Tascam releases new cassettes for 1979 Portastudio multi-tape recorder

Audio manufacturer Tascam has released a new analog cassette, the Tascam 424 Studio Master High Bias Type II Cassette tape. This cassette is intended for the Tascam/TEAC 144 Portastudio released in 1979, and subsequent Portastudio tape recorders.

The Tascam 424 cassette was developed in collaboration with the National Audio Company, the largest surviving manufacturer of cassette tapes in the US. The cassette consists of a plastic exterior that has been created using a combination of injection molding and 3D printing to faithfully reproduce the original TEAC cassette, incorporating a high bias cobalt oxide magnetic tape of metal oxides that performs as closely as possible. should mimic the formula used in Portastudio tapes. It’s not a perfect reproduction, Tascam admits. There has been a worldwide oxide shortage for magnetic tape since 2019, which meant that it was not possible to imitate exactly the same composition.

Still, the cassette should work well with the original Portastudios and provide a warm, analog sound, according to the company. More importantly according to Tascam, it is a cassette that is available at a reasonable price, as opposed to ‘overpriced’ new old stock, as found online, whose quality has deteriorated over the years. According to Tascam, it is now the sole manufacturer of High Bias Type II cassettes.

According to the company, the new cassette provides up to 4db more sound compared to standard Type II cassettes and less noise when used in the 144 Portastudio multi-tape recorder. First released in 1979, that recorder was one of the first ‘portable’ multi-tape recorders with mixers, which allowed musicians to record music at home. A fully recovered Tascam 424 Portastudio was used to test the tape. The cassette will be available as a limited release on the company’s website. It is not yet known how much the cassettes will cost.