Phil O'Keefe Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 What was the first recording setup you owned? For me, it was a portable Realistic cassette deck I got when I was eight. After that, it was a pair of cassette decks - one was a Sylvania that could record from the mic inputs as well as the line inputs simultaneously, with separate level controls to mix the relative levels. Then it was on to a Teac Model 124 Syncaset, a Fostex 250 cassette 4 track, various multitrack reel to reel decks, etc... What did you start out with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ed A. Posted August 3, 2007 Members Share Posted August 3, 2007 I had an old Aiwa with the 3" reels back in 1965 (I was 7 then) and a Teac cassette deck with Dolby B in the early '70s. The first somewhat semi-pro setup I had was a Teac 3440S 4 track reel-to-reel and a little Teac 6 in 4 out mixer. I just got a Minimoog a little eariler that year (1979), along with a DOD analog delay and flanger and I realized that I needed something to track on if I was going to be the next Klaus Schulze . I borrowed the money from a local bank, and thus started the endless money pit I called a studio. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted August 3, 2007 Members Share Posted August 3, 2007 Three cassette decks. Cassette decks often had microphone inputs, and we would use two cassette decks (four mic inputs) and feed those into a third cassette deck, using the first two as a sort of "mixer", since they had volume knobs. After that, a Tascam Porta One four-track cassette and an SM 57 purchased for $15 from a garage sale. And then, an Akai MG1214 12-track analog deck that used something that looked like a videocassette, but it was an analog machine with a 12-channel mixer and 3-band sweepable EQ. Cool! I still have this machine, and do Akai transfers with it for clients, although I don't use it myself anymore for multi-tracking. After that, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GZsound Posted August 3, 2007 Members Share Posted August 3, 2007 A mono Wollensack reel to reel tape deck. 1962 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jwlussow Posted August 4, 2007 Members Share Posted August 4, 2007 I started with Sears cassette deck (made by Fischer). Then I did an old Akai reel to reel and then the Akai MG1214. I still have the MG1214 and a couple of years ago I had a custom flight case made for it. What an awesome machine. I still occasionally pull it out and play with it. I actually still have about 19 shrinkwrapped beta format tales for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kurfu Posted August 4, 2007 Members Share Posted August 4, 2007 IBM punch cards. FTW. Seriously... it was some old all-in-one reel-to-reel that my parents had for ages that I first played around with. Had a splicing block, grease pencil, and a razor blade - good to go! From there I graduated to bouncing between cassette decks... and now I wonder why my tracks sound too harsh... friggin' digital is like a black widow spider that temps you into it's web with all of it's promise of clarity and ease only to suck the life out of you in the end. /0315 on a Saturday morning after playing a cover band gig... sorry for the cynicism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Meriphew Posted August 4, 2007 Members Share Posted August 4, 2007 Yamaha 4 track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted August 4, 2007 Members Share Posted August 4, 2007 My first overdub was done on one of these in 1964 (it belonged to my older cousin who was in a bluegrass band -- he also had a Cougar convertible... he was hard to keep up with [i initially wrote 1962... crossed neurons... I keep writing that but it was actually 1964, if I didn't know better I'd say I'm getting old]) -- the project was my mom doing an acapella duet with herself on "The Anniversery Waltz" that was played at the big, gala 50th wedding anniversary of my dad's parents (it knocked out the house): My first stereo machine was this -- no overdubs possible (even thought it WAS a single rec/play head deck -- iow, it was always in simulsync) as the two stereo channels were yoked -- one switch controlled both recording preamps): [sadly, this machine was stolen from the little bungalow I was living in only a few years after I got it -- along with most of my tapes. After I bought a new guitar (it was snaked, too, along with 300 LPs or so) I simply concentrated on learning how to play for a number of years. When I next did some overdubbing it was around the height of the original punk wave, maybe '77 or '78, and I though it was especially appropriate to use what I had: a blaster and a home stereo cassette deck... I didn't even route wiring... I just recorded myself playing alongside the previous track coming out the speaker -- it really appealed to me, process-wise, but it wasn't exactly hi fi. ] I did the overwhelming bulk of my personal recording (in the 80s) on one of these (as well as a couple of the servo-contrlled pushbutton models that followed it): And my last multitrack analog machine was one of these (a TASCAM 70-8, 1/2 inch 8 track): I spent two grand buying it and a few hundred more trying to keep it running before I finally just gave up and bought my first ADAT (a HUGE relief -- it actually worked). I loved tape machines... but the things of youth are just that... I don't chase after surf bunnies anymore, either... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jbr Posted August 4, 2007 Members Share Posted August 4, 2007 Teac 2-track reel to reel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted August 4, 2007 Author Share Posted August 4, 2007 IBM punch cards. FTW. If you had said cuneiform tablet and stylus, you would have really earned that "For The Win". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kurfu Posted August 4, 2007 Members Share Posted August 4, 2007 IBM punch cards. FTW. If you had said cuneiform tablet and stylus, you would have really earned that "For The Win". Cave wall and a burnt stick. FTW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Derfbonker Posted August 4, 2007 Members Share Posted August 4, 2007 A burned copy of Acid 1.0 and a computer mic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted August 4, 2007 Members Share Posted August 4, 2007 I have all of you beat. Back when I was a wee pup in ancient Mesopotamia, I recorded my music by using the vibrations of the tools used to make the pottery with my pottery wheel. You can use computer scans of the grooves, as they've done with this 6,500 year old pottery wheel, to extract sounds, as seen here.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Paully Posted August 5, 2007 Members Share Posted August 5, 2007 A used Bell & Howell mono recorder with whatever piece-of-crap mic came with it. Fortunately a good friend was in the AV club at school, and we made a little passive 4 x 1 mixer with some pots and jacks. He also had a mono recorder, and viola.. overdubs. Of course by about the 3rd generation, it sounded like a jet plane taking off. Thought I'd died and gone to heaven when I got my first PRO mic, a Shure SM55 . Best, Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GZsound Posted August 5, 2007 Members Share Posted August 5, 2007 I have all of you beat. Back when I was a wee pup in ancient Mesopotamia, I recorded my music by using the vibrations of the tools used to make the pottery with my pottery wheel. You can use computer scans of the grooves, as they've done with this 6,500 year old pottery wheel, to extract sounds, as seen here.. I saw Mythbusters put that particular myth to rest. So.. I ain't believing you recorded anything on a pottery wheel. My first recording can still be heard. It is the echo that has been unable to get out of the bottom of the tomb in the sealed room where one of King Tut's good old buddies (the first Karoake singer, by the way) is buried. I recorded that echo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members C JoGo Posted August 6, 2007 Members Share Posted August 6, 2007 Started with 8 track cart tape machines ---then to a mono Sony cassette > moved up to stereo by 1970. Stayed with multiple stereo cassette manufactures until > SONY Sound on Sound reels ..to DOKORDER 4 track R to R ... CASSETTE :: 4 track cassettes > FOSTEX ..VESTA FIRE rack -- to a Tascam 8 track cassette. Then DIGITAL :: AKAI 4rDa 4 track > the VESTA FIRE Fire HD 8 track Digital > FOSTEX 8 channel > Roland VS 880 up to the 2480 PHIL :: Hey remember that trick >>>>>>>" "record from the mic inputs as well as the line inputs simultaneously" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nice keetee Posted August 6, 2007 Members Share Posted August 6, 2007 Ross? mono cassette. Then Webcor stereo reel w/sound on sound, was a tube deck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blue2blue Posted August 6, 2007 Members Share Posted August 6, 2007 "And the pantaloon duck, white gooseneck quacked, Webcor, Webcor." -- Captain Beefheart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nice keetee Posted August 6, 2007 Members Share Posted August 6, 2007 A for real line from Mr. Van Vliet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members C JoGo Posted August 6, 2007 Members Share Posted August 6, 2007 I forgot I had a tube CONCORD w/ SOS ::: to add to my list in the mid 70's "Stars are matter, People are matter,, it doesn't matter "..Van the Captain Strange Stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members UstadKhanAli Posted August 6, 2007 Members Share Posted August 6, 2007 I saw Mythbusters put that particular myth to rest. So.. I ain't believing you recorded anything on a pottery wheel. Damn, Mark, there's just no fooling you, is there? My first recording can still be heard. It is the echo that has been unable to get out of the bottom of the tomb in the sealed room where one of King Tut's good old buddies (the first Karoake singer, by the way) is buried. I recorded that echo. That was you? How cool! Do you get performance royalties for that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GZsound Posted August 6, 2007 Members Share Posted August 6, 2007 Damn, Mark, there's just no fooling you, is there? That was you? How cool! Do you get performance royalties for that? Saddly, being young and stupid, I signed away the rights to the performance and the recordings for a couple of pottery jugs full of this stuff they made with wheat called beeeer. I understand that Paul McCartney owned the rights at one time but sold them to Michael Jackson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Beck Posted August 6, 2007 Members Share Posted August 6, 2007 I apprenticed as a teen in television A/V so I learned the ropes and worked with a lot of pro stuff before I started recording at home. The very beginnings of my personal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted August 6, 2007 Moderators Share Posted August 6, 2007 First, a mono, horizontal reel to reel. Tube. We'd record our comedy skits on it. I wish I'd saved those. Then a Teac 3340 4 track reel to reel with a Sony L, L+R, R mixer. Simal-Sync!! Then a Tascam 244. A Yamaha RX15 supplied the tubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EngineGuitarist Posted August 6, 2007 Members Share Posted August 6, 2007 ) -- the project was my mom doing an acapella duet with herself on "The Anniversery Waltz" that was played at the big, gala 50th wedding anniversary of my dad's parents (it knocked out the house): ha..i used one of those as a guitar amp a couple weeks ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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