Tascam 424 Mk III REVIEW

This is a review of the Tascam 424 Mk III, a 4 track cassette recorder released in 2001.
In the video I give an overview of the unit's features, compare the unit to competitors, talk about my experiences repairing this model, and provide some examples of how the technology sounds.
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TETRAKAN - Fix & Use Tape Recorders
Overviews; tear-downs; repair vlogs; techniques; tutorials; demo recordings...
...covering every cassette multitrack recorder ever made!*
*(eventually)
/ tetrakan
TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT I USE;-
kit.co/Tetrakan
I post exclusive content on PATREON;-
/ tetrakan
DONATIONS are gratefully accepted via my BLOG, which also features written articles and FREE DOWNLOADS OF SERVICE MANUALS;-
tetrakansupermonobloc.home.blog/
I prefer to answer questions in the youtube comments where my answers can help more than one person, but if you need to share photos etc, you can message me via facebook.
/ tetrakan
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Here are links to some of the other videos I mentioned in this video;-
Recording 8 tracks on a 4 track cassette
• Recording 8 tracks on ...
A playlist of my 4 track and 8 track reviews;-
• 4 track reviews
Using the 424 mk III's digital memory features
• Tascam Portastudio Mem...
3rd Island's video on the 424 mk III PSU
• Tascam 424 MKIII power...
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CHAPTERS
0:00 introduction
0:26 Musical example 1
1:03 Price & Audience
2:09 Weight & Portability
2:30 Magnetic Heads
2:52 Tape speeds & recording time
3:42 User pitch control
4:30 Creative applications of pitch control with examples
5:04 Number of tracks and channels you can record simultaneously
5:29 Cassette compatibility
6:29 DBX noise reduction & synchronisation (MIDI, FSK, etc)
7:36 Compatibility with other portastudios
7:53 Musical example 2
8:33 Meters and transport controls
9:21 A tour of the Rear panel
10:00 No phantom power!
10:12 Tape outs and digital capture
10:46 Inputs 7 & 8
11:15 External footswitch for punch in and punch out
11:32 Gain controls - Microphone vs line level
11:49 EQ - parametric mids + shelving High & Low
12:36 Effects sends and tape cue
13:45 Channel input switches
14:46 Feedback and no input self oscillation using the effects returns
15:12 My experiences repairing this model - missing PSUs & Overheated motors
16:38 Musical example 3
17:22 Competitors
18:52 Conclusion

[@johntammaro]

Great review. Been sat in my to watch list for days. Glad I have finally found time to get to it.

[@ManCalledMif]

Perfect timing. Thank you so much for this! 🎉

[@Tetrakan]

Thanks for watching!

[@zunkrock]

I like the analog quality of your recycled sounds. Informative review as always.

[@Tetrakan]

Thank you 😊

[@somepostman]

Hey, I just wanted to chime in and confirm that yes, piano sustain pedals work as Remote Punch In! I've used a Casio SP-3 successfully on both a 424 Mk III and a 388, so I'm guessing it would work on all Tascams

[@nohrtillman8734]

Appreciate the opening recognition of the 424 MKII. It seems to get overlooked in favor of the original, and the MK III. The extra mixer flexibility given to inputs 5-6 of the MK III is nice. When I purchased in 2004-ish, I remember consciously trading that for the top access input/output jacks of MK II. In my perfect world there would be a 424 with both features. 😊 Excellent video as always!

[@Tetrakan]

Thanks. I agree that the easy access to sockets was a massive plus for the mkii 424 and 488.

[@killaken2000]

I remember recording demos on a porta 2 back in the day. a 424 would have been amazing to have in those days.

[@Tetrakan]

Yeah, I was a broke young adult when this was released, this was out of my price range, I had a porta 03 at that time.

[@frequincyrecording4286]

I had no idea these were produced in 2001😮 I would have guessed mid 90s. Great review/walkthrough.

[@Tetrakan]

Thanks. Yeah I had it figured at 1998 or so, but that review appeared alongside DAW software and digital multitracker. I guess they were still trying to cater to a twenty plus year base of customers accustomed to using cassette?

[@frequincyrecording4286]

@@Tetrakan I’m very unfamiliar with this era of porta studios only having a 246 and a rack mount 238. Great video 👍

[@manucontrovento]

Hi tetrakan, I often watch to your videos and there are a lot of useful things to me! I'd like to ask you how (and for what purpose) do you use inputs 5 & 6 I found some videos dealing with it, and of course I read the manual, did some attempts, but honestly I didn't find out how to use them. Thanks!

[@Tetrakan]

The extra 2 mixer channels are helpful for two main reasons. During recording, they allow you to combine up to six signals into a mono track or stereo pair.. if the mixer only had 4 channels, you'd only be able to combine 4 signals, which sometimes isn't enough for a live band or drum kit. During mixdown, you can use the extra tracks to psn and EG effects sends - reverb, echo, etc.

[@avyangoned763]

gosh this sounds excellent

[@Tetrakan]

Thanks! At the higher tape speed, with DBX on, these things sound a lot less logical that a lot of people expect!

[@savingsoul]

Do you have a tear down or belt replacement video on the mkiii ?

[@jer0051]

Haven’t seen you post anything in a while hope everything is good, curious if you ever had a channel/track 3 in my case have a static sound that luckily seems to fix itself after a while? I had the mixer apart and cleaned the pots a few years ago… just curious if you might know what it could be? Thanks

[@thesynthchopin]

Hello! Thanks for all the awesome videos!!! I recently picked up a Tascam Porta 02 at a thrift store for $40!! Brought it home and everything works great but when I use headphones to monitor I get a TON of white noise as well as when I turn the volume knob for the headphones I get very loud crackles but it stops after moving... any ideas what is wrong? Or is that just how these are? I am very unfamiliar with 4 tracks haha THANK YOU!

[@KadaverKomplex]

Do you have any idea on how to add some sort of backplate mounting to an MkIII? It fits nicely into my vesa mounted laptop cradle, but it's fairly top-heavy and tries to tip out and down when bumping it. Since the entire backside is basically flat, smooth, rounded and with zero holes, I'm having a hard time securing anything to it in order to maintain some grip on the top side of the mixer

[@BogoEN]

Nice video, Calum (and a long time coming!). I am curious now whether you feel the 424mkiii is more “G.O.A.T.” Than the 246? Sadly, I will likely have to part ways with my 246 soon (money is real). I think I’m gonna miss those VU’s more than anything. I think it’s a fascinating thing to think about sound quality (ie Mojo) vs features. I love the chunky sound of the 80’s units but this was definitely the king of features. Looking forward to checking out the new Patreon video, as well. Keep on rockin 🤘🏻

[@Tetrakan]

Hey, I don't say that anywhere in the video, the thumbnail is an afterthought, and straight clickbait. It's not better than the 246, I just kean towards it for portability, and the shelving eq is super useful for tracking, addi g air to cymbals cutting out rumble on vocals etc. The 246 has its advantages too- for instance like you say, VUs are much nicer.

[@BogoEN]

@@Tetrakan Gotcha, yeah I didn’t get the sense from the video you had altered your views, but was curious. I do wish the 246 had XLRs and a third pot’ for eq. But it’s an amazing machine. There is a part of me that wants to grab this or a 464 and call it a day 🧐 🤔

[@kolmeteroa]

Thanks for the great video, once again! Having had a number of different Tascams through the years I've always wondered if the tape outs in for example the 424 could be converted to insert points. Do you see it doable? Would love to be able to patch in a compressor every now and then.

[@Tetrakan]

Thanks for watching. I think it'd be easier to add sockets than repurpose the tape outs. Simplest solution would be to add 2 additional RCA sockets (a send and receive) per channel you wanted to adapt, wire them between the input select switch and the fader input. When not on use, a short rca to rca cable would connect the pairs. That's roughly how the inserts are handled on the 244.

[@diogomp81]

I had a tech add inserts to my 414mk2 and it was extremely easy and straightforward. He mounted the input jacks on the left side of the recorder. This to say that, to a competent tech, it should be a simple process and it certainly can be done.

[@kolmeteroa]

@@Tetrakan Thanks! Come to think of it, somewhat like that it was also with Tascam Model 5 mixer I had.

[@MarcoGualtieri]

excellent video! I recently got a 424 mk 1, and am enjoying it. But it has a problem with recording onto track 2.the result is extremely faint, almost silent. all other mixer functions on that track also work. have you encountered this? thanks!

[@Tetrakan]

Thanks. Try turning up the gain for the track 2 record amplifier. There is a trimpot on the bottom board when you open the case. Refer to my tear down video, playlist of calibration videos, and the service manual with schematics which is available as a free download on my blog.

[@michaelkonomos]

Do you have a specific place on EBay where you sell restored Tascams? I have been shopping lately and its tough not knowing the condition of one and would be better to know you were getting it from someone who knows what they are doing! Thanks for putting this out there in any case. Doing my research before taking the plunge.

[@Tetrakan]

Thanks for your confidence in me. I was selling on eBay a lot at one time, but not recently. If you’re in the US there are a few sellers who I know you could trust. If you’re in the UK we could arrange to buy a used one and I’ll refurbish it, message me over Facebook if that works.

[@jetblakink]

I've got one with a burnt out motor. Any links to get a replacement?

[@Tetrakan]

Sellers come and go. All you can do is type the part number into eBay and Ali express and see who’s holding. If you’re within posting distance of the UK I can install a new regulator chip or a replacement motor.

[@luxinterior5]

Can I sinc two tascam 4 tracks portastudio together to have an 8 track recorder without using the necronomicon? Is it possible or I have to buy an 8 track tape multitrack recorder (that I dont want to)? Sorry but my knowledge on these machines are on a potato level of basic despair. Thank you, great channell.

[@Tetrakan]

What you’re talking about involves at least one of the machines being able to vary the motor speed to match incoming FSK data, and to the best of my knowledge Yamaha were the only manufacturer to implement this, in their MT2x and MT120 too maybe? But both units would have to have the ymc2 expansion box. Honestly though I haven’t tried it. I’ve got a 488 and 488mkii and I do love the flexibility of 8 tracks, being able to bounce 6 tracks down to 2 in stereo and so on.

[@valleywoodstudio7345]

Just rebuilt one from two that I got on market place- working fine now but has that dreaded clicking on playback in the audio that is random. Remove the cassette, replace and its ok again for a few seconds then it creeps back in. Ever come across this? I fear it's maybe a discharging cap in the replay circuit or maybe just needs demagging.

[@michaelthompson7546]

Man your channel rules. It is the best 4track tape channel for repair or operation/workflows I have found. I just got a second MK3 to work with so that I can make more complex stereo mixes more easily with minimal ping-ponging to retain quality. I have a few questions for you, and no worries if you don't have time to answer them but I'm curious about it. First off - when you talk about routing multiple input sources and then sending them to just two tracks for a stereo mix of the different inputs, how does that work exactly? Do you need to be in direct mode to get the left/right pan action going correctly on one of the four channels? I guess this boils down to basics of bussing left and right. It seems to me that I've only been able to work stereo dynamics in final mixdown via running tape to stereo outs and basic panning possibilities that affords me, is there an easier way to do that that allows for more nuanced stereo mixing of seperate parts or do I need to have a second machine to unlock that potential? The second question I have is just how do the stereo dynamics of the L/R 7/8 channels work? I don't understand how to do stereo reverb or delay with the effects loop dynamics, and the manual says that the assign switch for the 7/8 channels was to determine not mono or stereo (one input into 7 seems to be mono by default?) but rather LR vs monitor. Anyway, sorry for the novel, love to hear your thoughts. I'm about to embark on a repair of the RCA tape outputs on my MK3 because they are buzzing like all hell. I think you have that in a video somewhere. . .

[@Tetrakan]

Hi. First question- If you were going to bake the stereo image from 6 mic signals onto 2 tape tracks during tracking, you would NOT use direct mode since doing so would bypass the pan controls. Other questions.. tbh you are using the word "dynamics" repeatedly in a way which I don't understand. To me dynamics equals compression etc, but I'm pretty sure you're asking about signal routing? Also I'm.dyslexic and awaiting assessment for ASD and ADD so meandering questions (no offence) with terminology that seems wrong to me just throws up a computing error in my brain where . Please can you rephrase the other questions as concisely as possible without using the word dynamics and I'll try my best to answer them? Thanks for watching.

[@michaelthompson7546]

@@Tetrakan Thanks for your reply! Sorry for confusing language - I want to know how to get as many separately panned tracks as possible. It seems like you were suggesting in the video that some of this can be done "on the front end" so to speak, just in routing the signals into the machine, and not just at mixdown when you pan the channels in the final LR tape mix- how does that work? Does that make sense? Other than that, I just don't understand how channels 7 and 8 work with doing stereo effect sends, but I think I should just keep scouring videos and manuals instead of expecting you to explain it to me in the comments section of an already great video. Anyway, regards; like I said, your channel is great, it has already helped me repair my 424, which I'm very grateful for.

[@Tetrakan]

@michaelthompson7546 OK I understand now, thank you for clarifying. Imagine we have 6 microphones on a drum kit in a dry room, and a stereo reverb processor. Tracks 1 and 2 are armed for recording in buss mode. Track 1 will contain our left information, track 2 our right. If we pan mixer channel 1 to the center, 50 percent of the signal will be recorded on the left and right channels, therefore we hear that mic signal in the center on playback. If we pan mixer channel 2 to 9 o clock, about two thirds of the signal will go to track 1, the rest of the signal will appear on track 2, so on playback it will seem like the sound is coming from our left. We can repeat this process for all 6 mixer channels, with the pan control building a stereo image by controlling what fraction of the signal goes to the right or left side of the stereo image being captured on two tape tracks that way we have kick drum.in the center, toms appear to rhe left, hugh hat to the right, there is stereo seperation between two crash cymbals, etc. Additionally, we can send a copy of the mic signals to the left and right inputs of the stereo reverb processor using effects sends one and two, respectively. In this case the combination of the effects sends acts a bit like a pan control - if you turn up both effects sends, the signal is in the center of the reverbs stereo field, but if effect send 1 is louder than effect send 2, the reverb is left of center... in our scenario recording a drum kit, for realisms sake, we probably want the levels of effect sends to closely mimic the pan control. The 7/8 input is just added to the stereo information in the master fader, so it can be hooked up to the left and right outputs of the reverb and used to control the blend between the dry and wet signals - if you turned up 7/8 all the way you'd have a 50 50 blend of wet and dry signals, but if 7/8 was halfway up it'd sound 33 percent wet, 66 percent dry, etc. Note this reverb is being added at the master fader, and it is the contents of the master fader which is being recorded to the tape tracks in this recording mode, so wed be baking the reverb into the stereo drum image. On playback, with track one panned hard left and track 2 panned hard right the stereo field we built using six pan controls with reverb is preserved. Other options...We can make the stereo image narrower by panning the tracks to only 3 o clock and 9 o clock, respectively. This would allow us to pan two guitars hard left and gard right snd they'd sound "outside" the drum kit, not "in front". We could reverse the panning with track 1 panned right and track 2 panned left, this would make our right-handed drummer sound like their kit was set up like a left-handed player. I hope this was helpful.

[@michaelthompson7546]

@@Tetrakan AAAAAAHHHHHHHH. Ok these are exactly the things I didn't understand even after reading the manual. I think maybe this is the information I've been looking for for months but haven't been able to find. I think I'm getting you - in this hypothetical example all six of those inputs are just going to tracks one and two which are set to buss left and right, respectively. Man that really unlocks things because now I still have two free tracks that aren't even spoken for and I should still be able to buss them around if I need to. The double effects send makes better sense now too, it just means that I need to have an effects unit with stereo outs correct? You're the man, seriously been hunting for this exact knowledge all over KZbin - I don't think that a lot of people running four track channels really get this deep with four tracking. Here's a link to my first record if you want to check it! I'll even send you one if you want, I pressed a hundred: solarcanus.bandcamp.com/album/the-stars-of-the-breakfast-system-vol-i-understanding-your-radio

[@Tetrakan]

@michaelthompson7546 yeah you'd need an effects processor with stereo inputs and outputs. I use a zoom multistomp CDR and recommend it as flexible/ cheap / small footprint. I'm at work but I'll check out the link later

[@diogomp81]

Calum, don't you find the 464's mixer section a tad more robust sounding, from preamp quality to actual processing? That's been my experience, but i really like the 424 as well, of course. I'm unsure of the components used on both recorders, though, whether they differ in quality or topology, etc. But i hear a difference in the mixer sound, especially when compared to something like my 414 mk2.

[@Tetrakan]

You're not the first person to say that, and I've never done an A B test, but I've never noticed a difference that made me want to rerecord on my 464 after tracking on my mk iii. I do wonder how much calibration contributes to people's perception. Overviews of how electrical topology changed over time is something I'll be covering, certainly on patreon of not the main channel. Thanks for watching!

[@diogomp81]

@@Tetrakan I hear you, for sure. I guess one thing is what we hear, another would be the actual components used on the mixer section - I'm really only talking about the mixer section, not the cumulative aspect and overall sound. In the end, it might be null or negligible of course, but component wise, would you say the 424 mk3 is equal to the 464 in terms of quality?

[@Tetrakan]

I will be having a look at what the differences in components and circuit topology between generations of portastudio are, if any, and maybe that deep dive will.change my view, but my impression at the time of writing is the same grade of components and similar circuits were used in the 424, 464, 424 mk ii and mk iii?

[@diogomp81]

@@Tetrakan That's certainly good to know, thanks Calum! That said, that's gonna be an interesting video. I always felt very slight differences in tone between the whole spectrum of Portas i had. Curious to see if it's just my ears "wanting" to hear differences.

[@MGoolas]

One of my favourite tascams minus the horrendus design (I like the OG 424 much more). I was wondering how hard it is to install a switch that turns the motor on and off. I would love to use it as a mixer without constantly running it.

[@Tetrakan]

Not hard. Kill switch on the positive voltage input to the motor would do the trick, there's space to mount one on the right side of the lower case

[@nostalgiaregret]

What do you mean. I’m using mine as a mixer without having to run it...

[@Tetrakan]

@nostalgiaregret In this design, the capstan motor spins as soon as the unit is turned on....so your motor control chip is slowly burning through its finite life expectancy as you the mix! Neat, huh?

[@nostalgiaregret]

@@Tetrakan what happens when the motor chip burns out? Does it start to make noise?

[@Tetrakan]

@nostalgiaregret cassette pitch is unstable, then too fast and doesn't respond to pitch control, then it stops spinning altogether.

[@Honey-zd8el]

Has anyone found a comparable motor to the Mabuchi that is in the 424 MKIII ? The variable speed adjustment is key. Thanks for the cool channel!

[@Tetrakan]

Not that I know of, but I'm exploring the issue. Ultimately, I'd like to develop a robust and easy to maintain DIY PCB that will work with any of the simple brushed 12v motors that are still in production. If I can nail that, all we need to do is wait for 3D print technology to mature enough to make replacement heads and we can keep these things working forever ....or at least until all the compact cassettes in the world run out? Stay tuned!

[@thisdjdada]

@@Tetrakan I have so many type 2 cassettes in my possession many are 4 tracks I can’t to play them again.

[@oinkooink]

Got one of these in very, very nice physical condition. Looks barely used. Can not seem to make the Monitor Level knob do anything though. Each channel's Effect 2/ Tape Cue seems to control the volume of recorded tracks during overdubbing. But the Monitor Level knob does not seem to work at all. It has zero effect on the volume.

[@Honey-zd8el]

Agreed. MK III was/is the best

[@thisdjdada]

600 US dollar new. Bought mine 400 used. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work anymore. I want it fixed.

[@petromax33]

I bought mine for 412,00euros in 2003.