The Tascam 388 "Tape Speed Fidelity Trick"

[@pcallas66]

A couple things to note with that is have the pitch control pot clean so there's no pitch shifting in the middle of the recording and if there's something that happens to your specific machine that it completely dies you would have to note the tape if you plan on using another 388. The next machine may not be exactly the same. It would also probably be a good idea to record an A440 test tone at the beginning of each tape to calibrate the new machine just in case.

[@electroman65]

Greetings from sunny& very hot Fremantle, Western Australia! Love your 388 videos, mate!! What a machine it is!! Great to learn some tips & tricks, quirks of the machine for those of us who are novices to the 388. Thank you!! 😇Hank

[@fuzzcityrecords432]

Glad you found us!

[@wisterialosenge2546]

i used to use tape speed tricks all the time, but never for fidelity. try running the tape in reverse and dubbing to another track thru pedal effects such as delay or reverb. worked best on the tascam 424 since it had 3 speeds and a pitch control, but i had extra outputs tapped out. i also used speed tricks to sing higher and lower, and also to super speed microtone/macrotone guitars thru a flange pedal. at one point the 424 motor broke, so i replaced it with a random part that played too fast and also couldn't maintain it's speed consistently, so that was fun. it lived as a input mixer to a 1997 soundblaster for awhile, but i did another motor replacement which worked better at first, but soon it died and now it's parts

[@wisterialosenge2546]

can't think of much... it has a weird noise reduction switch... and also a loop function, which you could set an in point and out point and sort of make techno. i can't guarantee my techniques are safe for your machine... i probably should have gone to music jail for tascam 424 abuse

[@Gloobtoob]

solid video! used plenty of slow down tricks need to try increasing speed for fidelity

[@tenlittleindians]

As an example of why you might want to slow down your recording, When the Levee Breaks was recorded at normal speed but slowed down to make it pop more with the drums. Story on You Tube. Check out Sped Spedding channel and his latest video titled: How to play When the Levee Breaks by Led Zeppelin

[@fuzzcityrecords432]

Cool, will check it out. Thanks for letting us know about that sampler by the way!

[@japmn1]

Every time I do this I Stripe a Middle C tone across all the tracks at the top of the take for about 30 seconds as a tuning reference. Then I label the tape "High Speed Ref: Middle C". So if i ever respool the tape, I can plug in a guitar tuner and tune the tape speed to the correct middle C and make sure the speed is correct.

[@musicmixesforyourheartsoul4129]

Hi Matthew, Thanks for all your great videos of this incredible machine! :) Since the age of 15 I have made mixers, electronic light shows etc from scratch by soldering kits that you could buy in the 80´s. So Im very familiar with how you can adjust, remove/replace many settings of any electornic machine that has a circuit board with transistors and other components on it. So my question to you is: Do you know if it is possible to adjust the pitch speed to go even faster, by physical replacing any of the electronic components of the Tascam 388 circuit board? If you do not know the answer to this question, do you know where I can find the electrical diagram showing all the components inside the machine, so maybe I can figure it out myself how to tweek the machine to play even faster! 😀 Thanks in advance! Best regards Steen

[@Tetrakan]

I have the same Pegasus black light poster. 🎉

[@countryskystudio]

Hey great vid Matthew! Regarding the Pitch Control on the 388, I checked the specs and it says: +/- 15% So, if my math is correct (crossing fingers), I believe that means: 6.375 IPS / 7.5 IPS / 8.625 IPS

[@KLAUSKOTI]

Totally agree

[@ColeWheeler4Lyfe]

Low blow on the bass players comment. Pun intended. 🎯 Hope you two are well.

[@konstantingroove]

Besides tape speed there's also a gap width on the 388 is extremely narrow, even more narrow than 1/2" 8 track. The 1/2" 4tk, 1" 8tk and 2" 16tk are considered the pro formats.388 is still awesome, just not the same thing as the full track machines.

[@fuzzcityrecords432]

True. Still beats the pants off a Tascam Porta Studio or Porta One!

[@RobbyFischerMusic]

Hey Matthew! Bare Wires Greatest Hits is one of my favorite records ever. I just got a 388 and wanted to ask: what kind of tapes do you use for it? Have you used the same type ever since Bare Wires days? Also, where do you buy your tapes for it? Thank you so much!

[@fuzzcityrecords432]

Hi, glad you found our hideout! Here is a link n.v to the tape we've always used. Same formulation since the 60s for harmonic distortion and compression, aka the good stuff... www.ebay.com/itm/392245467151?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=JbJIGmExQsi&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=naRQY9HEQry&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[@RobbyFischerMusic]

@@fuzzcityrecords432 Yessss! Wow, thank you!!

[@fuzzcityrecords432]

@@RobbyFischerMusic best of luck on your recordings! Would be curious to hear what you're working on...

[@RobbyFischerMusic]

@@fuzzcityrecords432 THANKS! I’ll definitely send some your way!

[@dessiplaer]

Some professional studios even run their machines at 30ips

[@fuzzcityrecords432]

ULTRA

[@pcallas66]

There's a tradeoff at using 30 ips. You start losing a little bit of bass response at 30. It's also more expensive at that speed. What you gain is practically no hiss and increased treble response. 15 is optimal in my opinion.

[@dessiplaer]

@@pcallas66 I had heard about the bass loss at 30ips, and I heard that there is no AES equalization curve standard for that speed (as least back when I uses RTR machines). Engineers have to use a European standard if they want to use that speed. I have never had a machine that would operate at 30ips, and I haave moved to using a DAW for everything, so I personally have no hands on experience with it.

[@DannyOKC]

@@pcallas66 Sidenote: At some point, Frank Zappa started recording all his live shows at 30 IPS. I'd love to see how much he spent on tape in those years.

[@pcallas66]

@@DannyOKC I'm sure it eas cheaper than it is now.

[@Vampiracho]

You should be adjusting the speed that you put your new record out.

[@fuzzcityrecords432]

It's done and getting mastered currently but there is a back up at the pressing plants thanks to the mass production of the new Adelle record that soccer moms will proudly display on the fireplace unopened... looking at spring 2022 for the release. Its 12 songs 40 minutes long

[@kbrown4ou]

There’s a potentially very helpful series of YT videos on the 388 called “Tascam 388 Studio 8 Repair...” for 388 owners. Can’t recall if he goes into details of speed control circuit or shows schematics to possibly be able to crank up tape speed above factory; but, might be worth checking out. If you’re a 388 owner you’ll like find some helpful tech info on the 388. kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5a2h2RtpKqspZI The channel here is THE channel by far on how to operate the 388 however.

[@claymckerlie296]

"DBX is like putting a condom on the music"! I'm guessing it blocks the flavours from entering 🤔

[@fuzzcityrecords432]

Your goal is to impregnate the listeners with your melodies and harmonies, therefore it must come off!

[@claymckerlie296]

@@fuzzcityrecords432 it doesn't take 9 mths for melodies and harmonies to hatch? Love your work!

[@burtreynolds2969]

Gotta disagree with the Dbx description.

[@edwhite7475]

Turd Ferguson ;-) When i was younger i loved the treble on guitars, and hated the way DBX or 'Dubbly' took off the high end. Now that my tinnitus has arrived, i cant get enough low end and mids...audiences seem to appreciate the change as well... When i started recording digital...there is no need for it ...everything sounds pristine so i just record my natural sound. What is your take?...should these settings be utilized on certain instruments?

[@fuzzcityrecords432]

I have heard it used well before, just a personal preference really...

[@amonster8mymother]

✌

[@z.olderautist2209]

You might want to A/B some of that, to show how high, regular and slow speed affect sound quality. Also, recording at a higher speed then playing at lower speed gets you that sound of Mac deMarco's first album.

[@edwhite7475]

I looked Mac up and played RnR niteclub...and its interesting, but i cant imagine doing more than a couple songs like that.

[@fuzzcityrecords432]

Good Idea, that first album did have a vibe to it

[@littlevibetown]

dbx = condoms lesson learned

[@tarstarkusz]

Forgive me for being a bit spergy, but I disagree that 15ips is "twice the fidelity" as 7.5ips. It's just not linear like that. It's more like 10% or 20% better. Like most things, once you get past a certain point, the cost in cost benefit goes way up.

[@robi1483]

Thirst.