Kevin, thanks for the information!  After a couple of months of
wrestling with the DA-88 vs. ADAT question, I came to a very unhip
decision.  Everyone is telling me that these machines are difficult to
work with, so I decided not to go digital for now.  I found a new Fostex
8R reel-to-reel at a great closeout price and bought it.  While the
Fostex doesn't deliver the higher professional level I was seeking, it
still cuts a good, usable track.  Fast, too.  I read the manual first
but didn't really need to.  I'm sticking with analog for now because I
don't want (another) long learning curve and because the machines are
still primitive in "ease of use".  I'll still go digital.  In fact, I
still hope to do so in the immediate future.  But for now, I'll risk
living in the high-tech stone age.
    By the way, I noticed you're in Nashville.  I'm a native Tennessean
and hope to move to the big town by spring.  Do you work in a studio
there?  What is the phone number of the "Nashville Music Resource BBS"?
I'd like to call it sometime!
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