VCR Question

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Dropped Z

New member
Hey everyone! I just discovered this message board and I'm so excited to see such a knowledgable resource! My question relates to recording from the VCR to my Tascam 424 MK2. Is this possible? What jacks (on the Tascam) would I plug the RCA cables into? Basically I'm using the VCR to increase the quality and the number of tracks that I can record onto my Tascam. Thanks so much for the help, you guys rock!

Z
 
Can you be a little more specific on how you're trying to incorporate the VCR? For best results, use a hi-fi VCR.

If you're going from the VCR to the TASCAM, than you'll probably need RCA out of your VCR into 1/4" into the tascam if you want to assign the VCR to specific tracks. Or you can use the line input on RCA jacks and the VCR signal is sent to the recording buss.

If you're going from the TASCAM to the VCR for mixdown, then use the line outs RCA's to the VCR's inputs... preferrably hi fi or fm audio inputs if your VCR has them.
 
Here's a link to a thread on the tascam.com message board. Scroll down a bit, and a guy called Jay Storey has some interesting things to say about recording to VCRs.

http://209.216.16.19/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=8;t=001046

I've done some recording to a Hi-Fi- VCR as well. It sounds pretty good. You want to be careful, though, because - as Bruce at Blue Bear sound noted - they don't record low-level transients well. So if you have, say, a section of your song where there's just a hi-hat or some other relatively quiet percussion, it probably won't sound very good. Most of the newer Hi-Fi VCRs have automatic level control (ALC), and sometimes this causes the recorded signal to pump and breath when you listen back to it. (This would be especially noticeable during quiet passages.) On machines with ALC, there's no way to set the level of the signal you're sending them. (Duh! That's why there's ALC!) Furthermore, there usually aren't any kind of meters that would otherwise allow you to monitor the levels of the signals you're sending it.

This isn't meant to discourage you. Rather, you should just be aware of the limitations of the equipment you use. In the end, knowing the limitations will often lead you to experiment and make new discoveries. Have fun experimenting, and let us know how the results turn out.

Bruce in Korea
 
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