Building analog home studio

  • Thread starter Thread starter Curtisebear516
  • Start date Start date
C

Curtisebear516

New member
Hi, i would really appreciate help in building an analog home recording studio. I plan on having a Tascam teac 80-8 8 track recorder. I already have microphones, but that's about it. What equipment would I need to be able to record seperate tracks into a apple laptop to mix on logic and be able to record on tape at the same time, and then be able to bounce everything or have tape to take to mastering. Thanks in advance. :)
 
Curtisebear516 said:
Hi, i would really appreciate help in building an analog home recording studio. I plan on having a Tascam teac 80-8 8 track recorder. I already have microphones, but that's about it. What equipment would I need to be able to record seperate tracks into a apple laptop to mix on logic and be able to record on tape at the same time, and then be able to bounce everything or have tape to take to mastering. Thanks in advance. :)
Click to expand...
Why ruin the analogue by recording to your pc? Keep it either fully analogue, or digital?
 
In short, you will need a line level convertor that will take your analog signal and convert it to digital.
There are a few options here, I am not familiar with macs but Im assuming your mac doenst have a pci slot. In this case you will need an external convertor.
Your Tascam will act as your preamp, so you dont need to buy an interface with preamps. I am not familiar with the unit either, but if you want to record all 8 tracks you will need 8 direct-outs for each channel. Run cables from your direct outs to your convertor, then through USB or Firewire connection to your computer.
If you want to bounce those 8 tracks BACK to your tape after you have mixed in the computer you connect the outputs of your interface/convertor to the inputs on your tascam, hit play in the comp and record on your Tascam.

Mike
 
pandamonk said:
Why ruin the analogue by recording to your pc? Keep it either fully analogue, or digital?
Click to expand...

I just want to have two different copies of the recordings. One on the tape on the 8 track, and one of the tape of the 8 track so that I can mix things easily on the computer. Does that conflict. I'm just starting out. Isn't that what most studios do?
 
Nightfire said:
In short, you will need a line level convertor that will take your analog signal and convert it to digital.
There are a few options here, I am not familiar with macs but Im assuming your mac doenst have a pci slot. In this case you will need an external convertor.
Your Tascam will act as your preamp, so you dont need to buy an interface with preamps. I am not familiar with the unit either, but if you want to record all 8 tracks you will need 8 direct-outs for each channel. Run cables from your direct outs to your convertor, then through USB or Firewire connection to your computer.
If you want to bounce those 8 tracks BACK to your tape after you have mixed in the computer you connect the outputs of your interface/convertor to the inputs on your tascam, hit play in the comp and record on your Tascam.

Mike
Click to expand...

I ultimately want to be able to record with tape then bounce individual tracks of the recordings to my computer, then edit them via the computer, then take that product to master. Is this the way to go? Would I even need to edit them on the computer?
 
I also have a mackie 6 channel mixer with phantom power and a tascam 424 4 track recorder without phantom power. Is that inconvenient for powering my mics? Or is there a way I can run those channels independent from eachother for final mixing? thanks again.
 
Curtisebear516 said:
I just want to have two different copies of the recordings. One on the tape on the 8 track, and one of the tape of the 8 track so that I can mix things easily on the computer. Does that conflict. I'm just starting out. Isn't that what most studios do?
Click to expand...
I'd say most studios record digitally, although some still record analogue, but they tend to keep it analogue throughout. Why not either skip the computer, or skip the 8-track?
 
Well I only need it on my computer so I can edit all the tracks in logic. I can't edit the tracks if I don't run it into the computer. Right?
 
Curtisebear516 said:
Well I only need it on my computer so I can edit all the tracks in logic. I can't edit the tracks if I don't run it into the computer. Right?
Click to expand...
You can edit them analogously. It is much easier in the pc though, but so is recording. Why go the budget analogue route?
 
I want the analog sound, and there's more personal satisfaction with it. How would I edit it analogously?
 
Curtisebear516 said:
I want the analog sound, and there's more personal satisfaction with it. How would I edit it analogously?
Click to expand...
Ooo the analogue sound. Do you actually know what it is, and can you actually hear it?

Sorry :D

What kind of edits would you want to do?

If you want the "analogue sound", why not record and edit in analogue and forget the pc, or record and edit digitally then have it run throught the high end analogue gear in mastering. I'm sure this will sound heaps better than budget gear. Maybe you could buy some good tube preamps etc also when recording.
 
Curtisebear516 said:
I want the analog sound, and there's more personal satisfaction with it. How would I edit it analogously?
Click to expand...

Analog editing is limited to splicing tape with a razorblade. Let's say you want to remove a certain part of a track. You would run the tape over the heard slowly until you've found the start of the bad part. Mark it, then find the end and mark that. Take the tape off the machine, stick it in a splicing block, and use a demagnatized razorblade to remove the part. Then tape the rest of the tape back together.
 
avieth said:
Analog editing is limited to splicing tape with a razorblade. Let's say you want to remove a certain part of a track. You would run the tape over the heard slowly until you've found the start of the bad part. Mark it, then find the end and mark that. Take the tape off the machine, stick it in a splicing block, and use a demagnatized razorblade to remove the part. Then tape the rest of the tape back together.
Click to expand...
Or you could rerecord it on another track, and stop recording at the point you want to remove, then start recording again at the good bit. I doubt you'd actually want to complete remove a section of the song though. Another method is to get it right in tracking, and not trying to fix in the mix. If you're worried you aren't going to like certain parts, then record each part a few times, and fade these recordings into each other at the good/bad bits.

Recording digitally is so much easier, and like i said, you can get that "analogue sound" from good preamps and running it through all the high end analogue mastering gear.
 
Ok so recording it analog and then editing digital sounds like what I want to do. How do I do it?
 
Curtisebear516 said:
Ok so recording it analog and then editing digital sounds like what I want to do. How do I do it?
Click to expand...
Start with the search engine here and wear it out. Lots of information here, but you do have to look for it. Buy some books on recording - do an Amazon search. Study hard, figure out a signal path and start making noise.
 
I told you how to do it already.

I completely understand what you want to do. You want to have the best of both worlds, and since you already have the 8-track all you need is a line convertor.

You can record your 8 tracks onto the 8 track, and then import every individual track independently into your comp using this
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/MAudio-JamLab-Personal-Guitar-System?sku=241104

NOTE: this is the cheapest solution, not the best. Each track will have to be bounced to the comp individually. Once on the comp, it stays there. You cannot bounce it back onto tape, youll have to fashion a cable from your pc output jack to go back to the analogue 8-track.
 
Nightfire said:
I told you how to do it already.

I completely understand what you want to do. You want to have the best of both worlds, and since you already have the 8-track all you need is a line convertor.

You can record your 8 tracks onto the 8 track, and then import every individual track independently into your comp using this
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/MAudio-JamLab-Personal-Guitar-System?sku=241104

NOTE: this is the cheapest solution, not the best. Each track will have to be bounced to the comp individually. Once on the comp, it stays there. You cannot bounce it back onto tape, youll have to fashion a cable from your pc output jack to go back to the analogue 8-track.
Click to expand...
The cheapest solution is to use the line-in of you computer soundcard. This will allow two inputs at a time. You can output via the soundcard outputs. You'll probably just output as stereo anyway, or just burn to CD(no reason why not, it's already digified).
 
Yes, I hadnt menioned the soundcard option as I have never had much success with that route (pops and cracks).
Do you have a specific budget in mind CurtisBear?

Mike
 
The original poster needs to import all the tracks, from his tape machine, at the same time and not one at a time. Otherwise they won't line up. He needs to get a sound-card capable of this. That is a more expensive option but one which is practiced by some who have a hybrid analogue / digital setup (ie: track to analogue and mix inside computer).

If the original poster wants to stick to analogue, he may want to do most of the tracking, bouncing and mixing there and then do a simple 2 track mix-down to computer, via the inexpensive 'line in' soundcard route.

Keep it simple, don't edit too much and, rather, learn to play well.

Curtisebear516: You may wish to check out the following forum: https://homerecording.com/bbs/forumdisplay.php?f=21

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