the BIGGEST and heaviest machine and certainly not a "Porta" studio x3 And the channel routing matrix really requires Neuron levels over 9000 to actually understand it.
I just got the 4track version, I also think I'm stupid because I completely forgot how to use theses things. Any tips?
I would def download manual and follow it!
Have one,still use it,great old machine.....
the prob with those 8 track cassette recorders (whether Tascam or Yamaha or anyone else) is that they partitioned the tape so heavily that they suffer from noticeably reduced dynamic range vs the 4 tracks. It's literally impossible for them not to have reduced dynamic range.
yeah true. but i mean you're listening to it right now. do you notice that it has reduced dynamic range?
We can’t compare these to what we have today. But, there was a time when we were buying albums on cassette. No one complained about the dynamic range. It was two track stereo, but we thought they were great. Also, these tape decks didn’t have any of the many issues that we battled when we first started using computers. Hit record and go.
What we have now is a lot better, but the MT8X at that time allowed us to step into the recording world which was very enjoyable. 🎧
@@mafronverizonnet Again, a standard cassette had four lanes of tape, right/left side A, and right/left side B. A 4 track multi used all four lanes (effectively "side A, 4 channels"), so no inherent degradation in quality as the tape lanes were the same size as a standard cassette. An 8 track, however, further split each each of those lanes in 2, giving physically less space on tape for each lane of encoded audio. I switched from a Tascam 464 to 488 mk2 in the 90's and the 8 track had a noticeably duller sound (with the dbx making it even worse). Frequency response of 40 Hz ~ 14 k Hz on 8 and 20 Hz ~ 20 k Hz on the 4. That's a big difference, and those specs are being kind to the 8. And I had to constantly degausse the 8. Don't get me wrong, having 8 tracks in a portable, easy to maintain unit was amazing, but the 4 tracks were around many years while the 8 tracks were short-lived before digital recording made them obsolete. I started with a Yamaha MT 4 track and found that the 464 sounded just as good. But the 488, no. I can't believe that Yamaha found a way around the inherent limitations of lack of tape real estate. I've still got both Tascams because I have so many tapes I still haven't got around to digitizing, but an iphone makes a much better dawless multi-tracker these days.
That makes sense. Limits... always limits...
@@alexwestconsulting hey, what app you would recommend for iphone?
I had a teacher like this in high school . . . it was the only class I didn't skip out of . . .
only thing missing is the handlebar moustache
To track down pitching issues you can use an oscillator app. Fire that onto each track and playback into something like Audition. Use the spectral display and you will visually see what the tape is doing to your signal. Guaranteed, there will be nothing good about it.
sounds fancy
@@travisraab Um. It's a perfectly normal diagnostic for checking a recording set up. It's why all studio masters in the old days used to carry a 1kHz sine tone at 0dB on a leader. So the playback machine could be calibrated to account for tape speed variation when cutting. If you do identify slowdown, then it's probably to do with the tensioning of the tape spooling, or possibly a slipping capstan. All fixable.
I have the Yamaha MT4x; similar except 4 tracks. It is a very clean almost digital sounding machine. Very different from the tascam sound.
would you say it's better or worse? I want to get my drumsamples to sound vintage I am thinking of getting a multitrack recorder to record to casette.
@@hansmemling2311 I have the Tascam 234, And I'd describe it's sound as hazy, saturated, colored. Maybe a 1970s Deep Purple or Black Sabbath character. The Yamaha MT4x is cleaner, crisper, probably more like a 90s Blur or Oasis. I love the way drums sound on the Tascam 234. I also greatly prefer the workflow on the Tasacm simple and intuitive. If I a haven't used the Yamaha in awhile. I have to watch a tutorial video to remember how it works. Perhaps that's indicative of more routing capabilities. Check out some videos of the models you're interested in, and that will give you an idea of the drum sound character. Ultimately the best 4 track cassette is one that works, and can still be serviced obtain parts for. It's tough to find people that can repair them so that should be considered as well. Maybe experiment with cassette software emulations 1st, before buying a deck.
Its been two years. How many songs have u recorded on it?
not enough. want to buy it?
The drums sounded awesome! (More details please!)
The Yamaha MT series is awesome. I used an MT2X for 10 years, it sounded amazing. I upgraded to a Fostex 8 track, and things sounded worse as a result. 😀 I think the Yamahas imposes a sound on everything that makes it really easy to mix, without making it sound cheap.
Those are awesome! If that's a Tascam 388 Porta studio behind you, could you please do a video demonstration? 👍🙂
Take a look around my channel man!
Question, at the end you talk about DBX like it is somehow not analog or interrupts your Analog flow somehow. What do you mean? Most Dolby and DBX types found on any 4 or 8 (or even 16 and 24 ch Reel to reels decks) IS an analog path.
I think there is a misunderstanding. I said a lot of people complain about dbx and say it sounds bad and prevents you from getting tape saturation etc. Is that the part you're referring to?
@@travisraab Yeah. Just sounded like you were saying it wasn't Analog Tape sound. I think a lot of people confuse tape sound with saturation. well balanced high end machines are relitively saturation free.
Does the MM30 mixing board that comes with the MT44 have 48VDC phantom power, so a condenser microphone can be used?
no
Thanks.
Thanks for the video! I have found a YAMAHA MT8X first version. I want to try to record a blues trio in cassette. Do you recommend to buy Yamaha mt8x first version ?
It might be cool! It it's cheap sure. But I think it has less dynamic range than a 4 track.
@@travisraab thanks so much!
@@quieora1789 nessun problema
Any idea if there are special screws in the back of this thing or if I’m just dealing with stripped
idk I sold it
7:05 I honestly don't know what you're whining about :D sounded fine to me 👌 also, there are people like my cousin (he loves abstract electronic music) who just love irregular and/or hard to follow rhythms. So if you really feel like you can't pass your song on as being "pop" you could always send the tape as a mixtape to some obscure label or something 😁
Great video btw dude! Loved it ✌️
Hello, I am from PA.. I use to own one of these when my band was recording allot. I have about 30 tapes of us, just catching what we played.. My singer Steve, just passed away Aug. 29th, and I no longer have this unit to get the tracks down on the computer...
Would there be ANY way I could rent this unit for about a week or two? I know you don't know me from adam but it would mean allot to me, and his parents. If not, could I make payments? If not, I understand, I just can't find this anywhere, and the ones I do either don't work or playback...
Thank you for your time.
PS: I have mixed allot of bands, If thats something you would want to work with..? Sorry if this message is out of line for asking, I just dont have any options.
Here's one! and several more available actually reverb.com/item/47066318-yamaha-mt8x-ii-mt8xii-90-s-8-track-tape-cassette-recorder-100v
You can only record on one side of the tape when you are multi tracking on a cassette like this. it records on both sides of the tape at once so you can only record on one side without overwriting your previous recordings.
great thank you!🙌
That was great. Love your videos and tunes man!
thanks so much niall!
Please tell me how 8 track works. To me it doesn’t make sence, there are only four ”tracks” on the tape
Top secret engineering!
Getting 8 tracks onto a 1/8" piece of tape running at 3.75ips comes at a massive sacrifice of fidelity. Some people like that. I used to have the rackmounted 388 Syncassette back in the 90's before going to ADATs and then ultimately a DAW. With great power becomes great responsibility - and when people tracked to tape the tendency wasn't to overcorrect performances. That, to me, was the advantage. It certainly wasn't the dynamic / frequency range.
Better than the 246 Tascam ? This Yamaha sounds like the fostex dmt8vl
Well I haven't directly compared. The 246 has a really nice saturation sound. That digital fostex looks cool!
Is that the one with the goofy power supply? I think I have one laying around with no power supply
power supply is built right inside! lucky you all you probably need as a universal cable
@@travisraab Haha not quite, Its a super odd shape. I saw the power supply alone sell for 150 bucks
its not universal? crap. it's just a cable
@@travisraab So I just looked at it and its a tascam. Theres a 4 pin connector thats shaped unlike any plug I have ever seen before.
@@RickDrift so it's not this machine? if it's a tascam, you can find the same power supply by googling the model number.
i bought a yamaha mt120, and all but channel 3 were not working, idk what to do about it
You could use it as is, fix it, or get something else.
I thought your groove was fine ... kinda perfect ... kinda vibed.
you are kind you flatter me
The Tascam 688 is bigger and better. I've had mine for 30 years and it still works and sounds awesome.
It is bigger. It may still work. But that machine is my nightmare.
I have an MT4x but the lid won't close when I put in a tape!! I had someone look at it and we couldn't figure it out. I won't give up on her
duck tape?
@@travisraab might be sensor error I'm thinking. I will report back
Hey Travis,
Can you record eight tracks at the same time? Would be nice for a jam session.
Cheers
4 tracks max
@@travisraab thanks 🙏
Yamaha gear was ALWAYS solid. I have an MT8X mk1. Excellent unit. The MK2 is pretty rare..
everyone keeps commenting that the 8 track cassettes were compromises and that yamaha only went down to 40hz and dbx sucks... i mean who cares? it's all about what our ears tell us. my ears tell me that there is very little compression happening, that the kick and bass tones are really nice, and that just by using the full range of the eq i was able to get a happy mix.
Can I ask a noob question. I’m getting into hardware using samplers etc can I just use these 8 track portastudios as my main mixer or would it be best to get say a mackie 8 track ? I would need 3 aux sends etc thanks
These portastudios are generally a mixer that can be used standalone but it's coupled with a tape recorder. I think 3 aux sends is either rare or non existent. Generally it's one or two.
I still have my Tascam 688 eight track recorder. It was great 30 years ago.
very cool!
I'd recommend retro style media they make tapes brand new only for £1 or $1 each
Sounded really great, man. Clean but warm.
Much appreciated, Richard!
How did you tame the high hat in your recordings?
I didn't do anything to tame it. Why tame it?
Are you saying my hi hat is tame?
When I record the drums, I have terrible hi hat bleed that bleeds into the snare mic (also a 57). Maybe I play too hard..hmm
@@outdoorenthusiast5835 point the 57 away from the high hat towards the snare make sure it's close to the snare like 1 inch
I just bought a fostex 280 off marketplace. Upon playback sometimes all the highs will cut out for a period of time, up to 15-20 seconds even. It seems to be sporadic (not the same part of the song every time). Any knowledge on that issue? Thanks and love your videos !
Hi Bowl thanks for watching the channel! I actually have never messed with the fostex 280
@@travisraab do you know the issue im talking about though, with your gear? i wonder if it's a generic belt issue or something.
@@frizell10 I haven't had that issue, but I'm not sure if highs being cut out would relate to a belt. Did you try a different tape?
Nice surprise to see a Michael Joly mic out in the wild! I have 3 pairs of his mics - MK319s, M179s and Apex 205s. A real shame he gave up the mic modding business.
yeah I realized i have 2 hulks. It still sounds really good to me.
It really sounded warm and comfortable 👍
Glad you like it coop414
Good stuff. I also liked the Yamahas a little more than the tascams.
they clean!
Getting pretty sick, like awesome.. everytime I buy a new synth 😂 have fun!
haha
Cassette tapes are still made/sold in Japan because there are so many older people still jammin'
i should move there
This was an awesome video Travis. You're freakin hilarious. I love the drum sound you got. Was that all the 57 on the snare and a bass drum mic? I've recorded quite a bit with the mt4x over the years and have always loved the sound of dbx on it as well for whatever reason. I usually use either my tascam 488 or marantz pmd 720 these days to record. Thanks for the video.
I've always wanted to mess with a tascam 488. Very cool. No that was a shure Beta 52 on the kick
Btw; how do you think it sounds compared to Yamaha MT44?
mm mt44 sounds pretty unique.
How do you fix the scratchy pots in one of those I have a porta studio and I dont want to dissemble it
simply turn the pot 100 times. fastest way. if that doesnt do it, try a little canned air. then turn 100 times.
@@travisraab deoxit works like a charm
i would not advise the use of deoxit if exercising a pot, and canned air will do the trick. to each their own.
Nice Video!!!! I like your music!!! I used the Tascam 424 from like 1990 through to 2000??? till I finally got a Roland Digital Recorded. Had many good times with all of that cassette recording, You could get a level of distortion on the tape.
Very cool! 424 is a cool machine as well
I had one of those as well as a Tascam 8 Track Cassette recorder. I never liked how they sounded compared to the 4 tracks. The bandwidth when you are only using 1/8th of a 1/8' wide piece of tape is just really lacking. You gotta run them maxed out speed and do the treble boost while record, Cut while mixing trick helps.
ah ok!
that looks fun like have own mini house just for music-so cool
that part that said sounded bad i thought sounded good like so nice and 80's or 70's pleasantness tune to it nice and nostalgic except better
8 tracks means they are 2 times as thin. Did you notice more noise than regular 4 tracks by any chance?
nope the complete opposite. I noticed I had to be way more aggressive withe EQ and literally maxed out highs and lows on certain tracks. the fidelity was greatest, noise way less. of course i used dbx. but this has less tape character than a tascam
@@travisraab I meant without dbx, but Yeah, that is intersting
I sold the MT8X (original version) on Ebay in 2020. Hadn't used it for anything but a mixer since maybe the year 2004, and stopped using it as a mixer in around 2006.
you have the timeline memorized ! I believe you
I got a lot of mileage out of my MT2X 4-track back in the late 80's and early 90's, but some recordings suffered from momentary dropouts or mysterious fluctuations in the recorded level of instruments. It turned out that the unit had some cracked solder joints that needed to be resoldered. I eventually got it fully repaired, but my respect for the build quality of the unit took a hit. Maybe something similar is going on with the recorder in the video. It might not even be the seller's fault, if the shipping subjected the unit to mechanical stress.
About the 8 track: Jyoti Mishra (performing as White Town) recorded the album "Women in Technology," including the song "Your Woman," on a Yamaha MT8x. Whether the mark 1 or 2 I do not know.
I used to love that song when I was a kid! super cool
I still have my old Korg-4track cassette recorder! I now use 2-2488 tascam recorders! Fun thanks!
that 2488 looks fun! i wonder how the converters are
@@travisraab audio converters are good for a little 2488 recorder! Can get muddy if you try mixing to much stuff together! But you can mix down and bounce tracks and come up with some pretty incredible sounding music! Thanks!
Wanna hear something kinda amusing? So I got a Tascam 488S/H so kindly gave my older brother my tasty old Tascam Porta 5! Few weeks later he visited me winging about how "when you turn the tape over it just makes a racket"! Went to try and explain you DONT turn the tape over but he just winged and said "It doesn`t matter" like HIS feelings where hurt! Thicker than a bucket of rocks that guy!
haha
THIS machine almost became my very first Cassette Multitrack machine. But sadly someone else bid higher than me lol... (BASTARD xD) but at least i ended up with a Tascam 688 shortly after. The Seller was incredibly friendly and i even got the remote control addon for it as well. But my god... the routing matrix is super difficult to use so i really much more enjoy the more simpler 8 track machines such as this one by Yamaha. Also i really love your Barn Studio.
get the heads cleaned and checked....they might not be aligned correctly for the tape pathway.....and the idler my be glazed up so it slips ever so slightly......pinch roller rubber for the tape drive
nice idea Mike!
Quite a learning curve on this machine..
yup haha
Just curious… why keep using cassette recorders, when you have a 388?
I am a sick man.
fun video. the pacing feels frantic and great. its inspiring to see your process and hear this stuff too.
Glad you enjoyed it John!
I had one of those through a trade and then sold it. It sold very quickly, and the guy was stocked to get it.
easy come easy go!
Great little jams man. 🤘
I had the Tascam version of this, 8 tracks on a cassette. The thing would go through capistan motors, it would work for two weeks and then the motor became unstable, replaced the capistan motor and it would work for two weeks and the same issue. It went into the trash and I got an ADAT HD24.
i hear you. but don't adats have motors too?
@@travisraab Well, yes and no. The ADAT HD24 uses hard drives instead of tape, so while there are no motors in the ADAT HD24, there are motors in the hard drives. Newer machines work off some type of flash memory, so no motors in the new stuff.
@@davidgriffith3938 if a component continues to fail time after time even when replaced with a new known good one, it's indicative a deeper issue...
@@andmoreagain Well perhaps someone can salvage it from the landfill and fix it...
I have a Yamaha 4 track cassette with dbx. It sounds wonderful.
very cool, beezlybud!
I have been using this machine for a year now. It's pretty cool but tempo always goes off. Different amounts of stretching on different tapes. It can be exhausting if you record live drums. Mostly using mine for recording the final mix from the daw into it. And also planning to record some ambient synth music with it.
Love the dbx sound but cuts off all the high frequencies.
no kidding. so it's not just my machine? this mt8xii has worse motor than the others? yeah i literally cranked the treble on some tracks
Love the DBX sound-put those meters in the RED..1st 4 track was a MT1X..Have a MT4X now on a slide out shelf.Still put the Denon tapes in it once in a while.30+ years later,Denon tapes still sound great and were well worth the money...Me and a buddy did a lot of Analog recording at 1 time.Used the direct outs in the back to go to my interface..And saved a lot of good memories to digital..Hope you can Fix channels 7&8..Sometimes simple really is better...Really enjoyed your video.Understood that Joy when you showed us what you had..Best Regards...👍👍
very cool. thanks barflew!
5:52 note to self: learn to play this piece of music
Reel to reel machine
Had an amazing sound
Recording Guitar.
I yet i had to appreciate
That i was one of a few
Who could hear that
Sounded really great.
The chords on the wowow guitar mmmmmmmmmm so gooooodddd
thanks that's the real mccoy wah wah!
About these modern cuts and stuff... I think it was maybe a little bit too much, like 20% too much :) It could be ok or even not enough for younger tik-tok addicts, but for me and other people who are 30+ it's just too fast 😁 And most cassette lovers are 30..40+, so.. But I see this video is kind of trending and you have views and new subs. So I understand what you did and why. But maybe in the long run calm videos would have been better, but who knows.
thanks!