Harken back to those wonderful days of the 80s ...

Does anyone know for a fact if the 4-track cassette format was standardized between the various
manufacturers of PortaStudios and similar recorder/mixers (Tascam/Teac, Akai, Yamaha and perhaps
others)? Should the dbx II track correctly between different machines? I have some tapes made on a
PortaStudio, which I still have, and some made on either a Yamaha or Akai (long-gone, not findable,
likely long ago trashed, I can't even remember what brand it was). I'd like to transfer all of the
tapes to a DAW in the best quality possible.

At 3.75IPS with dbxII, I remember those recorders being surprisingly good with rock and roll music.
I'm sure if you attempted a string quartet with that recorder, you'd hear all the flaws, but we were
a heavy metal army back then.

-- Tom Fine