Way to synchronise 2 TSR-8's?

P

PaulyV

New member
Hi there - new member and great to meet you all.

A quick one - is there a synchronisation box or similar unit that can synchronise 2 Tascam TSR-8's?

Of course, by rights I should say 'was there'.

Thanks in anticipation.

Pauly
 
Yes, there are two main choices. Both Tascam. An mts100 (midiizer) or an ats500 synchronizer. I have both that I've used over the years for various Tascam multitracks here. Either one is basically plug in and go for two Tsr-8's, which is nice. No big interfacing issues.

You stripe smpte on trk 8 of each machine, plug in the serial 2 cables, set one tsr as master, one as slave, run a short setup procedure in either of the synchronizers, and you're ready to go with 14 tracks that will chase and synclock with each other all day.

In the past, there were more problems finding interface cables than the actual synchronizers, but I finally found a place here in LA a few years ago that builds the cables. The cables were kinda expensive as I remember, but I think they were also real pricey when Tascam was making them.
 
Thanks for your help.

I am in the UK so shipping may not be an issue!

Getting back into R2R recording alongside my DAW and thinking that investing in TSR-8's is going to be the way to go as there are alot about in reasonable condition and I have the benefit of having one as backup or extra tracks should I require it.

I used to use the MSR-24 10 years ago and found it to be a most agreeable machine. Looking around here I assume people are generally pleased with the performance of their TSR's.

Thanks again - look forward to conversing more in the future.

Pauly
 
PaulyV said:
Thanks for your help.

I am in the UK so shipping may not be an issue!

Getting back into R2R recording alongside my DAW and thinking that investing in TSR-8's is going to be the way to go as there are alot about in reasonable condition and I have the benefit of having one as backup or extra tracks should I require it.
Click to expand...

That's been my plan as well. I have a compatible synchroniser, but only one TSR at the moment. I'll also need to get a decent mixing desk if I do want to lock the pair together.

ES5x prices can be fickle. The last one I saw went for over £200. This lot hasn't even had a bid yet, and there are several units in it.
 
May I ask if you are happy with the performance of your TSR? What do you use it with if anything? Anything to add?

Thanks

Pauly
 
PaulyV said:
May I ask if you are happy with the performance of your TSR? What do you use it with if anything? Anything to add?

Thanks

Pauly
Click to expand...

I couldn't think of anything to add at the time, but I'm definitely very happy with it.
My setup is rather cheap.. I actually assembled the studio while earning half what I do now. Most of it was obtained on ebay and there is a lot of Behringer in it. (Not that I was aware of Behringer's low standing at the time).

The setup is described here: http://www.it-he.org/lab.htm ..the pictures were taken before I moved to Wales so the layout is different now, but essentially the same.

The cheap Behringer mixer and my reliance on sequencing give me 7 tracks to play with, but I can mix several synthesizers down into a single track which allows them to go a long way, even without track-to-track bouncing.
Unlike the Fostex A8, you can (if you are careful) lay tracks onto track 7 without disrupting the timecode. That said, I've taken to using it mainly for vocals lately.

If you want audio examples, I wouldn't go by the recordings from the website, since they were taped directly to 2-track. However, if you dig around here: http://www.jpmorris.force9.co.uk/music/

'Legend of the Black Sun', 'Quest for the Sacred Jaguar' and the Gaming Guardians tribute were all recorded on the TSR-8. The others were all sequenced directly to 2-track for my game.

Oh yes.. run the machine on it's back, it's better for it and gives you better access to the heads for cleaning. Unless you have a rackmount and trolley, you'll need to 'brick' it up.. I had a pair of external SCSI cdrom drives which I use, since they are just the right height.
 
PaulyV said:
May I ask if you are happy with the performance of your TSR? What do you use it with if anything? Anything to add?

Thanks

Pauly
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum -- we're glad to have you. :)

I have a hybrid Analog/MIDI studio built around the TSR-8. I'm very happy with the performance. I don't think you could do better with 8-track on 1/2". I've worked with several machines over the past 20 years, including The Otari MX5050 8-track, the Tascam 38, and briefly with the Fostex E-16.

The sound is pro level all the way. The integrated dbx is first rate. The syncing capabilities are the most complete and reliable I’ve seen. It is a modern design and can even be used with hotter tapes with higher levels if desired. I could only justify an upgrade if it was to 16 on 1” or maybe the MSR-24.

The only things I would have preferred are three heads instead of the two it has. It doesn’t have a shuttle feature either for spooling tape at slow speeds. That would save a lot of wear on the heads. When time permits I plan on adding a toggle switch to bring the lifters down for shuttling in play mode.

I’ve recorded everything with it – drums, synths, acoustic and electric guitar, and vocals including my wife’s classically trained Coloratura Soprano voice. The TSR-8 is defiantly a keeper.

-Tim
 
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