> how's the quality?
Good. I record on high-bias Type-A tapes. You still get some hiss and tracks bleed the tiniest bit. But I think it sounds pretty good for the kind of music I'm making.
I've been using the procedural drummer in Garageband as the drummer for some of my songs and with a decent amount of swing it sounds "authentic" on tape.
> Do you find the length of a tape adds to limitations in a way that keeps you brief?
You get about 60 mins of record time per tape so... not really.
I find I like recording this way for many of the same reasons I like writing on my typewriter: zero distractions, low friction between thought and recording.
The restriction of 4 tracks and that I only have a month to record 4 songs keeps me from "fidgeting" with a song. I'm not able to aim for "perfect." It's more ritualistic. I show up on the same evenings in the same space. I begin the ritual by opening my journal and listening to last weeks tracks. I record some ideas, experiment. I end the ritual with a glass of bourbon. I close the book. I've written one song I think is pretty decent so far. Try as I might though they each have little tiny, beautiful flaws. Only so much you can do.