50 Years of ‘Sound. Thinking’ at TASCAM

It’s frequently noted that over 60 percent of restaurants fail within the first 18 months. I don’t have any handy statistics that provide such a broad-stroke summary of the life-expectancy for MI suppliers, but even a casual knowledge of the industry would suggest that reaching the 50-year milestone is something of an anomaly – but TASCAM is one of those made for such longterm success.

We recently sat down with Yuji Hanabusa, president and CEO, and discussed this significant anniversary, his own history at TASCAM, and expectations for the future.

It’s been half a century. First off, congratulations! Going back to the beginning though, what prompted the decision to found an American branch of this then-new pro audio division of TEAC?

At that time, we already had been very successful with our reel-to-reel recorder sales under the brand name of TEAC in Japan. And we realized the huge business opportunity for reel-to-reel multi-track recorder sales in the United States where music production is the largest in the world. That was the core reason top management made the decision to create TASCAM (TASC of America) which was founded by TASC (TEAC Audio Systems Corporation), a team of techs and marketing pros in Japan. Their mission was to develop TEAC’s reel-to-reel recorders to completely meet US music production demand. Soon TASCAM became an iconic brand started in the United States.

How many employees, total, were on board in the beginning? How big was the first TASCAM HQ in Los Angeles?

In 1971, TASCAM’s first home was on the west side of Los Angeles. It is safe to say that everything was small. It consisted of a small group of techs and marketing staff.

What were some of the significant early product introductions that helped to define TASCAM in the ’70s? As the product offerings expanded, what were some other milestones for the company in the ’80s, ’90s, and beyond?
For the ‘70s,I would certainly pick our reel-to-reel 8-track recorder called 80-8. This was used for the original “Star Wars” movie to create the special sound effects of R2-D2. For the ‘80s, it would be the cassette multitrack recorder, Porta One. I still remember the moment I was assembling a part of the Porta One on the production line at our factory when I was a brand new employee, and participating in a job training program for new employees. That was only a three-month program, but it means a lot to me because I started my career there. For the ‘90s, I would pick the DA-88 which became the game changer of pro audio multitrack recorders all over the world.
After 2000, we continued our innovation with the launch of the digital Portastudio series, and handheld recorders. Currently, we consider the Model series a remarkable product of TASCAM. They inherit the core technologies from our own historical products and simultaneously address the needs of today’s modern audio creator. The Model series are the ones we are most proud of for now.

Can you talk about the (relatively brief) ownership of TEAC (and consequently TASCAM) by Gibson? How did the company regroup following Gibson’s bankruptcy?
We became a part of Gibson group in May 2013. Since then, we had been finding business opportunities with them but eventually our business collaboration ended up being limited.
However, we learned a lot from Gibson, as the top guitar brand, about their marketing and product planning, sales, and their management views. That experience and knowledge may help our company growth in the future. Now we are an independent public company in Japan.

Any recent or upcoming product introductions or developments you’d like to draw MMR readers’ attention to?

Our Model 12 combines several TASCAM digital technologies with the user interface of an analog mixer, the heart of a Portastudio, the control surface of legacy TASCAM controllers, and the value that TASCAM is known for.
We intend to totally re-invent some of our product lines in 2021 and also enter into new markets. Stay tuned in 2021 and then into 2022.

Does TASCAM have any 50th anniversary events or promotions planned?
We honestly under-estimated the impact TASCAM has had these last 50 years. We asked several famous artists to make a comment on TASCAM, and the response has been overwhelming. There is a special web page with many of these heart felt videos. Also, we are asking our customers to post a picture of them and their TASCAM. It’s on Instagram and we have many so far. Finally, stay tuned for a special retro item we will offer later in 2021.

Expectations for the future?
At the beginning of our history, TASCAM provided affordable solutions that enable customers to achieve professional quality work without large expensive equipment or big studio rooms. A good example is Portastudio, which is our iconic product. We downsized the mixer and recorder section and integrated both into a compact audio recording studio. That is the Portastudio’s concept, which allow musicians to make high quality music at home. That is the essence of TASACM. So I would like to keep being innovative and offer customers better solutions to create, record, and become empowered. Thank you to all our customers and supporters worldwide.