« Tascam MF PO1 Portastudio »

Paid $100 at Guitar Center. I use it to write songs and work out arrangements
with (especially vocal harmonies) before recording
the master version on my Hard Disk recorder.

Extremely easy to use. Sounds pretty good too (for such an inexpensive unit). Does
exactly what it is intended to do very well. Great as a creative tool or as a
1st multitrack for a young musician.

I'd love to see a larger (10 or 12-track) version using a VHS tape.
If one ever came out for say around $300 or under
I'd buy it in a heartbeat. There is still a place for tape-drive
portastudios in the hands of a songwriter or any creative
musician who needs a super-easy system that will let the creative juices
flow without the complications of a digital multitrack system.
The MF PO1 certainly does that for a 4-track unit.

The level of the 1st track has a tendency to be overwhelmed (drowned out)
by the live input monitor volume during
overdubbing of the next tracks.
The key to overcoming this is to remember to
RECORD THE 1ST TRACK AS LOUD AS POSSIBLE.
Remember, this is analog tape;Don't be afraid to saturate it.
Let the meter go well into the red while recording--It'll
still sound pretty good (unless you really overdo it).
For that 1st track, Put down a solid, LOUD rhythm part to play & sing
the other tracks along with.
Then, turn the master volume volume UP to 8 or so when
laying down the 2nd/3rd/4th tracks & turn up the volume
on the 1st track & you should be able to monitor the original track
pretty well when laying down those last 3 tracks. Worked for me.

So remember--a *soft* 1st track will be difficult to hear & play along with
as you try to lay down the accompanying tracks.

Small criticism:
The mic input would be better (less intrusive)
in the back of the unit instead of the front, in my opinion.
But no big deal.

I really have no other criticicism of the unit--as long as the above
procedure is followed when recording/monitoring, you should have
no problem with monitoring levels.

Hard-impact plastic. Seems solid enough. Pots & inputs
are apparently of very-decent quality.
Tascam has a good reputation for durability & I have
no reason to doubt it in even this inexpensive unit.


A fine product! As a longtime guitarist/songwriter,
I would have killed for one of these back in the early 70s
when I was first starting to get serious about songwriting & arranging.
A great tool or toy to stimulate those creative juices!


I GIVE THIS UNIT A: **5**

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com