Tascam 388 // Home Recording to Tape

I record to the Tascam 388 from my DAW, track drums to Reel to Reel tape, and send it all back to the interface in this Analog Digital hybrid recording session from my home recording studio in a barn. What more could you ask for?

So which do you like best? I want to know.

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Using the Tascam 388, I attempt to warm up a digital recording. I had a sterile digital track and wanted to mess with sending that to tape, mixing it with the analog realm, and then sending it back out.

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How I found and fixed my 388: https://youtu.be/fz9AwJC0YDc

There are two approches here. One, is to send every individual track on the tape back to the DAW. Since I recorded 6 tracks, I would then have 6 tracks that I could manipulate back inside logic. Which is what I did. I think ultimately it gave me a second opportunity to improve the mix. The drawback to this in my opinion is twofold. I don't get as much of that blendy squishy congealing analog tape magic, where the drums kinda act like a sidechain and squish the whole track. Also, there are more opportunities for error, alterations in volume between individual tracks, more noise, more cables running, more weirdness.

The 2nd option is to just mix it all inside the 388, and send that final stereo mix to the DAW. This means you can take advantage of the EQ and master section inside this Analog Reel to Reel mixer tape machine multitrack record combo. Pretty cool! You get to slam levels, take advantage of a nice sounding eq, and not endlessly change your mix. I think I mixed the drums a little too loud on this version. Something I rectified later with the line out mix, in my endless tweaking.

The third option (which I did not attempt here), is to adjust the routing a little and use the PGM outs. This allows you to use the eq inside the 388, and still send individual outs. This might be the best of both worlds, but I didn’t feel like messing with it. It still will have the problems that are inherent with option 1, and it also means you are printing your eq. If you're printing your eq, then what do you want to do at the end? Just change levels? Just asking.

Yes I’m building a home recording studio in a barn using almost exclusively salvaged equipment. The guitar used on this recording is my dads, the casio keyboard was donated, the drums were broken and I repaired them, the carpet was a donation, the 388 was busted and I fixed it ( link), so though it wasn’t a donation, it cost a fraction of what it should have.

I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

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Видео Tascam 388 // Home Recording to Tape канала Travis Raab Guitar