Complete Noob. 4 track tape deck mixdown. How do I do this.

ReactionFlower

New member
I tried searching Google, but I know so little that I don't think I know how to properly ask what I am trying to figure out.


I have a Tascam 424 Mkii. A fine 4-track machine, and my first one. So, is there something you do on the Tascam before sending it onto a tape deck? Or, do I literally just record my stuff and however it is sitting on the board after having been recorded, I just send a line out into a one channel tape deck?


I'm confused, because I've heard that there's a stereo mixdown that happens.. or I don't know. I really don't even know fully what I'm supposed to be asking. I just have no idea what I need to do after I have tracks sitting on my 4 track that are ready to be on a cassette tape. I'm sorry if this is some basic booty technique but I don't know where to start with how to acquire the knowledge. I read the manual, and the manual doesn't necessarily specify the idea behind mixdown.. only how to do it if you know what a mixdown entails.

Any help appreciated, if this is the wrong forum section please notify me which section would be more appropriate. Many thanks.
 
Well, you can use the eq to change the tone of each track and set the levels and pan to taste, then play it back to a stereo cassette deck where you capture the mix. You can even make adjustments on the fly, like raising a track for a solo, if that's what you think is needed for the final product.
 
Mixdown is when you make adjustments to the volume, panning (whether it's in the right ear, left ear, both, etc.), and EQ to the tracks you've recorded. It's also very common to add some effects, such as reverb, delay, etc. during mixdown by using the Effect Send and an outboard effects unit (you can even use a guitar pedal if you want).

Once you have all these adjustments the way you want it, you record this "stereo mix" (using the LINE OUT L/R jacks) onto a two-track recorder of some kind. This could be one of many things. Often today it's to a computer, but it could be a stereo cassette deck, a DAT machine, a two-track reel to reel, a mini-disc recorder, etc. Since most people eventually want to share their song online though, anyway, most just record their mix to the computer. Then you have a stereo copy that's ready to share on the net. (Although, you'll likely want to convert it to an mp3 or something, assuming to recorded a wav file for the mixdown.)
 
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