Teac A-3340S

Ahhh - 1970s semi-pro in all its simul-sync splendor !

In fact, this was plain professional as recording synchronized overdubs was then the stuff of professional recorders only.
With four tracks, true, one was bound to have to make successive (and irreversible) mixdowns to produce a record with sixteen or twenty-four tracks like Pink Floyd (and everybody else) was doing then.
Or was it already fourty-eight tracks ?

The A-3340S is the simul-sync version of the original 4-track A-3340. The 3340S was attempted as a professional recorder but failed to sell in sizeable amounts because TEAC wasn't yet seen as a professional-quality brand.
By consumers that is : TEAC already was an industry major in open-reel based data recorders for computers and scientific applications.

The TASCAM division was therefore brought up to full speed shortly thereafter to extend that position to professional audio.
TASCAM, btw, means TASC (Teac Audio Systems Corp., 1969) AMerica (1971) ; TASCAM was later on fully merged with the Teac Corporation of America in 1973.


The A-3340S has three Permaflux heads and three motors : that of the capstan is a 4/8 pole AC with an oversized balanced flywheel, the two for the reel are eddy current induction motors.

Transport pads are of the "soft-touch" style (solenoid-activated), just as they are on the RC-120 wired remote.
Bordering on the pro, the A-3340S allows to directly mix to tape eight sources : 4 microphones and 4 lines. Being pro, the A-3340S has 26cm reel capacity and 38cm/s tape speed.

An optional RC-320 timer also helps when recording an FM broadcast while having lunch elsewhere.
The optional AN-300 Dolby B NR unit helps quieting sessions (four Dolby processors in one box) while the AX-10 and AX-20 boxes help mixdowns to another recorder and allow mono echo, cross echo, 4-channel rotating echo, pseudo-quad echo and panpot effect, respectively.


Anyway - four tracks is already enough to record something like the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds - the Boys even only had three tracks.
So, four tracks with an A-3340S should be plenty enough to rehearse falsetto choruses and bewildering harmonies.