I've been recording a lot on the computer, but wanted to mix to tape. I have an old Tascam 1/4" 8 Track reel to reel that has crapped out on me. Currently, my only back-up is a 424 MKII.

I guess I'm wondering how uncommon this is...

Also, do you think any mastering engineers would accept a cassette? I'd love to hear any stories you guys may have...

Thanks.

Mixing down to a hi-fi VCR might be a better option in your situation, actually. Should sound better as well. I know this was the poor-man's method several years ago, so I assume mastering houses would still accept VHS.

2 cents, your-mileage-may-vary, etc

While I'll admit that the sound of hifi VHS is better than cassette, it's been horribly unreliable IME. All you have to have is one glitch that causes the player to mistrack, and the first thing to go BZZZZZT is the sound.

On the subject of 4-tracks: most of them record at double speed only. Also the dbx noise redux is not necessarily compatible from machine to machine.

offal wrote:Mixing down to a hi-fi VCR might be a better option in your situation, actually. Should sound better as well. I know this was the poor-man's method several years ago, so I assume mastering houses would still accept VHS.

2 cents, your-mileage-may-vary, etc

Please...don't do that.... here are some other options:

DAT (at least the oversampling will help you can get them for dirt on ebay)

MasterLink (great and affordable)

Why don't you just master it yourself on your computer?

Is it important?

(I hate this term so fucking much, but I'm about to say it....fuck.)

I'm doing the bulk of my recording directly to the computer. I was hoping to...mix everything "out of the box"...there I said it.

But yes, I will probably just end up doing everything on the computer....

couldn't you just mix everything "out of the box" back into your computer to a stereo track?

michaeltheangryrussian wrote:couldn't you just mix everything "out of the box" back into your computer to a stereo track?

Yeah, which is more than likely what I'll end up doing.

However bad you think "In the Box" is, it's probably still a load better than "On a cassette"

Have you got any..... Here we go....... Mastering plugins?