A newbie seeks advice

[Linnovice]

Hi all. My first time in this forum. Please bear with me for asking some dumb questions. Don't know if I'm in the right place for this but hey, here goes. Does anyone have any experience with mixing desks? I've been pondering for a while, the most effective method of connecting various inputs to my Revox PR99 tape deck. It's an ex BBC studio machine with only a preset bias/EQ. There is no way of adjusting levels on the machine itself. I also dabble at the guitar and enjoy the creating side of music. Anyway, last week I bought a Tascam M30 Mixing Desk for a very reasonable sum. It's brilliant . Previously I've been using a standard Rotel Pre Amp for the work. It's not what its designed for and has struggled but this desk knocks it into a cocked hat (that's a Brit expression . . . sorry, it just fits). The sound coming out is so good and easy to control onto the tape. It's an 8 in 4(4) out, but with an amazing amount of permutations. Mic, Line, Aux, Tape, Direct, etc,etc on each channel in. Plus something called a 'submix' section. Haven't got my head around that yet. It's not perfect. Two of the Input channels don't seem to be working. I've had a look under the bonnet but its just a rats nest of cables and boards. I need to find someone in the UK who can perhaps sort for me. There can't be much wrong with them. It all looks pristine in there. Oh, another thing, does anyone know how to get the VU meters out. I need to change the lamps, they are all out. Other than that though it really is a lovely bit of kit. In sound as well as in looks and I just wanted to share the experience. Have to talk to someone who can understand. My family think I've lost the plot and gone completely ga ga . . .

 

[Xcaliber]

Sorry, I don't understand most of what you said (partly due to the British slang and expressions ) so I can't help. I'm pretty new here myself and this community is very knowledgable and helpful. Good luck getting things figured out!

 

[Chili]

I moved this thread to the analog section as there are many experts here who can help. They probably know what an M30 is... <yawn>

Welcome to the site.

 

[A Reel Person]

I love the Tascam M30 mixer!

I think it's my favorite board, over all. I'm intimately familiar with it.

The Submix section is a separate section that's versatile, with switchable PRE, POST and TAPE inputs. The basic utility of the submix is to give you a separate section that you can listen to your "live" inputs (Pre/Post) and your tape tracks (Tape) simultaneously while overdubbing (tape cue function), that's apart from & won't interfere with the inputs going to the busses & ultimately to tape. This not-insignificantly helps avoid patching a nasty feedback loop thru the busses and tape deck while recording, dubbing, checking and listening back to tracks. It also helps avoid inadvertently bouncing Tape (cue) tracks thru the mixer and back onto new tape tracks, which in most cases would be undesirable. Thru the PRE/POST setting, there is also capability to do the entire final mixdown from tape, thru the main channels including EQ, albeit with the final stage including Pan being done on the submix side. HINT: All these toggle switches were an incredible advancement at the time that nearly eliminated all the rigors of repatching during different phases of recording by using the flip of a switch. Think of the Submix section as the "Traffic Central" or "Traffic Coordinator" of the board during the tracking, dubbing & mixing phases of the recording process.

The high utility of the Submix section almost overshadows & leaves for naught the actual Monitor section, but the Monitor section can also be used as such, a bare bones buss monitor section, plus I believe can be used as an Effect Send in certain cases. HINT: The M30 lacks a dedicated Effect Send/Return section.

With all the patch points on every channel and buss, the M30 is surprisingly small yet powerful, with an open architecture that's limited mostly by your own imagination.

 

[A Reel Person]

Ps:...

If a couple channels aren't working, make sure the ACCESS SND/RCV patch points are jumpered together with an RCA cable or official Tascam jumper. Any of these patch points left open will create a break point in the signal flow.

 

[Linnovice]

I think it's my favorite board, over all. I'm intimately familiar with it.

The Submix section is a separate section that's versatile, with switchable PRE, POST and TAPE inputs. The basic utility of the submix is to give you a separate section that you can listen to your "live" inputs (Pre/Post) and your tape tracks (Tape) simultaneously while overdubbing (tape cue function), that's apart from & won't interfere with the inputs going to the busses & ultimately to tape. This not-insignificantly helps avoid patching a nasty feedback loop thru the busses and tape deck while recording, dubbing, checking and listening back to tracks. It also helps avoid inadvertently bouncing Tape (cue) tracks thru the mixer and back onto new tape tracks, which in most cases would be undesirable. Thru the PRE/POST setting, there is also capability to do the entire final mixdown from tape, thru the main channels including EQ, albeit with the final stage including Pan being done on the submix side. HINT: All these toggle switches were an incredible advancement at the time that nearly eliminated all the rigors of repatching during different phases of recording by using the flip of a switch. Think of the Submix section as the "Traffic Central" or "Traffic Coordinator" of the board during the tracking, dubbing & mixing phases of the recording process.

The high utility of the Submix section almost overshadows & leaves for naught the actual Monitor section, but the Monitor section can also be used as such, a bare bones buss monitor section, plus I believe can be used as an Effect Send in certain cases. HINT: The M30 lacks a dedicated Effect Send/Return section.

With all the patch points on every channel and buss, the M30 is surprisingly small yet powerful, with an open architecture that's limited mostly by your own imagination.

Hi there, thanks for your responses.
When I got the desk home last week a lot of the pots were scratchy and some of the phono sockets weren't working. I spent some time removing the covers and liberally attacking the pots with switch cleaner and eventually seemed to get most of them working. I say most loosely. I am a complete novice when it comes to mixers and part of my problem lays with inexperience. It's quite possible that some of the pots actually work and its just my ignorance in feeding them that is the problem. On a basic level it does exactly what I've got it for. I feed a tuner, computer and cd player into it. Adjust levels and output to my PR99, perfect! I am really pleased with the results, I am making some superb recordings that compare very well with my vinyl collection. It really does produce a fantastic analogue sound when copying a hi res file from the internet. Part of me is saying leave it at that and don't over complicate. Problem is it can do so much more but I don't know what parts are working or not. Very confusing. I'm trying very hard to get my head around 'sub mixes' and 'patches'. Very confusing. I do think its a great little deck though, its me whose the problem. As far as the bridge connectors on the rear panel, they are all there (12).