in '85, $100 K would easily get you an SSL or NEVE with a lot of change left. a 32 track / 16k / 50 bit 3M machine and editor was $100 k plus. imo, the combination would sonically blow the doors off of the TASCAM ....... but!, i think these digital porta studios are a great inexpensive way to record and they sound in many ways just as good / better as digital recording in the box. i like the TASCAM 24 a lot.

Having owned a Tascam 144 and 244 (4-track on cassette tape) since their introduction in '79 and '82 respectively. The mid '90s were the first breakthrough for guys like me.

You could do 32 tracks of digital tape and an entry level console for around $10k. And since the digital tape decks were in increments of 8, you could start with 16 tracks and add 8 more tracks as the need arose, and then add 8 more as the need arose, or borrow 8 from a buddy for a one-time project.

Time will tell whether that was the beginning of the beginning, or the beginning of the end.