If you have a cassette four track and want to do some recording of your band, or if there's only one of you and you want to sound like a band, here are some suggestions for getting strong, clear recordings. First, remember this: The Beatles recorded Sgt. Pepper's on four track. Second, forget that. You probably don't have the same high-quality four track and mics that they had nor the technicians that keep things running in optimum condition nor a George Martin (he helped more than Paul McCartney will ever admit). But, you may have a talent for writing and performing music. If so (and even, if not), you'll want your recording to capture what you do in such a way as to limit the amount of time you spend "disclaimering" your recordings before playing them for people. So, whether the recording is going to be a demo to get gigs or professional attention, something to impress your friends with, or a means to hear your songs more objectively so you can learn from them, the following information and track layouts should work well for you.
Interviews recording-your-basic-rock-n-roll-band-4-track-cassette-part-1
Four Track Basics, Part One
BY Larry Crane
MORE INTERVIEWS
INTERVIEWS · ISSUE #175 ·
Sep 2026
Hidden Musics
By Ian Brennan
By 2014, I'd already been transitioning for more than five years from working in traditional studios to almost exclusively doing field recordings overseas. As a result, I'd had some success with groups like Tinariwen, Malawi Mouse Boys, and The Good Ones. At that point, the...
INTERVIEWS · ISSUE #175 ·
Sep 2026
Yves Jarvis
By Geoff Stanfield
Yves Jarvis is the moniker of Canadian musician Jean-Sébastien Yves Jarvis. His latest release, All Cylinders, won Canada’s Polaris Music Prize for best album of 2025, a record on which Jarvis wrote and performed all of the 16 tracks. Made entirely using Audacity and a half-broken...
INTERVIEWS · ISSUE #175 ·
Sep 2026
Joe Boles Seattle Recording Pioneer
By Alex Kostelnik
In the mid-1950s, Seattle was host to the little-known music recording legacy of Jay F. "Joe" Boles. A fraction of his discography includes The Ventures, The Wailers, Cab Calloway, Big Jay McNeely, Buck Owens, The Fleetwoods, Robert "Bumps" Blackwell, Ella...
INTERVIEWS · ISSUE #175 ·
Sep 2026
Rostam Batmanglij Sonic Cinema
By Sam Retzer
Ever since Rostam Batmanglij burst onto the scene as a founding member of Vampire Weekend, he’s been known for his penchant for baroque and leftfield sounds in pop-leaning indie music. Fresh out of college, he handled production for the first three Vampire Weekend albums (Vampire...
INTERVIEWS · ISSUE #175 ·
Sep 2026
Melina Duterte Sharing Curiosity
By Danielle Goldsmith
Melina Duterte began recording her own music armed with little more than a laptop, a budget mic, and a fascination with how records are made. As Jay Som, she crafted a distinctive sound defined by textural, layered guitars, and soft, intimate vocals. Since then, Duterte has expanded...
