4 track tascam...i keep getting ugly sound quality ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter jimi
  • Start date Start date
J

jimi

New member
i have a 4 track tascam 424mk11 or something well anyway..i plug in the mic and i record and the sound isnt that good in quality and there are peaks??:( i hate that..whats the best way to record like guotar and vocals..besides, when i buss tracks like from one to the other or like track 1 2 3 to 4 and have them all on 4 the sound is really bad quality goes way down..what do i do .? i dont really use reverb or anything but i have a shure c607 mic and its suppose to be a good vocal mic and all..so anyoine has any suggestions?
i also try to take from the line output to a tape input in another tapedeck and listen to it in my car u know the sound is still bad:(
whatdo u think the recording tricks are ...can i actually get a good sound out of this machine or not even bother..?
thanks alot ..i cant wait to hear ur replies:)
 
If there are harsh peaks, try backing up a little from the mic,

and try to smooth out your performance. If that isn't enough, then you might try using a compressor/limiter.

A "bounced" track always sounds compromised and degraded, as compared to the original tracks. Bouncing may be used in moderation, for certain parts, but excessive bouncing will compromise the sound of the mix, quite a bit. IMO, 'track bouncing' is over-glorified, as a technique.

The 424mkII, III or whatever, is a high quality Portastudio recorder, that's capable of recording relatively decent sounding tracks. As far as I know, the Shure mic you're using should be fine.

At every part of the signal chain, it is important to get the best possible signal, that keeps the signal strong, but is well below the threshold of distortion.

In practical terms, there's a lot more variables in recording technique, than the equipment itself, and there's no quick-ref/cookbook for getting great sound. To get good sound, you have to 'learn' your equipment,... practically have a 'relationship' with your equipment,... haha.
 
thanks :) ill try again and let u know how it goes ..i think ill go buy me a cheap reverb nit and a good tapedec:_s
thanks
 
Yo Jimi:

Buy a lexicon. It would help us to analyze the ratiocination of your questions.

Aww, what else could a former English Composition Teacher say?

Just kidding, but.....

Green Hornet:D :D :p :p :p
 
>IMO, 'track bouncing' is over-glorified, as a technique.

Maybe "over-glorified" but how about:

As a production tool it has to be considered a last resort. You picked up on "ugly" and quickly narrowed the field to poor mic technique and yes, "ugly" sure does describe what bouncing a track on a 424 does, but if you layer it properly that won't matter!

That's the beauty of it!
 
jimi,
Welcome!

Don't be discouraged,you can definatly get some decent sounds out of your 4-track.
Iv'e had a couple,just takes some work.

The Lexicon is a good idea,you need some kind of rack reverb.

A seperate pre amp will help,Art,Dbx,and M-Audio make good ones around a $100.

The thing I learned is to keep the signal hot.
With tape you can hit the meters pretty hard,just before distorting.

You said you already have problems with peaks,an RNC compressor will help that,around $175.

There's no way around degration in bounced tracks.
But if you keep it to a minimum,and use clean tracks,it shouldn't be to bad.

Start with some of this gear and practice getting the loudest possible tracks,but clean.

Hope this helps

Best to you,
Pete
 
thanks for ur reply //
.....well if i dont bounce tracks then how do i add reverb after i record??? ill have to add the effect and then record it to another channel / track...so ill have to do bussing bouncing whatever its called ..get it? what else can i do ? can i record while the effect i want is on the mic already during the recording and everything without using the effects loops ???
what do u think ?>
also another question...is it better to record in the bathroom ???? if yes then why ? better than an empty room ?
thanks
 
jimi,
Had the same questions myself.

The answer that I received is that you can NOT add effects after taping to analog. The effects must be put on during recording time. That is of course if you want to separate the effects in any way.
If you want the effects to cover "everything" then of course you can do this simply by adding them to the entire mix. (via your pc)

I am unclear as to how else to do it.
But I'm sure that a person with more knowledge on the subject is about to chime in.

I've recorded singing in the bathroom b4 and it had different sounds only because it was a small room with no sound absorbtion.
 
hey im pretty sure ur wrong about one thing which is adding the effects while recording..thats not how its done professionaly for 1 of many reasons which is that u can control the effect, put the amount u want unlike while recording what if it coimes out too much too little? whatever?
thats why recording artists/singers record what they call "dry" whichj means no reverb on vocals for example untill the take is done then theyll add everything
my question was i have to buss that while adding the effect after ? right?> to another track and have one finished effect full track ?
get it?
 
let me say this

Is the 424 mkII an analog? YES it is

You can only put effects on while taping. NOT after it is done unless you want the entire mix to have that (those) effects.

I don't care what is done "professionally", I am obviously not one of them.
However, I do know what I can do on my machine and what I can't.

I have read alot of information from people on this site that know what they're taliking about and they tell me the same thing.
 
on this machine u can add effects after u record ..u simply record it dry with no effects then u connect ur reverb unit to the "effects loop" and then buss the track with the amount of effect u want on it ..this way u can play with the effect intensity ...u record it again (buss) from one channel to the other with the effects loop on u know ...and then u have it with the effect and without and u can keep adding whatever u want on it..
im not sure do u mean if u want reverb on vocals for example u set the amount of reverb that u like and feel comfortabe with listening to it on the headphones and then record? and no bussing of tracks? is that what u mean ? im sorry im just trying to understand ...? i never tried that ...how can u control the effect if it turns out to be alot of reverb and u need less?
what if ur playing a guitar part and u want to play around with flanger for example and u obviously cant do it while recording because u cant play guitar and at the same time play with the flanger intensity or tone or drive or whatever u know?
what do u think ?
 
and thenm last stage is to record it on a tape deck so u can listen to it in ur home tape recorder
 
Well jimi

I know I have alot to learn here.

If what you say is true, then I now know why it is such a pain for me to get a nicer sound.

I was seriously thinking of upgrading to digital, but I actually do like the ease at which these anologs can record.

Guess I won't know til I take the plunge.


Best of luck to you on your recording, sounds like you're going to do well.



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