Tascam 388 Outs

migrant worker

migrant worker

New member
Okay... Need some clarification with regards to the signal path in the 388 (those flowchart diagrams in the manual are kinda confusing and haven't been much help to me).


I've got two 8-channel snakes (XLR to RCA, and XLR to 1/4" TRS)

Generally, I use my 388's PGM out buss to send the signal straight into an 8-channel digital interface at a nice sample rate and bit depth for mastering and burning to CD.

I often really like the mix I get from the 388's monitor outs with all the L/R switches down, and all assign switches up (this is generally the mode I use for mixing/monitoring).

However, when I switch to the mode to bring the mix into my interface through the PGM outs (i.e. each channel's corresponding assign switch down, pan control hard panned in the appropriate direction, and L/R switches all up) the resulting mix doesn't sound the same (usually not as full, and perhaps overall quieter)

I've just recently realized that the mix I've been sending from the PGM buss runs through the Monitor mix dials first.

Is it possible that this is why it always sounds thinner and generally not as good as the the monitoring mix I'm getting?

How can I just import the same mix I'm getting with all channels' assign switches up and the L/R switches down?

Anyone? (Dave?)

:o
 
With my 388 I pretty much get the same mix with the L/R switches down by just going from the stereo outs into a CD burner.
I posted a problem I was having with the sound of my mix and mainly volume concerns in the Analog forum.
Im still messing around to get the right sound,but the stereo outs,to me,sound the same to what Im hearing through my monitors.
Try posting in the Analog forums.There's a bunch of 388 user's over there who might be able to help.
 
Thanks... That's good info, but I'm definitely set on dumping all 8 tracks separately to digital.

Nothing wrong with mixing on the 388, but I like the power afforded by DAW software to fade in/out, overdub small egg shaker or other auxiliary tracks in digital, use plugins (as I currently have virtually no physical outboard gear)...etc.

So... I'm pretty sure I'll have to stick with the PGM outs or something for now, but I may get into mixing down straight to CD from the stereo outs one day.

Does that give overall better A/D conversion quality than importing the tracks the way I do (at a good bit depth/sample rate...like say, 24/96kHz)?
 
Not too sure about that.I have never done any computer recording before.The only digital I do is with my korg D1600.
Im still not really familiar with all the conversion,bit/sample rates and all that.
 
That's cool... Hopefully Dave or someone else will stumble over this thread and educate us on the subject. I'd be interested to know if there's a better method.
 
migrant worker, I've been just starting to record on a 388 this year and I couldn't be happier with the character and feel I'm getting with the sound. Same as you, though, I'm used to the automation and ease of editing that a DAW offers, so once I get the sound I'm happy with on the 388, I dump all tracks separate to a MOTU 828 and Mac. Although I do love the eq offered on the 388, I found that the best fidelity option has been to use each track's ACCESS SEND for output. I've been really happy with this method. On some nice reference monitors, I cannot (under scrutiny) tell a difference between the tracks coming from the 388 and the same tracks coming from my DAW. Definitely no loss of body or volume like you were describing using the PGM outs. The biggest drawback to this is that you lose use of the 388's great eq upon mixdown. Then again, it's been sort of a fun element knowing that if I want to use the 388 eq, it'll have to be during the recording to tape. Any time I can push the final creative decisions closer to the inception, I'll gladly take that route. Hope that helps.
 
Yeah... I hear ya.

I'm not so sure the PGM outs necessarily output a lower-fi signal though.

Although, I do realize that by running through the EQ again I'm increasing the signal path length a bit more (however... I've used both these and the access sends and the difference seems negligible to me).

In any case... I like the convenience of being able to produce a rough mix on the 388 before dumping to digital.

What sucks is that I don't really know exactly what the signal path is (although I'm now sure that in the case of the PGM outs it definitely runs through both the channel faders and the monitor mix knobs... I feel like maybe I'm getting the same mix as when the L/R buttons are depressed so long as when they are not depressed I have all the monitor mix dials set to the same position.

Anyway... If anyone else experiments with this and can shed some light on the signal path and when the mix is the same... Let us know!

Matt
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top