Something cheap and vibey with trs input.
For recording from digitakt II then coming back in via fx.
Any recommendations?
Thanks
I’d have thought most stuff with an TRS input would be Walkman type recorders I’d guess? HiFi decks usually have RCA inputs/outputs but you’ll get a suitable cable easily enough. Pro spec TASCAM ones have RCA/balanced TRS/XLR depending on the model
Somewhere I’ve got an Aiwa ADF410 that was a decent affordable deck in its day. Not sure what you’d pick one up for now
Edit - ÂŁ40 on EBay
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Just a note on what Bunker said. If you buy a cheap one from eBay unless it states that it has had new belts and/or been calibrated it’s unlikely to record or playback without pitch warble etc. This is my experience anyway having tried twice.
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Yup, good advice. A reputable seller should have done this and will accept returns.
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I think I’d prefer something more portable like a Walkman as opposed to a tape deck.
Tascam Porta 3 isn’t THAT much bigger than a Walkman. Adds a very nice, thick, saturation.
I had a whole slew of different Walkmans growing up and not a single one could record. That’s what the boom boxes were for. I’m sure nowadays you can get some modern iteration of a Walkman that records, but I can’t imagine it would be “cheap”, which is your first search request.
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Sold new, built to order for $200 USD, 3.5mm TRS in and RCA pair out. Same guy that makes that little snapbeat lofi sampler.
All in One Cassette Player and Cassette Tape Recorder
Impractical if you plan to take it anywhere.
The advantage is that it’s new.
Tascam porta 02 is more of what you want in terms of i/o and practical use, the disadvantage is it’s a little bigger and $200 is probably going to be the price before any maintenance. Hasn’t been manufactured in probably 15-20 years.
It’s small for a 4 track, but not small. And this model is not known for being whisper quiet either.
I can think of a few other consumer grade walkman type things still being manufactured, but I think that everything with more than a headphone output is going to cost you close to $200.
The problem is that a lot of the modern cheap / compact alternatives that can play tapes, can’t record.
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If Korg made an NTS tape player.
This description from their site cracks me up. “The open design shows your tapes spinning. Perfect for impressing your social media followers!”
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I got 322 and love it, but use only unbalanced RCA connectors - the XLR card was not factory installed
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The problem is finding something that is compact, has any measure of quality, and can record onto tape. A lot of them are playback only, or as others have suggested, are full sized decks or multitrackers.
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There’s also the We Are Rewind *walkman that records. It does have the modern mechanism which is known to be far lower quality than decks made in the 80s, but they’re the only ones being manufacture as of late.
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the newly manufactured handheld cassette players with recording capabilities aren’t going to have input level control, which really isnt that big of a deal once you have some experience recording with it.
i think the quality you are looking for is important info.
i got one of these recently. pretty lofi recordings, has a built in mic but no TRS input.
the We Are Rewind cassette players are cool, they have a rechargeable battery, bluetooth, and a TRS input for recording. still no input level control. looks shmancy, doesnt have that much better tech than the cheap one from target.
Fiio claims to have improved the engineering of the modern cassette player with this one, but kinda pointless as it cant record. but if you’re looking for a higher quality portable playback device, these are supposedly the most affordable highest quality new option.
a tape deck from a reputable seller will have some of the cleanest recording quality, but certainly not transparent. i like recording my tracks with my tape decks.
i have heard from tape heads that any newly manufactured tape player is still using the same cheap mechanism that is being used in the cheapest option i posted from target. idk if this is still the case but i dont see how it would have changed.
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Why won’t Tascam put out a new Porta Studio with good mechanicals?!
*I know the answer. I just don’t like it.
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You’re not going to get something portable that does the things you want it to do well (namely recording). No one is making quality portable cassette recorders. If you want a Walkman (or similar) that records, you’re probably going to be paying collector prices for something old that was made when there was a market big enough to encourage product differentiation.
If you want that, I don’t think prices will get any cheaper, so get to it.
If you’re cool with mono, this Sony TCM-5000 looks good.
Cheapest working WM-D6C (one of the best professional Walkman models with playback and record, headphone/mic in as well as line in/line out over 1/8” trs) I can find at the moment is $575.
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This is the one. Like a TC-D5 Pro in a walkman shell. But as you mentioned, the prices of unmaintained examples are almost as comical as the serviced ones. Still, I’d love to have one.
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I’ve been on the brink of getting a 3 head vintage deck for about a year and have been keeping an eye on well restored/calibrated units on eBay. The prices have picked up so much in the last 6 months that I can’t bring myself to look anymore. The cheapest one currently on ebay that I’d be confident on being a good functioning unit is north of £260.
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Your best bet is to keep an eye on local classifieds, thrift/pawn/used shops, you can still find the smallish ones cheap enough, the kind used in schools/cop shows in the 80s, cos you’re not going to find smaller that’s stereo and cheap… I found a Marantz one for €10 a while back so they’re out there.
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Could you give an example of a make + model?
Curious bout these too