Today: just a few of the ‘Uber’ home-recording machines available to musicians in the 1980s. To this list I would also add the Audio Technica RMX64 and the AMR System 1, both which we have already covered recently at PS dot Com. If anyone is using these things to make music nowadays, drop us a line and tell us about it!
Above: the Akai MG1212 integrated 12-track recorder/mixer; all analog with automated punch in/out and VCA mute. I have a coupla memories of these things. When I was a kid East Coast Music mall had a used one that they were trying to sell for years. It sat at the front of the shop and it looked to me like a fkkn NASA computer. Years later, my college band The Cam Neely was invited to Boston to work with some Berklee students who needed to record some bands for… I have no idea frankly. And oh shit I have the ‘CD’ right here: the engineer’s name was Skip Hoefsmit. He recorded us on one of these machines, and I have to say, the recording sounds good considering i think we did two songs in about 6 hours and the only ‘production’ was that dude doubletracked our vocals. Hey Skip, still hustlin’? Drop us a line…
Above: the Sansui WS-X1 of 1990. OK so this thing is fkkn nuts. You get six discrete tracks on a cassette tape, built in digital reverb unit, and stereo mixdown deck, all in one unit. Some dude has a wordpress site solely devoted to this thing, and goddamn I want one of these!
Ah Tascam 234. Someday you will be mine. I actually found one of these at a tag sale in Norwalk last year, $60 I think??? but it was totally dead. Despite all claims made by the seller. Luckily I keep a cassette tape and a pair of headphones in my car at all times (WOW that is so embarrassing) for these sorta occasions, so i was able to scope it and didn’t get snookered. Fkkn asshole DID manage to sell me some dead 10″ guitar speakers for $5 each though. Alright here’s an idea guys: when yr shit breaks, either fix it, have it fixed, or take it to the town recycling center. DON’T STORE IT IN THE BASEMENT AND THEN STICK SOMEONE ELSE WITH IT 5 YRS LATER. For fukks sake, why do people keep broken crap around? We’re inundated with enough WORKING crap. Jesus.
