Portastudio

TASCAM Portastudio 424 MKII

The TASCAM Portastudio was the world's first four track recorder based on a standard compact audio cassette tape.

When the original Portastudio 144 made its debut in 1979 (priced at about $1200.00 Canadian) it was a revolutionary creative tool. For the first time it enabled musicians the ability to affordably record several instrumental and vocal parts on different tracks of the built-in four track recorder and later blend all the parts together while transferring them to another standard two-channel stereo tape deck (remix and mixdown) to form a stereo recording.

These machines are typically used by artists to record demos, although they are also often used in Lo-fi recording. The analog portastudios by TASCAM and similar units by Fostex, Akai, Yamaha, Sansui, Marantz, and others generally recorded on high bias cassette tapes. Most of these machines were 4 track but there were also a couple of 6 track and a few 8 track units. Some newer digital models record to a hard disk, allowing for digital effects and up to 24 tracks of audio.

One widely used model was the TASCAM 424 (in three versions), which offered a great deal of flexibility while still remaining inexpensive to use. For bands prior to the advent of digital recording, the 424 was an easy and affordable way to record demos or even commercial albums.

Notable usages

• Primus' debut album Suck on This, a compilation of several performances, were all recorded on a TASCAM quarter inch 8-Track Portastudio.

• John Frusciante recorded his two first solo albums Niandra Lades & Usually Just A T-Shirt and Smile From The Streets You Hold on a 424 Portastudio. (source: VPRO 94 interview)

• Bruce Springsteen recorded his album Nebraska on a Portastudio 144.

• Bill Callahan's first Smog album Sewn To The Sky was recorded on a "dumpster Portastudio," according to the liner notes.

• John Vanderslice, an analog recording enthusiast, made Life and Death of an American Fourtracker, a concept album about home recording, including the song "Me and My 424".

• Marilyn Manson recorded The Family Jams on a four-track Portastudio

• Alan Wilder recorded his first solo album 1+2 under nickname Recoil on a four-track Portastudio

• Ween recorded their second album The Pod on a Tascam 4-Track

• "Weird Al" Yankovic recorded half of his songs on his debut album with a Portastudio in his drummer's garage before signing up for a proper studio.

• Wu-Tang Clan's debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), was mixed down to a Portastudio 244.

• Travis Meeks of Days of The New recorded "Cling" on a TASCAM 4-track in his sessions leading up to his debut album "Orange".

• Portastatic was named after the Portastudio Mac McCaughan used to record the songs that became its first album.

Books

Using Your Portable Studio by Peter McIan (1996, Amsco Publications)

See also

Multitrack recording

External links

• The current line of Portastudios from the Tascam website.