Quote:
Originally Posted by Otis  Hey retractablezing, thanks for the great advice. What do you mean when you say that the tone is more "drastic" on the 38? I assumed that the two machines would sound fairly similar, perhaps with the 38 having slightly better fidelity than the 388. |
the tone is more drastic on the 388, not the 38. you can hear the 388, not necessarily the 38.
if the 38 is properly maintained and if you record with conservative levels, i doubt you'll be able to hear any major difference between it and a mid level soundcard, assuming you're recording the exact same things, with the same mics, outboard, etc. maybe a bump on the low end and a certain smear to the sound.
the 38 sounds a tad more robust (but less interesting in terms of tone) than the 388 (the 38 uses wider tape), but the 388 has that funky mixer going for it (which is quite capable) and the recorder part has its own sound as well, as you're jamming 8 tracks on where (normally) there should be only 2.
if you're after a grainy sound that's very very interesting and that sounds surprisingly big, the 388 is it. i've always found the 38 rather bland and a bad 8 track overall. if you want a good, well built 8 track from tascam, you should find a 48.
both the 38 and the 48 will sound more modern than the 388 though. when i say drastic, i mean it in a good way. so yeah, the 388 will sound a lot more drastic than either the 38 or the 48.
if you're after a certain sound that's not lo-fi but not hi-fi either, and that has character to spare, the 388 is it.
the 388 can also sound fairly light though, so make sure you hit it hard to get the best out of it. it will yield a nice, saturated tone that's very very usable.
again, i still miss mine and i kind of regret having sold it.
make sure you use good stuff with it though...again, i'm no example, but after owning much high end outboard, i settled for a lexicon lxp-1, a fender spring valve reverb and a rnla with it. was recording with my lyrec preamps into it as well, most expensive pres i've ever owned. no need to cut yourself short just cause you're recording to a "lesser" recorder. the 388 will take it very well, and your recordings will thank you.
with that said, its preamps are way beyond usable.
make sure you use the right tape though. the 388 motors and heads are very sensitive to that kind of thing and you can ruin the recorder by using the wrong tape (and not tascam nor anyone will be able to supply you with a new set of heads for it).