4-TRACK RECORDING TIPS AND GEAR LIST | 424recording.com

4-TRACK TIPS AND GEAR LIST: 424recording.c...
I relaunched my website to include 4-track recording tips and a gear list of must have gear to use for 4-track recording. Let me know if there's any 4-track recording tips or 4-track recording gear I left off of the list that you use or you think would help other people. I'm planning to make an FAQ page next.
HOME RECORDING GEAR LIST: 424recording.c...
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[@jessefillmore]

Hope you're doing well , Mike . Your videos on 4 track recording are still some of the best .

[@absolving]

Thanks so much for this. Just what I was looking for.

[@timmyholiday]

cheers for this man, I use a fostex 280 tape machine cos 424 prices were outrageous everywhere I looked, but this channel has been a huge help to me, thanks!

[@424Recording]

Glad I could help! Yeah, the prices for the 424s are way out of control. You made the right choice, timmy! Cheers, and thanks for watching!

[@eskeleto9433]

424 Recording what’s a good price for a mkii?

[@424Recording]

Haha I might not be the best person to ask, eskeleto. I think anything over $150 is way too much. All the ones I've had over the years I got for $25 - $50. It's a shame that the reseller market has driven the price way up. Check locally if you're looking for one

[@SolarLantern424]

05:19 You don't need this to bounce tracks and if it's to create a stereo sub mix then you could just use an ordinary 2 channel interface.

[@nowavecharles]

Great work Mike! Good ol' 4 track recording techniques.

[@424Recording]

Glad you enjoyed it, Henry!

[@MrMetalclay]

I think having a couple of those cheap guitar multifx pedals are nice to use as inserts. Signal flow: Mic, ART tube Mp, Behringer composer, cheap Multifx (reverb, delay, chorus pitch, ect). Most of those cheap pedals are stereo out, so you can use vocal track out into cheap fx and back into the mix through channel input 1 and 2 panned hard left and right. Unfortunately the cheap Multifx will have no wet/dry, that's why it can only be used as an insert, and not aux.

[@SilentTravelers]

Sweet! and yep already ordered a new pair of HD 280s... they're great! Also, I have the bigger HS8s and they are beasts!! I do think they are a bit over the top though. The HS8s are more powerful and are a bit beefier on the low end.. but honestly the HS5s would be perfect for any kind of bedroom pop / indie noise project!

[@gamingmusicandjokesandabit1240]

"gear list" *GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome has left the chat*

[@424Recording]

Hah wouldn't GAS enter/stay in the chat?

[@gamingmusicandjokesandabit1240]

@@424Recording Oh wait. I forgot what that means.

[@quinnmccarthy4875]

Hey Mike, love your page and knowledge! So grateful!!! Im getting into 4 track recording and have a 424 mkiii. Im curious though, what are the pros and cons of reusing tapes? (Recording zero input, fast forwarding, rewinding). Will I be getting weird noise or is this common practice? Thanks!

[@schizoinstereo]

Also a double-tracking effect for a double-tracked sound on only 1 track. If you only have 4 tracks, ya gotta make the most of each one. Throw your Keeley 30ms on there. Oh and also an octave effect if you don't have an actual bass. Even ones under $50 work fine. Besides that, maybe a cheap drum machine. Full band sound, no computer required! : )

[@424Recording]

Good call, Schizo. I need to add these!

[@peterkiefel9064]

the Keely 30ms is the secret weapon for 4-track!!! It also has a great sounding chamber reverb so is great for a targeted verb image placed in the stereo spectrum which can really make a vocal or guitar pop! My Keely 30ms is almost permanently hooked up to aux 1 on my 424!

[@424Recording]

Peter, you were the inspiration for that one! Cheers, mate!

[@syrupface212]

4 tracks are soo expensive

[@424Recording]

Yeah, the prices are out of control

[@rangoononline]

My 4-track set up was a Tascam 424, zoom effects pedal, Sure 58A, and a drum machine. I would mix it all down onto a Panasonic dual cassette boombox and send it back to the 4-track to bounce tracks. Sounded so gud bruh! Good times :)

[@424Recording]

Joe! What's up, dude?! That's awesome, man. That sounds like a solid setup, bro! I miss my old cassette boombox. That thing literally rocked 😆

[@schizoinstereo]

A friend of mine just got a pair of Kali Audio LP-6 studio monitors. They are only $300 a pair new!! And they are the best I've heard under $500 a pair!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND! I want to trade him my Yamaha HS7 monitors for them and he wouldn't. Mine were twice the price!

[@424Recording]

Oh, snap! I've got to look into these. I thought the HS5s were the best ones I've heard in this price range so now it's time to do some investigating. Cheers, bro! Haha good luck with the trade

[@joaoantoniovione484]

When i got to use a fostex x-14 my front end was the behringer xenyx 2442usb. If folks's devices are able to record 4 tracks at once this is a nice match, has built-in footswitchable fx, compressors, and a 2-track USB interface. (+ little need for repatching, at this size of system you might not bother, but as you expand it... Ick!) I heard @ "o furo do balde" yt series that Detonautas's drummer began recording on a 424 + alesis 3630, monitor ones and midiverbs. I have used the first and the latter' 4th incarnation, (now moved on to dbx's), for the price its hard to beat, parallel compression sounds huge on the 3630! 2¢

[@424Recording]

Thanks for the info! I'll have to look into the 3630. I've never used one of those. It seems like it could be a good option and the price looks right. Great tips!

[@charlieoneill3728]

Hi Mike. I recently bought a tascam 424 and am still learning how to use it, but I’ve run into a continuing problem. I will record something into the 424 at a pretty high volume, and the playbac while playing is pretty loud. But when I go back and listen to it it’s really quiet. This becomes an issue when I track a different instrument over that part, because the input monitor volume of what i am playing is so loud that i can’t hear wha has been recorded. and when i turn the input volume down on that track, the playback is almost silent. I hope this makes sense and you ca help me out!

[@424Recording]

Hmmm, I'm not sure, Charlie! I've never heard of that problem before. There must be something up with the "tape" signal path on playback if the volume is loud enough while recording but then lowers when you listen back. Make sure your "line out" is set to L-R. You might also be able to you the "tape cue" on playback. That is a separate signal path so there shouldn't be any signal drop...

[@peterkiefel9064]

Hey Mike thanks for great vid! Boy is this a fave topic of mine! When I first went from analog to digital I quickly learnt signal path was key, as digital is so unforgiving over 0dBA (exact opposite to analog!). So I got used to channel strips/compression on input signal so I have a Mackie 1202 VLZ which is great for input path into my 424. I use external mixer for submixing as you note, plus most of my mono tracking to use external processors such as Focusrite Penta Platinum and PreSonus Studio Channel strip via the inserts on the Mackie (got both rack FX cheap 2nd hand). I also get double the value with that gear for mixdown where I take direct out 1 - 4 from 424 back into the Mackie and with inserts on channel 1 - 4 on the Mackie I have maximum flexibility for mixdowns. These days I use way less verb and delay in mixdown and focus on compression and EQ sculpting (PresSonus channel strip is great for that). I then use a Focusrite iTrack Dock and a DAW app on my iPad for final mastering. Having recently watched you great vids on Tascam model 12 I am seriously looking at replacing my Mackie AND Focusrite iTrack Dock / DAW app and then I will have a much more streamlined workflow!. With a model 12 I will still be able to use my external gear for input tracking and for 424 direct out mixing. PLUS that will make "reduction mixing" easier (4 to 2 reduction and back into 424 to add 2 more tracks) AND be able to do final stereo mastering. A lot less cable routing to manage!

[@424Recording]

Wow, Peter. These are some very cool ideas here. I hope this sparks some ideas for people; I know your comment has for me! I need to integrate the Model 12 and the 424. That's going to be my next project one of these weekends. I definitely recommend the Model 12. I feel like it's also the 424 mkiv we've been waiting for. I need to make a video about that one of these days, too! Man, your comment also makes me want to up my outboard gear game. It's so fun to route signals like you're describing; I'd really like to do more effects as I'm recording. Cheers, Peter! Thanks for watching and commenting as always!

[@MexMachine]

I saw your video and got a beta 58a for 90 on reverb. I also use HS5s with my mk iii.

[@424Recording]

Dang awesome score! Nice, re HS5s. How do you like them?

[@Psztyk236]

Hey, Mike, now that you have the Model 12 which is digital (no shit sherlock) did you think about feeding recorded tracks on it, or perhaps entire song to the 424 to get that analog tape sound? It might be a cool technique to show in a video

[@424Recording]

So like record to the Model 12, send it out to the 424, and back to the Model 12? Yeah, that could be cool!

[@Psztyk236]

424 Recording Yeah, something like that, or send it back to the computer for final mix. I’ve seen some videos how people do that with old machines where they send the audio from DAW to the tape and back. One of them even shows the difference in sound between that technique and using tape emulation plugin and while the difference was not huge, it might be fun to try that and give purpose to old tape recorders when we move to digital recording :D Just my thoughts, I don’t own any tape recorder but I thought about buying used one just for this purpose

[@424Recording]

Very cool, wiencheck. Making some vids on how to do this would make for a great idea. I don't think I've ever done it, come to think of it. A big reason I haven't is because it's really only the final mix that I would send to the tape. Due to the nature of the tape, it's impossible to line up the tracks in post. So you either need to do a 2 channel mix or 4 tracks only. It would be cool to use it as a side bus as well or parallel tape saturation but like I said, it's tough to get it to line up properly with the digital recording and I'm not sure if all the work is worth it, kind of like what you're saying about the difference not being huge. But it's worth a shot perhaps...

[@jasonelambeth]

Super rad new site bruh! Keep up the stellar work!

[@424Recording]

🙌😎

[@Shrimpy08]

Great list will use when I get mine

[@424Recording]

Right on, Shrimpy!

[@sesa1076]

And tapes.

[@424Recording]

Yeah I'm going to have to add those...