Conference napalm::commusic_v1

    Mike,
    
    My band recorded a demo on the Studio 8 and it came out pretty well.
    Since I haven't used a Model 38, I can't make a comparison, but
    I think your purchase decision should be guided by your primary
    use of the machine.
    
    How do you intend to use the machine?  If you intend to use the 8 track
    to hack around on but not seriously do demos, I would consider the
    Studio 8.  If you intend to do serious demos or do something in your
    basement that is targeted to get airplay, I would spring for the extra
    $$ and get the Model 38. 
    
    Personally, I find 8 track very limiting for doing recording which is
    targeted at getting airplay.  It requires an awful lot of work to get
    things to sound good.  It can be done (see Dave Dreher's submissions on
    COMMUSIC V for an example of the type of quality you can get on 8 track
    plus virtual synth/drum tracks), but it's not easy.  For that reason, I
    have not bought an 8 track deck for my band/personal use, but rather
    spend the money on recording in a real studio.  We do our pre-studio
    demos on a 4 track cassette machine and then go do the real thing
    in a 24/48 track studio. 
    
    When my days of chasing the golden ring are over, I will probably go
    for a good 8 track for personal use.  If that were my goal, the
    Studio 8 would be high on my list.
    
    		My two cents,
    		Derek

Mike -

I'm not sure, but there may be some confusion here as to model numbers. My
understanding is...

1. Tascam 38, �" open reel, list $2395, no mixer
2. Tascam 388 (Studio-8) �" open reel, list $3195, 8 ch mixer
3. Tascam 238 1/8" cassette, list $1995, no mixer

>    little hours on it. I was wondering if anybody has one or knows
>    enough about them to help me out in making a buy, I was leaning
>    twords the 38 with a 16x4x2 board, but it will also cost me twice
>    as much. Any help would be great.

The 38 with 16x4x2 board would be excellent. You might even want to spring
for 24 channels if you can swing it. Dave Dreher's material is living
proof of the quality of this setup and a tribute to his expertise.
The cost of blank tapes for this unit is relatively quite high.

The 388 is an "all-in-one" unit including 8 channels of mixer. It may be
cost effective if 8 channels is all you need (it certainly never seems to
be for me). You could add a Roland M160 to get another 16 channels of
mixer with plenty of effects sends/returns and no noisy EQ.

The 238 is a recent new deck. How they got 8 tracks onto 1/8" tape is
beyond me. There may be some channel crosstalk problems with this unit,
especially with very dynamic recordings such as drum tracks (crash and snare)
and loud vocals or guitar.

Of these three decks, I would recommend the 38 as being "best buy" for
quality and performance vs. price. Try to get some "free" blank tapes
thrown in with the deal. Worcester Wurly's has all of these units if
you care to check them out. If Wurlygig2 happens as planned on Aug 26,
you could come then if not sooner.

I would be very careful about buying any used tape deck. Also, if the
Studio 8 is only costing half as much as the 38, there must either be
something wrong with it or the seller has no idea of its real value.

good luck,

dave

    Sorry about that, what I ment was, a Tascam 38 plus a 16x4x2 board
    could run me around 4,000. I could pick up a studio 8 with very
    little hours on it (I know the person selling it) for 2,100.
    
    Mike___

    I took a close look at the Tascam 8-track cassette; it really does
    have eight tiny head gaps in one head...
    
    The head looks like this up close:
                                                        
    		-------------------------
    		|			|
    		|       ||		|
    		|		||	|
    		|   	||		|
    		|		||	|
    		|	||		|
    		|		||	|
    		|	||		|
    		|		||	|
    		|			|
    		-------------------------
    
    The ||'s are individual head gaps; barely visible.  It's a rather
    impressive looking tape machine; also it rackmounts.

In that case, the Studio 8 sounds like a good buy. The main thing is to plan
for the future. Used decks, especially high end ones, are hard to resell and
they lose their resale value rapidly. Will the 8 channel mixer be enough? Is
�" tape going to provide enough channel separation. What kind of noise
reduction will you use? Is this for home studio fun or for production quality?
Can you make money with the unit, so that it will pay for itself?

dave

    Judging from note 1614.4, it looks like you wouldn't be able to
    bounce from odd-numbered tracks to even-numbered tracks without
    sync problems. Did they get around this problem?

    Not a problem.  Consider that the same head does reading and writing;
    and the same gap always reads the same track, so all that really
    matters is that the relative positions of the heads and tracks stay
    the same (which they do, being rigidly fastened together)
    
    Does this make sense?

    	Have you considered a FOSTEX 8-track?   I've had great results with
    mine.  I've seen used A-8's for as low a $1k.   Uses 1/4" tape.
    ($8.00 not $35.00 per reel)  Has built in Dolby C (outboard on the
    TASCAM 38) 
    	The newer FOSTEX is the 80 series and goes for around $2k new.
    It's the same except that it has LED bar meters and allows connection
    to a synchronizer/autolocator and SMPTE device.
    
    						Scott.                 
    
    P.S.  The 1/4" format audio specs are very close to those of T38.