![recording with tascam 424 mkii recording with tascam 424 mkii](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91maVnnjJ6L._AC_SX569_.jpg)
The High and Low bands are centred on 10kHz and 100Hz respectively, each with 10dB of cut or boost, and the Mid band's centre frequency ranges from 250Hz to 5kHz, with ☑2dB of gain. Next up is three‑band EQ with a swept mid‑band for each mono channel. Each mixer channel has a Trim control, and there's an input selector switch on each too: for the first four, this chooses between the mic/line input and the off‑tape signal, while channels 5 and 6 choose between the odd‑numbered or even‑numbered mic/line inputs respectively.
#RECORDING WITH TASCAM 424 MKII PLUS#
The mixer is simply but adequately specified, with its six main mono channels each having a mic/line input on an unbalanced jack, plus XLR mic inputs on the first four channels - but no phantom power, so users of condenser mics will need a separate phantom supply. This odd 'improvement' actually makes things less convenient! Enhancements aside, though, the 424 still basically comprises an eight‑channel mixer and a four‑track recorder. Finally, the punch‑in footswitch socket has migrated to the back on the MkIII, from its position on the front edge of the MkII. Knobs now have colour‑coded tops, and connections are on the rear panel rather than the top panel. There are some cosmetic alterations, chiefly a contemporary 'rounding off' of edges, though the metallic blue finish remains the same. The differences between the MkII and the new machine are few, the most significant being an improved mixer section: where the MkII had four mono channels and two simplified stereo channels, the MkII has six mono channels and one stereo. The 424 is a long‑lived machine - the MkII version was reviewed in SOS September 1996 - and it has now reached its third revision. Though the sound‑quality of the 414 MkII (above) matches that of the more expensive 424 MkIII, the smaller unit has more limited connectivity and facilities. Having examined both sides of the issue and admitted that there's probably still a place for the analogue Portastudio, we'll turn to Tascam's two latest models, the 424 MkIII and the 414 MkII. Analogue Portastudios also provide an excellent grounding in basic recording techniques for novices, are cheap to buy, and offer unrivalled speed and immediacy for quick demo recordings. We're also quite partial to the idea of being able to pick up our multitrack recording medium (a cassette) from virtually anywhere, knowing that with reasonable care it won't go corrupt - and therefore doesn't really need backing up. To which the log‑dwellers might well respond that, yes, those things are great, but we'd rather not worry about looking after the hard drive, pay extra for something to back up to, lose our latest masterpiece because the HD recorder crashed before we'd backed up, or spend hours poking about in menu‑driven operating systems to get the built‑in reverb routed where we'd like it.
#RECORDING WITH TASCAM 424 MKII CODE#
Has the affordable digital revolution passed them by completely? Are they really prepared to forgo the things hard disk multitrackers offer - clean, hiss‑free digital recording without wow and flutter, the convenience of digital editing and built‑in effects, the freedom of virtual tracks, the life‑saving power of the 'Undo', the speed of instant locating, the wonder of not having to give up a track to sync code in order to synchronise a sequencer? Some will no doubt be wondering which log these people have been hiding under for the past couple of years. (There are exceptions, of course.) So the fact that the two leading exponents of the analogue cassette multitracker format, Tascam (its originators) and Fostex have both put out new models recently must mean that there are still people who want to make multitrack recordings on cassette tape.
![recording with tascam 424 mkii recording with tascam 424 mkii](https://electricdenimstudios.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Tascam-424-MKiii-4-Track-Cassette-Recorder-5.jpg)
If something doesn't sell, they won't usually make another one of the same, in order for it not to sell too. Successful studio equipment manufacturers aren't known for flogging dead horses. Derek Johnson & Debbie Poyser go back to the future. In these digital days, is there still a place for the good old analogue cassette Portastudio? Tascam clearly think so, having just released upgraded versions of two of their most recent models.