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MGR/Mike « Tascam 788 Digital Hard Disk 8 Track Portastudio »
Published on 10/31/01 at 15:00I purchased the 788 after much internet research. I'm new to recording, and decided that it offered a lot of flexibility for a decent starter price. I paid approximately $900 through an online retailer - Musicians Friend.
At its most basic level, it is VERY easy to use and the manual is mostly self explanatory. It has 250 virtual tracks per song which, for my use, assures that I will never run out of space. Records at 16 or 24 bits. Non-destructive editing and a fairly simple editing structure. Pretty good effects tweakability. Tascam provides a very useful and up to date online service forum which I've used extensively to clear up any misunderstanding between myself and the manual - excellent resource for beginners like myself to explore the recording world.
Multi effects can only be applied to one track at a time which is frustrating at times. Example: If I record two guitar tracks and want to add flange and reverb to one track and a little distortion and reverb to another, I have to bounce the first track to an unused track, and then change my effects settings and bounce the second track. Since there're so many virtual tracks, its not such a big deal . . . but it does involve a lot of track shuffling. The manual is mostly self-explanatory. There are a few sections that are a little fuzzy and don't seem to illustrate the full capabilities of the unit.
The construction is very nice. It's buttons, dials, and little lights are well organized and obvious, making it easy to navigate, although the display window is a little small. I've had NO problems with the unit, although there have been many reports of software difficulties in some of the earlier versions. Software upgrades are easy to get, however, and free. Pretty small and compact which make it good for portable recording sessions.
I think the 788 is an excellent option for musicians ranging from complete beginner to experienced recording artist who wants something to work on at home. It is capable of producing very high quality sound recordings, and optional CD burners make this a very easy process.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
At its most basic level, it is VERY easy to use and the manual is mostly self explanatory. It has 250 virtual tracks per song which, for my use, assures that I will never run out of space. Records at 16 or 24 bits. Non-destructive editing and a fairly simple editing structure. Pretty good effects tweakability. Tascam provides a very useful and up to date online service forum which I've used extensively to clear up any misunderstanding between myself and the manual - excellent resource for beginners like myself to explore the recording world.
Multi effects can only be applied to one track at a time which is frustrating at times. Example: If I record two guitar tracks and want to add flange and reverb to one track and a little distortion and reverb to another, I have to bounce the first track to an unused track, and then change my effects settings and bounce the second track. Since there're so many virtual tracks, its not such a big deal . . . but it does involve a lot of track shuffling. The manual is mostly self-explanatory. There are a few sections that are a little fuzzy and don't seem to illustrate the full capabilities of the unit.
The construction is very nice. It's buttons, dials, and little lights are well organized and obvious, making it easy to navigate, although the display window is a little small. I've had NO problems with the unit, although there have been many reports of software difficulties in some of the earlier versions. Software upgrades are easy to get, however, and free. Pretty small and compact which make it good for portable recording sessions.
I think the 788 is an excellent option for musicians ranging from complete beginner to experienced recording artist who wants something to work on at home. It is capable of producing very high quality sound recordings, and optional CD burners make this a very easy process.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com