Hi, I don't have a 788, but I'm considering buying a used 788 with the 788CDRW drive, and I'm wondering how well it will work as an auxliary mixer, recorder, and burner for my analog home studio. I use an older Tascam M-308B mixer and a Fostex A-8 open reel analog 8-trk machine. I like this equipment and I plan to continue using it, but I sync MIDI gear to the tape and I need more inputs, plus I need something to mix down to and a CD burner, and I don't have a computer. My original plan was to add a second mixer and use it as a return for the MIDI gear, and patch the stereo buss out of the second mixer into the stereo buss insert on the first mixer, or replace the M-308B with a larger mixer, and get a stand alone CDRW deck to mix to. Now I've come across a 788 with the 788CDRW deck, asking price is $450.
What I'm wondering about is the flexability of the 788.
Can I:
1) Use the mixer section on the 788 as an auxiliary mixer to my M-308B? Like patch into the channel and aux inputs on the 788, and patch the stereo buss out of the 788's mixer into my M-308B mixer (I don't know if the 788 even has the jacks to do this)?
2) Can I use the 8-trk digital recorder on the 788 like a stand alone 8-trk? Can a just patch, or some how buss, directly from the M-308B into the recorder on the 788, and can I return the 8 outputs from the recorder to my M-308B? If it's flexable enough to do this I could see some use for bouncing between the digital 788 8-trk and the Fostex A-8 analog 8-trk.
3) Can I some how patch or buss the outputs of the two mixers (the M-308B and the 788) seperately or togther to the input of the 788CDRW deck? I undersatnd that the 788CDRW deck doesn't have analog stereo in jacks, and that I go through the 788 SCSI cable to get to it.
I really don't have experience with digital recording equipment or the architecture of this gear, so I'm thinking of what I want to do in terms of how one would use analog gear. I think that if there's enough flexability with the 788 to use it like one would a seperate mixer, multi-track recorder, and a mixdown deck, the 788 might take care of my needs in one nice package that isn't too expensive; if not, I'll probably stick with my original plan of upgrading my mixer and then getting a CDRW deck.
Any ideas on how the 788 will work for this? Any thoughts in general on the 788 or what I'm hoping to do? Anything to look for in a secondhand 788?
I really appreciate any help you can offer.
Thanks, and happy new year!
Clifff
What I'm wondering about is the flexability of the 788.
Can I:
1) Use the mixer section on the 788 as an auxiliary mixer to my M-308B? Like patch into the channel and aux inputs on the 788, and patch the stereo buss out of the 788's mixer into my M-308B mixer (I don't know if the 788 even has the jacks to do this)?
2) Can I use the 8-trk digital recorder on the 788 like a stand alone 8-trk? Can a just patch, or some how buss, directly from the M-308B into the recorder on the 788, and can I return the 8 outputs from the recorder to my M-308B? If it's flexable enough to do this I could see some use for bouncing between the digital 788 8-trk and the Fostex A-8 analog 8-trk.
3) Can I some how patch or buss the outputs of the two mixers (the M-308B and the 788) seperately or togther to the input of the 788CDRW deck? I undersatnd that the 788CDRW deck doesn't have analog stereo in jacks, and that I go through the 788 SCSI cable to get to it.
I really don't have experience with digital recording equipment or the architecture of this gear, so I'm thinking of what I want to do in terms of how one would use analog gear. I think that if there's enough flexability with the 788 to use it like one would a seperate mixer, multi-track recorder, and a mixdown deck, the 788 might take care of my needs in one nice package that isn't too expensive; if not, I'll probably stick with my original plan of upgrading my mixer and then getting a CDRW deck.
Any ideas on how the 788 will work for this? Any thoughts in general on the 788 or what I'm hoping to do? Anything to look for in a secondhand 788?
I really appreciate any help you can offer.
Thanks, and happy new year!
Clifff