4-Track

A couple weeks ago I purchased this little guy:

 

My 4-track

 

A Tascam Porta 02 MKII Portastudio.  I guess it’s very “porta.”

I did it because my MiniDisc recorder was giving out while 5*C was trying to record practice one night.  I’ve wanted one since I got the bug to record Tonight the Lone Wolf Rides… Alone about a year ago, so it seemed like a good excuse.

The first project done on it will be 5*C demos, which are planned for week-after-next.  We’re prepping “Black Machines,” “Transient,” “Ms. Trouble,” and “‘Love'” for the studio.

After that, Cory and I will be using it for Sally Ride’s upcoming You Have To Wear the Boots.  Sally Ride records are made with a self-imposed limitation.  For the first record, we had to 1) record only as many tracks as four guys could play live (so, only two guitars at any given time) and 2) make the drum beats from cut-up Shacker recordings.  On It’s A Trap, we used only drum sounds from my little keyboard, and no bass guitar (most of the low tones come from the organ parts).

On the third record, every song has to be based on a live take of the main guitar part and lead vocal part.  We can add anything we want after that, but the foundation is an unedited guitar/melody track recorded to my new MKII.  How fun is that?!  Should be cool.

Someday I’ll record a follow-up to …Alone too, with new songs and covers, but who knows when?  -h