TASCAM releases limited-edition 50th anniversary tape in honour of legendary Portastudio
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22.12.2021

TASCAM releases limited-edition 50th anniversary tape in honour of legendary Portastudio

tascam casette tape
Words by Eli Duxson

Yep, you read that right. TASCAM has introduced the TASCAM 424 Studio Master High Bias Type II Cassette tape!

“To this day, many aspiring and professional audio recording aficionados adamantly maintain that analog recording and the ‘good old days’ of tape will never be replaced by today’s random access digital solutions,” TASCAM said.

What you need to know:

  • TASCAM has introduced the TASCAM 424 Studio Master High Bias Type II Cassette tape (packaged as the 424 Studio Master C-60) to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary.
  • The new TASCAM 424 cassette was developed in close coordination with National Audio Company, Inc. of Springfield, Missouri, the world’s largest manufacturer of quality cassette tape and the world’s largest duplicator of recorded music cassettes.
  • The TASCAM 424 cassette tapes are expected to become available soon.

Read all the latest product news here.

TASCAM has introduced the TASCAM 424 Studio Master High Bias Type II Cassette tape (packaged as the 424 Studio Master C-60) specifically designed for use with the company’s Portastudio series cassette recorders.

The 424 Studio Master C-60 was developed for the 50th anniversary of TASCAM as a tribute to their rich heritage as pioneers of recording in a raft of settings. 

TASCAM/TEAC created the 144 Portastudio in 1979 and it was the world’s first portable home studio integrating a mixer and multi-track recorder, truly revolutionising home recording for the masses with many artists and musicians creating their music on a Portastudio, including Bruce Springsteen for Nebraska.

In the early 1980’s TASCAM created the iconic “gold reel” cassettes, which are now collector items. But today, any high bias type II cassettes are very hard to find.

tascam casette tape

The new TASCAM 424 cassette was developed in close coordination with National Audio Company, Inc. of Springfield, Missouri, the world’s largest manufacturer of quality cassette tape and the world’s largest duplicator of recorded music cassettes.

The TASCAM 424 cassette employs a hand assembled shell manufactured using traditional injection molding and 3-D printing to recreate the original TEAC shell with miniature gold reels from the early 1980s-in many ways, making the cassette a modern collector’s item.

Steve Stepp, President of National Audio Company said “the TASCAM 424 cassettes will satisfy the demand for new cassettes formulated to perform properly in Portastudios while capturing the look of and feel of the company’s heritage. 

“The fact that these cassettes were tested throughout development using a TASCAM 424 Portastudio shows how everyone involved in this effort wanted to ensure the highest level of authenticity. 

“No more overpriced, years old NOS (new old stock), such as you might find available online, which may have been stored in less-than-optimal conditions, thus degrading their quality. These are the only High Bias Type II cassettes currently being manufactured today.”

TASCAM Director of Product Marketing Paul Youngblood said “as soon as we determined that the legendary gold reel TEAC cassettes could be recreated, we immediately decided this was a perfect way to celebrate the profound history of TASCAM and the Portastudio”.

The TASCAM 424 cassette tapes are expected to become available soon.

tascam casette tape

Head to TASCAM for more info.