Tascam Bass Trainer

[barebones]

Could someone give me a quick general rundown on the differences between the old model and the new one? I'm thinking of picking a used one up, and both models seem to floating around out there. Thanks!

Matt

[luknfur]

Originally Posted by stringbass69

Could someone give me a quick general rundown on the differences between the old model and the new one? I'm thinking of picking a used one up, and both models seem to floating around out there. Thanks!

Matt

FWIW:

probably an effects posting. Electronics here is as in onboard.

But if you're talking about the PX3/4B I don't recall but the 4B had advantages and I would go with the latest model regardless unless the older model was so cheap you couldn't lose anything buying it. Even the 4B's been out for years.

[barebones]

Originally Posted by luknfur

FWIW:

probably an effects posting. Electronics here is as in onboard.

But if you're talking about the PX3/4B I don't recall but the 4B had advantages and I would go with the latest model regardless unless the older model was so cheap you couldn't lose anything buying it. Even the 4B's been out for years.

I was talking about the Tascam Bass Trainer, old model vs. new. It's not an effects unit, but it's not onboard electronics either. I had no idea where to categorize it. I definitely was not asking about the Korg effects units, which I think is what you're referring to. Thanks anyway, though.

Morning bump.

Matt

[Joe Nerve]

Not sure what the differences were, but I remember they were substantial. I think it had to do with the amount you could speed it up and slow it down. Couple of other things also. I would think the Tascam website would tell what the upgrades are.

I heard they just made a guitar one that plays mp3s also. You might want to hold out a month or 2 as a I'd bet a bass one is soon to follow. Even if you buy one of the older ones, it would still mean that the prices would probably drop.

Finally - I really had it out with Tascam over mine, and it pissed me off bigtime. I bought one, used it for about a week then stored it. 6 months later I needed it for an important tour and it was skipping like crazy when I tried to rewind or fast forward. I was in a tight spot and needed it then, and Tascam wouldn't let me return it to where I bought it for an exchange. Nor could they have anyone service it in my area. Best they could do was have me ship it to them and they'd repair it, but that would have taken at least a month, and I needed it immediately.

Ya might want to be extra careful if buying used.

[barebones]

Originally Posted by Joe Nerve

Not sure what the differences were, but I remember they were substantial. I think it had to do with the amount you could speed it up and slow it down. Couple of other things also. I would think the Tascam website would tell what the upgrades are.

I heard they just made a guitar one that plays mp3s also. You might want to hold out a month or 2 as a I'd bet a bass one is soon to follow. Even if you buy one of the older ones, it would still mean that the prices would probably drop.

Finally - I really had it out with Tascam over mine, and it pissed me off bigtime. I bought one, used it for about a week then stored it. 6 months later I needed it for an important tour and it was skipping like crazy when I tried to rewind or fast forward. I was in a tight spot and needed it then, and Tascam wouldn't let me return it to where I bought it for an exchange. Nor could they have anyone service it in my area. Best they could do was have me ship it to them and they'd repair it, but that would have taken at least a month, and I needed it immediately.

Ya might want to be extra careful if buying used.

Thanks for the heads-up on the service issue. And I had heard about the guitar models having MP3 capability. I'm still trying to figure out if that would be a benefit to me to have on a Bass Trainer model. I think if it had some way of interfacing with my computer so I can use it for MP3s that people send to me via email it would be great and worth holding out for.

Matt

[WillPlay4Food]

Originally Posted by stringbass69

Thanks for the heads-up on the service issue. And I had heard about the guitar models having MP3 capability. I'm still trying to figure out if that would be a benefit to me to have on a Bass Trainer model. I think if it had some way of interfacing with my computer so I can use it for MP3s that people send to me via email it would be great and worth holding out for.

Matt

If you really want mp3 compatibility and computer interfacing, you might want to check out the Boss Micro BR. It allows you to do the slow down thing when learning music, but doesn't use CDs at all, just mp3 files on SD cards. Also serves as a multitrack recorder.

I will attest that I love my Bass Trainer though. I use it for my lunchtime practice sessions and it works great. I burn CDs (audio, not mp3) of songs I want to learn and use the Bass Trainer to slow down the songs, etc. It also has a metronome and tuner built in so that's fewer things to pack into my gig bag and bring to work.

I compared a first version to mine (second version) and will say I'd never get the first version if I had a choice. There was much added to the second version. The updates included more buttons to make it easier to operate, the afore-mentioned tuner & metronome, the ability to pitch shift recordings which helps if the recording is out of tune.

You can pitch shift recordings to match standard tuning so you can save time that would be spent down tuning your bass on practicing. Also, the second model can speed up as well as slow down songs. The first model could only slow down songs.

I'm sure there were more refinements, but those are the biggies, IMHO. Hope this helps.

[dunamis]

I've owned the 'old' one (CDBT-1) and the 'new' (CDBT-1 mkll). Only slight differences-- a bit better clarity and control on the slowdown function on the mkll.

The 'effects' are so bad as to be useless IMO.

I would not buy either if I had it to do over again. The CD playback section on both of the units quit.

I use software on my laptop for mp3 playback. It has slow down and pitch change functions. Coupled with a good headphone amp like a Cafe Walter or Bass Buddy, it makes a very nice little practice rig.

Peace,

Matt

[DeaconK]

I've had one for a couple of months and while I THINK I like it, I'm having a terrible time switching between all of the functions on it in order to use it to help me learn. Anyone have any suggestions (not to try and hijack the thread)?

[barebones]

Originally Posted by DeaconK

I've had one for a couple of months and while I THINK I like it, I'm having a terrible time switching between all of the functions on it in order to use it to help me learn. Anyone have any suggestions (not to try and hijack the thread)?

Hijack away! I'm learning a lot here!

Matt

[Joe Nerve]

OK - truth be told, mine still skips, never got if fixed. Sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it does. It is somewhat difficult to navigate, but not nearly as difficult as some digital recorders I've owned. It's doable and if ya fiddle enough you can figure it out without the owners manual. The FX ARE useles, bass boost doesn't clarify the bass only adds boom. An equalizer would have been an awesome addition, to hone in on exactly where the bass is in the recording. If it functioned properly I'd use it more often. What I find it best for (and pretty much the only thing I use it for) is looping passages that are too fast for me to play, slowing it down to learn them, and then speeding it up past the recorded way to ensure I've got it down. I get a lot of fast crap thrown at me that I have to learn. If I could get an mp3 player that did the same, I'd probably never use the tascam again.

Dunamis.. What, by the way IS that mp3 player you use on your computer?

[dunamis]

Originally Posted by Joe Nerve

Dunamis.. What, by the way IS that mp3 player you use on your computer?

I use The Amazing Slowdowner-- yeah, I know -- but that's really the name! It allows looping passages as you descibe, which I use a lot too.

There are a lot of other options. Our guitar player told me that Audacity will do it, and I've even heard that the latest version of Windows Media Player will (not sure if this is so).

[barebones]

Originally Posted by Joe Nerve

OK - truth be told, mine still skips, never got if fixed. Sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it does. It is somewhat difficult to navigate, but not nearly as difficult as some digital recorders I've owned. It's doable and if ya fiddle enough you can figure it out without the owners manual. The FX ARE useles, bass boost doesn't clarify the bass only adds boom. An equalizer would have been an awesome addition, to hone in on exactly where the bass is in the recording. If it functioned properly I'd use it more often. What I find it best for (and pretty much the only thing I use it for) is looping passages that are too fast for me to play, slowing it down to learn them, and then speeding it up past the recorded way to ensure I've got it down. I get a lot of fast crap thrown at me that I have to learn. If I could get an mp3 player that did the same, I'd probably never use the tascam again.

Dunamis.. What, by the way IS that mp3 player you use on your computer?

Thanks, Joe. This is exactly the sort of hands-on info I need.

My primary reason for wanting something that does what this product purports to do is less for the typical gigs that get thrown at me--most of those are not so complicated as to actually NEED to slow the music down--but to play, and slow down, CDs of the more complex music that interests me and that I think can help improve my playing.

In other words, I want to use the Tascam to make fast, complicated music more accessible to me. It would be more of a self-instructional tool for me.

Again, the bands that tend to hire my services--unlike those who hire you perhaps--don't really need slowing down in order to figure out their stuff. But I'd like to be able to slow down some Zappa, Zorn, Jaco, Miles, or Coltrane for my own education.

With that in mind, I'm concerned about some of these tracking issues you and others have mentioned. I definitely would want to be able to slow the material down and loop specific passages at the very least to achieve what I want to achieve.

Matt