Twenty-five years ago, TASCAM ignited the home recording boom with the cassette-based Portastudio - the first in a tradition of solid, dependable, innovative recording gear. Studio-quality recording at home had been just a dream until musicians discovered that they could use TEAC 4-track reel-to-reel recorders to do their own multitrack recording. Fast forward to 1979, when TEAC launched the 144 Portastudio and made home recording a truly affordable reality. TASCAM continues to introduce innovative home recording products through today, culminating in their 25th anniversary Portastudio and the most affordable 24-track recording and mixing workstation ever: The 2488.

On September 22, 1979, TASCAM introduced the TEAC 144 Portastudio, the world's first 4-track cassette recorder, at the AES show held at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. "Initially dubbed the Model 144, the Portastudio was an instant hit with musicians and hailed by magazines as a revolutionary audio product," wrote Randy Alberts in "TASCAM: 30 Years of Recording Evolution" (Hal Leonard).

Retailing for $899, it was an all-in-one recording solution that sported many features found on the professional recorders and mixers of the day. Musicians could finally record, overdub, EQ, bounce and mix down multiple tracks in one portable box, weighing in at only 20 lbs!

Flash forward to 2004: The newest Portastudio makes a quantum leap ahead from that of sibling: 24-bit/44.1kHz digital, built-in 36-input mixer, 64-voice MIDI sound module, digital EFX, a 40 GB hard disk and USB 2.0 connectivity! For the final mix, the built-in CD-RW drive can record the 2-track master mixdown in addition to backing up the hard drive and importing and exporting WAV files. All for under $1,500*!

From offering the world's first portable studio-in-a-box in 1979 to 24 tracks of digital recording in a small and affordable package in 2004… TASCAM shapes the way musicians capture their music. Stay tuned for what we have in store for the future. We're just getting started.