Recording to Cassette Tape in 2024?! | Tascam 488 MkII

[@wheatonna]

I'm one of those old guys who finds all this real amusing, having switched to digital in the 1990s. I was going to say "Wow you bought an old 488 and everything works?!" But, no such luck. There's a Scottish guy on youtube who specializes in getting these machines to work again. With his help, I recently repaired a 488 with two dead tracks.

[@zaktaylor]

Yeah I was probably wishing to expect everything to actually work properly (although the eBay listing said so), I've switched to the 414 Mk2 now, and everything actually works!

[@Betonschlong]

I work in IT and the last thing I want to do is sit behind a desk in my free time. I love recording my stuff on my cheap 4 track recorder. Having the posibility to instantly record something without the tedious procedure of editing in a DAW is such a relief. and tape always sound good for what I want (Lo-fi Indie Folk Singer songwriter experimental stuff).

[@zaktaylor]

This was the main attraction for me too. The lofi vibe is so refreshing too now that our ears are so used to crystal clear modern production! I'd love to hear some of your stuff

[@mtf347]

I'm an old foky-fogie too, haha. At 77 my voice is still good but my acoustic fingerpicking has suffered. But I can still play bass/my money instrument. Keep pickin' and grinnin

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

Since this is a tabletop recorder, you'll be sitting behind a desk to use it.

[@KutayYavuzMusic]

This is the first device I recorded my music with a Boss DR5, Fender Jazz Bass, and a Hohner Strat replica in 1998. Time marches on and those days are now memories of the past. I wish you the best with your recorder!

[@zaktaylor]

Amazing! I was trying to get my hands on a Hohner JT60 a couple years ago, they still hold up today!

[@KutayYavuzMusic]

@@zaktaylor Strat-style guitars are interesting. With proper setup, any strat could sing!

[@richiejackson9321]

Riding the levels is so satisfying, eh? Love the saturation on the vocal. Nice work! Looking forward to seeing what you pick up next. I just got a cassette deck that I’m going to use as a preamp and run some stuff onto cassette and record it back. I might be making a “some (Canadian) guy figures out a tape machine in 2025” 😅

[@richiejackson9321]

Let me know how it goes with the hybrid setup, because that’s my goal, too. Still have the workflow of digital as the main driver, but the sonic characteristics of tape when I want them.

[@mtf347]

Zak--It's really fun to watch a grown man so excited working with a tape deck for the first time. I'm 77 and cut my teeth on tape. I bought the Mk ii when it firsst came out in '90. Before than I had a bunch of Teac, Fostex, etc. One of my favorites was the Tascam 4 track. Now that set me off. I even had a Dokorder 4 track, a true piece of junk! But i broke me in. Remember Craig Anderton's picture book Home recording...he was the shit back then. Also had the Tascam 8 track 7" reel to real Portastudio and that was the bomb! I guess I need to get out more, haha. Anyway,, I've got a 488 coming from eBay this week and I'm really excited a well. I used to master onto VHS before CD recorders came available. So have fun! And thanx mucho! Marc.

[@zaktaylor]

Thanks for the comment Marc that's really fascinating to hear! I wish I was around back then to see all of the technology develop in real time. I just got the Tascam 414 4 track, so I'll be exploring that in some upcoming videos. Thanks for stopping by!

[@mtf347]

@@zaktaylorIT WAS A TRIP!

[@mtf347]

@@zaktaylor Yea, it was a trip, man. Especially being a musician since I was 16.. that was '65 A mono Wollensak being my first machine. Keep up the good work, I'll be watching!

[@PrestonHazard]

The Tascam stuff rocks. To me my Tascam 90-16 1” machine sounds every bit as good as a Studer.

[@mtf347]

@@zaktaylor I'm looking forward to it. TASCAM ROCKS!

[@simongore29]

What I love most about cassette multi tracking is the excitement and mystery of what the instruments will sound like on playback. Tape speed and tape quality make a huge difference but I love the whole process. I've also never had an operating system failure on a Tascam!

[@zaktaylor]

This is such a good point, it definitely adds extra levels of excitement to the whole process. The lack of operating system failure is a huge bonus too! 😂

[@levelletate4551]

That performance was incredible! I’m truly happy for you. I can’t wait to get mine. Luv the tune as well.

[@zaktaylor]

Thank you so much! I was surprised to get it nailed in only a few takes. Enjoy the process when you get yours, it's super fun!

[@sharonlee4773]

As an old fart I find it amusing to see a young person getting to grips with a technology that's all I've ever known! I've tried computer recording and it's just alien and not linear enough for me! Plus can backward tape ever really be beaten by digital?? Welcome to the beauty of the analogue world! Great singing BTW!

[@zaktaylor]

Thank you for watching (and being patient with me figuring it out)! Digital workflows can definitely be overwhelming, it was very different (and humbling) to figure out how to record analogue!

[@classpet]

loved the video man! hope you can get into more analogue recording :))

[@zaktaylor]

Thank you! That's the plan once I find a replacement for this faulty machine 😭 Really appreciate you watching, subscribe to stay up to date!

[@MadeOnTape]

bummer that tracks 5-8 weren't working! I 've never used these 8-track portastudios...maybe one day I'll get a 388. Enjoy the magic and discovery!

[@MadeOnTape]

insert points on the front? this is how you can add compression to a track if needed (it's rare to need, most common to use with vocals, tho)

[@zaktaylor]

The 388 is the dream! Gutted that I had to send this back but looking to get a 4-track instead for the smaller size. Thanks for the compression tip too, would be nice to get some tighter vocal/drum processing

[@oinkooink]

@@zaktaylor Look into a Tascam 424 mkiii.

[@zaktaylor]

@@oinkooink That definitely looks like the one! Will also save me from re-learning the workflow as it looks like the little brother of the 488

[@ericvannielsen]

@@zaktaylorthe 464 is pretty 🔥 as well if you liked the advanced mixdown features. It also has two insert points which I find useful 🤘🏻

[@phillippierce8330]

Record hot, don’t worry about minor clipping and boost the highs a little. I recorded to tape for years.

[@zaktaylor]

Thanks for the tips! It feels so unnatural at first to record so hot after coming from a digital workspace, but that's where the magic lives 🔥

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

Unlike digital, where noise is usually -120dB to -150dB, tape is around -18dB, which is definitely audible, so you have to record hot for better SNR.

[@sharonlee4773]

@@zaktaylor I prefer the workflow of tape.And the compressed sound of course

[@budgetkeyboardist]

Great video! Self-imposed limitations is a really hip concept these days. I think it's because technology has given us 24/7 access to everything, all the time, and we sort of feel like we're missing out on something but we're not sure what. It's like the kid who loves ice cream, but if he could have unlimited ice cream he'd get sick of it pretty quickly. I find this topic super interesting. I spend years getting to the point where I had a drum machine, 8 track sequencer, two synths, one digital reverb, and a four track cassette. It was great, but it STILL didn't produce results as good as the songs on the radio. So close! But I LOVED that old setup. Can't lie, though... the better the gear got, the more I recorded. In the first 40 years of my life, I recorded one album. In the last 19 years I recorded five more.

[@zaktaylor]

Very interesting take, I fully agree! Maybe that thing that's "missing" is just slowing down and taking things one at a time which is so difficult in the modern world, but things like analogue recording give us some of that slow feeling back for a little while. I also agree that digital workflows are 100% more efficient, this thought led me to making another video combining the two together on my channel that might be of interest to you

[@budgetkeyboardist]

@@zaktaylor One more note - even though we can now make music that sounds like "what the big labels make," I think modern listeners no longer care about fidelity. My buddy just posted an EP that was recorded 34 years ago on four track cassette and it's doing well! People are listening on their iPhones. We finally get pro recording sounds, and it doesn't matter as much!

[@RomeoG39]

Nice job with the performance and the mixing, and the video. Back in the early 90's I had a low end 4-track, a Fostex X-26. I used a Boss DR5 for drums. I had a lot of fun creating music with that equipment. I miss having faders and knobs for tracking and mixing. I had tried modern multrack "appliances" but somehow they just don't feel the same as the old cassette multi-track machines. Maybe I am just getting old, or maybe just feeling nostalgic remembering using those old machines.

[@zaktaylor]

Thank you, and thanks for sharing! As someone that didn't grow up using this equipment, I still agree that the digital equivalents just don't quite "feel" the same. It's such an important part of music creation, I wish there was some way to more accurately get the feeling in a digital workflow.

[@KevinBrown-se2ut]

Would have loved one of these back in the day.

[@zaktaylor]

It’s never too late!

[@rottingcorpse6002]

Man, I recorded so much stuff on units like this back in the day.

[@zaktaylor]

It's so much fun man, hope I could help bring back some good memories!

[@svartmetall]

Great cassette multitrack - I recorded my first album on it back in '97 :) I still have that (it still works too, I recently transferred the masters of that album to hard disk for remastering purposes) and the 424 Mk.III from around the same time...

[@gabedestellano]

I have about 40 high end maxxell cassettes if you're interested. They were only used once with a tascam midistudio 688 8 track in the 90s and then played again last year when I ripped them to disk. HMU if you're interested. They're in mint condition.

[@zaktaylor]

This sounds great, I'm currently looking for a new recorded as this one did end up being faulty, but I'll keep this in mind!

[@jeebsa4m3]

Type II high bias?

[@gabedestellano]

@@jeebsa4m3 yes

[@gabedestellano]

@@jeebsa4m3Maxell XLII S

[@_floeter]

How much are you looking for? I've had good luck using a bulk eraser on used tapes.

[@fredflintstone1428]

NIce idea. If you ever feel you've outgrown the Tascam 488, look at Tascam's Model series. I have the Model 24 and it sounds AMAZING. If you need more cassettes, give me a shout. I have some still in wrapppers.

[@zaktaylor]

The Model 24 does seem like a nice in between workflow, I might have to explore this in the future!

[@Wilmer778]

Nice! I sorta started out this way, back when I was 14 or 15! Not really! Before I got myself a "proper" cassette portastudio, I used to record a drumloop wilst playing along on my guitar through a little Boss 4 channel mixer into one of my Sony radios, then I'd rewind the tape, send the signal to the little mixer again, played a melody on my keyboard or guitar on channel 2 of the mixer and sent it to another sony radio. The quality's really bad after doing this 4 times or so, hahah. I was so happy when I got my first Fostex 4 track cassette recorder, but: "WHY DOESN'T IT SOUND AS GOOD AS PINK FLOYD?!" :O So, as a kid, I always wanted to have a 8 track digital recorder and today, I've got a fullblown "Pro" Tools (it's just what I'm used to, haha) rig and I've got everything I'd only dream of as a kid, but when I saw my friend's Tascam 424, I fell in love with it again, for some reason so I bought it. :P I'm planning on doing some interesting stuff with it, like tape loops; etc.

[@zaktaylor]

This is so cool, thanks for the comment! No matter how much shiny new technology comes out, everyone always seems to crave the old gritty stuff haha

[@wehappyfewmusic]

Really enjoyed your video and sorry to hear your 488 mkII had 3 dead tracks! Are you going to get another analog machine to replace it?

[@zaktaylor]

Thank you for watching! I was absolutely gutted at the issues with it, but I'm current looking to downsize to a 424 to replace it as the size of the 488 was a little too big for my current setup anyway. Do you have any other recommendations for 4 track machines with two effect sends?

[@wehappyfewmusic]

@@zaktaylor You could have a look at the Yamaha MT4X. I have the 8 track version and love it (both have 2 aux sends). I’ve not had much luck with the 424mkiii’s myself, I’ve bought 3 of them in the past and they all occasionally made strange popping and clicking noises whilst recording.

[@Aaronmcgrattan]

Are tracks 6 7 & 8 not just for bouncing tracks?

[@davidreidy5750]

Aren't old Tascam units awesome? I have an old 424 porta for analog recording and a 414 porta for tape looping and yeah keeping em,along with all my other Tascam stuff lol.Long live cassettes!🗽🛸📼

[@zaktaylor]

So awesome, and super fun too! Currently waiting on a good condition 424 to come up myself, very excited to carry on exploring the workflow!

[@mtf347]

Amen, David...keep on keeping on!

[@davidreidy5750]

I'm getting away from the DAW and going back to doing mixdown/mastering on tape.get as much as 6 tracks after bouncing(any more it starts to get muddy)Spent all day today writing lyrics,bass,Tele,synth,and hopefully the lyrics will go smoothly as I'll be using effects pedals for vocals.All my songs are on tape or CD format.So not worried if songs go missing from files.🤖📼🎧

[@zaktaylor]

@@davidreidy5750 This sounds amazing, good luck with the recording! I actually just uploaded a new video exploring some ways to combine the cassette recording workflow with a DAW which might be of interest to you

[@dreamscuba]

Great video. I really enjoyed this. I have often thought about getting a 4 track cassette recorder for this reason. I am also a Logic guy and have always recorded using a DAW. I really like the song by the way. Good work.

[@zaktaylor]

Thank you so much man! I definitely would recommend it, even just for refreshing the process and creating in a more focused way. The song really comes first over all else recording this way

[@darrendavidson3269]

I used to record on a TASCAM 424 & 464. I used TDK SA & SA-X 90 Type II tapes and record at high speed for better quality. It gives you about 45 mins of recording. Type II Tapes are recommended in the TASCAM user manual. Enjoy. I sold my 464 a few years back and regretted it.

[@zaktaylor]

Thanks for the info, you need to get that 464 back!

[@20YearsofTascam-rc1he]

Enjoy your analog adventure 👍

[@RobinJamesHurtMusic]

Brilliant video man, liked and subbed ;) I have 2 x 488mkiis, three-quarters of the way thru recording an album on one. OMG this vid is like a rerun of me trying to figure out my first 488 (2 years in 20 minutes haha), well done. THANK YOU!

[@zaktaylor]

Thank you so much, would love to hear the album when it's done! These machines are a lot to get your head around for sure, but so worth it

[@Non-dw5lu]

Hey, thanks for this! I've been considering purchasing this model and am wondering anyone: Is it possible to bounce one track to an open track while adding effects (from the aux) being tweaked in real time, and also listen to the other tracks in the song that are not being bounced? This would be needed for my use case and I could not find the answer in the manual. Also curious if the 688 operates the same or differently in this regard. Thanks in advance!

[@zaktaylor]

Thanks for watching! I'm too early in the journey to know the answer to this unfortunately but am also curious to know the answer. Hopefully someone who knows can jump in and enlighten us!

[@Butterfly_daps]

nice i love the guitars in the background❤

[@zaktaylor]

Thank you! They're my precious babies right there

[@ThesisOfSyn]

Loved this video! Unfortunately its opened up my irrational need for tape stuff

[@zaktaylor]

Thank you! It’s a rabbit hole for sure 😂

[@davidreidy5750]

Actually mixdowns go to the DAW and to get it as full sounding and lofi at the same time.Ends up sounding like a record dug up from 70s funk era lol

[@scowlsmcjowls2626]

Itting for hours with a ton of tapes alot of amoke and tweaking the mix i would imagine🎉

[@halopro85]

What model Microphone are you using to record the vocal part?

[@zaktaylor]

I used the Rode NT1-A in this video, such a great budget microphone!

[@bentolich9308]

I'm impressed with your patience! I have the straight 488 and it took me so long to get my head around. Wish I saw this vid when I first started hehe. Have you notice anything weird happening when you do many takes on a certain track? I feel like some of my songs have started to go slightly out of tune which is worrying. I thought these machines would be able to handle a lot of rewinding/playback etc.

[@zaktaylor]

It's a lot to learn for sure! I'm still very much learning myself but in some weird way, making these videos documenting it forces me to stick with it even when it gets frustrating. I've actually switched over to the 414 Mk2 now (just uploaded a new video with it!), but the only thing I noticed when recording over a track multiple times was that you could sometimes faintly hear the previous take in the background. Maybe someone with more experience can jump in with their two cents!

[@bentolich9308]

@@zaktaylor thanks mate! Oh good on ya. Yeah some one told me about the "wow" and "flutter" phenomenon when using tape and I had to look it up but I think that's what's going on. They recommend playing the tape the whole way through at normal speed a couple of times to fix it. Seems to have helped a bit

[@zaktaylor]

@@bentolich9308 Oh that makes sense! You know it's funny really, I've used digital tape emulation plugins for years and they've always had the "wow and flutter" settings on them, but I never truly understood what they did, it's so interesting seeing it actually happen physically!

[@bentolich9308]

@@zaktaylor interesting! Yeah a little bit adds a cool vibe for sure.

[@captainanver7119]

hey man i have portastudio same model . can i use microverb voice proc.

[@zaktaylor]

I can't see why it wouldn't work! Any hardware unit should be able to run straight into the inputs on this model

[@tylergates4075]

Everyone wants the Ariel Pink set up now

[@wearashirt]

it sounds like the demo of an artist in 1995 who would become world famous in 2000

[@zaktaylor]

This is the best compliment I will ever receive

[@jakemicklewright4377]

Seems to be a lot of wow and flutter though

[@zaktaylor]

I noticed a lot towards the end of the track, maybe it was just a issue with the cassette 🤔

[@darrinward4699]

Check the tape heads and give them a cleaning with isomeric alcohol. As far as the non working tracks it might just need contact cleaning , like a car battery terminal when the posts gets erosion .

[@zaktaylor]

I gave the tape heads a clean before returning this machine and still nothing unfortunately. Thanks for the tips though, will definitely keep them in mind moving forward!

[@DogsAndDogsAndDogs]

That could be my old one. I left a little sticker on the bottom. It was a small white one towards the very back.

[@zaktaylor]

That would be so cool if it was, small world! I had to return this unit unfortunately so we will never know 😭

[@Rachel-t9y]

I am the 1,000 subscriber. woo hoo

[@zaktaylor]

Thank you so much!!

[@CUTSUK]

I've just fallen down the same rabbit hole....

[@zaktaylor]

Good luck, it’s a deep one to get out of…

[@AnodyneHipsterInfluencer]

Some company is going to get smart and start making cassette 4 and 8 track recorders again.

[@zaktaylor]

Oh it's GOT to happen, surely

[@MuckingAboutWith]

I had one of those, it never completely worked, I hated it and was way less productive than I was with a 4 track porta-studio.

[@zaktaylor]

You aren't the first person to say that these things never fully worked 😂

[@MuckingAboutWith]

@@zaktaylor Luckily they looked cool and we're easy to sell to other people whose imagination outstripped it's ability :)

[@chrnee]

I don’t miss the analog hassle…

[@zaktaylor]

I CRAVE the analogue hassle

[@daynemin]

Obsoletely awesome haha

[@zaktaylor]

Haha that's what it's all about 🤘

[@Mark_Williams300]

Tetrakan could probably have fixed it.

[@spunkadellic]

doesn't sound analog enough. maybe use older eaten cassettes or soak them in water overnight and leave them in the sun.

[@zaktaylor]

Now that’s true lo-fi!

[@oinkooink]

Haha no surprise...buying these old machines it's basically a deadset certainty there'll be faults/ issues. There's always something.

[@zaktaylor]

100% man, I'm watching eBay like a hawk recently so hopefully something that at least has all functional tracks comes up!