opinions on the tascam portastudio 414 kmii?

if you're not concerned about quality and just want a simple sketchpad type thing that's small, portable, and easy to use, why not try a digital dictation machine?

obv cons are you cant multitrack/overdub, but they're tiny and you dont have to worry about buying/storing/losing tapes. it's getting increasingly difficult to find cassette tapes btw.

Or if you want to spend some money, there are those little digital 4 tracks w/flash memory and USB. That would be sweet for getting ideas down and doing remote recording, but the one I saw was like $300.

Zoom has few good options:

http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=1781&brandID=4

$179.00 street

http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=1705&brandID=4

$199 street

AaronK OTM re:casette tape availability.

yeah right, those little flash 3-4 tracks ARE pretty sweet. but you will surely pay a greater price for the multitrack functionality and whatever other gizmos they feel like including.

so you talked me out of wasting money on the tascam. imm wins again.

hooray!

I've got the little Tascam 4 track - unsure of the exact model number, it's at home. It uses a standard cassette tape but records on only 1 side and at somewhere around 5cm/sec, so it can't be played back on a regular player but must be recorded across. The quality is v good, separate mic/accoustic guitar and electric guitar inputs, headphone out, volume levels for the 2 (L&R)inputs and 'failsafe' switches to turn tracks on/off. Ideal for demos and SMALL home productions. I'll lay down an accoustic track, drums (electronic direct input, neat-o!) and 2 vocals. I haven't tried re-recording any of the tracks (ie to get more than 4 tracks) but for amateur use it's a-ok!
Budgie