I have a foxtex x-14 four track recorder and when i record something and play it back it sounds really bad. is it just because it's a cheap four track or could it be the type of tape im using? any comments are welcome.

Hmm, Tapes have a tencency to sound bad anyays, so I'd say the tape.

Well, what type of tape are you using?

Will C.:cool:

Give us a frickin bone here. How are you recording it?

It shouldn't sound bad. Like Croz is asking, what and how are you recording?

-GM

Without more information...it is difficult to say. Are you using any noise reduction, such as DBX?

I used a Fostex X-15 for many years and got great recordings out of it. I even won "Demo of the month" and had my recordings on the magazine's cover CD on a Music Technology magazine. Do you realise for example, that it records two tracks on one side of the tape and two on the other or that it uses Dolby C noise reduction? High quality tapes are a must for this type of machine - I used metal tapes on the demos I did.

Sound quality is usually down to how you record - good microphones for example and you can never record bass directly into something like this. You need some sort of pre-amp, DI Box etc. If you are heavy handed or inconsistent in your technique, then a compressor will help the sound of bass when recording. ( I wouldn't use this personally, but it's something that can help beginners get better (more)bass sound on tape.)

I also always used a small 8-4-2 mixing desk to mix in effects etc. - never recorded direct into the X-15.