Question About Mackie CR-1604 Signal Routing

J

Jmoog

New member
I just have a quick question regarding signal routing on the Mackie CR-1604.

A good friend of mine passed away recently and he left me most of the equipment that he had in his home studio. Among the pieces I now have set up in my own home studio are a Tascam TSR-8 reel to reel recorder and the Mackie CR-1604. Unfortunately I don't know much about the Mackie mixer.

I want to route the output of tracks 1-8 from the Tascam to channels 9-16 of the Mackie so I will have channels 1-8 recording into the Tascam and channels 9-16 for the playback of the 8 tracks from the Tascam. How do I do this? Do I use the "Channel Access" jacks? If so how would I end up with the pre-recorded tracks playing through channels 9-16? Or do I use the output jacks for channels 9-16? This makes more sense to me but I don't know if that would work by just pushing the 1/4" plugs into just the "tip" point.

I know this is an easy thing I'm asking about but I really don't know anything about this mixer. My friend always operated it when we were recording. I wanted to study all the cord inputs and outputs when I was breaking down his studio after his passing but I was given a limited amount of time so I had no choice but to just rip the cords out and worry about it later (now).

Thanks to anyone who can help me out.
 
Jmoog said:
I just have a quick question regarding signal routing on the Mackie CR-1604.

A good friend of mine passed away recently and he left me most of the equipment that he had in his home studio. Among the pieces I now have set up in my own home studio are a Tascam TSR-8 reel to reel recorder and the Mackie CR-1604. Unfortunately I don't know much about the Mackie mixer.

I want to route the output of tracks 1-8 from the Tascam to channels 9-16 of the Mackie so I will have channels 1-8 recording into the Tascam and channels 9-16 for the playback of the 8 tracks from the Tascam. How do I do this? Do I use the "Channel Access" jacks? If so how would I end up with the pre-recorded tracks playing through channels 9-16? Or do I use the output jacks for channels 9-16? This makes more sense to me but I don't know if that would work by just pushing the 1/4" plugs into just the "tip" point.

I know this is an easy thing I'm asking about but I really don't know anything about this mixer. My friend always operated it when we were recording. I wanted to study all the cord inputs and outputs when I was breaking down his studio after his passing but I was given a limited amount of time so I had no choice but to just rip the cords out and worry about it later (now).

Thanks to anyone who can help me out.
Click to expand...

Hello Jmoog....you'll have to go out "direct out" of the channels your recording with to your recorder then line in to the other channels from your recorder that should do the trick.



:cool:
 
moresound said:
Hello Jmoog....you'll have to go out "direct out" of the channels your recording with to your recorder then line in to the other channels from your recorder that should do the trick.



:cool:
Click to expand...

Ok thanks. So does that mean I should use the channel 1-8 "Channel Access" jacks as the "direct outs"? It says in the manual that if you connect your jacks only to the first click (tip) then those jacks become direct outs. Would this be the way to go as far as recording to the Tascam or is there another way that would be better?

Also Bouldersoundguy - it is indeed the original CR-1604 and not the VLZ or the later one. I've heard it is a decent mixer and I do mostly solo recording at home anyway so it's more than enough for me. I just have to figure out the patchcord jungle now lol.
 
Yes it's been awhile with one of those boards but if memory (and your manual) serves me right.... that is correct.



:cool:
 
Jmoog said:
Ok thanks. So does that mean I should use the channel 1-8 "Channel Access" jacks as the "direct outs"? It says in the manual that if you connect your jacks only to the first click (tip) then those jacks become direct outs. Would this be the way to go as far as recording to the Tascam or is there another way that would be better?

Also Bouldersoundguy - it is indeed the original CR-1604 and not the VLZ or the later one. I've heard it is a decent mixer and I do mostly solo recording at home anyway so it's more than enough for me. I just have to figure out the patchcord jungle now lol.
Click to expand...

Okay. That mixer has some odd quirks. Yes, you use the "Channel Access" jacks as per the manual. One odd quirk is that they are post-fader, which is good for your analog recording purposes but weird for an insert. They designed it like that to cover multiple uses. Another quirk is that the unity point on the fader is physically halfway up the travel. Most faders have a small amount of travel above unity with about 10dB of extra gain. Don't worry about it, just follow the manual's instructions for setting levels.

About those post-fader sends: they are effectively record level controls. If you are careful you can fade out takes as you record to save yourself a little bit of work in mixdown. You can also ride the fader during takes to offset variations in performance levels. Just be aware that any adjustments you make are permanent in the track. If you fade something out it's out for good. But for recording yourself you'll mostly leave the faders alone during tracking.
 
Thanks guys, I really appreciate the advice and the info. I like the sound of the Mackie board. It does seem to be a little quirky but as I said I mostly do solo recording and overdubbing so it should work nicely for my purposes.

What did the both of you think of it when you used it?

Thanks again.
 
Well the first time I used one (after running a Allen Heath or Sound crart) the faders felt wierd...move up the volume was like a little,a little, a little then alot!
And did seam, and still does, a little harsh.
But for what one would pay for a Mackie, it was a big bang for the buck.



:cool:
 
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