Yamaha AW16G Digital Audio Workstation: A Remix of Tascam 424 4-Track Cassette Recordings

In the 1990s, I recorded music for my band on a Tascam 424 Portastudio. Unfortunately my 4-track is not functioning, but I dubbed the individual tracks over to my Yamaha AW16g DAW using a borrowed 4-track awhile back.
In this video, I load up the backup files of my old band, Black Molly, specifically the song "Kobayashi Maru" that is used on the open and close of most ThriftyAV videos. In the process I adjust equalization, reverb, and effects. I remove the voice track to create an instrumental version of the song to be used in future videos.
"Kobayashi Maru" written by Zane Bowman, 1997.
Zane Bowman, Guitar and Vocals
Bobby Bowman, Electric Bass
William Norman, Drums and Recording
Gear Used:
Yamaha AW16g Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
Tascam 424 Portastudio, first generation 4-track cassette recorder
TDK SA90 IECII cassette tape recorded at double speed with dbx noise reduction
Mackie CR-1604 for the original mixdown of the drum tracks
Alesis Quadraverb 2 effects unit for the original effect
Alesis 3630 Compressor for the original compression on the bass guitar tracks
Shure SM-57 Microphones along with other microphones.
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[@lizardz23]

The irony being this thing, brand new, when it came out cost more than the DAW, Guitar VST's, Drum library and Mastering suit I currently use put together.

[@mountainmanjim]

thanks for that video ... yamaha AW 16 is a little workhorse .

[@KevStevens-Music-Drums-Art]

I too make my initial recordings onto my AW16G. I love it! They're mainly progressive rock compositions with quite a few tracks in each song. I have never maxed out the full 16 though yet. I record my drums using a Roland digital kit onto tracks 1 & 2 and pan them wide left and right to get the full stereo split. I can then export all the single tracks as individual WAV files onto CD and then load them onto my iMac. Then import them into Audacity (or Garageband in my case) and master it there to keep them in the digital domaine. It saves having to create a Stereo track on AW16G although I do like what the 16G has to offer in terms of editing so generally I'm quite happy to just make a stereo track of the finished song.

[@ThriftyAV]

I have a newer Tascam DP-24SD, but I keep coming back to the 16G. It was my first digital unit after migrating from Cassette 4-track, and still my favorite.

[@KevStevens-Music-Drums-Art]

@@ThriftyAV Yes, I agree. My first muliti-track recorder was the Vesta Fire MR10B 4-track onto cassette. I still have that but have not used it since buying the 16G although I still love to listen to the tracks I recorded onto it. They're now digitised to mp3 and on my phone. I have just spent this evening laying down a bass line on another song. It's a positive consequence of the current COVID-19 restrictions here in north-eastern England - more time and opportunity to spend writing, recording and exploring the recorder.

[@uriel-heavensguardian8949]

Awesome

[@B-Rad-Ry]

I have one of these AW16. I thought it might be a obsolete piece of equipment but thanks to your video maybe it has some life left. So Thank you. One question I have is do you prefer the effects built into the AW16 as opposed to the software in your PC?

[@ThriftyAV]

I have not used any full featured software editors like ProTools or Reaper, so I cannot really make an educated comparison. However, I prefer the configurability of the AW16g effects compared to my Tascam DP-32.

[@magnusoddsson8168]

An alternative to burning a 2 track CD is to pipe the output to a computer using the optical digital out. This allows for lossless transfer over to a computer for further processing (or simply storage). Transferring more than two channels is possible sequentially transferring two channels at a time and use the midi MTC to synchronize the tracks in the DAW. Time consuming but digital all the way.

[@ThriftyAV]

Thank you. I have only used the optical digital output for monitoring, not for transfer! Thanks for this idea! A few years ago, I used a program called "AWare-Audio" to extract individual tracks as AIFF files from my AW16G backup discs. It worked great for most the songs, but I got errors when extracting a few of them. The optical digital output will be a good workaround! My newer Tascam DP-32 SD is much more computer friendly than the old Yamaha, and my Zoom R24 works as both a recorder and computer interface, but my favorite is still the old Yamaha. It's probably the nostalgia factor...

[@magnusoddsson8168]

@@ThriftyAV You are welcome! Regarding the nostalgia factor I am no so sure. The AW is a great machine with a great workflow. I actually went ahead the other day and bought an AW1600 for the only reason it has a USB port and 8 combo xlr inputs (w. phantom power) over the 2 ports on the AW16G. Then I learned that upgrading the hard disk is even easier than with the 16G and it has 24 bit mode as well. This simply is a great machine and has a convenient workflow. And unlike computer it won't crash during a live session or in the middle of an important edit!

[@ThriftyAV]

​@@magnusoddsson8168 I wanted a 1600 back in the day, but settled on the 16G because of the price difference, but checking the "completed listing" prices of 1600 units on Ebay, they are much more affordable these days! And yes, the workflow on these units are awesome and reliable. I will probably always prefer an outboard unit to Cubase and the like.

[@pgtips4240]

I am currently researching how to actually do this with an audio optical cable but I am not sure exactly how to get this into my macbook? According to Yamaha the AW16G only outputs 2 channels at a time via TOSLINK type cable. So what I am trying to figure out is how to physically connect to my mac in order to transfer digital files? Is there some sort of interface that converts it to usb? I have seen an example where the pc end of the cable is converted into a 3.5mm jack but is this not just analogue? If you could advise me I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

[@saintjabroni]

@@magnusoddsson8168 What kind of music do you play (or rather - how many instruments) and can you implement a click track in the Yamaha AW1600? In general, how else is the Yamaha AW1600 serving your needs?

[@TrumpCerote]

how to save a scene or configuration on a yamaha aw16g mixer. Thanks

[@Dr.reese_UBR3]

This or a korg D888 which should I get?

[@demofactory]

Why not send the track from the AW16G to the computer over USB? Unless you wanted a hard copy of that stage, I would just USB the file. Thanks for sharing with us.

[@ThriftyAV]

There is no USB port on the AW16G. The only connectivity on this unit is midi, optical, and, of course, analog. The slightly more modern Yamaha AW1600 added USB2, but I do not own one of those units.

[@demofactory]

Oh, my mistake. I was always curious about the Yamaha recorders, but never knew this model lacked USB. Thanks for setting me straight. Take care friend

[@Boltchkoff]

@@ThriftyAV you can send the track from the AW16G stereo output to the computer using a right and left quarter inch jacks to USB cable.

[@eileencogan4186]

YE fucking genius. DIdnt know how to play back mix 😁