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Rodabod wrote:

monotone wrote:Is there anyway I could sync and burn these tracks without redoing it with a 4 input sound card?

Syncing these tracks currently is not really an option.

With only a one-input soundcard, I would do the following:

I would go back to your four track tape, and rewind it to the beginning. I would then simultaneously record a few clicks (metronome, claps, beeps, whatever) to all tracks at the same volume at the beginning. Obviously only do this before the music starts or you will copy over your performance.

Then, I'd get all the tracks in cool edit, get each track all in the same window, one above the other, magnify the beginning of each of the tracks to the same degree, and then align them so that the clicks coincide. Alternatively, crop each track by deleting the silence at the beginning until the transient of the very first click.

Of course a four-input soundcard might be less hassle.

nah, that won't actually work. even though you line up the tracks at the start, tape machines are imperfect and will drift over time, by a different amount every time. so though you'll have the tracks lined up at the start, they won't be by the end.

sndo wrote:nah, that won't actually work. even though you line up the tracks at the start, tape machines are imperfect and will drift over time, by a different amount every time. so though you'll have the tracks lined up at the start, they won't be by the end.

Ahh. Never thought of that. What is the general tolerance for tape speed on an average four track?

Midi Time Code would maybe sort this problem I think, if the multitracker supports it.

One other thought on the Teac...

You can use the record head to record while using the play head to feed your 'outs' to your digital recorder.... In other words your Teac record head will be accepting the signal and the play head will be sending the signal (a second later...well not even a second) to your digital recorder or computer or whatever. I know of engineers who sometimes do this with old one track recorders for things like snare drums... you can really saturate the tape and hit it hard and then send it along to the digital domain. There will be a time difference from tracks not going through that tape machine so you will have to nudge it back (which is very easy to do in a ProTools like program) to line up with the rest of the tracks... I agree a click on all tracks before it all gets going is the best way...makes it easy to line things up later.... used all the time in broadcast soundtracking....