424 MkII track mixing

[baritonebill]

I just picked up a Tascam 424 MkII for doing 4 track recording of my barbershop group. Barbershop harmony is in 4 parts.

Goal
I want to:
- record one part per track
- do 4 separate mixdowns, putting one track on the right
and the other three on the left as follows:

Left (1,2,3) Right (4)
Left (1,2,4) Right (3)
Left (1,3,4) Right (2)
Left (2,3,4) Right (1)

I've just read through the manual for the first time and it seems that the mixdown automatically sends tracks 1&3 to the left, and tracks 2&4 to the right.

Question:
Is there a work-around for this? If not, I'm stuck doing four separate recordings, which would be easier on a stereo deck.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Baritone Bill

[baritonebill]

Answering my own question?

The manual says the rear panel outputs 1-4 can go to an external mixer or another multitrack recorder.

Would a three-into-one Y-cord work directly to the left track of my stereo deck, or would I have to run it through an external mixer?

If an external mixer would be necessary, does anyone have a recommendation for something inexpensive?

Thanks,

Baritone Bill

[FZfile]

Are you doing this for arrangement reasons or just to compare?

Why not just use the line out left AND right direct to the stereo deck?
Use panning to send a mix of the 3 left tracks hard left to the stereo unit and the 1 right track hard right to the deck.

The panning button, on mixdown, will direct the track output to the stereo buss....(left and right line out).

You could also send the left channels through effect send 1 and connect that output to the left input of your stereo deck.
Then send the "solo" track to effect send 2 and hook that up as the right channel on the deck.

.......are you going into a tape deck????

-mike

[baritonebill]

FZfile wrote:

Are you doing this for arrangement reasons or just to compare?

The purpose is to make "sing-along" rehearsal tapes. With the balance turned to the individual track, you can practice your part solo. Then, fade in the other three parts to hear the harmony. Finally, fade out the predominant part to sing solo against the other three parts. Makes for a much quicker learning curve, especially for those who don't read music well. SPEBSQSA, the Barbershop Harmony Society, offers this type of tape for several introductory song books. My goal is to maintain a complete tape set of my group's repertoire. That way new members can get up to speed quickly, and continuing members can stay current on songs we do infrequently.

Why not just use the line out left AND right direct to the stereo deck? Use panning to send a mix of the 3 left tracks hard left to the stereo unit and the 1 right track hard right to the deck. The panning button, on mixdown, will direct the track output to the stereo buss....(left and right line out).

THAT sounds like the answer I was looking for. Thanks!

You could also send the left channels through effect send 1 and connect that output to the left input of your stereo deck. Then send the "solo" track to effect send 2 and hook that up as the right channel on the deck.

I love it... a choice of two techniques! I'll experiment with both and see what works best.

...are you going into a tape deck????

Yes. I have a dual cassette deck for creating a master from the 424, and dupicating tapes for members.

Thanks again for your insightful reply. In time I might have figured it out, but you saved me a lot of time and headaches.

Baritone Bill