My new 4 Track

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I found a stash of old 4 track recordings- three boxes worth that I've recorded over the past 15 years. My Teac 144 bit the dust about 3 years ago so when I found these boxes I had nothing to play the tapes with (I currently own a digital 8 track). Two days ago I bought a brand new Tascam "Porta Studio" for $99. It's really tiny and as simple to use a cassete deck- there's no bouncing and only two tracks can be recorded at a time. What I forgot about however is that my old recordings were all done in high speed and this new machine only has one speed (normal cassette deck speed).

Here's the question: If I dump these four track recordings into computer recording software (Cakewalk etc) at the slow speed of the new 4 track can I then increase their speed via pitch control or whatever? Would this work? hope this makes sense

btw, this cheapo 4 track sounds pretty good! I'm actually excited about recording with it.

― brownie, Friday, 1 August 2008 17:05 (sixteen years ago) link

http://www.wiretotheear.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/tascam_portastudio.jpg

― brownie, Friday, 1 August 2008 17:07 (sixteen years ago) link

hey that's handsome! congrats

― Surmounter, Friday, 1 August 2008 17:10 (sixteen years ago) link

If I dump these four track recordings into computer recording software (Cakewalk etc) at the slow speed of the new 4 track can I then increase their speed via pitch control or whatever? Would this work? hope this makes sense

Yeah, no reason why it wouldn't work, I think. Audacity has a 'Change Speed' effect that would do it. I'm sure cakewalk and similar have the same.

― G00blar, Friday, 1 August 2008 17:18 (sixteen years ago) link

ok, thanks I figured that this would be the case. I just wonder if it can be done as I'm dumping (recording) it on to the computer, rather than after the fact (iow the recording would take place at high speed rather than the playback). It would save a step.

It is handsome though. I probably should've bought a 424 off of ebay but I really didn't want another big piece of equipment sitting around. I swear, this is the smallest damn thing I've seen.

― brownie, Friday, 1 August 2008 17:50 (sixteen years ago) link

Wait wait: are you just trying to listen to them, or do you actually want them preserved in decent quality? Because while plenty of audio editors can double up the speed, a change that big can also create lots of odd, audible artifacts, like tiny jumps and nudges and variations in speed, and strange colorations in the sound.

― nabisco, Wednesday, 6 August 2008 19:14 (sixteen years ago) link

I want them in digital format for cd burning. Which means I have to mix them before they get to the computer which will probably be impossible if I can only hear them at half speed. I think my nephew has a 424 I can borrow- it seems the only workable solution.

anyway I've already recorded a new song on it. It's nice to just hit play and record without having to go through a bunch of menus.

― brownie, Wednesday, 6 August 2008 19:32 (sixteen years ago) link

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