Tascam Portastudio 424 Mk II | Review | Features overview | Comparison

[@bigsby19]

Tower Records 🤣 That’s a blast from the past. I used to go to that when it was just at the central station bridge in Glasgow. I’ve got the 424 MK ll, an amazing machine. Thanks for posting this up.

[@LedSledJoe]

I believe it was released around 1996.

[@nohrtillman8734]

Resurrected my guitars from the closet recently and got the notion to price my 424MKii. I wasn’t aware these portastudios almost gained value! Disappointed that they are mostly being bought to dumb down digital work with “gritty sound” but… Invested (yes $$) in the TASCAM 424 Master tape with the modern tape formula. Have seen mostly thumbs down reviews, though. At least it will be neat to see the little reels spin. Still studying your other videos, thanks!

[@jaxtongoldthedefinitions9730]

ah, nostalgia =) I sort of miss mine, but I'm not sure why haha. I actually used this as an analog set of preamps into my pc in '04-'07 for demos. It worked just fine; go figure.

[@hippydude1]

Ive got one of these. I bought it brand new. Not sure if to sell it or not because they are amazing

[@Tetrakan]

Don't sell it, sell your liver instead?

[@hippydude1]

@@Tetrakan haha i would be a little emotional if i sold it . Ive still got cassettes with my own songs i wrote hanging around. So dont think i could mate. Great review by the way. Ive still got my instructions for it but after watching your video i definitely need a reminder how to use it . I had a zoom effects unit attached , i think on 5/6 input. Its a pretty good bit of kit . To some just looks like a tape recorder but its so much more

[@hippydude1]

@@Tetrakan my 15 year old daughter is playing the guitar and getting a bass guitar now . Was wondering if to let her use it but kids today will give up on it i reckon cos its not super strange forward like modern technology

[@hippydude1]

@@Tetrakan i also dug out my kawai k4 synthesizer as well. Proper old school stuff haha

[@Tetrakan]

@@hippydude1 nice synth. Portastudios are good because they force you to listen, there’s very little visual feedback compared to DAWs etc, maybe you can sell it to your daughter on that basis? Thanks for watching in any case.

[@srDanaBenedicta]

Thank You! Just one question: I read that it has 7a 125 v. How to connect this to 220v safely?

[@BugzKiller]

I bought mine New in 1996, $599.00...LOVE IT!! LOL EBay is selling the same one USED for the same price or more!!

[@igor_timofeev]

Usefull video as usual. Thanks!

[@ZenMountain]

Great video, thanks!

[@JasonFarnham]

Great vid! Do the individual channel faders control the levels of the signal going out of the 4 RCA individual tape stem outs (1-4)?

[@Tetrakan]

Thanks. No, those outputs are pre mixer.

[@johngoacher9695]

My manual for this unit says Copyright 1995

[@Tetrakan]

Thank you, good information 👍

[@nohrtillman8734]

Just bought a quality scanned Service Manual for the 424 MKii and it is dated 1996. So nearly the same release dates.

[@lexandraresplandor8775]

I recently bought one just like this, everything works except the record button, it doesn't even turn on the red light, what could be the problem?

[@Tetrakan]

Possibilities - Are you using a tape with the record protection tab removed from the plastic shell? (Google it if you're not sure what I mean); the leaf switch or accompanying black plastic lever in the top left of the cassette cavity which detects the presence or absence of the record protect tab is faulty in some way; the tactile switch and/or led on the shuttle control pcb need to be resolvers or replaced. Good luck!

[@lexandraresplandor8775]

@@Tetrakan Hello, sorry for the inconvenience, I tell you that I took the 424 mk2 to a technician and he told me that the record button was broken and that it is difficult to get a replacement because it is a 6-pin pin and not 2 or 4 like the ones. more common, he said that they are no longer available due to the age of the device, is that true?

[@Tetrakan]

@@lexandraresplandor8775 im pretty sure that’s bullshit. As far as I remember it is a 4 pin tactile switch, I have a spares unit here so if you message me on instagram on or Facebook I can show you a photo, it’s a 50 cent part you can get from any electronics retailer. Even if I remembered wrong you could adapt a switch with 2 or more pins to work, all its doing is allowing a small burst of five volts to reach the input pin on a microcontroller -one pin beside the 5v source, the other pin beside the microcontroller it should work….

[@lexandraresplandor8775]

@@Tetrakan Thank you very much, I really can't find someone to fix it without them trying to scam me.

[@Tetrakan]

@@lexandraresplandor8775 I don’t want to make you paranoid but if the tech told you the switch had the wrong number of pins, maybe he didn’t diagnose the fault correctly anyway? I’ve repaired a lot of these for people where previous technicians simply refused to work on them (honest at least - I do the same when people offer me amplifier or computer repairs, I could learn but it’s not “in my wheelhouse”) or gave a completely wrong diagnosis to the owner. I think because these have not been manufactured for a couple of decades but are complex, some techs don’t know their way round them, don’t want to learn, and tell customers a lot of nonsense as an excuse. The solutions I mentioned before are things you could attempt to fix yourself with access to a cheap digital multimeter and a soldering iron, you can message me if you want more input.

[@drainel9707]

i want to dub something to tape. I only have an aux chord right now. can i record something to tape in MONO by using only a single input?

[@Tapepusher]

I found one for €430, is that too cheap meaning there could be something up with it?

[@Tetrakan]

Hard to say, fluctuating markets for obsolete items vary with region, so the only real precedent is recent completed ebay items of equivalent condition in your home market. Here in the UK that much money would nearly buy you a serviced unit. I'd be looking to pay no more than 350 euros for an item which is still working but hasn't had deep clean, new rubber calibration etc. I'm not saying it's not WORTH more ( probably cost £2k when new, adjusted for inflation) just that I feel like on shooting myself in the foot paying more than yen percent over the going rate....

[@Tapepusher]

@@Tetrakan I see, now these are the things I wasn’t looking out for! I have my eye one for €429 which supposedly has “New pinch roller and belts in very good condition” and “play and record heads are in excellent condition, cleaned, demagnetized” 🤔

[@rayweiss1546]

You said in the video that its similar to the MK III and you also did a tutorial video on that as well? If you could link to it I would appreciate it, just was able to pick up one of these today

[@Tetrakan]

Here's the playlist of mk iii videos kzbin.info/aero/PLYsfQOh0tsJUy55aNIbUIELfJIYvOoCA0

[@rayweiss1546]

@@Tetrakan Thank you! I could actually use your help if you didn't mind. I just tried testing out the unit and it seems that the playback on the first channel is screwed up or im doing something wrong I assume. When tracking I can hear everything and it shows up fine on the mixer, but when playing back it basically disappears (although I can still hear it and see it on the master, it doesn't show up on the first track), tested blasting the volume through the input and it will register then but obviously sounds terrible. Any ideas? If I can avoid bringing it to a technician that would rule.

[@Tetrakan]

@@rayweiss1546 just answered your question in the facebook group - Deep clean the mixer in case grit or grime is preventing the signal from passing through pots or faders unobstructed. Then calibrate the record and playback amplifier trimpots. Odds are the record amp for that channel is turned down too low, or the playback amplifier, or both. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYrSiYqnaLNooNU

[@tonydargis7142]

Great Video - The MK III has a "Cleaning" mode - engaged by selecting a couple of button (not sure which ones) - on selection the R/W head and pinch roller mechanism is raised - allowing easier cleaning access. Does such a facility exist in the MK II?

[@Tetrakan]

Yes, though I had to look it up after reading your comment! Apparently you hold stop and rehearsal buttons while booting up, then play to exit. Thanks for heads up...are you the fella who bought this unit off me on eBay!?

[@jer0051]

Hey I know that this is kinda off the topic but have you ever repaired a 424 mklll or anything similar that one of the channels is distorting and fading in and out? Just curious what the problem might be thanks

[@Tetrakan]

Is this happening in the channel (mixer, so input signals and recordings are affected) or track (only tape recordings)?

[@jer0051]

@@Tetrakan I plug my drum machine into channel 1 and 2 and channel 1 is distorting and dropping out while it’s recording and on the playback it is doing the same, and sometimes the volume is dropping..

[@Tetrakan]

My first suspect for the distortion would be an opamp, either the chip itself or bad solder or bad cap nearby changing the gain structure so it’s clipping. Hard to say from your description whether that’s an opamp in the mixer channel or the record amplifier. The cutout could be the same cause, or it could be a dirty fader or similar in addition to the opamp issue.

[@jer0051]

@@Tetrakan damn I hope its nothing that complicated, I’ve tried different cables and so far it seems to do it when I go from the rca out from the drum machine to 1/4 input to the 424 in channel one and the rca outputs on the 424 seem to be sketchy like one channel has a lower output than the other.. thanks for the reply, I’m going to keep trying different things to see if I can get lucky

[@lacarronarockbasura4390]

Hello friend, thank you very much for these explanations that you have given, they are truly useful for me, since I have this same model and I am taking my first steps in regards to recording and mixing. Could you make a video explaining how to send effects and return to recording with effects pedals and how to unicr the channels, for example kick drum and snare in a single channel so that it can be free to add another instrument? Thank you very much again, I hope you have understood my questions since I do not speak English and I am using a translator haha. Greetings from Argentina !!

[@Tetrakan]

Thanks for watching, Check out this video, I think it answers your questions? kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnWXn2logLeMo7s

[@lacarronarockbasura4390]

@@Tetrakan Thanks friend, it has been very helpful to me !!

[@anyone-f2r]

I used one of these back in the 90s. Great little machine but I want nothing to do with cassettes or reel to reels!

[@truthfinder4973]

its strange tascam got pdf for all there things butt the Mk II even the other cassette one

[@sampalermo123]

As I have one on the bench now and it has tape run sensor problems it would be helpful to get access to a service manual but I can not find any around. I have worked on all these item through the years but I would say that this mechanism will not last that long it screams cheap china from it with solenoid assisted single cheap motor transport. I can still fix a 144 but these I don't know- I can't even see if this is optical or hall type sensor system. I guess the manual would say. At the factory service we would observe that the newer a unit was and the more marks at the end the worse and cheaper it was not better.

[@Tetrakan]

Hi Sam, I'm pretty sure this one has an optical sensor? But in any case I do definitely have a copy of the service manual - if you.can message me via Facebook with your email address, I'd be happy to send you a copy?

[@LionelLints]

Great video, thanks! I happen to have one of these, and I am having an issue with getting the transport to engage, any thoughts about this? (It is the same issue that this owner seems to be having: www.tascamforums.com/threads/help-424-mkii-doesnt-play.5686 ). Any ideas are much appreciated! Regardless, I really enjoyed the overview :-)

[@janecampfield2732]

How to erase tracks

[@Tetrakan]

Record over with silence

[@piotrzelwirowicz1228]

Switched to 10th minute. Still talking, no sound.

[@Tetrakan]

Sound demo here kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5fTo416oriUl80