| Hello friends, I'm back from vacation.
I played with this deck a few weeks ago. It is very nice. I could find no
fault with the built in mixer. It has all the standard features you expect
from a studio quality mixer. The tape transport has solenoid control and
is fast and easy to use. The digital tape counter is accurate and convenient.
The sound is fantastic! The playback sounds as good as the original. I don't
know of any analog deck/mixer combo in the same price range that could deliver
this kind of performance.
So much for the pro's, here are the con's.
The tape format is unique and probably will remain so. It looks like a standard
video cassette but it isn't. If you want to use this deck for demo tapes or
pre-production before going into a real studio, forget it. Besides, with the
advent of the new 8 millimeter video format (I have a Kodak 8mm camcorder
already) which will probably revolutionize the VCR market, I wouldn't be
surprised if we see digital recorders in 8mm. Being the same size as an audio
cassette, they are much more convenient and will mean smaller units. This deck
is BIG. It must be placed on a large surface as the mixer and tape drive are
all in one flat box; absolutely not rack mountable. If my memory is not
impaired, I remember that it has no RCA connectors. It uses those big studio
type balanced connectors that I can't remember the name of. Anyway, none of
my cords would have worked and that would have meant a considerable investment
in new patch cords. The price I was quoted was $5500. Since my 8-track Teac
deck and 12-channel Teac mixer cost $3000, I didn't think the difference
in sound quality was worth the money.
Ted
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