thinking of buying a tasacam 2488 HELP!!!!!!

i was thinking of buying a multitracker becuz my computer keeps shitting on me and dying (EVERY COMPUTER I BUY). i was thinking of buying the akai dps 24 but then i saw the tascam 2488 which is about a grand less in price. is there anyone on the board who uses any of these machines??

i was interested mainly in the dps24 becuz its an akai and i own an MPC1000 i dnt wnt to be losin any knock in my drums. how does the 2488 compare for sound quality and low end. can sum1 please help

There's a review in SOS last month, one of the few magazines i trust.
If you're in the UK you can pick up a copy still.
Here's what they said in short:
Pros:
-Versitile,immediate,easy to use
-Multi effects for use with the DI input
-Build in MIDI tone generator
-Onboard cd writer
-Flexible in/export function and USB

Cons:
-No moving faders
-Effects & analogue circuitry not sparkling
-difficult rear panel layout.

If you can't find an issue, i can scan some pages for you.

my home boy just bought the tasscam, I played with it a little and I'm not impressed. I'm not that experanced with hard disk recorders but i know what I like and don't like. The nonmotorized faders was a real turn off and for me tracking with this thing was realy uncomfterbale..... that could be my inexperance. On the plus side the signal routing was easy and seamless. Like I said I'm not impressed but I'm going to continue playin with it, mybe Ill change my mind. I would'nt buy though for 1200 you better get what you want and for me thats a YAMAHA or highend Tasscam HD recorder and that means mo money, mo money, mo money


PEACE

Dog, I really REALLLY feel you on that computer ish. I have crashes occasionally, but it's part of the game. The thing is, about every 6 months, you gotta clean house. You gotta back up, clean out, and re-os. That's how it go, dog. You will have crashes. You will have problems. But, with a hard disk recorder of the price you desire, you are extremely limited. If you were f'ing w/ a PC, then that is your primary problem. A mac is much iller. Don't ask me why, they are just smoother w/ audio. Don't believe the hype: PCs are whack. Get a used G4 and protools, and keep your files in order instead of letting ish fly all over the place. Ther is a reason that these two are the industry standard. They work the way they are supposed to. Also, you HAVE TO run rich media, such as audio recording or video editing, through a separate (second internal, or external) hard drive. That is a standard. Anyone who doesn't do that, or tries to convince you otherwise, is not a professional, and is begging to lose all the music in thier computer. You cannot run live media throught the same drive that contains system software, or you will eventually create what are called 'bad blocks' of data, which will crash you eventually. It happened to me; now I know better. You can go on ebay and get a used mac and a Digi 001 for $1,500 or less combined. I've seen it happen over and over. I just seen a g4 500mhz (whish is about as fast as a 1ghz pc) bundled w/ an MBOX for $1000. Good deal.

If, however, I have not convinced you, or you need portability, I would agree with the above dude, in that, although cheaper, the tascam is not too great. If it is in your price range, the Yamaha joint is where it is at. Also, if you don't have a separate one, the mic preamps on the yamaha are way better, as is everything else.
I have the digital mixer that that joint is based on, and I absolutely love it. Flying faders w/ total recal doesn't hurt either. If you really need that same price range, get a roland VS 16 track. Killing the tascam.

Good Luck!!

I agree. Played with it yesterday. Tascam obviously got the cost low by cutting on materials. The faders are GI Joe plastic and flimsy. The display should come with a magnifying glass. I'd like to check into it's compatability with software. What is the USB for besides backing up projects? I don't think you can transfer over samples. Also, if I remember, it has 8 ins. That might not be enough for you if you run a lot of ish.

thanx u guys u have been really important in me making my decision. although i do love the benefits of pc/mac based systems i really need that reliability that comes with dedicated hardware. i think im going to wait and get the dps24 ive been reading sum reviews and it comes highly recommended.

when i need help in the future i will definitely be coming back here. THANX ALOT GOOD BOARD

I fux wit the 2488!!!!!