Transfer from 4-track tapes to my computer

L

loop

Veteran XX
Hi kids-

I have a bunch of 4-track demo tapes I made in the mid-to-late-90s sitting in my basement, and some of them have songs I really would like to recover. The recorder I used is LONG dead (some tascam piece of shit), and I don't want to buy another one.


Is it even POSSIBLE to recover these using a regular tape player -> 3.5 out? Has anyone had any luck on that?

I know that the 4 tracks are essentially L/R on side A and L/R on side B, so if I record both in side in their entirety I'd have a L/R for each side in 2 files in (for example) audacity. One side would be reversed, so I'd have to flip that and sync it up somehow... and then there's the speed issue.


fuck. this might be more trouble than it's worth.
anyone ever pull it off successfully?
 
If you had a tape player that had panning control you could play each part one at a time, go out of the 3.5mm jack, and into your interface. The tape player i guess wont be converting anything but for some reason I still feel like something would be lost in the transition.

You wouldn't necessarily need a 424 mkII, and I bet you can find a 4track on craigslist for less than $50.
 
Record side A left and right tracks. Flip the tape, record side B left and right. In your DAW, reverse side B's tracks and align. Done.

A used 424 on Ebay goes for $60-$70. Not bad.
 
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