I wouldn't, you are asking for problems. I would just print on 2 tracks.

And stay away from the edges.

Re: Should I....?

nandoph8 wrote: Should I mix down from my DAW to my 1" 30 ips? Maybe L on 1-4 tracks and R on 5-8?

hmm... with a soldering iron and experience you could maybe convert the thing to a 1" 2-track... but otherwise it's not a good thing to couple tracks together like that, you will end up with severe fasing problems.

Call your ME and ask what he would like.
If he doesn't have a 1" 8-track it will probably not be a good idea to use it at all. Unless you could carry it to him in you back pocket? how small is it? :lol:
-no pun intended.

besides all the technical advise, there are creative questions too. How does it sound? does it improve the way the music conveys the mood to the listener? Is it pleasing? Is it an improvement over the digital?

also, many mastering studios do not have 1" playback machines (with any number of tracks). You might indeed have to bring yours in, or rent one for the session. Check with your M.E. first.

Actually, there are a lot of good deals on 1/4" 2track machines for sale all around. 1/4" 2 track at 15ips can sound really really good. Glues everything together and bakes it nicely. I've seen them going for a couple of hundred bucks. Can't beat it with a 10' pole.

1" 8 track analog !!! It doesn't get any better than that!

If you insist on doing this, go to 3 & 4 (left), 5 & 6 (right). Any more tracks than that and you are going to encounter phase problems ...

You can get a 1/2" head stack and rollers /guides for that machine too as well as a 1" head stack if you want ... JRF magnetics can help you with that.

A lot of people are digging these older 1" 8 tracks out and pressing them into service as multi channel mix machines for 5.1 surround mixes. Lucky you that you have one ..

Well if you really have a 1" 8 track, I would be tracking my basics on that bad-boy,assuming that it is in good repair.

I would find anyway possible to track drums-bass-guitar to that baby and then mixdown to the DAW.

Chris

Kurt Foster wrote: 1" 8 track analog !!! It doesn't get any better than that!

..

Unless it's a 2" 16tk (ampex prefered!) :P
Ed

Or 1/2" 4 track. Oh what do you know, it's the same track width as 1/4" 2 track and most facilities have 1/4" machines. Why reinvent the wheel. Litterally for the price of a nice dinner you can own one.

so you guys are saying that a 1/4" 2 track would be better than mixing down to digital? This is what I do...
I track analog, 16 track 1" at 30ips, then dump to digital, track some more and bring every channel out to my analog console. As of right now I dump it back to my DAW as a stereo track (the mixdown) Would I get a better mixdown if I go to 1/4"? Most of the stuff I master myself, so I am not too worried about compatability. And to the guy who made a coment about how small my machine is, I am so sorry I am not at your level yet, because I am sure you are an AMAZING engineer! You must be!

nandoph8 wrote: so you guys are saying that a 1/4" 2 track would be better than mixing down to digital? This is what I do...
I track analog, 16 track 1" at 30ips, then dump to digital, track some more and bring every channel out to my analog console. As of right now I dump it back to my DAW as a stereo track (the mixdown) Would I get a better mixdown if I go to 1/4"? Most of the stuff I master myself, so I am not too worried about compatability. And to the guy who made a coment about how small my machine is, I am so sorry I am not at your level yet, because I am sure you are an AMAZING engineer! You must be!

Oh... it was not a comment on how small your machine was it was an ironic comment on that it would be a little tough to carry it to a ME.
I'm sorry if i gave you that impression.
I also have a "small" machine besides the APR, it's a Revox and it sounds nice!

My advice is that you should try and mix down to 1/4 15" and maybe 30" too to see if you like it better than going directly into the computer.

just experiment: project to project might be different depending on the sound your'e going for.

You now have options...