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StupidGuitarist 26 February 2021

Trying to find instructions for analog recording online has been a dead end for me so I’m reaching out here.

My set up is simple:
Mic’d guitar
And mic’d vocal
Goes into Midas DM12 mixer
(All the basic outs are used for PA)

Then I have a Tascam 424 mark III four track recorder and I want to capture this “mix” from the remaining RECORD OUT RCA connection that goes into my Tascam SUB INPUT RCA input.

Should be simple enough but nothing is showing up at my Tascam - no signal.. I’ve been scratching my head all day and do not know how to use it properly. I don’t even know if I’ll need to do something in the mixer to be able to send this signal.

if someone knows how to do this, that’d be great.

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Comments

Paul999 Fri, 02/26/2021 - 06:43

You'll need to go out of the main outs on the Midas mixer into the mic/line inputs of the Tascam, then you'll see signal. Go easy though. The output of the midas will likely be +4db and the input on the tascam will likely be -10db meaning the Midas will output much more signal than the Tascam can handle. Keep your master out put level on the Midas low and gradually ease it up until you see signal on the Tascam. I hope that helps. Make sure you have some gain on each input of the Tascam input channels. If you are mixing on the midas you'll have no need of going out of the tascam and then back into it.

StupidGuitarist Fri, 02/26/2021 - 07:57

Paul999, post: 467824, member: 42110 wrote:
You'll need to go out of the main outs on the Midas mixer into the mic/line inputs of the Tascam, then you'll see signal. Go easy though. The output of the midas will likely be +4db and the input on the tascam will likely be -10db meaning the Midas will output much more signal than the Tascam can handle. Keep your master out put level on the Midas low and gradually ease it up until you see signal on the Tascam. I hope that helps. Make sure you have some gain on each input of the Tascam input channels. If you are mixing on the midas you'll have no need of going out of the tascam and then back into it.

Oh Thank you so much for replying Paul999!

Just one question: why is there a line signal ‘record out‘ on the mixer (RCA) and similarly ‘record in’ on the four track (RCA)?

Isn’t the whole idea to get a line signal for recording from this out put? And I’d rather not take a risk of running a signal too hot into the Tascam.

Also, I don’t really want to lose my PA main outs when recording? Say, that I am recording the whole band - then we’d need the PA up and running for vocals and stuff...

If I would take it from the main outs of the mixer I would loose the PA and risk overloading the Tascam XLR/1/4” Jack input channel...

Are you sure I can’t use the record out somehow?

That’d be great for recording live too - I don’t mind a little bleed here and there.

StupidGuitarist Fri, 02/26/2021 - 08:08

Link555, post: 467826, member: 31690 wrote:
The Manual is also here:
Tascam 424 Mark III

Thanks Link555

I’ve spent a whole morning with the manual and watched 2 hours of instructional videos with out finding an answer...

This should be simple enough thing to do I just can’t figure it out...

Do I need to active that ‘record out’ RCA line channel in the mixer somehow in order to get a signal running through it?

I have no problems sending a signal into the mixer and PA using the two RCA’s that say “TO TRACK” above my “REC OUT”.

Attached files

Davedog Fri, 02/26/2021 - 08:17

There are two assignment buttons in the mains section of your board under "2 TRACK" one is "MONITOR" and the other is "MIX". You will have to use the mix assign to get the signal coming from the channels out to your recorder. If it is not assigning through this buss then there may be a problem with the switch?

StupidGuitarist Fri, 02/26/2021 - 08:21

Davedog, post: 467833, member: 4495 wrote:
There are two assignment buttons in the mains section of your board under "2 TRACK" one is "MONITOR" and the other is "MIX". You will have to use the mix assign to get the signal coming from the channels out to your recorder. If it is not assigning through this buss then there may be a problem with the switch?

Ok! So I need to press the “MIX” down, right? And that button is for both of those RCA couples - in and out..

StupidGuitarist Fri, 02/26/2021 - 08:26

Link555, post: 467832, member: 31690 wrote:
Its doesnt look like it, it should be be a copy of the main bus outputs. Do you see signal on the output meter?
 

If I activate the “To Mix” button, do I then need to use the “local” volume to adjust my signal or not?

My head is spinning from all the info. I thought I can just plug the damn thing in and start recording

Link555 Fri, 02/26/2021 - 08:27

Davedog, post: 467837, member: 4495 wrote:
I think so. Just from the screen shots Link is providing, it seems the RCAs are the top pair is an input into the master faders and the other pair is the output to a recorder.

That's my understanding, but I think we are trying to use the RCA outputs on the mixer to feed into channels 7/8 on the portastudio.

Link555 Fri, 02/26/2021 - 08:29

StupidGuitarist, post: 467838, member: 52518 wrote:
If I activate the “To Mix” button, do I then need to use the “local” volume to adjust my signal or not?

My head is spinning from all the info. I thought I can just plug the damn thing in and start recording

Sorry for the confusion. Best thing to do is walk through the signal flow one step at a time. Can you Confirm the the mixer output LED's are showing signal?

StupidGuitarist Fri, 02/26/2021 - 08:29

Davedog, post: 467837, member: 4495 wrote:
I think so. Just from the screen shots Link is providing, it seems the RCAs are the top pair is an input into the master faders and the other pair is the output to a recorder.

Exactly!

Since if it’s a line signal out, how on earth it’s not showing up on my Four Track when plugged to the only line in RCA port?

StupidGuitarist Fri, 02/26/2021 - 08:45

Davedog, post: 467844, member: 4495 wrote:
Okay. On the Tascam you are obviously looking at 7/8 as the input. And if the ASSIGN isn't assigned you will se no signal. You probably want it switched to L/R

Thank you!

how do I assign one of the four tracks available to the channel 7/8 input - I think that’s my main question. Was really trying to figure this out earlier today with the manual but at least for me it wasn’t clear..

Link555 Fri, 02/26/2021 - 08:49

StupidGuitarist, post: 467846, member: 52518 wrote:
Thank you!

how do I assign one of the four tracks available to the channel 7/8 input - I think that’s my main question. Was really trying to figure this out earlier today with the manual but at least for me it wasn’t clear..

From the signal flow it doesn't look it can be done. The input 7/8 goes directly to the main bus when you assign it to L/R.

Davedog Fri, 02/26/2021 - 08:53

It's not really clear that 7/8 will be active from the 'sub-input' .......It looks like that sub-input is for an outboard mixer and it says it goes directly to the master faders. I'm trying to get my head around the routing here. The manual (tascam) also talks about the master faders only affecting the playback and phone levels as a monitor buss.

StupidGuitarist Fri, 02/26/2021 - 09:14

Link555, post: 467845, member: 31690 wrote:
 

That’s how it’s set up now...

Out from REC OUT RCA
BOTH Aux Masters buttons up (meaning PRE)

Going in to the Tascam RCA SUB INPUT LINE 7/8
7/8 assigned L/R
Line out L/R (if it has any meaning)
Tape cue on tape cue

Track 4 set on
INPUT MIC/LINE
PAN right

all levels are around half way or at 7.

I still don’t see any “movement” in the mixer MASTER METERS..

Attached files

Davedog Fri, 02/26/2021 - 09:16

I think the OP would like to record his performances from the house mix from the Midas even though he just talked about a guitar trac and a vocal track. Or perhaps he wants to avail himself of the outboard he might have from the mixer.

Both of the manuals are vague in regards to this function and this setup he's looking for.

IF. in fact, the SUB INPUT on the tascam does allow a path similar to the 7/8 path then he will have to assign and pan two tracks of opposite number (even/odd) and arm them. And maybe the master fader in the tascam becomes the input level to the record heads. It is not clear about that path from the SUB Input

StupidGuitarist Fri, 02/26/2021 - 09:21

Link555, post: 467855, member: 31690 wrote:
Yes your right that is 1/4"
the rca is :
 

It would be easier to route into the channels directly.

Hi,

For me mixer is there to create mix in the first place.. So, if I route to the channels directly I’ll loose the mix - I would need to create the mix in the Tascam separately. Kinda defeats the purpose of having the mixer. And since I want to record live, a full band, that means we all gonna be going in to the mixer mic’d and we could just pull that ‘mix’ out and record it.

It is such a simple idea - why it is so hard to do

Davedog Fri, 02/26/2021 - 09:27

StupidGuitarist, post: 467856, member: 52518 wrote:
That’s how it’s set up now...

Out from REC OUT RCA
BOTH Aux Masters buttons up (meaning PRE)

Going in to the Tascam RCA SUB INPUT LINE 7/8
7/8 assigned L/R
Line out L/R (if it has any meaning)
Tape cue on tape cue

Track 4 set on
INPUT MIC/LINE
PAN right

all levels are around half way or at 7.

I still don’t see any “movement” in the mixer MASTER METERS..

You cannot. according to the tascam manual record only one track through the 7/8 function.

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