Thanks, Ghost,
I'm not at all repelled by a slight amount of distortion or tape hiss.
I see them both as personality traits.
I think I'd like to go with the Tascam M512. I'll be recording, most likely, on a Tascam 58 8 track.
But, Ghost, could you please tell me if the Tascam M512 is a true +4dBu. The seller of the mixer informed me that the manual mentions nominal output at +4dBu, but that it can be adjusted to +8dBu. But I've heard from other online sources that the M512 is set at -10dBV. So I'm confused...
Also, I should mention that I'm a novice, and that I really can't distinguish between the meanings of -10dBV and +4dBu. All I know is that
the Tascam 58 has XLR I/O and RCA I/O. The Tascam M512 mixer has XLR ins on all channels and 8 XLR outs on the 8 busses. Everything else is RCA.
My gut tells me to stick with XLR and +4dBu.
Another Question: Does XLR automatically mean +4dBu??
Your help would be much appreciated. Thanks