ANALOG Portable Recorders Market Index
Disclaimer
All information used in this file is the result of various net contributions. As such, the author and all contributors are NOT responsible for any consequences arising from the use of the info supplied here. No guarantee is made as to the accuracy and the correctness this file. Prices and other relevent info are for reference only and actual information must be established by the vendor.
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0. Table of Contents
0. Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Tape Deck List
3. List of Suppliers
4. Suggestions
5. Endnotes
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1. Introduction
The following is the Analog Tape Deck list of commonly used portable cassette recording equipment. This list is by no means complete, and additions, changes, suggestions, etc. are welcome, and encouraged. Following the list of tape decks is a partial list of some of the retailers which have been known to carry some of the units listed below. Call them for specific details.
I compiled this list to help answer a few questions about what portable tape decks are currently available, prices, & respective features and bugs. Buying a portable deck for taping live shows is (for most of us) somewhat of an investment, and one can most easily spend a few thousand dollars on a nice set of microphones and a good deck. Most people with $$$ will probably end up going the DAT route, but for those of us with a more limited budget (me included), Analog decks are a little cheaper (in some cases) and many tapers (analog or digital) will be glad to allow others to patch in until we can all afford good mics.
On with the list...
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1. Tape Deck list
-------- - Aiwa - --------
Model : HS-SJ25 Channels : Stereo NR Types : None, Dolby B Tape types : I,II,IV
Power Source : 2xAA Line In Type : [ ? ] Line Out Type : [ ? - can use headphone
jack] Mic in type : 1/4" [ ? ] Level Meters : can only alter on playback
Dimensions : ~1 x 2 x 3.5 " Weight : ~2 lb. Approx Price : ~$125
Other Features: Auto reverse on playback
Advantages: Size
Disadvantages: Unable to adjust level meters Weight
Where to Find One:
----------- - Marantz - -----------
Model : PMD-430 Channels : Stereo NR Types : none, Dolby B, DBX II Tape types : I,II,IV Power Source : 3xD Line In Type : RCA Line Out Type : RCA Mic in type : 1/4" Level Meters : Analog VU, single LED peak Dimensions : ~6 x 8 " Weight : several pounds Approx Price : $500 new, $300 used
Other Features: Dual capstans Pitch control Bias adjustment 3 Heads Switchable Limiter
Advantages: The dbx is the best noise reduction. Greatly improves SNR to nearly CD quality, and it operates on all freqs, unlike dolby B More rugged than Sony WM-D6C
Disadvantages: The 1/4" mic inputs are not as nice as XLRs Less rugged than Sony TC-D5M
Where to Find One: Marantz Professional Products
-------- - Sony - --------
Model : WM-D6C Professional Walkman Channels : Stereo NR Types : None, Dolby B or C Tape types : I,II,IV Power Source : 4xAA batteries or a Wall Adaptor Line In Type : 1/8" Line Out Type : 1/8" Mic in type : 1/8" Level Meters : 5 LED's Dimensions : 7 1/4 x 1 5/8 x 3 3/4 " Weight : 1 lb. 7 oz. (640 g) Approx Price : $ 300-350
Other Features: Pitch control (automatically turns off during recording) Meter lights switchable on/off (stealth mode : ) Dual capstans, 20 db Mic attenuator
Advantages: Bigger than the D-3, but small enough to stealth record Easy to flip tapes than the D-3 Only one button to stop and eject One large button to record
Disadvantages: Batteries are inside and hard to change quickly Only one led battery indicator Levels show louder of two channels Susceptible to RF noise (live taping usually not a problem) Cuts line levels when you flip :
Other Notes: Order a couple extra EBP-6 battery cases and keep 'em labeled for the time used on each set of batteries. I usually can get 3 sets from 1 set of batteries.
Where to Find One: J&R Music World
Berger Brothers Camera
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Model : TC-D5M Channels : Stereo NR Types : None, Dolby B Tape types : I,II,IV Power Source : 4xD batteries or a Wall Adaptor Line In Type : RCA Line Out Type : RCA Mic in type : 1/4" Level Meters : Dual Analog VU Meters Dimensions : ~ 9 x 6 x 2 " Weight : Approx Price : ~$600 new, ~350-450 used
Other features: Speaker (mono)
Advantages: Good sound Very rugged unit
Disadvantages: Too bulky for stealth use Doesn't have dolby C Speaker sounds like shit (IMHO)
Where to Find One: J&R Music World Berger Brothers
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Model : WM-D3 Channels : Stereo NR Types : None, Dolby B Tape types : I,II Power Source : 2xAA batteries or 3v Wall Adaptor Line In Type : Stereo Mini Line Out Type : Stereo Mini Mic in type : Stereo Mini Level Meters : LED Dimensions : ~ 4 x 3 x 1.5 " Weight : Approx Price : $230 (less from mailorder places)
Other Features: Plug-in power (used by some mics)
Advantages: Smallest high fidelity stereo cassette recorder Great for "stealth" recording
Pretty good battery life
Disadvantages: Buttons are all over the place, easy to activate Pause (and others) by mistake (put a piece of tape over it) Can't record Metal-IV bias No Dolby C
Where to Find One: Most mailorder houses and larger stereo retailers Look in amongst the Walkthings
---------- - Yamaha - ----------
Model : MTX-1 4 Track Channels : Up to 4 Channels, works for Stereo too NR Types : None, DBX II Tape types : Type II only Power Source : 10 C cell pack is $50, or build your own from Rat Shack parts for $10 Line In Type : 1/4" (4 inputs with mix board) Line Out Type : RCA stereo out RCA out for each of the 4 channels 1/4" phone jack Mic in type : 1/4" jacks usable for all inputs, also a gain control adjustable from 'line' to 'mic' Level Meters : LED, -20 to +6. Dimensions : 13 x 9 x 1 1/2 " Weight : A couple pounds. Fits in a small backpack with all the tapes, batteries and stuff Approx Price : ~$600 new
Other Features: Pitch control Effects loops
Advantages: "Man do those dbx-ed tapes sound killer!!!! I've done the setbreak comparison with DATs off the same mics, and there's barely any audible difference."
Disadvantages: "They replaced this model in the line (a 4 input, 4 track) with a model with 6 inputs into 4 tracks. The newer unit would be harder to cart around. Also, the motor runs all the time when the power is on, and I managed to fry a motor after 4 years of heavy taping and dubbing. Getting it replaced was a serious pain in the ass, to the point where I can't recommend this or any other Yamaha product. They refuse to publish data on replacement parts, and the authorized repair center charged me about $200."
Other Notes: Level lights are kind of hard to see at daytime outdoor shows, but light up the whole tapers section at night.
"If you decide on a 4-track unit, definitely look for one with dbx if you decide to do this route. Dolby doesn't cut it if you decide to use the deck for multitracking purposes."
Where to Find One: Many music stores carry the Yamaha and Fostex 4-track decks
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3. List of Suppliers
And, for your convenience, here's a partial list of retailers and other relevent information when possible. Please remember that many of these items are frequently out of stock (the D-6 in particular).
Berger Bros. 209 Broadway Route 110 Amityville, NY 11701 1-800-262-4160
J&R Music World 1-800-221-8180
Marantz Professional Products P.O. Box 2066 Aurora, IL 60507-2066 (708) 820-4800
Sony Corp. 1-714-821-7669
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4. Suggestions
Suggestions BEFORE you get your deck...
Some music retailers RENT portable recording equipment (both analog and digital), as well as microphones. There's at least one store in the SF area that rents the D5, the D6, as well as DAT's and mics. Try some different units out if you can... see what you like. Different venues sound different and, as such, poor sound isn't always the fault if the tape deck.
Suggestions BEFORE you buy mics...
Assuming you don't have money flowing out your nose, try patching into different types of microphones. I've seen a FAQ of sorts entitled MICS.TXT which covered various types of microphones. Read that too if you can! Many music stores in larger cities will rent microphones, and spending $20 to rent and test a set of mics is better than spending several hundred $$$ on something you might not like.
Suggestions AFTER you get your deck...
Be mellow in the tapers section... not many tapers like to hear lots of mindless babble on their tapes. How many of you have tapes with the anonymous, drunken, "Heyyyy Jerrrryyy" More important still, wrecking YOUR tape deck is one thing, but the surgeon general has determined that wrecking other people's taping equipment has been known to cause physical trauma in some cases.
NiCad's are generally frowned upon for in-concert taping. Yeah... flame me... I know it's not environmentally safe to buy non-rechargable batteries but people downline from you won't be thinking very kindly if your batteries die.
Patching in DURING a song may cause a click, or pop on some decks upline... but not all (don't ask me which). Wait until a soft spot or end of a song to patch in.
Make sure you have your tape bias set correctly or you'll be sorry when you play the tapes back.
Headphones drain batteries too, so turn down the volume if they are to be left in for in-concert use.
Have a wide variety of connectors on-hand... RCA->Mini, RCA->1/4", 1/4"->Mini, etc.
Get a pair of Good quality patch cables, 6' and over
If it's not a stealth operation... keep your tape deck in a padded, water-beer-booze-proof container.
Have your NEW batteries already IN your deck before you get to the show (Remember Murphy's Theorem's). Try and use the same length of tape as the guy upline from you, flips are easier.
Rewind a little after you flip if you are unsure if the rest of the tape will cover the end of the set. There's not always time to rewind, and no easy way to know how to make this trick work out best, so I'll cop out with experience being the best teacher.
Have extra batteries on-hand.
If you have mics, make sure you have extra mic batteries
on-hand too!
Do you have enough blank cassettes of (preferably) varying lengths to cover the show if it goes long? Do you have extras?