Tascam Model 244 Portastudio
A four-track cassette machine with dbx noise reduction, four simultaneous record channels, and a two-band parametric EQ on every input, all in one portable box.
Overview
Tascam built the Model 244 because the original Portastudio idea needed a real upgrade, not a cosmetic refresh. Tascam's own literature is blunt about it: the 244 "isn't just a tarted up version of the Model 144" - it carries a different feature set. The 144 established the idea of an integrated four-track mixer and sync cassette recorder in one portable package. The 244 adds dbx noise reduction, four-channel simultaneous recording, and a two-band parametric equalizer on each channel. Anyone who had been bouncing tracks on a 144 and fighting hiss the whole way would have seen what those three additions were worth.
The dbx system is the headline. Tascam's copy promises it "dramatically reduces noise and crosstalk between tracks," and in practice the 244 stays clean through a stack of overdubs that would have buried a 144 in hiss. The core of the machine is still the multitrack cassette transport with Tascam's Simul-Sync record/playback head, which allows recording up to ten tracks with a minimum of transfers. That is the standard Portastudio bounce-and-merge workflow, with far more headroom before the tape noise wins.
The mixer section is where the 244 separates itself from its predecessor in daily use. Four-track simultaneous recording means a whole rhythm section can go down at once instead of one instrument at a time. The four-channel tape outputs let cassettes be copied from one unit to another. Tascam also added a second headphone jack, a stereo tape cue output, and a stereo auxiliary mix usable for echo/effects or as an additional cue feed. The mic/line-tape switches gained a third off/mute position, and peak overload LEDs sit on each input and on the mixing busses.
Period press took the 244 seriously as a tool rather than a toy. High Fidelity (November 1982, p.88) ran a head-to-head comparison of two four-track cassette deck/mixers, the Tascam and a Fostex, and treated the category as legitimate compact portable multitrack studios. High Fidelity (February 1983, p.8) also ran reader correspondence on the deck's four-channel record mode. It noted that the meters monitor all four record inputs simultaneously when the machine is set to record on all four channels, and passed along a warning about unpredictable effects when bouncing adjacent tracks. The bounce workflow is powerful, but adjacent-track bouncing has quirks, and the manual's guidance on track assignment is worth reading.
Launch pricing put it within reach of the musicians it was aimed at. Contemporary dealer advertising in the UK listed the Model 244 Portastudio at £595 including VAT and delivery, and a package bundling the 244 with an AKG D80 microphone and Teac HP50 headphones at £599 delivered. Tascam's own pitch leaned on value: the company claimed that adding a lot to the Portastudio hadn't added a lot to the price.
The 244 is not a hi-fi recorder. It's a cassette-based production tool, and the dbx, the parametric EQ, the cue sends and the mute positions all exist to get a finished arrangement onto a cassette with as little noise and as few transfers as possible. Collectors and working musicians still seek them out for that reason. The 244 is the most capable of the classic Portastudio generation. Machines turn up regularly, often with the original packaging and accessories, and the ones that have been looked after hold up. Buyers should check the transport, the Simul-Sync head, and the dbx calibration before trusting a used example with a session.
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