Tascam Porta 03 | Review, Tutorial & Demo | Lofi Black Metal Recorded On Cassette

First up in this episode I review the Tascma porta 03, covering its features and specifications and comapring it ot other highly compact budgte multitrack cassette recorders.
Next I demonstrate how to use the unit as I track a black metal song using very limited equipment - a pocket operator drum machine, my guitar, a digital multieffects pedal and an old fashioned telephone handset as a microphone.
There is a playthrough of the finished track recorded to my Zoom h6 handy recorder at the end of the video.
___________________________________________________________________________________
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;-
tetrakansuperm...
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

[@jer0051]

This was my first portastudio in 1992 , another one that got away.. not a bad starter unit…

[@DeformedDevices]

That's the worst thing I have ever heard. Love it.

[@Tetrakan]

It's a lonely road, the artist's life, until someone "gets" it and makes everything worthwhile. 11/10 validation, thank u, fam

[@Mark761966]

HE HAS THE BOX!

[@pseudosun]

my first recorder. It's hard to imagine playing all the way through on guitar. I'm accustomed to punching in sections: verse, chorus, solo.

[@BogoEN]

I always wondered whether these were easier to bounce with (meaning basically impossible) than the Porta02mkii. Not sure it seems worth going after tbh tho. I would add, I’ve actually come across a Porta02mk1 in the wild. It was/is the same as the mkii but without the Hi-Z “guitar” input, similar to the added xlr-di on the 414 mk1 vs mkii. Also, kinda crazy it would only do a Dolby decode… still kind of a convenient tiny unit!

[@samusordicus]

may be a daft question but does this record in stereo ?

[@Tetrakan]

Yeah, if you record to two tracks simultaneously. You'd put your left channel information on one track and your right channel information on another track then pan those tracks hard left and right respectively on playback.

[@jimfolkers8463]

When I put in a cassette tape to listen to on this unit, tracks 1 and 2 play the song im listening to. On tracks 3 and 4 it plays a song from the other side of the cassette, backwards. I have to turn the level all the way down on tracks 3 and 4 so I don't hear the backwards song. What causes this? Thanks.

[@Tetrakan]

That is normal for a commercial cassette. The way the format which Phillips first patented works, actually the tape has only one side with ferric or chrome coating to absorb information. That tape is split into four regions horizontally - side A left and right, and side B left and right., With side B left and right printed backwards. So on a cassette player in a home stereo, only the lower two regions are picked, the other two are inaudible. Then when you turn the cassette 180 degrees, the other two tracks are audible instead, and playing in the correct direction. On a four track recorder however, all four regions are accessed simultaneously, and recorded in the same direction, and it's up to the user to place these four mono signals in the stereo image using the attached mixer's pan controls. When you reach the end of a tape, you must rewind, since turning the tape over would make EVERYTHING backwards! It also means you only get 45 minutes of recording time from a 90 minute tape, because you're recording 45 minutes of info on all 4 regions of the tape, not 45 minutes on one pair and another 45 mins on the other...for more detail with diagrams check out this videokzbin.info/www/bejne/eonbm6NpnZ1nitE

[@jimfolkers8463]

@@Tetrakan Thanks for your help!

[@NeoLudditevisons]

Is it possible to use both inputs as L an R at once to record a stereo signal to the tape? Would you use both inputs on one track or separate tracks?

[@Steaminlidz]

I bought one in 1995 for 175 quid new, from memory.

[@Tetrakan]

Thanks for the information!

[@shawnlennon1947]

Hey I just bought one of these and can’t find a power supply. I figure maybe you have a good source for aftermarket power supply since you repair these. Every power supply I’ve come across so far is 12v center +

[@Tetrakan]

This is where i get mine myvolts.co.uk/product/7038/UK_12V_Power_Adaptor_for_the_Tascam_414-MKII_Portastudio_by_myVolts

[@jimfolkers8463]

Question...I bought one of these units. In order to record with a mic, do I need a 1/4 inch to XLR cable? Thanks.

[@Tetrakan]

If the mic has an XLR output socket, then yes - 1/4 inch jack input sockets only on this model. A cable with a female XLR socket one end and a male 1/4” jack at the other would be another solution

[@jimfolkers8463]

@@Tetrakan thank you for your response!

[@mekskraptrakkz5718]

How can I get my hands on a telephone mic like yours?

[@Tetrakan]

I bought mine from a seller on eBay years ago, cost maybe $35 posted to the UK from the US? I don't have a record of the seller unfortunately but if you type "telephone microphone" into ebay you can save the search even if nothing turns up straight away.

[@travisraab]

I need one of these. How many machines do you have??

[@Tetrakan]

I'm thinning the herd...It was close to forty, down to maybe 25 now. Once I've reviewed and repaired all of them I intend to hang on to half a dozen or so of my favourites.

[@oinkooink]

You had 40 of these specific units?

[@ViviSectia]

They're not meant to be battery powered but 12V CCTV batteries can power them as long as you reverse the polarity.

[@Tetrakan]

Noted re CCTV batteries, but the point of this video is to allow folks with minimal apparatus to establish if their motor is faulty. If we're being really fastidious about the right tools for the job, connecting a bench power supply set to 12 volts to the motor via crocodile clips would be the correct way to do it, and in practice that's what I'd do in my workshop. The point of using a 9v battery is many viewers will have a 9v battery to hand to power guitar pedals and so on, or else they can pick one up cheaply from any supermarket or convenience store. Thanks for watching.

[@fromthestreets00]

it is center negstive or positive?

[@ViviSectia]

@@fromthestreets00 I'll have to doublecheck but I'm pretty sure the Tascam is center negative, same as a guitar pedal.

[@ayseeisnothere]

I'm new to this. can you record to tabs out casettes with this or do you need tabs in/cover up tabs with tape?

[@Tetrakan]

You need the tabs in or covered with tape - this is because there's a lever that needs to be lifted up on the corner of the cassette cavity or record won't engage.

[@sanchezmusic5985]

lovely resource for Tascam portable. thank you for the information... PS. How about that telephone microphone ..? could you explain how or where to find one? thanks

[@Tetrakan]

I think I just got it off eBay…search “telephone microphone”?

[@denimhorn]

Anyone know where to get a power supply for one of these? I know nothing about volts and amps and just want to buy something online that actually will work with the unit I have. I have a bunch of old demo tapes i want to revisit.

[@Tetrakan]

Look for 12 volts negative tip. Amps not too important, it'll be hard to buy one with too low a amperage because the tascam draws very little current. FYI slightly wrong voltage just won't work, but wrong polarity (e.g. positive tip) will damage the circuit.

[@richardsmith4992]

OUT NOW - Scraping The Mucus From Your Throat, featuring the hot new single Black Krust Whatever The Fuck That Is! Probably leaky caps...

[@Tetrakan]

One of the things I love about metal is that fans’ and detractors’ descriptions of the genre are interchangeable. Like, this ^^^ could be a 5 K review in Kerrang or a one star review in NME.

[@LIQUIDAETHERAudio]

What Drumcomputer are you using there? Sounds like it could also be quite good for some industrial metal.

[@Tetrakan]

Teenage Engineering PO-32 Tonic

[@LIQUIDAETHERAudio]

@@Tetrakan Thanks!

[@Mark761966]

Did they just rebadge the Porta 02?

[@Mark761966]

Man, that numbering is confusing

[@Tetrakan]

I guess you kept watching, but for anyone feeling especially TLDR;- no; it came out first; it's built different; it's got a master fader; there's a bounce workaround; the signal routing means your signal sounds like ass during tracking, which is a bit annoying

[@lmrudner12]

Is it able to multi track record? I have one and I’m having trouble recording two inputs together. Can hear both and mix before hitting record, but can only hear input 2 when I hit record. Would love to chat or get an answer here. Thanks so much!

[@Tetrakan]

Yeah should be...tell me more about which inputs you're using, how the controls and switches are set, maybe I can troubleshoot?

[@lmrudner12]

@@Tetrakan i’m using a bass guitar with a line in on input one, and I am using a Volca drum machine online to with an adapter on the 3.5 mm line. On input one and input two, the two I have chosen to record, the LEDs both show pre-recording. Once I hit the record button, I can only see the LEDs for Input two and input one seems to go totally dead.

[@lmrudner12]

@@Tetrakan All volume knobs in input knobs at reasonable range. Once I get home I’d be happy to send pictures to try to figure this out. If we could even DM that would be great, desperate to figure it out. Thanks!

[@Tetrakan]

How are the two switches to the left of the faders set?

[@lmrudner12]

@@Tetrakan the channel selection? Track 1 and track 2

[@marlon3]

skipped fwd to the metal, killer track

[@Tetrakan]

Thanks! I'm going to capture the portastudio recording in the DAW and do some stuff to in with plugins - create a stereo image and some other enhancements to the drum machine part plus use the abbey road suite mastering to make it a little thicker but not too slick; at that point it'll get a separate music video and I'll make it available for free download on bandcamp