A lot has happened since my last post (not that anyone will ever read my blog). Most recently, I had to help my punk rock diva of an 8 year old daughter to write and record an original song. As I hadn't done a serious studio project in a couple of years, I was more than just a little excited to help out.
Now, let's talk about some of my gear: I have an ancient Tascam 244, and a Tascam Porta07; both of which are 4-track tape decks @ 3 3/4 ips. Several years ago a friend of mine repaired a loose connection in the power supply area of the Porta07. For some reason, he also decided to replace a belt or something, and now it plays at slightly lower than 1 7/8 ips (which can be corrected with the pitch knob. I was pretty pissed off at first about cutting my recording quality in half, though it can be fun using this modified deck to mix effects onto normal cassette albums, and even play them backwards.
Anyway, the loss of recording quality was the reason I went out and bought the 244, which worked very well, other than having some dirty pots (I have to fiddle with the monitor level a lot as it cuts out a lot, and I like to hear what I'm playing. This can mess up an otherwise good take since I have to take one hand away from my instrument while playing. 2 1/2 years ago, I was recording a very important song, for a very important person, when Track 1 on the 244 stopped working properly. The input worked fine, but anything captured onto that track was a lost cause. The only way to get something onto Track 1 was to play it backwards onto Track 4 and then flip the tape over.
Back to my daughter's recent project: For years I had been used to the problems with both of my 4-track machines, and I was coping well enough. Then after I had about half of the song recorded using the 244, I think I finally lost the belt on that one. The motor still runs to fast-forward and rewind the tape, but it will no longer drive thing to play or record. I had to get out the Porta07 (borrowing back the power supply cable that I gave to my diva for her CD player), and restart from scratch at 1 7/8 ips.
Hard work pays off, however. My girl loves how her song turned out, and I am proud to have done it for her. Now, should I give her plug back? I'm sure she'll ask for it when she tries to play a CD in her room.