Portastudio 488 group outs

[Porta424User]

I’m just wondering exactly how those group outs work on the 488. I know, as the manual says, these ‘are not usable for connecting to a monitor system’, but can be connected to an external mixer, etc. Are these stereo rca outs? Can I use an rca y adaptor to split each of these group outs into L/R, and by panning respective tracks hard L/R, does that enable 8 individual tape outs?

 

[bgencarelle]

What? Are you asking if you can split a single RCA jack output into two signals? You would just get the same signal on two wires.

 

[Porta424User]

Haha yea, I realized once I tried it out.....they’re mono. Sorry, ridiculous question I know.

 

[bgencarelle]

Sorry, I should not have been rude. I was tired and I had asked EXACTLY the same question one time when I was first getting started 20 or so years ago.
I thought maybe you meant the other jacks on the back of the thing-those are also mono, but there are mixers and what have you that have stereo outputs.

 

[Porta424User]

No worries, didn’t really come off as rude: )

You’ve got a 688? Damn, that thing is like the cadillac of portastudios! Is there a big difference in sound quality between the 488 and 688?

 

[bgencarelle]

I have a Tascam 688, a 644, a 488, a Yamaha Mt8x and a couple other things from that era. I honestly have not had a chance to play with anything since last year.

I got them all as broken, I bought them cheap and fixed them up (belts and what not). My favorite so far has been the Yamaha.

 

[SkywaveTDR]

I have worked on a number of different units and regardless of what name is on them they all perform about the same. Some are put together (designed) better than other in order to open and work on them. That would be the only difference I see.