Tascam 388, 424, 414 // Portastudio Shootout

[@peterbatten596]

There’s something about the 424 portastudio and it’s quirky natural hiss that will always be a personal all time favorite along with its ease of use when entering analog. All are amazing and give the song a lot more soul than plugins for projects like these. Definitely earned a new subscriber!

[@travisraab]

glad to have you

[@cheekbone4554]

underrated channel baby

[@travisraab]

Thank you cheekbone i appreciate that!

[@jaq8604]

The saturation from the 388 sounds incredible! But the wow and flutter from the Yamaha was great too. I think it’s more noticeable on that machine because it’s a lower speed.

[@travisraab]

that's a good point! i forget that the mt44 runs slower than the 424. yeah i dig the saturation on the 388 too :)

[@WotanSkyFather]

The reverb on the 388 is so alive sounding. The Yamaha sounds nice and clean but warm, the 424 sounds like the 90's, and the 414 sounds like someones bedroom in 1996.

[@RockTelevision-vv1im]

Wow, I noticed a big difference on the track with the warble! That would be awesome for certain songs, maybe use one of the others for everything else. They all sound good and warm, very usable.

[@sesa2984]

I don’t know if it’s the slight treble boost you did but through my crappy headphones the 414 sounds the best. Crystal clear.

[@travisraab]

yep, faulty test

[@RecordingStudioLoser]

Dude I freaking love your channel. I've been binging like crazy.

[@travisraab]

What??? Thanks so much!

[@zan6585]

Thank you so much! I typed a paragraph before getting to the end of your yamaha vid and then you literally talked about this video and I felt relieved but also silly haha. Thanks for this!!! I'm debating between the 424 and the yamaha but holy smokes that 424 is expensive. The 388 sounds incredible but is also crazy pricey and maybe a little overwhelming.

[@travisraab]

you should be able to find 424s for cheap if you keep looking

[@RockTelevision-vv1im]

Awesome video!!! I may be crazy but I hear the difference even on computer speakers. It's a bigger difference than I expected, actually. I recently picked up a Tascam Midistudio 4 track cassette, but I need to get the transport fixed.

[@badboychopsticks]

I think yamaha sounds really good for a casette recorder. the other two casette recorders definitely sound too lo-fi for me, theres a loss of clairity where it affects the whole mix too much. 388 winner for me. seems to do all the right things to the song! peace n love

[@travisraab]

the mt44 is a cool machine i agree. i think you are doing some good critical listening. most people just listen for high end and low end, but there's more to the story. i hear you! the 388 sounds really nice just plugging headphones straight into it

[@badboychopsticks]

​@@travisraab ha thanks! i'm just obsessed with comparing the formats like yourself! keep up the good content travis!

[@travisraab]

Thanks so much :)

[@John-mf1sz]

I mean r2r is always going to kick ass. Same with film photography. There’s a reason why digital photography has only just caught up with film in the last ten years or so.

[@andypickeringmusic]

This is great! I should do some shootouts on my channel with my 4 track and reel to reel. Although terrified that the digital versions will win haha

[@travisraab]

that would be great! yeah i don't mind the plugins. i don't mind the unmastered version. i've listened to it too many times i cant tell anymore. gonna put on some bee gees instead

[@DiegoCarvacho]

this is so nice... it is great hearing this comparisons. thanks for sharing

[@travisraab]

My pleasure thanks for watching :)

[@4Ever4Track]

The 388 just has character for days! Long live tape!

[@Tetrakan]

Watching this while I fold my freshly laundered underpants #soothingsundays

[@travisraab]

haha😂👍👌

[@fuzzcityrecords432]

cracking a cold one for this video, cool idea!

[@travisraab]

PBR?

[@billpolits7594]

My pref in the tape machines is 414, 424, 388.

[@RockTelevision-vv1im]

Anyone familiar with the Tascam 644 MIDI Studio? I picked one up a while back, I need to get the transport fixed. Seems everything else is OK. Seems like a really nice unit.

[@in.der.welt.sein.]

I liked how it sounded without being run through tape.

[@ricardobirnbaum]

Bumped into your channel... these are really great videos! Really enjoying the content. MT44 sings to me.

[@travisraab]

thanks Ricardo! it's great to have you here

[@Big_Gords]

I'm going to try this with a little micro tape handheld audio recorder. See if I can sync (or not sync ) the individual tracks . Might be a cool wobble effect .

[@travisraab]

That would be dope. i have so many micro tapes and cassettes and no idea what to do with them. microcassette 4 track machine?? needs to be built.

[@Big_Gords]

@@travisraab let's go!

[@travisraab]

@@Big_Gords if you build it they will record on it

[@travisraab]

@Xylem Phloem dope.

[@CannabisReviewPDX]

I don't play much and definitely don't know production but these videos are so interesting to watch for some reason.

[@travisraab]

That's awesome to hear! I figured these were only interesting to die hard tape recording nerds

[@thaexception3406]

Another goood video mane and what a voice!

[@travisraab]

thanks man! yeah she's so talented

[@frankr6475]

Where can we hear the whole song?

[@travisraab]

I'll be sharing the link shortly frank!

[@travisraab]

Frank Here's the full song! kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5-ViXiwj9BliLM

[@johnkaplun9619]

388 sounded the best to me, then the plug-ins, then the yamaha and then the 424. From what I've read online the high bias type ii chrome tapes don't saturate nearly as nice as reel to reel tape does, but of course you have to use it in cassette otherwise the noise would be poopie.

[@travisraab]

I hear you ! man everybody seems to love a different machine. so crazy. i like the mt44 and the 388

[@wehappyfewmusic]

Another great video, I’m about to try a similar comparison between a 424mkIII and a 244! Well they all sound rather good, but the slight treble boost on the 414 helps it cut through better. I think the low end sounds really smooth on the 388, but the mt44 seems the most balanced to me.

[@travisraab]

thanks so much adrien. yeah that would be a great video. yeah the mt44 is really surprising. there's just something about that guy

[@stevencirile]

388 was quite dull..definitely low bump as to be expected..plug ins sounded best in this case. I had a 388 want one to iffy maintenance wise though no parts available

[@travisraab]

Right on Steven!

[@poofygoof]

agree on the muffled-ness of the 388. it sounds like it may not have been aligned for the tape formulation used or perhaps the azimuth needs some tweaking?

[@kennyzee3221]

For me I preferred the Yamaha out of all the tapes, followed by the 414. I do prefer the plugin overall though but yeah what a lovely test.

[@substance90]

The lower end of the 388 with the high end and stereo image of the Yamaha 🥰

[@travisraab]

I hear Ya!

[@RobinJamesHurtMusic]

Fascinating video, thanks for making and sharing it man! I love the track in all guises, top class job :D Surprised at how sweet the Yamaha deck sounded, really nice tone. Personally I really liked the 424! Not quite as sweet as the MT44 but I thought it had a nice bit of backbone to it, a core strength without being muddy. Best wishes from Ireland!!

[@travisraab]

thanks Robin! I love Irish people

[@charlesrocks]

God damn I forgot how awesome these things sounded.

[@travisraab]

they sound nice , charles!

[@Mark_Williams300]

That warble is what's known as "wow and flutter"

[@travisraab]

Wow ok! Cool

[@EytanKoch]

@@travisraab ...yeah and flutter.

[@travisraab]

@@EytanKoch wow!

[@EytanKoch]

@@travisraab ...and...well, you know.

[@jonesvox1]

I’d love to hear the whole song. Awesome production and love the mallets and her voice! Please post link!!

[@travisraab]

I'll have the link to you in a couple days! thanks so much

[@travisraab]

Here's the full song! kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5-ViXiwj9BliLM

[@isaintjames]

MT44 really jumped in with a KO. big shock!

[@travisraab]

i know the mt44 is the best 4 track i've ever heard

[@isaintjames]

@@travisraab fair play on you for taking it on & completing the fix. top work, top man

[@nicktestajr]

414 sounds the best to me. Or maybe I’m just nostalgic because I miss my old 414. Good stuff

[@travisraab]

thanks nick!

[@DenysZhuravel]

Tascam 388 has awesome bass sound, but not enough highs for this song as for me. A little touch of eq could fix this. 414 with highs sounded good, but yamaha mt44 was the best. 424 just ok and lo-fi. But every tape machine made this song sound better and more "open" than tape plugin. Less mud and sweet compression.

[@travisraab]

I hear ya Denis! You have good ears

[@alanfbrookes9771]

I think the results would have been different if the original recording had been made on the 388. The highs can also be affected by the type of tape used.

[@edward2359]

Like your vidz man..... Excellent!

[@travisraab]

William - Glad you like them!

[@chesterfieldmusic7366]

I’ve been trying out my old 388, as well, for mastering. Do the Line-in channels on the back of your Claret capture the overdriven 388 well? I’m just wondering if there’s any unwanted overdrive from the interface, when transferring? Any mix headroom recommendations going into the 388? I’ve been going to tape and then back out thru the master Stereo channels. (Or should I use line-out on each individual channel, it’s only two channels?) Thanks for the great examples!

[@travisraab]

yeah i have to back it down final stage, or otherwise would have to use the preamps in on my clarett to lower volume. don't quote me on this but I believe the master channel doesn't drive, just the PGM master. something like that.

[@evantjturner]

Awesome! can't decide if I like the Yamaha or the 388's sound better. 388 is definitely a dream machine for me though. Nice vid!

[@travisraab]

I guess it depends on the application. To me, the 388 has a nicer overdrive. It has a great EQ. It retains more lows, has tons of routing, 8 tracks, has Track assignable DBX. Mt44 retains more highs and has a little warble but it was free and it's amazing. I think the MT44 is also cleaner. The 388 has an inexplicable a compression thing going on that I really dig. MT44 is way simpler.

[@evantjturner]

@@travisraab yeah they’re definitely very different machines. 388 probably has more potential for a wider variety of sounds and uses👍 maybe in future videos you can compare types of tape and how that affects the sound on each machine

[@travisraab]

​@@evantjturner yeah sounds fun​

[@handssmelloh9173]

Nice. Do you think there's any difference between tracking through equipment like this vs sending just the mixdown through? Curious to know what the differences would be.

[@travisraab]

i personally think there's a huge difference. when you track to a machine with 4 or 8 tracks there's some interplay and cross talk and a drum track will hit the tape different than an entire mix. other people have told me that isn't true but i disagree. i can just kinda feel it when i do it

[@saren6538]

Where’s the link to the track itself thanks it’s amazing

[@travisraab]

hi stephen i'll post it in a few days

[@shannonpalmer]

@@travisraab did you ever post the link? This song is amazing!

[@travisraab]

Here's the full song! kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5-ViXiwj9BliLM

[@travisraab]

@@shannonpalmer Here's the full song! kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5-ViXiwj9BliLM

[@marcosmelone6]

388 man, thats great!

[@travisraab]

🥳🥳🥳

[@theprogrammerrolandmc3039]

best tape deck is the fostex x24 for portability and direct in's and outs but reel to reels are better easier to fix maintain.

[@travisraab]

the best the greatest the greyest

[@Checker.]

wait can you explain how you transferred the digital mix to your cassette tapes? Like what plug did you use and how did you check the levels? seems complicated and i havent seen anyone else do this

[@travisraab]

No plugins necessary. Just a stereo bounce

[@sweetlou8208]

How do you get that ukulele to sound so banjo esq?? Are you just plucking the chord progressions chords? Sounds great

[@travisraab]

ancient secret

[@travisraab]

I just plucked it with fingers very aggressively

[@alexpipp]

Listen this on apple music around 6 months, angels harmony

[@lawrencerasmus]

I think nothing sounds better than digital tape

[@travisraab]

no kidding! i've never messed with it. sounds like a fun thing. like a tascam dAT?

[@chinmeysway]

digital tapes lasts for evvoar as well yaah!

[@travisraab]

@@chinmeysway never tried it

[@wawazonzon24]

where do you think you're going I left myself in your onion

[@travisraab]

nice

[@BMU5]

Thankfully

[@volvot5turbo]

Maybe I'm an animal but to me on my Sony $350 headphones (price given to highlight hopefully quality not snobbery), the J37 and isotope vinyl sounded the best to me

[@travisraab]

Maybe everyone should just get those headphones

[@simonschole]

Fantastic video, thanks.

[@travisraab]

You're welcome Simon

[@anderj4986]

I'm thinking about getting a 414, and I was wondering if there was a way to use it as an effect for a DAW without recording to a tape? Is that possible? (Also, I've been like binge watching all of your videos. You're awesome lol)

[@travisraab]

Hi Ander! well the tape imparts the most signature sound of the machine. The pres are like 10% of the sound (depending on how gnarly the pres are). So yeah you could like run through the 414 and use it like a mixer and use the eq. Or if your interface has ins and outs you can use it like a send, and then use the built in eq. It might be cool. Thanks for the kind words I appreciate you!

[@anderj4986]

@@travisraab awesome thanks so much! I guess I need to start looking for interfaces then too lol. Anyway, keep up the good work my friend!

[@tbobbyelectric]

The Tascam 488, then the 424, + FINALLY the 414. However,I'm noy sure if that Yamaha is Magical or NEW, but OBVIOUSLY, I would HAVE HAVE HAVE tp get one of 'dem sons' a' batches'!!!!!

[@travisraab]

it's kinda magical yeah

[@andmoreagain]

so did you actually record these to tape or you just ran them through the machines?

[@travisraab]

I obviously ran them to tape you can hear it

[@andmoreagain]

@@travisraab lol if it was obvious to me i wouldnt have asked. just making sure my suspicion was correct. not sure if you took that as a slight or something but it was a genuine question...

[@evanbluz946]

Just one question, why are you using Ozone Vinyl? Cool video btw

[@travisraab]

you don't like it?

[@evanbluz946]

@@travisraab I do

[@travisraab]

@@evanbluz946 awesome. Yeah I just like the way it sounds

[@WindsweptDrive]

My money's on 388 - got one in my studio

[@owonobrandon8747]

You are a lucky boy !

[@travisraab]

Well I had to fix it but yeah I'm pretty lucky!

[@ReverendGuyWallis]

great video, just subscribed. great song too! its so refreshing to see a tutorial or audio related video that doesn't use some boring standard EDM or generic hip hop track that sounds like everything mainstream. its hard to even get excited when im watching videos about mixing when theyre using such crap music - but this song is awesome and now stuck in my head! also ive been using J37 alot, i think they did a great job although no plugin will ever be as good as the real thing. but my ears may not be good enough to tell the difference alot of the time so its at least convenient. keep up the good work, friend!

[@ReverendGuyWallis]

also curious - do you just run the mixes thru the tape machines? not recording anything on actual cassettes but just running it thru so it gets the sound of their consoles? i was trying to figure out how to do this myself and my mastering guru told me its not the sound of the cassette itself you want, its the sound of the console..

[@travisraab]

hi reverend thanks for being here. yeah the j37 isn't bad actually. i'm glad you like the song! i'll share a link when i have it.

[@travisraab]

no i recorded to the actual cassettes and on the 388 i recorded to lpr35 tape. In this video you can clearly hear what happens when you use a piece of vintage analog gear and NOT the tape. That's the m30. you can hear it compared with and without the mt44 cassette machine. makes a huge difference. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKGTqGiPbsx6frM

[@chinmeysway]

pitched up is a winner.......!!!!! no. but maybe. but i need to think more. about it? great videos on this stuff! can hear the hiss in the real tape. fake tape sounded good though and that is sad. also confusing is that reel to reel tape seems to not sound that different in this case against cassette tape? maybe wider tape brings out better saturation. thinking that i have a notion that bigger tape / reel to reel is where the reel magic may in fact happen. maybe its not even true but what is the width of the tape, and or, are you just running things through the preamps? again, i am confused or at least unclear on how the machines are hooked up / being utilized.

[@travisraab]

I have some other videos where I record actual instruments to the machines so you can hear it going on. The problem with doing that as far as comparisons go is that I can't duplicate performance. So I ran the same song into each machine. thanks for watching!

[@chinmeysway]

@@travisraab right, just not sure how the units affect things. is it just input/output simultaneously, just utilizing each unit's preamps? thanks

[@marcosaruca5283]

Im between the 414 and the yamaha.....the high end comes out better why still getting the roudness of tape

[@travisraab]

i bumped those 414 highs pretty good my bad!

[@marcosaruca5283]

@Travis Raab Guitar no not your bad your good lol your very good....i like the idea of recording through a vintage console and mastering with the tape....the high end is needed some of the complaints from the legendary engineers was not getting the high end....

[@lawrencerasmus]

I tried this years ago so today Im going to try a mixer to a vcr then back to my interface In 24 192 to my daw 🤪

[@travisraab]

i heard about this trick! i was going to try it out cause i have a couple vcr machines. i think i changed my mind after i heard that there wasn't any tape saturation. it's just digital recording basically as you said. but hey if there's a use for that it's a good idea! it's a cool trick either way. i'd like to mess with it. maybe i'll try it

[@edward2359]

Listening to this in the cans, with plugs have a nasty face shift when they're applied to the signal of the stereo bus mix. The tape machines are noisy you're not dealing with a studer gain stage but, what the hell. The tape still sounds better. Sorry did I say face shift but did make my face shift..... 😂 I meant phase shift

[@travisraab]

Face shift for real tho 😂

[@truthfinder4973]

5 sec in 388, killed the daw f0r g00d l0l

[@travisraab]

i know, right

[@pumpernickelherbert]

I wonder how much of the wow & flutter from the MT44 is age vs just poor quality transport? Regardless it has a very impressive noise floor. Also can't believe I'm here before 1k subs!

[@travisraab]

Yeah that's a good question. is wow and flutter supposed to be bad? It's like exactly the right amount of that artifact I want. I enjoy it. Yeah Kaszimir thanks for being here! My grandpa's name was Herbert.

[@pumpernickelherbert]

@@travisraab stylistically it sounds fantastic, although from a functional standpoint, it's not supposed to be that noticeable. If you wanted it to be your workhorse 4 track then maybe you should look into fixing it, but with as many other machines as you have it's a good alternative for more character!

[@travisraab]

@@pumpernickelherbert my workhorse is a computer 😂

[@robertcrystals]

I'd like to hear this recorded performance direct to the 388 rather than bouncing

[@travisraab]

You mean track everything over onto the 388 from scratch?

[@robertcrystals]

@@travisraab yeah babyyyyy, like next project use it to track to.

[@travisraab]

@@robertcrystals ok cool!

[@robertcrystals]

@@travisraab Also, if you submix it and put it down to all 8 tracks (I make a stereo rhythm track, then split everything else across the reamining 6 tracks in logic & output it to the inputs to record it to tape) and then add a touch of EQ. it does absolute wonders.

[@travisraab]

@@robertcrystals sounds pretty cool 🆒😎

[@pepuletrz]

my guess..what ever one advances faster will sound better.

[@travisraab]

Good point ant eye!

[@stefanoidili]

414 sounded great, kind of lofi and hi-fi at the same time…. The guitar really gained caracter….. throug my crappy speakers

[@RemmyMusic1]

bro i cant believe you put your macbook on the yamaha theres a huge magnet in there that could completely wipe your drive lol

[@travisraab]

SSDs do not store data magnetically do there's nothing to wipe...but I'm not a scientist

[@peterkiselev210]

What song is it?

[@travisraab]

i'm going to post a link where you can check it out peter!

[@peterkiselev210]

Thank you, I’ll be waiting

[@travisraab]

@@peterkiselev210 Peter Here's the full song! kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5-ViXiwj9BliLM

[@Gezira]

A better comparison would have been to record directly on the machines

[@travisraab]

good idea you should make that video!

[@Gezira]

@@travisraab sure but I don't have a YT channel, it is just a suggestion, maybe for the next one. Something simpler to record of course.

[@travisraab]

@@Gezira did you check these two out yet? it's repeated performances directly to the machines. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gKGTqGiPbsx6frM kzbin.info/www/bejne/i6ralJiwnLGVd9U

[@Gezira]

@@travisraab no, thanks :)

[@douglasfairmeadow]

I liked the Yamaha. The 388 sounded way too clogged.

[@travisraab]

Like a toilet?

[@douglasfairmeadow]

@@travisraab Lol yeah dude. Maybe ease up on them spicy beans.

[@alexpipp]

❤

[@edward2359]

I really need to get the API real to real Porta studio...... 😂

[@travisraab]

is that a real thing??

[@edward2359]

@@travisraab 😆 No brother..... I'm being an idiot..... Sorry I have humor I think other people get. The API Porta studio would be probably a studer a bit like a refrigerator or kitchen stove tank or an apex 1 in 8-track with an API console that's the API Porta studio in my imagination. Not exactly portable

[@travisraab]

@@edward2359 i love it

[@hooverhenry795]

414!

[@alanfbrookes9771]

It's not really a fair comparison, because the original music was not recorded on those machines, and the sound will be affected by our computer set-up that we're listening on. I have two 388s and they knock the socks of any tape cassette machine that I've used. You would expect it. I also use an 8-channel MD Data machine, which is the closest digital recorder that I have, performance-wise.

[@travisraab]

interesting! thanks

[@hawk4366]

If u are recording on digital , and sending to analoge , then you really are missing the entire point .

[@travisraab]

oh ok!

[@StudioMagnetique]

From a strictly sound POV, a lot of pro studios we work in these days put their old ‘Pro’ tape machines as inserts on their DAWs. Bouncing back and forth between digital and analog, then back again to get a sound. I run Studer and Ampex here and have done many tests to see if engineers I know can tell the difference between the sound of ‘straight to tape’ and ‘digital to tape’ and it’s a tough one. A top digital system will record near perfect and the tape machine doesn’t know the difference between that and the original signal. Treats them the same, saturates the same, and compresses the same. What you do miss out on, if that was the point, is the limiting experience of recording direct to tape which has its pros and cons. It can be the best of both worlds if you’re just in it for the sound and the workflow is a lot more compatible in the modern world.

[@vanessalouzon]

388 sounds muffled. It sounded better on some of your other videos... weird.

[@travisraab]

it's all relative

[@blashuvec]

oh shiiiit

[@travisraab]

Agreed

[@stevenewtube]

Okay well, for me, the unprocessed original daw mix is the best. All clear, all the way to the floor and natural. The plugins sounds great, like the machines would have, at least sometimes. ALL those machines degrade/enhance the audio. There’s many ways one could use the tape sound to help create a colour for that unique effect but to me the truest listening was the daw.

[@stevenewtube]

Great video by the way 👍

[@travisraab]

I hear you steve. I think part of the issue is that I mixed the song, then tried to undo some of it and then run this test. pretty flawed test now that I think about it in terms of 'making the song better' lol. for me it's a 'how does this machine or that machine sound' test. i probably i agree that the just the og mix sounds best, with the mastering chain stuff i had on it etc. some people take this test to mean that the 388 sounds like garbage cause it rolls of some much high end. well that would mean that the brightest machine will always sound best, and we all know that's not true. it's all relative and has to do with your application etc. i rant...

[@travisraab]

thanks for watching! and i appreciate you lending your ears.

[@kernelpanique9361]

For me the yamaha wins.

[@travisraab]

You might be right kernel!

[@TotallyGoodatGames]

Proud to be the 69th like 😩

[@travisraab]

welcome!

[@sesa2984]

I don’t know if it’s the slight treble boost you did but through my crappy headphones the 414 sounds the best. Crystal clear.

[@travisraab]

yeah there was an enormous treble boost. I messed up the test.