Date:Mon, 26 Apr 2004 14:07:45 -0400
Reply-To:Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
<[log in to unmask]>
Sender:Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
<[log in to unmask]>
From:Matthew Barton <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:Re: Tascam portable multitrack cassette recorders
Comments:To: [log in to unmask]Content-Type:multipart/alternative;
Many thanks for your thoughtful answer, Richard. I'm replying offlist.
I work in the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress, and
we get frequent questions about what to use for field recordings. That,
and the fact that a great deal of field work is still being done on
cassette, is what prompted my question. The Marantz PMD 430 is no longer
made, so I've been looking at other available portables. I wasn't
thinking about archiving to cassette (although, as we have learned, you
could do worse!). The days of the cassette are surely numbered, but I've
actually advised people currently making field recordings in that medium
to stick with it for awhile while the market sort things out, rather
than switch to formats with smaller user bases and even less certain
futures, such as the Minidisc or the Flashcard. I've told people using
DAT for field recordings to do the same thing, even though the DAT, like
the cassette, doesn't have a great commercial future. Both formats are
stable, and if you transfer them properly to something else while
keeping your original, you should be in good shape. At this year's ARSC,
someone mentioned to me that they prefer cassette recorders to Minidiscs
when they record group interviews, as the resolution of the Minidisc
seems to be poor when it is confronted by several human voices at once.
Portable hard drive recording is a good option, but the initial
investment can be considerable if you buy everything all at once. The
cassette porta studio seemed like a relatively inexpensive and versatile
option--the Tascam 424 appears to sell for about $330.00, new. If you've
been working on cassette, that might be a reasonable way to tread water,
so to speak, while you save money and wait for one of these new formats
to firmly establish itself.
We also receive lots of cassettes made by others here. Currently we're
using the Tascam 122mkII for playback. At the moment, though, we don't
have any four track cassette machines, so if we receive any such
recordings as part of a collection (I'm sure this will happen, if it
hasn't already), we'll need to get something. Are the Syncasets still
being made? I don't see them on the Tascam website.
Once again, many thanks.--MATT
Matthew Barton
American Folklife Center
The Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20540-4610
phone: (202) 707-1733
fax: (202) 707-2076
email: [log in to unmask]
