Tascam 488 Portastudio Owner's Manual page 10

Tapes recorded on stereo c asset t e recorders will
not playbac k properly on the 488 bec ause of the
differences in the track format and tape speed.
For the same reasons, tapes recorded on the
Portastudio 488 will not playback properly on
stereo cassette recorders. Material recorded on
the 488 must be mixed dow n to stereo for final
distribution.
The 488 needs the entire width of the tape to
record its eight tracks, eliminating the option of
recording on both sides (actually, it's both
directions). Therefore, you should decide w hich
side (side- "A" or side "B") you w ant to use and
use that side exclusively. It's a good idea to get
into habit of consistently using the sam e side on
all multitrack tapes.
Tape Type
The Portastudio 488 is internally adjusted for
HIGH BIAS "Type II" tape. For best results, you
should only use tapes of this type. TDK SA,
Maxell XL-II or equivalent formulations are
recommended. We strongly suggest that you
select one good quality brand and use it
exclusively. The time you spend creating your
multitrack master is much more valuable than
the money you save by buying inferior tape. The
cassette shell essentially becomes a part of the
488's transport. Poor quality shells can cause
w rinkles, snarls and shredding of the edges of
the tape with use. Even small scratches on the
tape oxide can c ause "dropouts" (temporary loss
of signal) on one or more tracks. High quality
tapes are less likely to cause problems in the
long run.
Accidental Erase/Record Protection
To protect a finished master tape, it is nec essary
to punch out both record protect tabs. Even
though you are recording in only one direction,
the 488 uses the entire width of the tape, as
mentioned above. If, for example, you remove
only one of the tabs, you could accidentally
insert the cassette into the 488 backw ards and
erase all eight tracks of the master.
10
Side A
safety tab
SideB
safety tab
Tape Length
Use the shortest possible tape for a given w ork.
It is not unusual to play a tape 100 times before
you are finished, so select a c assett e length that
is as close as possible to the length of the
program you plan to record. Cassettes C-60
length and shorter are often m ade from thicker
st oc k than longer cassettes.
The tape used in C-120 cassettes is extremely
thin and c an c ause w inding problems, crimping,
w rinkling, and other damage to the oxide coating
of the tape w hich will destroy your w ork. Don't
use C-120s in the 488.
Remember that at 2X normal speed, and the
"one-side-only" 8-track single direction format
m eans that you have only 1 /4 X normal play time:
C-3 0
C-46
C-60
C-9 0
(approx.)
7.5 min
11.5 min
1 5 min
22.5 min