Can you hear yourself with a Tascam 1800 without plugging it to the PC??

T

TheComposer

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Sup, basically that's my whole question, I rehearse with a drummer and bassist, we use a click tracks and only use headphones to rehearse (With a splitter so everybody listens to the same thing).

We do this by using a mixer where we plug everything and then use the heaphones out via splitter so all of us listen what's up.

I wonder if I could the very same thing with the Tascam 1800, I'm gonna buy it soon (Not for this exact purpose), but I'd like to know if this possible.

See ya later!
:thumbs up:
 
I didnt know the answer to this so I went into the studio and tried it.

No, you cant get signal through without the computer.
 
mdainsd said:
I didnt know the answer to this so I went into the studio and tried it.

No, you cant get signal through without the computer.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I am not sure the 1800 will even fire up without USB connection to computer drivers.

Too bad, cuz it would be cool in that situation to just use it as a mixer of sort.
 
This "standalone" facility was given to very few interfaces and even fewer with a lot of inputs and all were IIRC, Firewire devices. MOTU and RME were two of the few.

My Focusrite 8i6 can do it to some degree (I simply have not had the time to investigate that MixControl app' properly!) . The venerable M-A Fast track pro could run stand alone and even operate as a S/PDIF converter. But of course neither device has close to the I/O of the Tascam!

I would not hold your breath or onto the pennies for this facility. Likely to be rare as RHS on USB and you do not want Fussywire these days!

Dave.
 
I wonder whether it might have something to do with the interface's source of power.

My thinking is this: most interfaces have outputs for monitors. This is a line output. Some interfaces also have additional outputs for headphone amps and suchlike.

If the interface depends on a PC for power, then I can see how this would prevent stand-alone operation.

However, my firepod gets its power independently: it uses a wallwart. This means that it will operate just fine when nowhere near a computer. I can stick eight things into its inputs, turn the mix control to input and enjoy a rudimentary eight-channel mixer, using its main or monitor outputs for the mix. There's no panning, but.
 
gecko zzed said:
I wonder whether it might have something to do with the interface's source of power.

My thinking is this: most interfaces have outputs for monitors. This is a line output. Some interfaces also have additional outputs for headphone amps and suchlike.

If the interface depends on a PC for power, then I can see how this would prevent stand-alone operation.

However, my firepod gets its power independently: it uses a wallwart. This means that it will operate just fine when nowhere near a computer. I can stick eight things into its inputs, turn the mix control to input and enjoy a rudimentary eight-channel mixer, using its main or monitor outputs for the mix. There's no panning, but.
Click to expand...

I think it rather depends upon how the designer choses to do the internal routing/switching?
My 8i6 will only work at all if it is rat powered but as I said, does have limited stand alone capability.
The KA6 does not have the option of external power* and is dedicated to bus power. I have tried it on USB juice only and the signal routing is not "turned on".

The Fast track pro does both. It can run S/A or just on bus power.

*Now I love my KA6 ("ya don't SAY!" Shutup Bobbs!) but I think in some cases the option of rat power would have been nice?

Dave.
 
With the US800, the mix control is all software, so if the US1800 is the same way, I would guess that's the real limitation (since the US800 uses a wallwart, I assume the 1800 does too).
 
Tascam does put out one they advertise that can be used as a pre-amp without the computer, the 16X08. Maybe a feature in the future when thinking of a replacement.
 
I used to do be able to do it with the US800, but not with the 1800. I often played through my 800 without even turning on the computer.
 
RAMI said:
I used to do be able to do it with the US800, but not with the 1800. I often played through my 800 without even turning on the computer.
Click to expand...

Interesting, I've never tried it ... but then again, my computer is always on.
 
mjbphotos said:
Interesting, I've never tried it ... but then again, my computer is always on.
Click to expand...
Yeah, mine too. I think once, it happened to be off and I hit a few keys on my keyboard and actually heard them coming through my speakers. It kind of freaked me out. Then it made sense. I had the keyboard plugged into the inter face, and the audio of the interface going into the receiver that my speakers are plugged into, so it made sense. The only thing that sends the signal into the computer is the USB cable. I'm still not sure why I can't do it with the 1800, but like you said, my computer's almost always on, so I never bothered trying to figure it out.
 
Wow! I don't even remember ever seeing that. If mine had that, I never touched it and I'm assuming it was always on USB for it to work with my computer. Chili has mine now. If he sees this, maybe he can look and see. I'm curious.
 
Wow! You're right. That's truly bizarre. I'm 99% sure I didn't have that switch.
 
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