That's awesome! I was a teenager in the late 80s early 90s and I had a whole stack of musicians friend magazines, and I would sit and daydream all day long about owning one of these and the korg d3200. It's crazy to know that these are old school, outdated equipment now. I love my tascam that I have now, and I bought a tascam, I think it's the 102i, and it's been sitting in my room for over a year and has never been taken out of the box. I think I might have taken it out 1 time too look at it, put it back in its packaging, and its still sitting in the floor, in a box with my keyboard sitting on top of it. Lol! One of these days I'm gonna fire it up.
Awesome video. Im looking forward to see more videos of the 2488. You're not alone....I consider myself a collector of TASCAM multitrack recorders myself. I hope one day I can own most of them.
@@RobertLee-tv4hc I'm lucky that my wife doesn't really recall what I own. I had the 2488 sitting on my desk for a week and she never said anything about it.
You mentioned starting off in the world of analog multitracking. I started out in 1994 with a yamaha mt4x. I was 8years old. Eventhough the mt8x was available, the salesman convinced my dad that the 4x was the way to go. Fatter tracks, less crosstalk. I worked the 4track on so many mixes using a Mackie 24sr in front with out board gear. Like mic pres and compressors. Then I got a tascam 488. As a payment on a session I did. Still 4 tracks at a time. But now double the tracks to work with. But I made the 488 sing and we did comparable mixes to early Protools. Over the last 15 years I have gone mainly digital, but I love running drumset through the analog at as close to 15 ips tape speed as i can get and lending it back in for an awesome 2 to 4 track blend
Yeah, I started in 1993/94 with a Tascam 464. I loved that machine and used it up until the belt broke in 2021. I switched to a DP32 in 2018 and finished a CD that was started on the 464 because I was already worried about 464 breaking. Analogue is wonderful and I would go back to that world in a heartbeat. You started at 8, I was 23 when I got into the recording side of things. Glad to hear that you are still doing it.
Hey, I had the 2488 too, and the Neo akd now the DP. For the sticky switches I changed all switches on the right side with new tactile switches. These are two legs switches so easy to change if you can solder. But all in all a great machine
@MikeFoerster yeah the spray is only a temporary solution. It is not that hard...there are some tutorials on RUclips. So when you get sticky buttons again I would think about it.
Thanks for the video. Thats cool you acquired the 2488. I just got a 2488 Mkii about 5 days ago. Unfortunatly the seller said it worked, but failed to mention what worked. The CD doesn't read, fader 1 is broken, it won't record on 9-24. I am hoping the guy will take it back so I can try and get another one. I really had my heart set on that model. A month befor that I picked up a ZOOM MRS-802 just for "a quick laydown the idea" machine. It works pretty good and is in mint condition for under $100.
I've gotten a song ready to record on the 2488. I got really lucky, after cleaning the buttons and pots, it is working like it's new. The CD player does work, but after doing some reading I need to get specific CDs for it.
I'm afraid I was a Fostex guy and the Porta 24sd is my first, I still love my old Fostex DMT 8 I bought in 1998 I still think the recording is clearer than the modern machines, and the access was brilliant, 8 in 8 out stereo and mono mixing together all channels had eq and aux send and returns. Down side was slowwww editing and you had to back up to Digital audio tape, so that meant more expense, Check one out if you ever come a cross one
I remember some of my friends with Fostex 4-track cassettes. I went with Tascam because the guy who was producing our first CD was using one. It was just amazing. I am looking for some Fostex stuff but I haven't seen any. It is on my list of things to get. My studio speakers are Fostex.
@@dozerblade I had a new FOSTEX VF-160 a 16 track machine that actually worked quite well. The only trouble I ever had with it was the 1/4" jacks were too close to use an XLR to 1/4" adapter, so I had to use short extensions to make it work. I regret ever selling it.
I lusted over this recorder but couldn't afford it at the time ending up with a boss br 8 . Now a proud first gen. Dp 24 owner with the CD burner I love it makes my br 800 look sick . Great video.
I do agree that they should've left the MIDI section, but I have a feeling the CD burner went because they were most likely getting harder and harder to source.
@@MikeFoersterwhat do you mean harder to source? I figured they just stopped because CDs went out of style and no one really makes records anymore. Nowadays they just release a single song and sell it on like Google music, or apple, and other places where you can buy music on line, plus Spotify and other sources of the music industry. I'm waiting for it to happen, and surprised that it hasn't already, and it may have and I just don't know it, but considering the amount of people who use it, sooner or later, somebody or some person is going to hit it big from bandlab.
I really like Mike's podcasts. He's down to earth and takes the time and effort to walk his viewers through the processes involved. I have a Tascam DP32SD and a Tascam Model 24. I'm not going to get a Model 2488! 😂😂
My first was a Akai dps 12.....used to my tascam portaone cassette recorder for years .....seen these at low prices ....came to this video....great review
Great video, I just had one delivered yesterday, though there are pieces mssing, one of the trim knobs, and the phantom power button, which is typical, but I will persevere.
NIce job Mike, very informative 👍👍...appreciate the plug BTW 🙂 Couple more cool things about the 2488s... 1) they allow the assignment of compression to individual tracks 2) once you've done your final mixdown, they allow you to copy that mix onto 2 active channels & work with it further 3) they allow the labeling of indiividual tracks (guitar1, main vocal, etc.) 4) they offer an incredible number of virtual tracks, which can be labeled, assigned to the virtual track library, then re-assigned to an active track at any time. If I recall correctly, none of these feature were available on the DP series.
Interesting...I haven't gone that far down the rabbit hole with the 2488 yet, but I will have to investigate those. Most of these items aren't on the DP24/32 but you can import your mixdown to a stereo track, it is a bit more work than just pulling it from the hard drive, but it can be done. I wish we could rename the tracks. That would be so nice. There are virtual tracks too, not as many probably because it is on an SD card and not a hard drive.
Hi Mike, I had a 2488 for a while, but it had repeated problems. Went to a DP24 and did some great recordings, but the menu diving drove me crazy. Then got on the DAW bandwagon and lots of VST's I never used. Now I went for a Fostex MR16 and love the simplicity of it. I got fed up with DAWs and found I could just create on the fly and not worry about quantizing stuff. Thanks so much.
I'm not sure if they still sell it, but eBay has an adapter that you wire in an ugl adapter to hook to a computer monitor. I did my own and it works awesome. It displays the full screen .
Great find, the 2488 has a killer feature that the 2488mk2 and 2488neo don't have. Hook up a MIDI sequencer to the MIDI IN port and you have 16 channels of General Midi! There is just about every common instrument imaginable inside there. Pro tip: Put the machine in bounce mode and arm another track and you can record your GM performances, and fill up all 24 tracks with fake GM instruments if you want! So convenient!
I bought a Tascam 244 cassette Portastudio in 1982 to move up from the reel to reel sound- on/with -sound Akai I'd been using for many years. The 244 was a tank and served me well up till about 2006. I have had a Tascam 2488neo since then and I like the mastering tools and cd burner. I invested in a CD duplicator that can spit out 5 good duplicates in about 1 min. So this worked for a home production set up for my music. But I never bonded with the workflow of the 2488neo, just not as direct as the old 244. I can't stand DAWs either. I actually think digital anything kind of sucks, but that's what's available. I don't do multitrack any longer just live to 2 channel 32 bit and a couple mics 😅 Enjoy the 2488!
Funny… I sold my dp24 and got a zoom l12… and have been hating it for a year, lol. Just today started down the rabbit hole of possibly going back to the dp. A year ago I picked up a refurbished tascam porta 4 track… it’s great fun, but limited for my needs.
I still use a cassette recorder to record my first idea or plan for a song it is so much easier than a dumb phone or any digital recorder. To record you just just hit play, reverse of forward . Easy especially if the recorder has a counter . Cassette recorders have made a comeback go figure ! It is easy. But I still love my dp 24 and my br 800 .
I need to get my 464 fixed so I can start using it again. I really need to find a person who lives close that can repair all the TASCAM stuff that I own. I'd do it, but I have a tendency to make things worse when I try to fix them.
That's awesome! I was a teenager in the late 80s early 90s and I had a whole stack of musicians friend magazines, and I would sit and daydream all day long about owning one of these and the korg d3200. It's crazy to know that these are old school, outdated equipment now. I love my tascam that I have now, and I bought a tascam, I think it's the 102i, and it's been sitting in my room for over a year and has never been taken out of the box. I think I might have taken it out 1 time too look at it, put it back in its packaging, and its still sitting in the floor, in a box with my keyboard sitting on top of it. Lol! One of these days I'm gonna fire it up.
Awesome video. Im looking forward to see more videos of the 2488. You're not alone....I consider myself a collector of TASCAM multitrack recorders myself. I hope one day I can own most of them.
I've started sneaking them into the house in the dead of night.
@@MikeFoerster @MikeFoerster I have the same problem. My wife catches me and asks "what's in the package"?
Busted Again!😂
@@RobertLee-tv4hc I'm lucky that my wife doesn't really recall what I own. I had the 2488 sitting on my desk for a week and she never said anything about it.
@@MikeFoersterNice!👍
You mentioned starting off in the world of analog multitracking. I started out in 1994 with a yamaha mt4x. I was 8years old. Eventhough the mt8x was available, the salesman convinced my dad that the 4x was the way to go. Fatter tracks, less crosstalk. I worked the 4track on so many mixes using a Mackie 24sr in front with out board gear. Like mic pres and compressors. Then I got a tascam 488. As a payment on a session I did. Still 4 tracks at a time. But now double the tracks to work with. But I made the 488 sing and we did comparable mixes to early Protools. Over the last 15 years I have gone mainly digital, but I love running drumset through the analog at as close to 15 ips tape speed as i can get and lending it back in for an awesome 2 to 4 track blend
Yeah, I started in 1993/94 with a Tascam 464. I loved that machine and used it up until the belt broke in 2021. I switched to a DP32 in 2018 and finished a CD that was started on the 464 because I was already worried about 464 breaking. Analogue is wonderful and I would go back to that world in a heartbeat. You started at 8, I was 23 when I got into the recording side of things. Glad to hear that you are still doing it.
Hey,
I had the 2488 too, and the Neo akd now the DP.
For the sticky switches I changed all switches on the right side with new tactile switches. These are two legs switches so easy to change if you can solder.
But all in all a great machine
I was able to fix all the buttons with some Deoxit spray. I'd try replacing the switches, but I'd be afraid I'd break something badly.
@MikeFoerster yeah the spray is only a temporary solution. It is not that hard...there are some tutorials on RUclips.
So when you get sticky buttons again I would think about it.
Thanks for the video.
Thats cool you acquired the 2488.
I just got a 2488 Mkii about 5 days ago. Unfortunatly the seller said it worked, but failed to mention what worked. The CD doesn't read, fader 1 is broken, it won't record on 9-24.
I am hoping the guy will take it back so I can try and get another one. I really had my heart set on that model.
A month befor that I picked up a ZOOM MRS-802 just for "a quick laydown the idea" machine. It works pretty good and is in mint condition for under $100.
I've gotten a song ready to record on the 2488. I got really lucky, after cleaning the buttons and pots, it is working like it's new. The CD player does work, but after doing some reading I need to get specific CDs for it.
@@MikeFoerster Nice, Im looking forward to your next video.
Very cool!
i grew up with a portastudio 424. i like watching your videos because it's neat to see where these big recorders have ended up.
Thanks man! It is interesting. I started on a 464 which I still have, it just needs a new belt and I'm afraid to take it apart.
I'm afraid I was a Fostex guy and the Porta 24sd is my first, I still love my old Fostex DMT 8 I bought in 1998 I still think the recording is clearer than the modern machines, and the access was brilliant, 8 in 8 out stereo and mono mixing together all channels had eq and aux send and returns. Down side was slowwww editing and you had to back up to Digital audio tape, so that meant more expense, Check one out if you ever come a cross one
I remember some of my friends with Fostex 4-track cassettes. I went with Tascam because the guy who was producing our first CD was using one. It was just amazing. I am looking for some Fostex stuff but I haven't seen any. It is on my list of things to get. My studio speakers are Fostex.
@@dozerblade I had a new FOSTEX VF-160 a 16 track machine that actually worked quite well.
The only trouble I ever had with it was the 1/4" jacks were too close to use an XLR to 1/4" adapter, so I had to use short extensions to make it work.
I regret ever selling it.
Comooooonnnnnnn this is so cool!!!
Lol. Yeah, it was a deal that I couldn't pass up.
I lusted over this recorder but couldn't afford it at the time ending up with a boss br 8 . Now a proud first gen. Dp 24 owner with the CD burner I love it makes my br 800 look sick . Great video.
the Dp 24/32 with cd and midi was better, than SD 24/32 can't forgive Tascam for excluding the midi and sync features,
I do agree that they should've left the MIDI section, but I have a feeling the CD burner went because they were most likely getting harder and harder to source.
@@MikeFoersterwhat do you mean harder to source? I figured they just stopped because CDs went out of style and no one really makes records anymore. Nowadays they just release a single song and sell it on like Google music, or apple, and other places where you can buy music on line, plus Spotify and other sources of the music industry. I'm waiting for it to happen, and surprised that it hasn't already, and it may have and I just don't know it, but considering the amount of people who use it, sooner or later, somebody or some person is going to hit it big from bandlab.
Exactly! So stupid. I would have loved to buy a DP-24 or DP-32 but I stick to my 2488 because of the MIDI.
Good for you! Have fun. You get a good price and it works and it inspires you - go for it.
I really like Mike's podcasts. He's down to earth and takes the time and effort to walk his viewers through the processes involved. I have a Tascam DP32SD and a Tascam Model 24. I'm not going to get a Model 2488! 😂😂
Love it! I just took mine out of the case after 15 years. Now im trying to remember how to use it! Great machine!
My first was a Akai dps 12.....used to my tascam portaone cassette recorder for years .....seen these at low prices ....came to this video....great review
Thanks. I'm going to be using it more.
Great video, I just had one delivered yesterday, though there are pieces mssing, one of the trim knobs, and the phantom power button, which is typical, but I will persevere.
I got lucky, everything appears to be working. The CD burner is a bit off, but from doing some reading, it only works with specific CD-RWs.
NIce job Mike, very informative 👍👍...appreciate the plug BTW 🙂 Couple more cool things about the 2488s... 1) they allow the assignment of compression to individual tracks 2) once you've done your final mixdown, they allow you to copy that mix onto 2 active channels & work with it further 3) they allow the labeling of indiividual tracks (guitar1, main vocal, etc.) 4) they offer an incredible number of virtual tracks, which can be labeled, assigned to the virtual track library, then re-assigned to an active track at any time. If I recall correctly, none of these feature were available on the DP series.
Interesting...I haven't gone that far down the rabbit hole with the 2488 yet, but I will have to investigate those. Most of these items aren't on the DP24/32 but you can import your mixdown to a stereo track, it is a bit more work than just pulling it from the hard drive, but it can be done. I wish we could rename the tracks. That would be so nice. There are virtual tracks too, not as many probably because it is on an SD card and not a hard drive.
Hi Mike, I had a 2488 for a while, but it had repeated problems. Went to a DP24 and did some great recordings, but the menu diving drove me crazy. Then got on the DAW bandwagon and lots of VST's I never used. Now I went for a Fostex MR16 and love the simplicity of it. I got fed up with DAWs and found I could just create on the fly and not worry about quantizing stuff. Thanks so much.
Cats make a excellent sound tech ! I love my stealthy sound tech .
The midi in/out on the back of that will allow time sync with external drum machines, synth modules, etcetera very cool.
I still have the TASCAM CD-GT1 and the TASCAM 424 MKII. Both I bought new back in the day. I like them both.
I still have my cassette recorders as well. I'm starting to be come a bit of a collector of these things.
I'm not sure if they still sell it, but eBay has an adapter that you wire in an ugl adapter to hook to a computer monitor. I did my own and it works awesome. It displays the full screen .
I've looked before, I didn't find any. I've been using two different strengths of glasses so I can read the screen.
Hold the stop and play button and it will show your waves on each reach like the sad units brother😮
Great find, the 2488 has a killer feature that the 2488mk2 and 2488neo don't have. Hook up a MIDI sequencer to the MIDI IN port and you have 16 channels of General Midi! There is just about every common instrument imaginable inside there. Pro tip: Put the machine in bounce mode and arm another track and you can record your GM performances, and fill up all 24 tracks with fake GM instruments if you want! So convenient!
I think I got my first 414 in 2006. I would have been shocked to know if that thing was made that year. crazy
I bought a Tascam 244 cassette Portastudio in 1982 to move up from the reel to reel sound- on/with -sound Akai I'd been using for many years. The 244 was a tank and served me well up till about 2006. I have had a Tascam 2488neo since then and I like the mastering tools and cd burner. I invested in a CD duplicator that can spit out 5 good duplicates in about 1 min. So this worked for a home production set up for my music. But I never bonded with the workflow of the 2488neo, just not as direct as the old 244. I can't stand DAWs either. I actually think digital anything kind of sucks, but that's what's available. I don't do multitrack any longer just live to 2 channel 32 bit and a couple mics 😅 Enjoy the 2488!
Funny… I sold my dp24 and got a zoom l12… and have been hating it for a year, lol. Just today started down the rabbit hole of possibly going back to the dp. A year ago I picked up a refurbished tascam porta 4 track… it’s great fun, but limited for my needs.
The Tascam SX-1and the AKAI DPS24 were the best machines ever made.
I'm going to have to look for an SX-1. Hopefully, I can find it.
I still use a cassette recorder to record my first idea or plan for a song it is so much easier than a dumb phone or any digital recorder. To record you just just hit play, reverse of forward . Easy especially if the recorder has a counter . Cassette recorders have made a comeback go figure ! It is easy. But I still love my dp 24 and my br 800 .
I need to get my 464 fixed so I can start using it again. I really need to find a person who lives close that can repair all the TASCAM stuff that I own. I'd do it, but I have a tendency to make things worse when I try to fix them.
I just learned how to export the 2 WAV files from the final master mix. If anyone needs help let me know
I will need that at some point
You need windows 7 to upgrade though, know a lot about that machine 😂
Luckily, it was updated already.
I have a 2488 neo,for some reason I like it over my 24 sd😂😂which is newer
So did the deoxit fix the buttons?
Yeah. It's running like it's new
@@MikeFoersterok, there's a few deoxit products out there. Which one did you use?
@@reardondearborn I have the F-series Deoxit Fader 5. It works very well.
@@MikeFoersterbetter than the d5 contact cleaner? My friend has a dp-01 with a yes button that doesn't respond.
Thanks for the quick reply!
@@reardondearborn No problem. I happen to be sitting in front of my computer working on another video for Monday.