Anybody have 414 or 424 tricks? Please share yours here.

[bbbkeys]

I have gotten pretty good at using my 414, but I want to know what tips and tricks everyone has for using their's. I am sure a lot of people will get use out of this thread.

My tips and tricks:

• When recording to cassette, always move the pitch control wheel to the highest position. It mitigates hissing problems. I know you will use more tape and record less songs onto the tape. but do you want quality or quantity?
• If you want to use more tracks for stereo, do not use tracks 1 to 4. Save those for mono tracks. Instead use 5&6 and 7&8 for the stereo tracks and if you have an effects processor with stereo options, make an effects loop as described by the Tascam manual. This will allow you to get a good 6 tracks out of your tascam with at least two stereo tracks.
• When panning stereo, never pan two tracks in the same clock settings. For example, do not pan your lead vocals and your backing vocals both at the 11:00 and 1:00 positions. Otherwise you will phase them out and each will cancel out the other. Instead, pan your lead vocals 11 and 1:00 and your backing vocals at 10 and 2:00. You will be able to control those tracks much better at mixdown.
• If you have an external CD burner (I have the Tascam CDRW5000), not a computer one, you can use the 414 or 424 as a mixer and record directly to the CD Burner.

Please share yours here.

Bruce
Get your free artist web page at http://www.songwriterstreet.com

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

My tips and tricks:

• When recording to cassette, always move the pitch control wheel to the highest position. It mitigates hissing problems. I know you will use more tape and record less songs onto the tape. but do you want quality or quantity?

• This ISN'T a good idea, I'm afraid.... the minor improvement in high-end response you might get is diminished by the significantly decreased linearity of the motor.... meaning, much more wow & flutter...
  
  
  Anyways --
  One tip that worked well for me back in my 4-track days was to submix.... once you've filled 4 tracks, submix them to a high-quality mixdown unit (computer, cd burner, DAT, etc...)
  
  Then take that 2-track submix back to 2 new tracks on your 4-track unit and you can add additional tracks....
  
  You're mixing as you go, and if your mixdown unit is of high-quality, you can go for several generations before noticing a big loss of signal quality....
  
  Plus, if you don't overwrite your original tracks, you can always go back and submix again!

 

[bbbkeys]

Good point. I mix down to a Tascam CDRW 5000 CD burner (off the market now but a great product). The only problem I see with your advice, which is really good for the most part, is that once you do the submix to the digital source like CD or DAT, the mixdown privilege of those 4 tracks are gone. I understand that is the purpose of the submix, but I make last minute decisions in my mixdown and sometimes adding a 2 new tracks to a 2 track submix might cause problems like phasing which cannot be solved by panning. In other words, the panning abilities are gone in the submix if you need it to solve phasing.

 

[M.Brane]

I used to submix onto a VCR with pretty good results.

Using outboard mic pres can also improve the quality of your tracks. The built-in pres are pretty noisey and have limited headroom.

I've always thought that phase issues were best dealt with during initial tracking.

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

The only problem I see with your advice, which is really good for the most part, is that once you do the submix to the digital source like CD or DAT, the mixdown privilege of those 4 tracks are gone.

That's why after you do the reduction (submix), you don't bring the submixed tracks over on top of the originals, you put them after it or on another tape so that you always have the originals as you go...!

(trust me, this works VERY well -- I use to do this all the time, years ago!)

I understand that is the purpose of the submix, but I make last minute decisions in my mixdown and sometimes adding a 2 new tracks to a 2 track submix might cause problems like phasing which cannot be solved by panning.

There will be no phase-cancellation issues if you track properly in the first place, and you pay attention to submixing properly... you are correct in the fact that you are losing some of the ability of "fixing it in the mix", but you really shouldn't be adopting that mix ethic anyways!

Get the tracking right and the mix will fall into place MUCH easier........!

 

[bbbkeys]

That's why after you do the reduction (submix), you don't bring the submixed tracks over on top of the originals, you put them after it or on another tape so that you always have the originals as you go...!

Get the tracking right and the mix will fall into place MUCH easier........!

OK, that makes a lot of sense. Put the orignian tape away just in case. I guess planning the recording session before you start a song helps.

 

[chessparov]

How about the old trick of playing an instrument solo at half speed, then playing it back at double speed to sound like a virtuoso? Just don't tell anyone what you did.

Chris

 

[JR#97]

When recording back-up vocals or when doubling vocals, change the variable speed a bit. The tracks will still be in relative pitch, but the tonality will be different.