New guy with a TASCAM 246

Bear R.-

Bear R.-

New member
hi all..new here and new to Home Recording..but anyways, just picked up a TASCAM 246 at a thrift shop...all I have is the unit and a tape that came w/it..what im wondering is..and I hope I can make sense here..prob.not..but im gonna try..so..

1ST...if I was to use a receiver,and not phones.. could I use any Reciever and speakers for playback.ect...i have a Sony home Reciever...w/surround speakers..i know this isn't whats used but will it work without hurting the Tascam unit..

2ND..when I record through this..can I use my Marshall TSL60 head and Cabinet w/ a mic in front of the cab..?.if so, where do I start..where do I plug the guitar in, where does the mic get plugged in..i have no idea and i don't wanna damage anything... the only thing ive ever recorded through, is my little BOSS micro BR..ha,ha..

3rd...can I use effects right into line 1 with my guitar/amp/ect..how do I go about plugging in my guitar..where..?.to the amp, to the unit.or how would I go from the amp to the Tascam.i don't understand..please don't laugh guys..i just don't have a clue...the manual is semi clear but leaves out the finer details..like, .can I use Tube amp and Cab..ect....sorry for all the dumb questions..andi hope im making sense..and im sure im not..

I don't know anything about this portastudio..but just curious how to go about recording stuff..so thank you for any info..and God Bless..Barry..
 
Hi Barry, welcome to the board. I can answer a few of your questions, but a few more details will help narrow it down a bit.

1ST: Yes you can use your Sony receiver and speakers. You would run cords from the "monitor out" jacks of the 246 to the input of your Sony receiver. As you said, a home stereo system normally isn't used because it's not a very flat sound (i.e., the speakers are meant to make the music sound good, not necessarily recreate it accurately), so it's usually not the best for accurate monitoring. This isn't to say you can't do it; it's just not conventionally used. But you certainly won't damage anything at all. I've done it before many times in the past.

2ND: Yes you can certainly mic up a guitar cab and record it. Just plug your guitar into your amp and play normally. Then you can plug your mic into the channel 1 input (any of the inputs would work) of the 246. However, I don't know what kind of mic you have. If you have a dynamic mic, such as a Shure SM57 (Shure SM57 Instrument/Vocal Mic | Musician's Friend) or something similar, you can just use a cord with an XLR female end and 1/4" male end, such as this:

100ft XLR Audio Cable | XLR Female to 1/4 Inch Mono Male

And plug it into the 246.

But if you have a condenser mic, such as a Rode NT1a (Rode NT1-A | Sweetwater.com) or something similar, then you'll need phantom power to use the mic. Let me know if this is the case, and I can tell you where to go from there. (Dynamic mics don't phantom power to operate.)

3RD What kind of effects do you mean? Do you mean guitar effect pedals, like this one?

MXR M101 Phase 90 Phaser Pedal | Sweetwater.com

Or do you mean rackmount effects, like this one?

Lexicon MX200 | Sweetwater.com

Just let us know these details, and we'll get you pointed in the right direction.
 
P.S. Barry, I just saw in the New Member thread that you snagged your 246 for $55! I'm jealous; that's a total score! I think when all was said and done, I ended up dropping about $280 to get one in good working condition. It's in excellent condition with the exception of one scratch below the PGM master fader. You can't really see it in this picture though.
 

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Thank you Famous Beagle..you got a nice freakin 246 right there..it looks brand new..wow.and 280 isn't bad from what ive leared already..ive seen em on ebay for 450 bucks..not working..so that's a great deal you got too.

This one looks to be in simular shape..just a tiny scratch on the tape lid/cover..but it looks pretty nice for 1985.?.it's like someone pulled it out of the box and sold it..ha,ha..I took the bottom off yest..to see whatever..ha,ha..and the belts look new..this system wasn't used much..anyways, nice pic..of your 246.love it..i found a friend in the TASCAM 246's....ha,ha..thanks again..

ok...for my 1st post here..you answered everything perfect..i must have made sense somewhat..anyways, for effects..yes a guitar pedal..distortion, and Wah Wah....no rack effects..but for effects, I think you answered that too.cause you said to plug into amp and play and mic into any input and Rec.....and oh, I have no Mic yet..thats a long story..but I will tell ya this..i sold all my gear about 2 years ago..all of it in one sale..dang it.in the deal i had a Shure 57..?.and a DOD vocal pedal...I am rebuilding it back up though..

The deal with this Tascam, was just a fortunate incident..she told me the price 55 dollars and I didn't know if it was a good one or not but I bought it on Faith..i asked if it worked and she said.."Oh ya..my friend donated it to me and said it was like new". im happy i got it. and im happy i joined in here cause i need to get to know this machine better...now i need to save for the Mic, Monitors, the right reciever.ect..im glad you cared enough to answer me and help with the questions i had..that meant a lot Beagle..thanks..

anyways, what you told me is great news..i need to ask more so I will post another one below here ok..thanks man..your a great help..
 
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Hi Barry here again..man that's a nice unit you got there.looks brand new..im happy for ya..

1st.....what would i use for Drums..can i use my BOSS micro BR just for the drum parts. or is there a drum machine you could recommend..im just trying to get a head up on what it is i'll need to get recording..i know a real drum set would be great and i have a near complete set..but till then, what wouyld you conc=sider..thanks..

2nd...oh..if i was to purchase the right kind of receiver and Monitors..what kind of stuff will i need..thanks Famous Beagle..and sorry to bug ya..God Bless..Barry.
 
Sorry Barry ... I missed this before somehow.

1. As for drums, I'm not familiar with the drum capabilities of the Boss Micro because I've never worked with it. Can you program your own drum parts or just use preset patterns? If you've got good enough versatility with it, then by all means give it a shot --- at least to start with. If not, there are many other drum machines that would do the job well enough for sure. I've owned a Zoom MRT-3, which was a great little machine, and it can be found used on eBay for $40.

2. Regarding the monitors, it depends on how much you'd like to spend. But you could get a set of powered 5" or 4" monitors for anywhere from $100 to --- well ---- thousands per pair. This way you wouldn't need a receiver or power amp. You'd just run cables from the output of your Tascam into the speakers. Popular ones include:

Mackie CR4 4": $150 per pair new
Tannoy Reveal 402 4": about $175 per pair used
M-Audio AV40 4": about $150 per pair new
JBL LSR305 5": about $250 per pair used
KRK Rokit 5": about $200 per paid used
Mackie MR5 Mk3 5": about $175 per pair used

All of these are powered and therefore require no power amp.

Hope this helps
 
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