Equipment File #8: Tascam recorder

Tascam PortaStudio 424

This piece of equipment arguably made the biggest difference in the Studio's music than any other piece it has owned. This recorder allowed four parts to be layered while retaining the first-generation quality. Using various recording techniques, additional tracks could be layered in. Then the final four tracks were mixed down to a master cassette from which duplicates were made. This was the process used for the dozens of albums that the Studio has released.

The exact date it was purchased is not known, but the earliest recordings date back to March of 1991. The first song recorded was a short guitar piece that was later named "Tired". This was followed by hundreds of other songs. And then on February 13, 2005, a song named "Goodnight, My Someone" was the last song to be recorded using the 4-track recorder. Since then all songs have been recorded directly into the computer.

Today the recorder is only used to play back old master cassettes. As its age begins to show, the Studio has looked into buying a replacement so they will be able to continue playing the more than two dozen master cassettes that were made during its fourteen years of service.