I loved my 388, unfortunately I sold it years ago. It was so neat having everything integrated in this simple good sounding machine, without cables, without extra noise reduction units.
Thank to Your videos I'm collecting now these analog multitracks, right now i have tascam 424 and fostex m80 - and I've realized that making music without staring into computer screen is a bless. Thank u man, great work
The 388 really sounds nicer to me than the 38. It kinda sits in the sweet spot to my ear of "why analog sounds good". The Eurythmics recorded sweet dreams on one, and that thickness comes through. Wish I had one, though I don't really wanna have to spend the money on tape for it. S'why I have a growing pile of cassette portastudios. Just got an MT8X, look out world.
The 388 has a cool, saturated sound. The 38 has more fidelity and high end like Travis says in the video. I think I like both. Maybe the 388 is more vibey and you got those sweet EQs. But Sweet Dreams was recorded on a Tascam 80.
@@danielperkins7311 Some sources say 80, some say 388. Some just say "Tascam 8 track". I swear I read a story about it with Annie Lennox talking about using a 388 on it, but of course I can't find it right now. It was in a British recording mag. I don't think the 38 sounds more hi fi, just thinner.
I'm thinking about recording in a DAW, running out through tape and back into the DAW. Seems like the 38 would be a good option for that since it's actually attainable, price-wise.
Great comparison Travis, I’ve never seen an A & B between these two machines and I’ve always wondered how they’d stack up. The difference sounds pretty subtle to me but both add a nice vibe to your drum recordings.
I love em bolth! I have a tascam 38 and teac model 3 mixer. I track my songs to a daw and use the two bands of eq on the board along with the signal chain of compressors and preamp. After that I’ll send the 8 channels through each of the direct outs on the board and boost the hi end a bit to the 38. The 8 channels are sent through motu adat lightpipe. Now the tracks have passed through the mixer twice and hit tape I’ll mix the 8 channels on the submixer knobs on the side of the mixer back into the computer through a stereo rme audio interface. That way you have your performances just right and you use the deck as a processing device vs just a recorder and therefore skipping all the anxiety of getting it right - saving wear n tear on the machine. It’s kinda cheating but I think it’s the ultimate way to go. There is a magic to tracking straight to tape though. After that’s done I’ll send the track to a tascam 32 and make any pitch change’s necessary and then send to a tascam 122 tape deck lol. I have a depraved fetish for all things analogue the madness must stop. Anyhow love your channel I’ve been following since the beginning happy new year!
Love them both. 388 has more of a finished sound of what I personally would do to a drum recording vs the 38. 38 still sounds great, just not as nostalgic I suppose.
I"d love to hear both with dbx nr on, or even 388 with dbx vs 38 as is, since the 38 needs an external dbx box which I don't find necessary for the level of hiss when I had one. The 38 can handle dramatic dynamics where the 388 is a hiss machine on super dynamic drummers
Ive owned both of these, though im not an expert on either in any way. As always, "to each their own" will always be the wiser outlook when it comes to which is actually "better". But there are strategic differences in how each one functions, and your preferred work flow should dictate which you choose to buy. People make many X vs Y videos and I do watch them and they are interesting and useful. But some X AND Y videos would also be cool. Because if it were me, id use the 388 as just the pre amps and recorder for drums and percussion. You must use the inserts on the 388 to have a 160 on the kick track etc, 1176 or whatever on the snare track and just leave it ready to go at all times. It is like your drum console. You can also use varispeed to get the drums right where you want them tonally. Then rip the drums to the computer for control and safety. Then send the drums from the 388 out of the Master outs (sounds better) to tracks 2 and 3 of the 38. Dont put them on track 1 or 8 (edge tracks can sound different sometimes). The point where you send the mono or stereo drums you should probably also send them through eq and compression to get it to print how you want and gel it all. You are bouncing down to the 38 anyways, might as well save time and go through a "permanently patched for this one job" stereo or mono compressor. Then record the rest of the song on the 38s remaining tracks. I think anyone can use any method though, to make a masterpiece. Finding the time, and a real reason to, is the actual challenge.
388 sound is more my thing! i’ve always wanted my dry drums to sound like that. sounds more glued, vibey, saturated than the 38. both sound great though.
I would agree someone getting into tape should look into getting a 38, also just because its a way more common format. Theres a lot more machines, Tascam 58, 48, 80-8, TRS-8, the Otari 5050, plus the mkiii-8 and mkiv-8. Ive seen a few people online where their heads go on the 388 or theres some other fatal breakdown and they cant play back their tapes unless they find another 388. I know you just record over and dont care about keeping tapes, but for those of us who do keep multitracks thats a big consideration.
Yeah. My 388 has been rock solid and I did all repairs myself but I know that's unusual. The 38 on the other hand was a nightmare. It took all my efforts plus another guy to do the electrical work I couldn't solve. I wonder which machine is the easiest to repair.
I kick myself for missing a chance on a tascam 1" 24-track... But I agree, the 38 has way less hiss, also, the toms seemed to saturate differently in the 388 (or the 38 didn't... idk. I'm hearing through sennheiser 201s). I wonder how would they compare if using noise reduction.
Hi Travis. I've been playing drums since I was a kid, 60 now, and recording drums for 30 years or so. I know you like a tight drum sound but I think your tom's are too dead with the towels under the heads. Just my opinion. I would go with the tampon method. Buy some Maxi Pads and tape them to one side of each tom head. Then the tone of the drum will come thru but it'll still be muffled. Good luck! ✌
hi just saw the text you put on this is very right so many i seen are not working the best one to get as a TEAC 80-8 HELL heavy or you could use a betacam sp 4 channel deck they are silly low price now i picked up 12 from a studio £25 each got all of them working studio do have clean out's of all the gear you just have to buy alot of gear like £2000 at a time this how alot of new bee's get a studio 388 i got for a mate came with alot of gear you need a mate team up to get gear now and one that's a tec i am the tec
hi the tascam 38 i am finding now they are playing up i have alot of them the pcb's are going bad inside i did find out if the main pcb goe's you can use them small computer to run a tascam 38 reel to reel i have gone back to relay logic in one of the decks so it will play ok the main pcb cost over £100 now in the eu if you can find one
no it is off on both. the 38 has less hiss. The 38 pretty much sounds better all around and it is cheaper but you will need a board for it. the 388 has mojo and looks cool which is all that matters.
Travis I Loved my 388, just couldn’t keep it maintained, stuff went wrong be of age of it. I had two actually-one brand new bought at Sam ash-other used years later. The IK plugins you reviewed are great,but I’m now shying away from DAW software on PC. Why I bought the Tascam Model 24-I missed old school-play your stuff right onto tracks like tape. Get your parts correct. The 24 is lacking in the eq dept being 3 fixed bands..unlike the sweep semi p. On 388. Hope Tascam will have an updated version of these w better eq-more auxes. But lacking those it’s a no brainer. Try one.. used 700 bucks. And you can bounce old school-patching style..no hiss buildup. That’s how you can eq..ch 1-2 have inserts-so patching in an eq.. for bounced stuff a workaround-or usb to daw-eq there. I’m only using iPad now…as my Daw. Cubasis, Auria. Many plugins. Ik MixBox is the best deal.
I loved my 388, unfortunately I sold it years ago. It was so neat having everything integrated in this simple good sounding machine, without cables, without extra noise reduction units.
As far as I know, most people use the 38 without the noise cancelling unit.
@@sazatornill I loved the dbx on mine.
Thank to Your videos I'm collecting now these analog multitracks, right now i have tascam 424 and fostex m80 - and I've realized that making music without staring into computer screen is a bless. Thank u man, great work
Rock on!
I know I'm dreaming but it would be cool if they would bring the 388 back maybe even updated and improved. Hey vinyl came back!
I definitely liked the sound of the Tascam 38 better
The 388 really sounds nicer to me than the 38. It kinda sits in the sweet spot to my ear of "why analog sounds good". The Eurythmics recorded sweet dreams on one, and that thickness comes through. Wish I had one, though I don't really wanna have to spend the money on tape for it. S'why I have a growing pile of cassette portastudios. Just got an MT8X, look out world.
The 388 has a cool, saturated sound. The 38 has more fidelity and high end like Travis says in the video. I think I like both. Maybe the 388 is more vibey and you got those sweet EQs. But Sweet Dreams was recorded on a Tascam 80.
@@danielperkins7311 Some sources say 80, some say 388. Some just say "Tascam 8 track". I swear I read a story about it with Annie Lennox talking about using a 388 on it, but of course I can't find it right now. It was in a British recording mag.
I don't think the 38 sounds more hi fi, just thinner.
Less tape hiss on 38 clearly compared to 388 because of double the speed (15 ips vs 7.5 ips) and double the tape width.
I think I prefer the 388.
Sounds amazing.
noted!
And also. Browners Sound in Miami hands down the best for calibration. If you’re ever on holiday or are rich for shipment
I'm thinking about recording in a DAW, running out through tape and back into the DAW. Seems like the 38 would be a good option for that since it's actually attainable, price-wise.
Yeah it probably would be!
Great comparison Travis, I’ve never seen an A & B between these two machines and I’ve always wondered how they’d stack up. The difference sounds pretty subtle to me but both add a nice vibe to your drum recordings.
thanks for watching man
I love em bolth! I have a tascam 38 and teac model 3 mixer. I track my songs to a daw and use the two bands of eq on the board along with the signal chain of compressors and preamp. After that I’ll send the 8 channels through each of the direct outs on the board and boost the hi end a bit to the 38. The 8 channels are sent through motu adat lightpipe. Now the tracks have passed through the mixer twice and hit tape I’ll mix the 8 channels on the submixer knobs on the side of the mixer back into the computer through a stereo rme audio interface. That way you have your performances just right and you use the deck as a processing device vs just a recorder and therefore skipping all the anxiety of getting it right - saving wear n tear on the machine. It’s kinda cheating but I think it’s the ultimate way to go. There is a magic to tracking straight to tape though. After that’s done I’ll send the track to a tascam 32 and make any pitch change’s necessary and then send to a tascam 122 tape deck lol. I have a depraved fetish for all things analogue the madness must stop. Anyhow love your channel I’ve been following since the beginning happy new year!
very interesting! thanks for sharing that
Definitely clean those heads whenever you can. 99 percent is on Amazon. Great video, thanks again for your awesome channel
Love them both. 388 has more of a finished sound of what I personally would do to a drum recording vs the 38. 38 still sounds great, just not as nostalgic I suppose.
I"d love to hear both with dbx nr on, or even 388 with dbx vs 38 as is, since the 38 needs an external dbx box which I don't find necessary for the level of hiss when I had one. The 38 can handle dramatic dynamics where the 388 is a hiss machine on super dynamic drummers
Ive owned both of these, though im not an expert on either in any way. As always, "to each their own" will always be the wiser outlook when it comes to which is actually "better". But there are strategic differences in how each one functions, and your preferred work flow should dictate which you choose to buy.
People make many X vs Y videos and I do watch them and they are interesting and useful. But some X AND Y videos would also be cool. Because if it were me, id use the 388 as just the pre amps and recorder for drums and percussion. You must use the inserts on the 388 to have a 160 on the kick track etc, 1176 or whatever on the snare track and just leave it ready to go at all times. It is like your drum console. You can also use varispeed to get the drums right where you want them tonally.
Then rip the drums to the computer for control and safety. Then send the drums from the 388 out of the Master outs (sounds better) to tracks 2 and 3 of the 38. Dont put them on track 1 or 8 (edge tracks can sound different sometimes). The point where you send the mono or stereo drums you should probably also send them through eq and compression to get it to print how you want and gel it all. You are bouncing down to the 38 anyways, might as well save time and go through a "permanently patched for this one job" stereo or mono compressor.
Then record the rest of the song on the 38s remaining tracks.
I think anyone can use any method though, to make a masterpiece. Finding the time, and a real reason to, is the actual challenge.
sounds easy
After you have it set up, it is!@@travisraab
388 sound is more my thing! i’ve always wanted my dry drums to sound like that. sounds more glued, vibey, saturated than the 38. both sound great though.
I would agree someone getting into tape should look into getting a 38, also just because its a way more common format. Theres a lot more machines, Tascam 58, 48, 80-8, TRS-8, the Otari 5050, plus the mkiii-8 and mkiv-8. Ive seen a few people online where their heads go on the 388 or theres some other fatal breakdown and they cant play back their tapes unless they find another 388. I know you just record over and dont care about keeping tapes, but for those of us who do keep multitracks thats a big consideration.
Yeah. My 388 has been rock solid and I did all repairs myself but I know that's unusual. The 38 on the other hand was a nightmare. It took all my efforts plus another guy to do the electrical work I couldn't solve. I wonder which machine is the easiest to repair.
I kick myself for missing a chance on a tascam 1" 24-track... But I agree, the 38 has way less hiss, also, the toms seemed to saturate differently in the 388 (or the 38 didn't... idk. I'm hearing through sennheiser 201s). I wonder how would they compare if using noise reduction.
yeah the 388 seems to melt into the signal in a different way
Sounds awesome
Hey from CLE
any advice on 388 tension roller adjustments?
Yes I made a whole video about it. Check out my video how I found my 388
Hi Travis. I've been playing drums since I was a kid, 60 now, and recording drums for 30 years or so. I know you like a tight drum sound but I think your tom's are too dead with the towels under the heads. Just my opinion. I would go with the tampon method. Buy some Maxi Pads and tape them to one side of each tom head. Then the tone of the drum will come thru but it'll still be muffled. Good luck! ✌
ill have to try that. I won't make any jokes.
hi just saw the text you put on this is very right so many i seen are not working the best one to get as a TEAC 80-8
HELL heavy or you could use a betacam sp 4 channel deck they are silly low price now i picked up 12 from a studio
£25 each got all of them working studio do have clean out's of all the gear you just have to buy alot of gear
like £2000 at a time
this how alot of new bee's get a studio 388 i got for a mate came with alot of gear you need a mate team up
to get gear now and one that's a tec i am the tec
What one piece of digital hardware or software would you say is most important to have that aids in using the Tascams?
isotope rx9
hi the tascam 38 i am finding now they are playing up i have alot of them the pcb's are going bad inside
i did find out if the main pcb goe's you can use them small computer to run a tascam 38 reel to reel
i have gone back to relay logic in one of the decks so it will play ok the main pcb cost over £100 now in the eu if you can find one
Would love samples of that kick, hat, and snare from the 38
those are here:
My Analog Producer Course
tinyurl.com/3u7nysmp
My Sample Pack
tinyurl.com/5apdzy4k
does the 388 or 38 have dbx on? i wanna get into reel to reel and the 38 sounds promising but i’m questioning how necessary dbx is.
no it is off on both. the 38 has less hiss. The 38 pretty much sounds better all around and it is cheaper but you will need a board for it. the 388 has mojo and looks cool which is all that matters.
Bravo!
Thanks Matt!
Is the baby sleeping; play them drums boy! And let them toms sing 😂
Nice work
Thank you! Cheers!
Let me know if you ever want to sell the 388!!
it's for sale. it ain't cheap
Is it listed online? @@travisraab
I thought it was? you can buy it directly if you want support@travisraab.com
@travisraab You sellin' the big boy!? Say it ain't so!
I'm trying to sell it all lol. not the sponsored stuff@@SPOD_ZONE
Hey bro! Would you ever sell your tascam 38 rack ears? I really need some!
Well the 38 is for sale so I need to keep it with the 38 or else it would hurt the value ;/
The 388 IS CRAP compared to the Tascam 38!!! PLEASE STOP THE BS!!!!!!
lol is this a troll
Can you elaborate?
Tascam model 24….i have one it’s the digital 388 plus more tracks. Clarity for days no tape hiss. Pres are just fine.
cool beans
I’ve owned both tape machines in the video.
did you like them?
Travis I Loved my 388, just couldn’t keep it maintained, stuff went wrong be of age of it. I had two actually-one brand new bought at Sam ash-other used years later. The IK plugins you reviewed are great,but I’m now shying away from DAW software on PC. Why I bought the Tascam Model 24-I missed old school-play your stuff right onto tracks like tape. Get your parts correct. The 24 is lacking in the eq dept being 3 fixed bands..unlike the sweep semi p. On 388. Hope Tascam will have an updated version of these w better eq-more auxes. But lacking those it’s a no brainer. Try one.. used 700 bucks. And you can bounce old school-patching style..no hiss buildup. That’s how you can eq..ch 1-2 have inserts-so patching in an eq.. for bounced stuff a workaround-or usb to daw-eq there. I’m only using iPad now…as my Daw. Cubasis, Auria. Many plugins. Ik MixBox is the best deal.