Ross 4x4 PortaStudio
- Thread starter Fred7535
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A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
Off the cuff...
The Ross 4 x 4 has 4 (Mic/Line/Tape) inputs, 4 (assign) busses & 4 (tape) tracks, enabling you to assign each input to any of 4 tracks. Inputs would be switchable between "Mic/Line Input" and "Tape" (or Off). In general, (Assign) Buss 1/3 would be correlated with PAN-Left on the mixer channel, and Buss 2/4 associated with PAN-Right.
Let's say you've successfully recorded onto Tracks 1-3, and want to bounce these tracks to Track 4.
Set the channels 1-3 to play back from TAPE, assign channels 1-3 to Buss 4, and pan channels 1-3 either in the center or hard-right,... mix to taste,... and when you're satisfied with balance record all 3 tape tracks to track 4 thru the internal mixer. You may also record one live part down to track 4 simultaneously as the bounce-dub.
By using this bounce technique (including laying a live part down during the bounce) successively to each track, you may get 4 parts on Track 4, 3 parts on track 3, 2 parts on track 2 and 1 part on the remaining track,... a total of 10 parts on 4 tracks of tape. Although this maximum bounce may sound glamourous to get 10 parts down to tape, the fidelity will suffer a bit in the exchange, and by virtue of this "collapse" bounce technique, all the original source tracks going into the bounce will be overwritten during the process. Giving great care to track bounce technique can give acceptable results and may help extend the limits of 4-track recording. However, the un-bounced track is always better than a bounced-track. If you try to be clever about what parts to mix and bounce, and try to keep it to a minimum, with practice should yield very acceptable recordings.
However, I think if your productions always involve bouncing you may be benefitted by upgrading your recorder to more tracks. F/I, I'd choose a Tascam cassette 8-track over a cassette 4-track, if bouncing figured large into my 4-track productions. Maybe OT.
The Ross 4 x 4 has 4 (Mic/Line/Tape) inputs, 4 (assign) busses & 4 (tape) tracks, enabling you to assign each input to any of 4 tracks. Inputs would be switchable between "Mic/Line Input" and "Tape" (or Off). In general, (Assign) Buss 1/3 would be correlated with PAN-Left on the mixer channel, and Buss 2/4 associated with PAN-Right.
Let's say you've successfully recorded onto Tracks 1-3, and want to bounce these tracks to Track 4.
Set the channels 1-3 to play back from TAPE, assign channels 1-3 to Buss 4, and pan channels 1-3 either in the center or hard-right,... mix to taste,... and when you're satisfied with balance record all 3 tape tracks to track 4 thru the internal mixer. You may also record one live part down to track 4 simultaneously as the bounce-dub.
By using this bounce technique (including laying a live part down during the bounce) successively to each track, you may get 4 parts on Track 4, 3 parts on track 3, 2 parts on track 2 and 1 part on the remaining track,... a total of 10 parts on 4 tracks of tape. Although this maximum bounce may sound glamourous to get 10 parts down to tape, the fidelity will suffer a bit in the exchange, and by virtue of this "collapse" bounce technique, all the original source tracks going into the bounce will be overwritten during the process. Giving great care to track bounce technique can give acceptable results and may help extend the limits of 4-track recording. However, the un-bounced track is always better than a bounced-track. If you try to be clever about what parts to mix and bounce, and try to keep it to a minimum, with practice should yield very acceptable recordings.
However, I think if your productions always involve bouncing you may be benefitted by upgrading your recorder to more tracks. F/I, I'd choose a Tascam cassette 8-track over a cassette 4-track, if bouncing figured large into my 4-track productions. Maybe OT.
Last edited:
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
My mistake dude xxxxxxxxxxxx
I have to eat my bytes of non-wisdom here.
Based on the Ross 4x4 assign matrix being on a toggle switch, there is no way to assign 1 mic to all 4 tracks. I'd gotten the image in my mind incorrectly reminiscent of a Tascam 246, a whole other story.
Sorry for not being helpful and speaking on something I was not intimately familiar with....
To do what you want you might want to get a Tascam 246, 414, 414mkII, 424mkII, 424mkIII, 644, Porta One, Porta Two, Porta 07 and probably some others I'm at a loss to mention.
Sorry and Thanx for forgiving me of my obvious gaff!
I have to eat my bytes of non-wisdom here.
Based on the Ross 4x4 assign matrix being on a toggle switch, there is no way to assign 1 mic to all 4 tracks. I'd gotten the image in my mind incorrectly reminiscent of a Tascam 246, a whole other story.
Sorry for not being helpful and speaking on something I was not intimately familiar with....
To do what you want you might want to get a Tascam 246, 414, 414mkII, 424mkII, 424mkIII, 644, Porta One, Porta Two, Porta 07 and probably some others I'm at a loss to mention.
Sorry and Thanx for forgiving me of my obvious gaff!
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A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
Yak! I have to restate.
Ok,... my memory is shot, so forgive me.
There is no way to assign one mic input to all 4 tracks simultaneously.
To "bounce" tracks, say 1-3 bounced down to 4...
Record normally to track 1-3.
Select Tracks 1-3 to "Tape" and reroute channels 1-3 (PAN- CENTER) to "Track 4"
Enable "Record" on Track 4.
Mix 1-3 to taste and then place tape into Record forward motion.
This should effectively bounce tracks 1-3 to track 4.
Based on the internal complexity of the mixer, this may or may not work and requires verification.
Not having a Ross 4x4 myself, I have no way of knowing by looking at the basics in the photo.
This would work on a Tascam, a totally OT.
Carry On!
Ok,... my memory is shot, so forgive me.
There is no way to assign one mic input to all 4 tracks simultaneously.
To "bounce" tracks, say 1-3 bounced down to 4...
Record normally to track 1-3.
Select Tracks 1-3 to "Tape" and reroute channels 1-3 (PAN- CENTER) to "Track 4"
Enable "Record" on Track 4.
Mix 1-3 to taste and then place tape into Record forward motion.
This should effectively bounce tracks 1-3 to track 4.
Based on the internal complexity of the mixer, this may or may not work and requires verification.
Not having a Ross 4x4 myself, I have no way of knowing by looking at the basics in the photo.
This would work on a Tascam, a totally OT.
Carry On!