4-Track Cassette Recording

So I know this is a stretch, but I can't figure this stuff out. It's makin me MAAAAD

I'm currently revolving on the Tascam Portastudio 464, so I'm EXPECTING this to be much doper than my last jam.

I'll record a drum loop via MPC into track 1, rhodes or whatever on track 2, bass on track 3, and sick-nasty rhymes on track 4. I play it back, and it sounds nice and crispy, all cassette like. This is exactly what I want.

However, when I go to play it in my other little tape player, it only plays the first 2 tracks, so all I hear is drums and rhodes or whatever. When I put it back into the Tascam, it plays all 4 trax. I don't have a tape player in my car or anything, so I can't test to see if it's just the little crappy tape player... Am I doing something wrong while recording, so that it won't play properly on the little tape player?

A 4 Track recorder use the width of the tape to record 4 tracks. A consumer stereo tape deck use 2 tracks for side A and two tracks for side B. On a 4 track recorder there is no Side B just side A with 4 tracks.

You can hear track 3 and track 4 of your recording when you put the the tape side B in your consumer tapedeck. But it will be reversed

You'll need to record from the 4track stereo out to your consumer tape deck or your PC

peace

What Pete said. You have to run the outputs of the portastudio to the record inputs on your tapedeck. this is the time to play with the level faders and pan pots on the four track - perform your mix!! Rehearse it a few times, write down the times that you want to fade ish in and out etc.. then hit rec on the deck, hit play on the 4-track, get your fingers on the dials and make your mix!!!!!

brings back memories

~Steve

You could also bounce your tracks to tracks 1 or 2.

Cassette recorders with "multitrack" heads were the coolest things back when they were hot.

I had a Tascam 644 midistudio once then sold it and got the 8 track version (688). The heads on the 688 were not only broken down so much that you couldn't think about playing it elsewhere, let alone the tape speed, which was also way outta range to even consider playback on a basic cassette player as well.

dabmeister wrote:Cassette recorders with "multitrack" heads were the coolest things back when they were hot.

I had a Tascam 644 midistudio once then sold it and got the 8 track version (688). The heads on the 688 were not only broken down so much that you couldn't think about playing it elsewhere, let alone the tape speed, which was also way outta range to even consider playback on a basic cassette player as well.

I remember using two regular tape decks and a cut off RCA jack to record on! Those were the days!

why not record the final mix to your computer?

happyhour wrote:why not record the final mix to your computer?

yeah why not just not use the portastudio?