just purchased teac 80-8 and a tascam model 3 mixer/ need tips please

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bryanwilson

New member
as stated above i am a new member of the analog world. finally. anyway, i have manuals for both i really am looking for help with everything i should have in between. such as good/affordable microphones (i have one sm58), proper cables, tape i should use or stay away from, and general maintenance know-how.

also, do i really need the noise suppression unit? keep in mind that i favor minimalism in recordings and i love noise, feedback and unnecessary distortion. obviously if we're talking about intolerable humming or ringing somewhere in the mix, id want that gone.

overall im going for classic, big, warm sounding recordings. any tips/advice would be appreciated.
 
that sounds like a fine set up; you just need the cables to connect everything together. i would just start out with what you have and start making some recordings ... the 58 is fine. i recommend old electro voice microphones personally, but the 58 will do while you're learning the equipment.

i use an 80-8 and i don't like noise reduction personally. so i wouldn't use it, especially if you do like hiss and more air in the recordings. but it's really preference; some people like those.
 
Tape: review the sticky shed thread here. Avoid Ampex 4series and Scotch 226/250 in particular. Doesn't matter if it was stored in a "smoke free climate controlled environment" and tucked in with a teddy bear every night.

Mics: I don't have that great of a selection, but I bought a couple of cheapass (like $25) V-Tech Shure 57/58 knockoffs (Ok OK OK) used one on a kick drum not a bad sound, if you live with their limitations. A mid range condenser is probably in order as well. If you are handy with a soldering iron there are a lot of microphone modifications you can do to cheaper Chinese mfg microphones to make them sound better, or so I've read.
 
A lot of that classic warmth came from tube electronics as well as analog tape. You might try tube mic preamps with your new rig.
 
What you want in between (other than the necessary cables) depends on what you're planning on recording, can't really suggest mics etc without a rough idea, though the SM58 (and its fraternal twin brother the SM57) are general purpose workhorses. If you're a minimalist, that's a good thing as far as the "big" thing goes. Fewer tracks fewer mics fewer phasing problems! As for warm, you can certainly get that with tape! Tube gear, not always--I have some tube gear that's very bright, not warm at all, but also have some of the "classic warm fat" things going on as well.

Far as tape machine maintenance, as with any older gear, be on the lookout for any squeaks, funky switches/buttons or other flags that might tell you something needs a little attention. Keep the tape path (heads and metal guides) clean with no less than 90% or better yet 99% isopropyl alcohol (I get 99% for about a buck a bottle at the local Fleet Farm store), cotton balls and swabs with either wood or paper stick, no plastic. Some people have suggested certain makeup removal pads instead of swabs but I haven't tried that. Keep the isopropyl away from rubber parts such as the pinch roller. For that you can use a small amount of Windex, 409 etc when necessary.

I don't know about calibrating your particular machine if it needs doing; I'll let someone else chime in there!
 
thanks for the advice. as far as what im recording, id say its mostly distorted guitars, drums, bass and vocals. maybe some varying percussive elements. im a little lost on the proper cables i need though, some sort of rca im guessing but i dont want to get something i dont need.

again, thanks.
 
bryanwilson said:
thanks for the advice. as far as what im recording, id say its mostly distorted guitars, drums, bass and vocals. maybe some varying percussive elements. im a little lost on the proper cables i need though, some sort of rca im guessing but i dont want to get something i dont need.

again, thanks.
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You need two of these... NEW!!! Hosa 8 Channel RCA Snake 3M 9.9FT CRA-803 Phono | eBay
RCA to RCA You need 16, 8 in & 8 out. This is just an example. You need to figure out what length you need and you might want to look for what other sellers there are. You could also probably get them at GC.
 
You'll probably need a few extra RCA cables to connect to your monitoring amp and mixdown deck. Check the jacks on back of those units first though.
 
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