Two weeks ago, I did a blog on the Mattel Synsonics Drum Machine and how it was my first drum machine that helped me record demos (https://luegra.design.blog/2023/05/20/the-glorious-mattel-synsonics-drum-machine/). Well, that got me to reminiscing about my personal history of home recording and how much things have changes, as well as how stubborn I still am in a way.
When I was a teen and learning electric bass guitar, home recording was still in its infancy. There were a number of reel-to-reel four-track machines on the market, most notably the Teac 2340 and 3340 models. These retailed well over $1,000, and you could never find one used, Add to that these RTR machines were high maintenance, and tape costs were high. Anyone who had one of these puppies, as well as a basic mixer, could make money recording demos for bands.
I was poor, but I made do with what I could. I used my brother’s stereo cassette and saved up for another deck (Detroiters, do you remember Highland Appliance?) that I would bounce recording back and forth between the two decks. I had lots of homemade audio cables, abused my brother’s headphones, and worked with less-than-quality microphones from budget stores. Forget any type of compression or effects, although if I wanted to get creative, I could get some reverb by miking myself in the bathroom. My bible was Craig Anderton’s book Home Recording for Musicians.
Radio Shack, Olson Electronics, and a few mom-and-pop surplus electronic stores in the Detroit area were my hangouts. I built a basic mixer from plans in a electronics book from the library. Recording was done mostly when I had the house to myself, which was a rarity. However, I learned a lot about audio technology and recording techniques during this time.
In 1979, Tascam (a division of Teac) came out with God’s gift to home recording for musicians. The Tascam 144 was a four-track recorder/mixer that used the readily available cassette tapes. It only allowed recording of up to two tracks at one time, but mixdown of four signals into a mono or stereo demo was now easy to do with a machine the size of a small suitcase! It retailed for just over $500, so only the musicians that had some extra cash laying around could get one. It seemed like a novelty until news had it that Bruce Springsteen recorded his Nebraska album on a 144. Suddenly, every songwriter needed one of these machines. Soon branded under the Portastudio name, Tascam later marketed the 244 model (allowing all four tracks to record at once), and the 234 four-track cassette deck.
A company called Fostex, which had developed a somewhat affordable A-8 eight-track RTR recorder, came onto the market with its own version of the 144 that they called the X-15. Very similar in operation as the 144, it also retailed around $500. However, my local music store Wonderland Music would often have “Crazy Clarence” sales, and I got one of these for $299! This was my pride and joy for a number of years.
During the 1980s and 90s, other companies such as Yamaha, Vestax/Vesta Fire, and Marantz offered variations of the home recorders. I secured a few Yamaha four-tracks over the early years. Their first endeavor was the MT-44, which was an actual tape deck that recorded four tracks instead of stereo. It came with a small mixer that, if I remember correctly, had a crappy reverb/echo built in. I got that set used, and gave it to a singer in one of my old bands so that she could record demos. After the X-15, which I sold to another musician, I purchased the Yamaha MT-100. This machine allowed me to record all four track at the same time, so recording band demos became a breeze.
My thirst for home studio recording could not be quenched, so I saved up and purchased the Tascam 238 Syncaset. This machine recorded eight channels onto a cassette tape. This was as big as a normal cassette deck, but had the capabilities to record all eight tracks at once, so band demos were like the pros! Its only drawback was that bleed-over from adjacent tracks was common, especially when recording loud guitars or drums. I also got myself a Fostex 812 12-channel to 8-channel studio mixer. I was able to make some money back by recording other bands’ cheap demos. I also picked up some rack-mount effects at this time to make my recording much more professional. I used this equipment to record a compilation album on my own record label called Boombacoustic!, which consisted of ten local bands performing an acoustic song at a bar in Hamtramck, That CD was nominated for a Detroit Music Award back in 1988.
Around that time, I was contributing articles about recording and building DIY recording projects like simple mixers and direct boxes for a magazine called Home & Studio Recording. I also put out a quarterly newsletter called Home Recording Quarterly that I distributed around Detroit.
Then, digital recording began to take over, and I actually lost interest in following the trend. I stopped recording bands, and because people were interested in digital recording, my knowledge and interest in analog recording was not popular any more. I also saw that getting chrome cassettes for recording was now difficult, so if I wanted to continue to record even my personal songwriting demos, I would have to get with the program. I eventually purchased a Zoom MRS-4 four-track digital recorder. This machine is basically a digital version of the old X-15, but does have a lot of built-in special effects. For mixdown, I have a Tascam DR-03 hand-held digital recorder, which allows me to record in mono or stereo, as well as in WAV or MP3 format.
Cleaning out the house, I found the MT100, the 238 and the 812 board stored away. I will probably sell them off for a less than they are worth, but other than the mixing board, these machines are pretty much obsolete. Heck, the MRS-4 is close to obsolete as well, since the memory cards that it uses are hard to come by.
Last year, while at a large rummage sale in west Michigan, I came across a Tascam Portastudio DP-02CF digital eight-track recorder/mixer. It didn’t have a power supply, so I took a chance on it and bartered down to $25. I ordered a power supply, and it tests out as working. I have yet found time to record any demos on it, as my time cleaning the house is priority. I also still find the ease of the MRS-4 on the kitchen table to be sufficient. However, I hope to get more into recording with the DP-02CF by the end of the year.
Chew on it and comment.
Luegra 