Vintage Tech Review #1 - Tascam Porta 02 MKII 4 Track Cassette Recorder
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- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
- This is my first of new series of vintage tech reviews and tests.The Tascam Pora 02 MKII is a multitrack analog cassette recorder with a total of 4 tracks, two 1/4 mic inputs, 1 1/4 guitar input, L and R RCA outputs, headphone output, trim and level faders and a basic mixing level section. It has a very cool low fi sound, works great.
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Wow, we looked around for an actual "as you go tutorial" that really shows us How to Use IT! Your's is our answer! Thanks so very much, excellent work, love your music and your personal style. Gordon Welke and Leona Sackaney
Gordon Welke I
OMFG I spent hours, and I mean hours in my closet with that thing working out song ideas. The limitations it puts on you forces you to get more creative. I have a dresser drawer loaded with song ideas that I made on one of these. They are the closet thing I have to a diary.
Wow! That was incredible! My friend dropped one in my lap a couple of years ago but I'm just now getting around to figuring it out.
Very cool!
Excellent example of how music can be done on a cheap old school 4 track cassette that doesn't involve expensive equipment. Well done!!
cheap?????
@@serdark8035 I suppose I was lucky. I got my Tascam porta 02 for £30 on gumtree. Great piece of kit. I think the average price on ebay is around £100-£150, so maybe not as cheap now
I've got one coming next week, cost 100 quid, any tips on recording my own stuff?
@@gavinthegoliath As with all recording, get your levels right! Keep your tone controls at 12 o'clock if you can,... play with them when you master to stereo. Use Cro2 Tape. Pick up a cheap multi effects processor and a normal tape recorder for mix down (if you want to avoid digital mastering) and most importantly have fun and experiment
I dig the end result. Very cool track. Also that freak out stuff you recorded over sounded super rad!! Nice vid dude, thanks a lot!
i had one of these!!!!!! bought it brand new in 1999 from guitar center for $150!
Cool review and thorough! Thanks, DS
Thanks. You're the only one to post a tutorial on RUclips that i could find. Just picked one up and it's been a while since I've used it
I just bought one of these today. I got a fostex 4 track when I was 12 and had endless fun with it. Now I’m 40 and for some reason had the itch to get one of these suckers again. By today’s standards they’re so limiting, but in a very good way when you’re in the right mood. So many recording things today sounds disgustingly squeaky crystalline clean and digital and too perfect which is good sometimes but also gets really old. Great video though, it was fun to wait to hear the end product and it was just excellent. Just recently I went through all my old four track tapes and it was so fun hearing all the stuff I experimented with and recorded on that Fostex
Pretty clean sound for such a quick recording...! Also a nice simple little machine, I’ve never actually seen one in real
This reminds me of growing up the final recording and it sounds so lo fi and good !
I used to record rock and hip-hop demos using that same device! So fun and "hands on" compared to recording digitally on a computer. I uploaded my 4 track songs here on RUclips and people are asking how I got that "vintage" sound lol They are even asking if they can buy my cassette recordings lol Good stuff! Nice tutorial
Nice!
I just bought one! Can't wait to use it. Thank you
congrats!
@@demonicsweaters 😍
Brilliant video, I have the exact same four track here in County Wexford, Ireland and I'm currently recording a lo-fi folk album on it. Thank you for posting this, great!
Thats awesome!
Just dug mine out and looking it up since I forgot how to use it. Then I find this video of someone making tools newest song. Awesome video dude.
This was my first ever recording device, and I still have it! I recently made a track in it just to see if I could get some good sounds going with it still and was not disappointed! Been considering doing a series of instrumental recordings just using this with various synths & guitars.
Just got handed one of these last night. My daughter's been interested in recording her own stuff and I think it's a great door to her understanding home recording. I'll be pointing her to your tutorial before I pull her into the depths. Very well done video!
Thank you! Well I'm not sure a 4 track is the best way to understand modern home recording, haha. But still pretty cool for her to use it!
I've got one of these boxes thanks for a great review will use this as been in storage for 5 years
The sound of tape is awesome . I like watching "A Space age Love Song" from Flock of Seagulls Live from the early 80's . It was recorded on tape and the solo sounds killer !
I have one of these somewhere in my mother's house. I never actually learned how to use it. God i miss the 90's so much.
These are really cool and I’m glad you explained it so thoroughly. :) thanks
Metal tapes are type IV not III. Type III tapes were a hybrid of Type II and IV that never caught on with the public, so it was discontinued shortly after introduction.
I'm sure you just made a typing error BUT Type III (Ferric-Chrome) tapes are/were a hybrid between Type I (Ferric) and Type II (Chrome). Type IIIs couldn't have hybridized a tape formulation (IV) that was born 6 years ('79) AFTER they were created (in '73).
Omg I came back to this tutorial thinking I bought a botched item bc of the headphones 😭😭 so glad it’s not just me
Very nice. These old recorders are a lot of fun.
Saw one for sale at the local music shop and snatched it up right away.Stoked to go back to 4track it's been a long ass time.
Noice
Loved the end when you realize you recorded over something important
I subscribed because of this video. I have dinked around with this machine on and off for years and learned some things here that made me appreciate it more. Like the headphone out, my god! I thought mine was the only one that was shite.
The entire white stripes elephant album with seven nation army way recorded on a 4 track tape recorder.
For future people reading this: Elephant was, basically, 'recorded without computers'. They went to a fully decked studio (Toe Rag Studios) and used a ton of pre-70s gear (including a REDD mixing board, that was originally custom-built for Abby Road Studios, and 10s of thousands of dollars' worth of mics and pre-amps).
They DID record to an 8-track but it wasn't a CASSETTE 8-track. It was a 'full-sized' reel-to-reel 8-track (Studer A80) that recorded to 1" tape. (For reference: EACH track on a 1" 8-track is the +width+ of an entire compact cassette)
So...I'm saying, don't get a Portastudio (or any CASSETTE 4-track) and think your sound quality is gonna be ANYTHING in the ballpark of Elephant.
(But.. don't let that stop you from having a blast and masking awesome sounding music!)
I started out on one of these in the mid 90's. When I switched to a DAW (2001) I really missed the sound of the Tascam, I still do.
0ld tech nice t0 have, and if y in the mood t0 sound 60s this the way t0 go. im g0ing back t0 the 0ld way i miss it
always good to see what's going on with the 4 tracks
Bought this used 30 years ago, but got sidetracked by school/career/life. I'm a way better musician now lol. After seeing your video, I dug it out of my mom's basement and I'm gonna give it a go. You're awesome, thanks for the video!!
Maddy and Lucky I love that, thank you!
Damn. This sounds real good!
Keep up the good work, well done video and good review of a product. Thank you again.
I had this same recorder. Recorded many noise type soundtracks.Used a Alesis Wedge master reverb unit to open up some space. Wish I still had it😢 Found one for 480$ in Japan. Plus outrageous shipping charge. I need to find one here in the States. Perferd local . Wish me luck!!
They pop up from time to time, just keep your eyes peeled
dude hell yea, thanks. love that vibe. cant wait to record once i get a power supply haha
wow! Im going to watch this video like 40000 times now haha! Great review
No punching in!!!! That thing punches in trust me lol.
thank! you! so! much!!!
It’s very important to use a power adapter with the correct volts, amps, and polarity. I fried the four capacitors associated with each playback channel-thus, no sound. The new ones were an upgrade and now it works great.
This goes without saying for all electronics
@Demonic Sweaters
No doubt about that. This machine seemed especially intolerant of reversed polarity, whereas some equipment can withstand accidental, momentary reversed polarity.
Anyone who’s tascam Mk 02 has been damaged this way should search on RUclips for the easy repair tutorial.
Au/then/ti/city. Lol. Thanks so much for the video, this helps a lot!!!:) just bought one for 60 bucks!! Yeah!!!
where on earth did you find one for $60? Everyone seems to be trying to sell these things for gold these days.
That's a sub. Great video! You're fun and helpful. I bet you're great to work with.
Why thank you, that’s super nice of you to say!
Bro i want to like this video but you're right at 666. Perfect for Demonic Sweaters
Haha, awesome
It’s too bad these are kinda expensive now. I’ll eventually get a 4 track of some kind for recording omnichord stuff though, and this one seems perfect for me
Yeah, in my opinion they’re really not worth current prices. $150 yeah they’re a fun toy, but $300-$400 is insane for what they are.
I have a Tascam Porta 2 (4) track cassette recorder from the late 80's. I had lots of fun recording with it. It had (6) inputs. Meaning it can record 6 instruments LIVE at once.
And yes, I would bounce (3) Tracks down to the 4th Track freeing up tracks (1),(2), and (3).
I would mainly use (1) and (2) for vocals and put either a keyboard or another guitar on track (3).
The dam machine broke years ago. Im using a 16 tack digital now. Although Im not a big fan of the digital sound.
I would love to have the machine fixed so I can go through all my tapes that I still have. I dont know if they still repair these machines anymore? I loved the sound they gave me.
I would always record direct with bass and keyboards. With guitar I always used an amp and mic'd it. It was too clean going direct!
I'm sure you could find somebody to repair it, just don't expect it to be cheap. You might have to send it off somewhere for a while too while it's worked on.
Hi Justin great device analog recorder tascam cassette.... :)
Thanks Gennaro 😀
hi the high speed decks are super ace there one with 2 cassette decks it's super cool runs at 3 3/4 ips max of 30min on 120min i have a 2 inch deck and
a deck like this can be hot up big time ace for the money new 2 inch tape are over £100 new
Probably Pyle Dynamic Microphone.
i would have killed to one of those in 1989
You have to use another normal cassette player to mix the recording down so it can be played on a 'normal' cassette tape machine so 'bouncing' down tracks isn't very difficult as you should have another cassette recorder available anyway.
best used with a multitrack (4 or what ever.).its used to mix downd to normal playback speed.
Slunds pretty decent
I gutted an old Crosley record player case for kicks then I thought hmm what if this Tascam 4track fits and whaddya know the damn thing fits perfectly plus the adapter/cable and four tapes😊🤖📡
nice, that's awesome!
whoa that was awesome ! great tutorial and i really dig the track you created. very janes addiction !
Vanderdude404 thanks!
Exactly.. don’t use a standard Type 1 cassette tape.. go the Type 2, it’s a decent difference in sound quality & hissssssss
yeah, it's a pretty big difference. That is, unless you want it to be more hissy and lofi, then normal bias is the way to go!
Which really sucks because type 2 cassettes are barely available anymore and I discovered that afer purchasing a tascam
@@hubblebublumbubwub5215 Supply creates demand. www.tapes.com. There is from where I'll be buying my type II cassettes once that I run out.
@@hubblebublumbubwub5215 ebay dude
And now in 2020 people are trying to sell these things for $400+ lol.. no thanks
I know right? They not worth that. They’re pretty cool, but not THAT cool
I got the Tascam DP 008. Pretty much the sound is thesame and of course with The Tascam DP 008 you have 8 tracks.
well the DP 008 is digital, so the sound will be much more high fi and clearer than one of these.
I sold mine, big mistake.
Oh well, maybe you can find another one
I have one never used it bought it new
I just got one of these today. I'm not getting any playback in the phones, argh!
All you're missing is Perry Farrell on one of those tracks
Haha, yeah totally
I bought one of these about 20yrs ago, recently found it buried in basement storage. Looking forward to messing around with it again. There is no comparison to the warmth of sound with tape, compared to digital. Very cheap recorder but if you have a "decent"tune to record, it really does sound incredible for what it is. I enjoyed stumbling across the reverse sound playing the tape on other side, sparks new ideas sometimes, and trippy
They weren't biased for metal tapes
thanks helpfull
awesome video! Just got mine in the mail and I'm testing it out. I have a super dumb question though - How do I eject the tape? There is no eject button and it's pretty snug in there. Do I just force it out with my fingers???
as long as it's stopped you can just take it out
@@demonicsweaters incredible
A friend gave me his old 4-track porta studio. It works but, When I play my tapes that I recorded in my porta 2 in this machine they play super fast, like Alvin and the chipmunks.
No idea why? Maybe the AC adapter? It doesnt take batteries otherwise I would of used them. Crazy?
because the older ones recorded at higher speeds for higher quality.
Does the actual recording sound that clean or did you do some editing on your computer?
Yeah, that's how it sounds. Nothing was done to it other than record it. I honestly don't think it's that clean though, haha.
Maybe i just can’t find the right cassettes. I bought some old type 2 cassettes and they sound just as bad as type 1 cassettes, even with dbx.
Did you try cleaning the heads?
I’m gonna try that. It might also have something to do with the tapes being 16 years old.
would I be able to connect a drum machine to it?
You can connect whatever you want to it
Would this work for an acoustic guitar and vocals? I’m thinking of buying one of these to record demos using only an acoustic guitar? Any help would be great !
yeah, of course. All you'd need is a mic
Yes it does work for that, I have one and used to use it for that purpose
If you had two of these, could you bounce it down on to the other one by plugging the output of one into the input of the other? You’d lose quality but would it have a feedback loop?
yeah, you could do that
If I wanted to record on a tascam to get a lo fi sound how could I go about getting this onto my computer and making the recording digital?
Kevin Wright by plugging a 4-track into the computer and recording it
You can hook it up to an usb audio interface, I use a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. It has 2 in and 2 out, it’s a great device to get analog sound in and out your computer. Have fun recording!
Rca cables to run from the monitor out Jack's on the 4track. Rca - 1/4" TS adapters for the end of that, and then your usb audio interface. I currently use an older M-audio M-Track, but I would highly recommend a focusrite Scarlett interface.
To run audio out from your computer into the machine, the same 1/4" rca adapters will work well, connected to an RCA - 1/8" (headphone style plug) cable.
man i want one of these now!! any recommendations on where / what prices are good to look for old 4 tracks?
The prices can vary widely, but the most important thing is to find one that is in great working order, and has been well taken care of. It's worth paying a little more for one that works well. Make sure the seller knows what they are talking about and tested the unit thoroughly. So for a model like this one, anywhere from $150 to $200, a better model $200 and up.
@@demonicsweaters cheers thank you! been enjoying the channel a lot.
Thanks so much :)
I just picked one up basically new with box ac adapter and manual for 200.
4 Track newby here. How do you know when to replace the cassette? Also, if you mess up a take do you just re-wind to 0 and hit record again?
You can use a cassette many times before it'll wear out if it's a decent one. Best not to use super cheap tapes because they can damage the motor and get eaten by the machine. If you want good results on used tapes, you can erase them first by recording nothing to all 4 tracks. This will ensure you don't get any bleed over from past recordings. Some people though actually like the weird stuff that happens from recording on the same tape over and over again. I do this with my VHS camera, because I actually like the worn out tape look more than a new one. But you definitely don't want to be using anything that can cause damage to the machine, like tapes that get stuck or are dirty or poor physical condition. And yep, mess up, just record over.
Awesome! Is there a particular cassette you could recommend for the porta 02 I should purchase?
any type II chrome tape is going to be your best bet like this one amzn.to/2Dr0IhA I would generally stay away from anything over 90 minutes as well because the tape tends to be thinner and cause problems more easily. Safest sure bet is 60 min type II chrome tapes.
Demonic Sweaters I'll definitely keep that in mind. If I want to export the audio from the porta to my audio interface I'll just need a couple RCA to 1/4" correct?
David Picarazzi correct, I did this myself last night.
Thanks for your sharing! What if I record with a type 1 tape on it ?
It'll work, but will have more background noise.
i did a side by side test with Tascam dp1 8 track digital recorder and than a old 4 track cassette stand alone it sound the same and on both i test with pc and its the pc that make it sound not the same than for months i was lke what they got out now days to go back to the old ways i found it 22 tracks and it does 4 things stand alone, live mixer, and can also be a audio interface, and the the best part you can record 22 tracks the same time for what it is i thank its the best no fx for guitar butt voice yes butt hear what it is TASCAM Model 24 you can even make month payments and get it not credit good credit at zzounds this model 24 take you back to the day lol
I recorded an album on one of those with a friend a few years ago. Great sounding unit!
The lack of release year info on these Tascams is INSANELY disappointing. When the 424 MKI come out? Does anyone know? Nope. What about the 414 MKI? No? Ugh. Help, if you can, thanks!!!!!
Hi. Very nice track! Can you actually record two instruments, one per track, at the same time? I am asking cause I see two channels, so I’m thinking you can record two mono ins at once... can’t you?
Yeah you can. You just pan them L and R when recording
@@demonicsweaters but that way wouldn't they result panned one on each side even when playing it back? Or can they be centre-panned back again?
@@DP-hw9uq yes, you can pan them any way you want afterwards. It's just how 4 tracks work. Even if you have one with 4 inputs, you still need to pan LRLR.
i get a gnarly hiss out of my tape machine, does anyone know why? i have one of these bad boys
That's analog brah :P
what kind of cassettes are needed for this?
Any will work, but chrome are the best
what audio interface would be good for this
anything with a stereo line input
You’re cool
Hey Man, I got a question, how is it with levels - what if you go above 0?? Unlike in a digital daw you can do that is it?? Its not really cliping then but more like an analogue distortion or something, right? Something like saturation is what you'd want anyways, right?
That's right, it's a distortion, but a "good" distortion. Not like digital. You can use it as an effect.
All I needed to know, thanks man! Would be pretty hard to set up levels otherwise!
What power source does it take I have one
Should be listed on the unit itself. I no longer have it, so I can't look.
Can you record punk stuff on it ?
You can record whatever you want on it
Hey! Recently bought one but for some reason, the lights never blink when I try to pick up sound. Did you ever have this problem and did you fix it if you did?
hmmm, no I never had that problem. Sadly almost all 4track recorders are extremely sketchy as far as longevity lifespan. Various moving parts can break. Can you still record even though the lights aren't working? Maybe it's just a bad LED?
Tossing this question out to the wider audience: when I hit record on Porta 02 it goes faster than "normal" speed. Any suggestions on how to fix this? Thanks in advance!
That is normal speed. 4 tracks record at a faster rate than regular tape recorders because it is a higher quality recording.
dude, good show. it already sounds MUCH better than most daw home musician recordings. why? because one * actually has to have to have SOME ability - which you do. true one can do take after take and there are *ways even on tape to record one note at a time (*just ask John Barry if he were alive - 5 time Oscar winner, lol. he saw a lot of 'cheating' yes, even in tape days. engineers were very adept at razor blade editing.) hint think the daughter of a very famous father in the 60's who had to record a movie title song,word by word. so it's not just since autotune, lol.
it's the very limitations of a 4 track that made one, back in the day, actually think about musical parts! 4 solid ideas (like you had) are better than 240 terrible 'auditions' in Ableton - which I do use and like but which is MASSIVE overkill for most hobbyists (Ableton, I mean).
i had a portastudio that had punch in and you're right - the noise was HORRIBLE through the headsets. tape compressions sounds fantastic, though less so on portastudios.
years later, i bought a Nakamichi tape deck and without knowing i had, 'Heidi,' in the living room started yelling - "that sounds so great, what is it?" not scientific i know; BUT she didn't know i had bought it. so yes, analog (can) sound fantastic.
i had a friend named Kjartan who was in a band called Culprit. when i lived in seattle eons ago we'd record and he had a "hot set up," that was for that particular portastudio,the ONLY way to record. you only had that one path to make good sound recordings, he felt. I can't remember what that path was! we did have reverb - must have been external? had we known a lot about mike placement we could have gotten good sounding results. what we got were good results that sounded bad - we planned what to play but the Tascam simply wasn't up to it. other models WERE up to it.
Thanks for a cool video.
Thanks man, and thanks for the cool stories!
Do you have a four track analogue cassette tascam Or foster for sale 2022 ?😊🇬🇧🎤😏
No sorry, but you can find them on reverb/eBay
Thanks 👍😊 sorry 4 late reply!
On mine when i flip the tape over to record on side b i hear what i recorded on side a in reverse. Any idea gow i could fix that?
Lol, there’s no fixing it. That’s how 4 tracks work. 4 tracks take the whole width of the tape, so there is no side B.
@@demonicsweaters thank you so much
Big question: just got this but live in a country where the voltage is 220. I know I need a transformer but the question is: Can I run this 12w TASCAM on a 50w transformer? I can’t find one of less wattage anywhere here. Many thanks in advance.
Oh no, I would not recommend that. You'll most likely fry it :(
And do you mean volts or watts? Either way I wouldn't risk it.
Linux Music Studio Thank you for your prompt reply. I mean a step-down transformer that coverts 220/240 V AC to 110/120 V AC. It claims to run 0/50w. The TASCAM is 12w.
I don't know. Don't want to tell you wrong. Ask Techmoan!
Linux Music Studio Thank you.
Type 4 is metal. Type 3 was very short lived
i love the old ways i like to share info tascam did it again not tape butt its sd card!!!!!! butt it take you back to the day they got 3 models of it the name is "tascam model" 12 ,16,24 does lots of this stand alone mt recorder, live mixer and also can be used as a interface no guitar fx butt there is lots of reverb fx in the unit's butt the point to it is it take you back to the day butt better you can even record all tracks the same time.
Hey man, how would one connect this to a computer for an upload?
You can't simply connect it to a computer and upload because this is an Analog device. You could however connect it to a computer using an audio interface like amzn.to/34YlCnP and record it in a program like audacity. Then you can upload it.
Why the constant sfx in the background through the video?
Justin
Lol, fair enough.
Thanks for the review. You convinced me to buy one of these!
Fat sounds done on my Tascam Porta 02 today! Listen to Hospital Corners • Awkward Appendage by Julian Mark Brown on #SoundCloud
soundcloud.com/julian-brown-31/hospital-corners-o-awkward
Hi! I just got one of these. I've been testing it and I seem to only be able to playback recordings on channel 3. Is there a usual suspect for this types of problems? Any idea of how to fix it? I've not had a chance to clean the device yet, and I'm recording on a regular tape (not type II). Not sure if the problem could be related to that or something going wrong inside the porta02
hmm, this could be a few different things. First, are you getting a level showing being recording on the other tracks? Can you just not hear them? If this is the case, it could be the volume pots being dirty or broken. If it's not that, then it could be the play head being extremely dirty or just bad. If you're not getting any recording level on the other tracks then it could be the record head being very dirty or broken. Or could be any one of the pots just dirty, shorted, etc... you kinda have to do process of elimination. First get a tape that was recorded in something else and see if you get sound on any track but 3, if so, then you'll know its a recording issue. If not, then you'll know it's a playback issue.
Thanks for the reply!
I'm only getting sound on tracks 3 and 4 on other tapes. Tracks 1 and 2 don´t register any signal at all.
@Zé Burnay
Could be the capacitors for those tracks on me printed circuit board. A very easy repair if you know how to solder. There is a video tutorial explaining the process for this exact four track on RUclips. I had to replace all four of mine now works great
cheap???hahahaha..
Be careful using metal tape. The heads of the recorder can be severely damaged if the heads on the recorder were not designed for metal tape.
I'm not sure where you're getting your information, but that is not true. Under very rare circumstances on a very old tape recorder that would not be metal compatible, it simply would just not record. But I had never actually encountered a machine that can't use a metal tape.
@@demonicsweaters You seem to be correct. According to the guys at Tapeheads.com that may have only been an "urban legend" started by some manufacturers of cassette decks to get anyone with cassette recorders made earlier than the late 70's to upgrade their decks to get them moving to metal tape. It also seems that metal tape should only be used on recorders with a metal tape selection setting because in order to both record and erase metal tape the recorder needs a higher bias setting than older decks. Thanks for the correction. Although I have been recording since the mid 70's there always something to learn (or un-learn like this).
P.S. even with all my digital stand-alone recorders (Tascam 2488 and Tascam DP24) and my computer DAW (Reaper), I still use my 30+ year old Tascam 424 MKII cassette 4 track to do quick and dirty demos. Still working flawlessly.
Ah, that's interesting about them spreading the rumor to get people to upgrade, haha. Reminds me of the Y2k bug. I wonder how much antivirus McAfee sold through all that?
@@demonicsweaters I forgot about Y2K. I was playing a gig that night and we were all expecting an issue since my band uses midi tracks for part of our background sounds. We were expecting everything on my already ancient laptop to crash. Nothing happened. I know the company I worked for spent major money and time getting ready for that non-event. What a laugh. Thanks for the memory.