G24s

[sweetbeats]

Mark ,

I got the pics.

Here is how I would set it up if I were in your shoes...you may want it different as far as where you control what, but let me know how you would want it different and if you can't figure out how to do it I will help.

Do what I said before as far as the output routing from the 450 and the 12/4.

• Connect the 450 to effect return 1, connect the 12/4 to effect return 2.
• Route effect returns 1 & 2 to groups 1 & 2
• Route channels 1 ~ 8 on the 1508 to groups 3 & 4
• Make sure the 1/L-2/R and 3-4 buttons are latched in the monitor section at the far right of the mixer. This will make sure you can hear in the headphones or on your monitor speakers what is passing through the group faders.

With the above settings you should be able to have gain control of the stereo feeds from the 450 and the 12/4 on the effect return master knobs above the group 1 & 2 faders, and master fader control of both the 450 and the 12/4 together on the group 1 & 2 faders. You will have master control of channels 17 ~ 24 of the G24S via the group 3 & 4 faders. If you want to control the overall level of all 24 inputs via a pair of faders rather than having the 450 and 12/4 split off on the group 1 & 2 faders, leave everything hooked up as it is and latch the "LINK 3-4 > 1/L-2/R" switch located directly above the group 1 fader. This will put master level control of all 24 tracks from the G24S onto group faders 1 & 2.

Let me know what you think, or how you would like to do it different based on your intuitive processes, but this should get you started.

 

[PaulWarp]

3 Mix Mixers

Mark ,

I got the pics.

Here is how I would set it up if I were in your shoes...you may want it different as far as where you control what, but let me know how you would want it different and if you can't figure out how to do it I will help.

Do what I said before as far as the output routing from the 450 and the 12/4.

• Connect the 450 to effect return 1, connect the 12/4 to effect return 2.
• Route effect returns 1 & 2 to groups 1 & 2
• Route channels 1 ~ 8 on the 1508 to groups 3 & 4
• Make sure the 1/L-2/R and 3-4 buttons are latched in the monitor section at the far right of the mixer. This will make sure you can hear in the headphones or on your monitor speakers what is passing through the group faders.

With the above settings you should be able to have gain control of the stereo feeds from the 450 and the 12/4 on the effect return master knobs above the group 1 & 2 faders, and master fader control of both the 450 and the 12/4 together on the group 1 & 2 faders. You will have master control of channels 17 ~ 24 of the G24S via the group 3 & 4 faders. If you want to control the overall level of all 24 inputs via a pair of faders rather than having the 450 and 12/4 split off on the group 1 & 2 faders, leave everything hooked up as it is and latch the "LINK 3-4 > 1/L-2/R" switch located directly above the group 1 fader. This will put master level control of all 24 tracks from the G24S onto group faders 1 & 2.

Let me know what you think, or how you would like to do it different based on your intuitive processes, but this should get you started.

Hello

Wow! It will take me a while to digest this and set everything up. Really appreciate your deductive reasoning here, aka experience. Awesome. Give me a few days(or a week), I will be in touch with you for sure. A thousand beers to ya! I'll get to it now.
Cheers

 

[sweetbeats]

Okay, Mark...I'll be here!

So you don't have a manual for that 1508? if not, I highly recommend getting one from Tascam. It will really help you take advantage of the features. The 1500-series mixers, even for lower-end mixers were really well thought out and feature-rich. You can see the difference between it and your 12/4. While the 1508 lacks a couple stereo channel strips, it crushes the 12/4 in signal routing flexibility, send capabilities and monitoring facilities. The 1508 is really a neat little mixer...all that and a bag of chips with the DUAL facility which can serve a number of different purposes.

Anyway, have fun, and seriously, if you start getting into it and intuitively you want to have control in a different way there are a lot of different ways you can go.

I'll keep my eyes on the thread. Have a great week!

 

[PaulWarp]

success

Okay, Mark...I'll be here!

So you don't have a manual for that 1508? if not, I highly recommend getting one from Tascam. It will really help you take advantage of the features. The 1500-series mixers, even for lower-end mixers were really well thought out and feature-rich. You can see the difference between it and your 12/4. While the 1508 lacks a couple stereo channel strips, it crushes the 12/4 in signal routing flexibility, send capabilities and monitoring facilities. The 1508 is really a neat little mixer...all that and a bag of chips with the DUAL facility which can serve a number of different purposes.

Anyway, have fun, and seriously, if you start getting into it and intuitively you want to have control in a different way there are a lot of different ways you can go.

I'll keep my eyes on the thread. Have a great week!

Hello
Well, I followed what you suggested and everything works! I've been replaying some master tapes just to familiarize myself with all this technology. Your help was really necessary. Thanks so much.

I do, obviously have some questions that maybe you can help out on.
1. The Fostex mixer isn't so hot. Less responsive than the Tascam. The Yamaha is still a mystery. I'm glad you suggested keeping the Tascam as the final in the queue. The question is: IF I were to record, say with two mics, would the same setup apply?

2. I notice some of the master tapes are 'sticky' when rewinding them. They slow the r-r down significantly. I end up doing a rewind on another G24S that I have, which will serve me for parts, but for now acts to do the rewinds for 'older' tapes. I notice the tape heads really take a beating with older tapes. Cleaning after each reel seems a good practice. Is this a normal routine?

3. I notice on some tapes, (usually one tape serves for a single song or just a few sections), that not all of the 24 tracks are used. In fact one tape only used two tracks and left over half the tape unused. If I want to erase everything on a tape, before using it (does it matter if I erase before using it?), do I have to erase each track individually or is there an easier way to select those tracks that were used, to be erased simultaneously?

I still have to feel my way around the mixers, but would like to know about the recording side now. If I want to use an acoustic guitar and vocals for starters, any ideas on setup?

BTW: I have the Tascam manual. Someone on ebay was selling it as a download, so I got it. I think when I get some more cash, I'd like to look at a 24 track mixer to replace these ones. But I'll make do with what I have for now. Lots to learn....whoa! But fun.

Hope to hear back from you.

Thanks
Mark

 

[analogkid]

#2 is most likely the dreaded sticky shed, check the thread in this forum for specifics.... but be sure to clean and demag the heads again.

AK

 

[sweetbeats]

Good to get the update! And also glad I could be a help.

1. Yes, IMO, the Tascam and Yamaha mixers are a league apart from the Fostex mixer. I'll have to answer your question with a question: I'm assuming you have enough cabling to leave the outputs of the G24S connected to your mixer array and then also to be able to patch outputs from the mixer array to inputs on the G24S (at least some but maybe not all tracks)? If so, at least for now, I'd just use inputs on the Yamaha or Tascam mixer and manually patch them to whatever track(s) you are wanting to record to. Experiment with the two different preamps...you may like one better than the other. Both the Yamaha and Tascam pre's will be clean and relatively quiet, and neutral. They aren't high-end pre's but should work just great. The Yamaha pre's may have a slight edge on noise floor and the Tascam pre's may be a little less neutral (i.e. have a little more character). And actually, FWIW, don't shy from trying the Fostex pre's either. You may like them. It's all about what works for you and inspires as far as I'm concerned y'know? But yes, you could use the same setup but I'd get familiar with how each one sounds and then, depending on how many tracks you want to record simultaneously, just focus on using one mixer...I'd probably defer to the Tascam just because I'm more familiar with their routing and labeling conventions, but also since it is your master mixer it might be more convenient as well.

2. AK is right on. No it is not normal to have the machine drag trying to run the tape and, though it is normal to clean up after running a reel through the path, if the tape path is well-adjusted and the tape condition is good/normal, there should be little to clean up. Like AK said there is a Sticky Shed thread tacked at the top of the forum thread list. I highly recommend you read it and compare suspect tape brands and production eras with the tape you are using. Use good quality 100% cotton makeup remover pads that have a quilted appearance to do your cleanup, and either denatured alcohol or anhydrous isopropyl alcohol of at least 91% to do the cleanup. I also second AK's recommendation to demag the deck using a good quality demag unit.

3. You should be able to record-arm just tracks on which you want to record over/erase. If the tape path is adjusted properly though and demagnetized, there really won't be any benefit to erasing and then recording as the tape hits the erase head first in the path which essentially does pre-erasing on the fly. If you really want to bring the tapes back to new condtion as far as what is on them, get a good quality bulk eraser. I totally didin't understand the value of a bulk eraser until recently having to get one to restore a piece of hardware on one of my Tascam decks...I bought an Inmac 7180 from Beck. It is unreal. TOTALLY wipes the tape which an erase head can never do to that degree. Hope that answers your question.

4. what are you using for vocal mics, and are you mic'ing the guitar, using an acoustic amp and mic'ing or amping and using a direct out or does the guitar have an onboard pickup/preamp?

 

[PaulWarp]

sticky tape

#2 is most likely the dreaded sticky shed, check the thread in this forum for specifics.... but be sure to clean and demag the heads again.

AK

hello
Thanks for that info. Yes, I notice some of the tapes from 1992 and 93 are like that. Not the case for 1995/96 etc. Any clue as to why? Are the earlier years just aging, or chemical composition of binding?

BTW: Do you know if over time, it is necessary to oil or lubricate the motors? I was wondering if this is a maintenance item that we need to attend to. I notice some squeeky sound and think it is inside, probably a motor.

Thanks in advance

 

[sweetbeats]

I think 92 and 93 are bad years. '94 was a tipping point. It was a chemical composition issue of the binder. Read that Sticky Shed thread. It'll tell you more than you want to know.

Do you have a manual for the deck? Usually the motors in a deck like that are sealed. You'd have to check the manual. Ever use a mechanic's stethoscope?

 

[PaulWarp]

g24s

Good to get the update! And also glad I could be a help.

1. Yes, IMO, the Tascam and Yamaha mixers are a league apart from the Fostex mixer. I'll have to answer your question with a question: I'm assuming you have enough cabling to leave the outputs of the G24S connected to your mixer array and then also to be able to patch outputs from the mixer array to inputs on the G24S (at least some but maybe not all tracks)? If so, at least for now, I'd just use inputs on the Yamaha or Tascam mixer and manually patch them to whatever track(s) you are wanting to record to. Experiment with the two different preamps...you may like one better than the other. Both the Yamaha and Tascam pre's will be clean and relatively quiet, and neutral. They aren't high-end pre's but should work just great. The Yamaha pre's may have a slight edge on noise floor and the Tascam pre's may be a little less neutral (i.e. have a little more character). And actually, FWIW, don't shy from trying the Fostex pre's either. You may like them. It's all about what works for you and inspires as far as I'm concerned y'know? But yes, you could use the same setup but I'd get familiar with how each one sounds and then, depending on how many tracks you want to record simultaneously, just focus on using one mixer...I'd probably defer to the Tascam just because I'm more familiar with their routing and labeling conventions, but also since it is your master mixer it might be more convenient as well.

2. AK is right on. No it is not normal to have the machine drag trying to run the tape and, though it is normal to clean up after running a reel through the path, if the tape path is well-adjusted and the tape condition is good/normal, there should be little to clean up. Like AK said there is a Sticky Shed thread tacked at the top of the forum thread list. I highly recommend you read it and compare suspect tape brands and production eras with the tape you are using. Use good quality 100% cotton makeup remover pads that have a quilted appearance to do your cleanup, and either denatured alcohol or anhydrous isopropyl alcohol of at least 91% to do the cleanup. I also second AK's recommendation to demag the deck using a good quality demag unit.

3. You should be able to record-arm just tracks on which you want to record over/erase. If the tape path is adjusted properly though and demagnetized, there really won't be any benefit to erasing and then recording as the tape hits the erase head first in the path which essentially does pre-erasing on the fly. If you really want to bring the tapes back to new condtion as far as what is on them, get a good quality bulk eraser. I totally didin't understand the value of a bulk eraser until recently having to get one to restore a piece of hardware on one of my Tascam decks...I bought an Inmac 7180 from Beck. It is unreal. TOTALLY wipes the tape which an erase head can never do to that degree. Hope that answers your question.

4. what are you using for vocal mics, and are you mic'ing the guitar, using an acoustic amp and mic'ing or amping and using a direct out or does the guitar have an onboard pickup/preamp?

Hi Again

Thanks for your answers. Seems like I'm back in school again.lol. Okay I'm going to use the Tascam first, for recording and then experiment later on with the others. I have plenty of cables, so connecting won't be an issue. I will try the pre's on the Tascam, although I did purchase earlier this year an ART 8 Channel Tube Firewire Preamp/Interface. I have APEX condenser mics (I purchased a kit a few years back that includes five mics), so I will try using mics. I do have a good acoustic guitar amp, but thought I'd try it some other time. I don't know too much about the ART pre except that it cost me $600. If you have any ideas how I can integrate it into my setup, I'm definitely open to ideas.

As for aging of tape, I have about 30 tapes mostly dating from the early to mid 90s. The '92 and '93 seem to leave more residue than the 95,96,98 years. Also those earlier years are quite the drag on the machine. They probably haven't been touched in ages. I think I will use the later years as my recording tapes and leave alone the early years. Thanks for the suggestion of reading up on the other section for tape issues. Also thanks to AK.

I find the r-r quite well aligned, so I will follow your advice on erasing procedure. If it doesn't do the job and 'cross over' occurs, or something, then it probably will indicate that I need to do alignments. How much did that 'bulk eraser' cost? Sounds interesting to plan for later on.

As for micing....wow....I'm totally new to this. I've been reading audio technical manuals, lol, trying to figure out what to do. What I have, which may help you give me some ideas, is: APEX mics, I can mic the guitar, the guitar(s) have onboard pickups, speaking only of acoustics for now. I have a national steel, but that will need a mic. I have a good acoustic amp but not sure how to fit this into everything as yet.

I also have an Alesis midiverb11, that would be cool to hook up and experiment with. Just not sure if this is the time to consider such 'effect' thingies.

Wow! That is a lot of detail. Can you make sense out of it? Like, is there a way to set things up to experiment with everything? I guess knowing where effect items connect to a mixer would be cool to know.

Oh, BTW, do you oil your r-r motors as a general maintenance practice...to subdue any 'squeeks'?

Thanks for this.
Mark

 

[sweetbeats]

Unless there are specific reasons you need the older reels of tape, pitch them. They are nothing but a hazard to your deck...read the Sticky Shed thread for details on which tapes are problematic. If there is material you need to archive from the tapes, bake the tapes, transfer the material and then ptich the tape. Keep the reels for extra takeup reels, eBay what you don't need.

Seemy previous post about oiling.

I'll have to get back to you later on the rest of the setup.

Unless you need to use the ART (i.e. you are ding tranfers to PC, or you like the pre's better) keep it simple...stick to the Tascam is my advice.

 

[PaulWarp]

Unless there are specific reasons you need the older reels of tape, pitch them. They are nothing but a hazard to your deck...read the Sticky Shed thread for details on which tapes are problematic. If there is material you need to archive from the tapes, bake the tapes, transfer the material and then ptich the tape. Keep the reels for extra takeup reels, eBay what you don't need.

Seemy previous post about oiling.

I'll have to get back to you later on the rest of the setup.

Unless you need to use the ART (i.e. you are ding tranfers to PC, or you like the pre's better) keep it simple...stick to the Tascam is my advice.

Hi

I must admit, the willing free exchange of info on this site is quite impressive. It really is refreshing to see people committed to helping others.

I purchased the tapes in a bulk deal that included a G24S that I use for parts. The tapes are masters and I thought I would listen to them and perhaps learn a bit from them in terms of how the tracking was executed. I'm just about finished reviewing them. I will follow your advice on trashing them and keeping the reels. Yes, I've noticed quite a range of 'debris' pouring off some of the real old stuff, like 92,93. I notice the 1998, 96,95, seem really clean on the machine and demonstrate no apparent stress to the machine. Are they also considered 'old' and should be trashed too?

I will read the article you mentioned. But tell me, what is deemed 'new' in terms of year? And what years are 'old'....or what is the cutoff year to not look back and trash?

Okay about the ART. No rush to incorporate it. Was purchased for the pre's, but I'll keep it simple for now with the Tascam.

Yes, take your time on the other stuff. I do appreciate you doing this.

Thanks

 

[PaulWarp]

I think 92 and 93 are bad years. '94 was a tipping point. It was a chemical composition issue of the binder. Read that Sticky Shed thread. It'll tell you more than you want to know.

Do you have a manual for the deck? Usually the motors in a deck like that are sealed. You'd have to check the manual. Ever use a mechanic's stethoscope?

Hi

Yes I have the manual. But there is no reference/detail on the motors. But I did take apart the other G24 I have (for parts only), and noticed how the ff/rw motors are sealed. The capstan motor has some kind of servo circuitry attached to it, so it too is probably a tough call. I'm not sure what the slight squeeky sound is, but it just started today. Maybe I'll have to do some checking. What is a mechanic's stethoscope?

 

[sweetbeats]

I don't want to misquote the cutoff year for bad tapes, and it depends on the brand and model of tape too to some degree...I believe that 1994 is an important year in all this, and there are certain tapes that were less problematic all along. What brand and model are the '95. '96 and '98 tapes? Mark, that's where I stop and say again, read the Sticky Shed thread.

On the motor lubrication I'm not surprised that the reel motors are sealed, and your capstan motor is as well. The squeaking could be coming from a number of other things and where it is coming from can be deceptive. Google "mechanic's stethoscope". It is a device that auto mechanic's use to isolate where a sound is coming from, or to listen to the internal noise of an engine. It has ear-pieces and a simple metal probe and when you touch it to the surface of components you can really hear where a noise is coming from. You can do a poor-man's mechanic's stethoscope using any length of metal rod, even thin rod or anything similar. I have a long ceramic screwdriver that I use. I just push the end of the handle onto the small flap in front of my ear canal opening closing off my ear canal (like you would do when you are plugging your ear, essentially blocking off outside noises) and then I can touch different components of the tape path for instance and find the source of a noise that doesn't sound right. I had a wierd creaky-squeaky noise and found that it was coming from my pinch roller...tension arm was maladjusted and the tape wasn't riding evenly on the roller...also found that my scrape filter (a little roller between the sync and repro heads on my 58) bearings were a little dry. You may be able to find your squeak this way.

Your manual...does it have calibration info (i.e. is it an operations and service manual, or just operations)?

My bulk eraser was in trade, but I think it is typically $100+ for a good one.

If you want to start using the midiverb effects processor, you will need to either connect it to the effects path on the Yamaha mixer, or change how you are cascading the Yamaha and Fostex mixers into the Tascam, since those mixers are connected to the effects loops on the Tascam. Gets a little more complicated and you may want to wait until you have a situation in which you know you would like to use it and then I can help from there.

As for micing....wow....I'm totally new to this. I've been reading audio technical manuals, lol, trying to figure out what to do. What I have, which may help you give me some ideas, is: APEX mics, I can mic the guitar, the guitar(s) have onboard pickups, speaking only of acoustics for now. I have a national steel, but that will need a mic. I have a good acoustic amp but not sure how to fit this into everything as yet.

Sounds scary. Let me suggest a book that was recommended to me by cjacek: "The Musician's Guide to Home Recording" by Peter McIan and Larry Wichman. It was written for you. I'm only part way into it, but it is a rich book of layman's explainations of expert techniques, tips, tricks, tools...it is very well done. It is not a technical manual, and, IMO, a technical manual is not going to help you, and I'm not sure I have the time to step through the different ideas for what you can do with the gear you've mentioned so far. You need to start small and branch out. Start with your favorite guitar. Put a mic on it, plug that into a mic input, turn up the trim knob until just below clipping, plug the direct out from that channel into an input on the G24S, push the channel fader up until you got a good level and record something. Don't like the sound? Try a different mic. Try different mic positions. Try direct if the guitar has an onboard preamp you can go into the LINE input on the same mixer channel and switch the input to monitor the LINE jack...do the same thing...twist some eq knobs...play. Run into a specific problem and post a specific question.

I'm not really sure what your background experience is...I think a lot of us here started out on a cassette 4-track y'know? You've got options coming out of your ears and it might just be better to pretend your G24S is only an 8-track deck and just use the Tascam and play around...Get that book. Got mine used off of Amazon.com, $10 shipped in VGC and its the size of a phone book.

Don't know if this helps or not. I enjoy this stuff so much and if I had the time and we were geographically close I'd love to sit down with you and your gear and walk you through it all and play around with it and share what limited knowledge I have...unfortunately neither of those conditions exist so I'm hoping that the above ideas might help get you started, and if there are specific problems that you run into let's tackle them as we go...read manuals for your gear though...Google terms you don't understand...I've spent an inordinate amount of time just reading manuals for stuff, just because its fun, but it has helped me quickly aclimate to new gear. Good job getting the manual for the 1508...read it and try to get your head around the routing...don't gloss over the block diagrams, they show you how everything connects up inside that thing and if you can get your head around that 1508 you are well on you're way because it is a complex mixer compared to the 450 and 12/4.

I can only recommend what I know, and even though I've been actively muscling through this arena of technology and craft for 15 or so years, I'm still a beginner. Use what you can/what works, discard the rest and seek another source.

 

[PaulWarp]

I don't want to misquote the cutoff year for bad tapes, and it depends on the brand and model of tape too to some degree...I believe that 1994 is an important year in all this, and there are certain tapes that were less problematic all along. What brand and model are the '95. '96 and '98 tapes? Mark, that's where I stop and say again, read the Sticky Shed thread.

On the motor lubrication I'm not surprised that the reel motors are sealed, and your capstan motor is as well. The squeaking could be coming from a number of other things and where it is coming from can be deceptive. Google "mechanic's stethoscope". It is a device that auto mechanic's use to isolate where a sound is coming from, or to listen to the internal noise of an engine. It has ear-pieces and a simple metal probe and when you touch it to the surface of components you can really hear where a noise is coming from. You can do a poor-man's mechanic's stethoscope using any length of metal rod, even thin rod or anything similar. I have a long ceramic screwdriver that I use. I just push the end of the handle onto the small flap in front of my ear canal opening closing off my ear canal (like you would do when you are plugging your ear, essentially blocking off outside noises) and then I can touch different components of the tape path for instance and find the source of a noise that doesn't sound right. I had a wierd creaky-squeaky noise and found that it was coming from my pinch roller...tension arm was maladjusted and the tape wasn't riding evenly on the roller...also found that my scrape filter (a little roller between the sync and repro heads on my 58) bearings were a little dry. You may be able to find your squeak this way.

Your manual...does it have calibration info (i.e. is it an operations and service manual, or just operations)?

My bulk eraser was in trade, but I think it is typically $100+ for a good one.

If you want to start using the midiverb effects processor, you will need to either connect it to the effects path on the Yamaha mixer, or change how you are cascading the Yamaha and Fostex mixers into the Tascam, since those mixers are connected to the effects loops on the Tascam. Gets a little more complicated and you may want to wait until you have a situation in which you know you would like to use it and then I can help from there.



Sounds scary. Let me suggest a book that was recommended to me by cjacek: "The Musician's Guide to Home Recording" by Peter McIan and Larry Wichman. It was written for you. I'm only part way into it, but it is a rich book of layman's explainations of expert techniques, tips, tricks, tools...it is very well done. It is not a technical manual, and, IMO, a technical manual is not going to help you, and I'm not sure I have the time to step through the different ideas for what you can do with the gear you've mentioned so far. You need to start small and branch out. Start with your favorite guitar. Put a mic on it, plug that into a mic input, turn up the trim knob until just below clipping, plug the direct out from that channel into an input on the G24S, push the channel fader up until you got a good level and record something. Don't like the sound? Try a different mic. Try different mic positions. Try direct if the guitar has an onboard preamp you can go into the LINE input on the same mixer channel and switch the input to monitor the LINE jack...do the same thing...twist some eq knobs...play. Run into a specific problem and post a specific question.

I'm not really sure what your background experience is...I think a lot of us here started out on a cassette 4-track y'know? You've got options coming out of your ears and it might just be better to pretend your G24S is only an 8-track deck and just use the Tascam and play around...Get that book. Got mine used off of Amazon.com, $10 shipped in VGC and its the size of a phone book.

Don't know if this helps or not. I enjoy this stuff so much and if I had the time and we were geographically close I'd love to sit down with you and your gear and walk you through it all and play around with it and share what limited knowledge I have...unfortunately neither of those conditions exist so I'm hoping that the above ideas might help get you started, and if there are specific problems that you run into let's tackle them as we go...read manuals for your gear though...Google terms you don't understand...I've spent an inordinate amount of time just reading manuals for stuff, just because its fun, but it has helped me quickly aclimate to new gear. Good job getting the manual for the 1508...read it and try to get your head around the routing...don't gloss over the block diagrams, they show you how everything connects up inside that thing and if you can get your head around that 1508 you are well on you're way because it is a complex mixer compared to the 450 and 12/4.

I can only recommend what I know, and even though I've been actively muscling through this arena of technology and craft for 15 or so years, I'm still a beginner. Use what you can/what works, discard the rest and seek another source.

Hi

Great advice! I will take your suggestions and start doing what you suggest. You are right, I have way too much gear for right now. Starting simple is good. I can add on later what I have. When I was a kid...duh......I think I'm a big kid now, but when I was 15 I had a small sony r-r and it just kindled my interest in r-r for years. But I didn't touch it again until 4 years ago, and only this year did I spend a small fortune on these pro machines. I simply decided to read up on this stuff and ebay lead me into further queries. The end result is having some good analog equipment that I wanted for recording my own stuff along with some of my friends.

So, yah, I can take it slow and simple first. I love this stuff. Always been handy in electronics, so this stuff isn't totally foreign. But there is a craft to it, which takes time. And as far as recording finesse.....well...that is an art form and you will just have to put on mileage to develop that craft.

I will get that book for sure. Sounds perfect. Thanks for the recommendation. I will try the Alessis later, after trying out some preliminary recording as you suggest. I will focus on the Tascam for recording. I don't need the full 24 tracks right now....hehe....I sound optimistic.

Your idea/tip on stethascope is cool. I actually solved the squeeling sound. It was the tape pathway as you say. Actually had to clean the rubber rollers and that did the trick. Only found this out by using parts from my other machine....and voila...noticed that one roller didn't create the sound. Hence I realized a cleaning was needed. What a relief that I didn't have to consider motor issues. And yes, you are right, those motors are sealed. I was chatting with someone else who also echoed what you said.

As for my shedding tape. I read a massive amount of what you suggested. Yes, I'm dumping pre 1994 reels. No point messing up my machine. The '95/'96/98 tapes are still great. How much is a new 1inch 456 going for these days?

Thanks for your help. I will keep you posted on how things go. Give me time to experiement and when I have a specific question as you say, I'll ask you. This way I think I can evolve and expand the setup in a progressive manner.

Much appreciated

Cheers
Mark

 

[sweetbeats]

Sounds great, Mark!

Have fun and keep us "posted".

BTW, Quantegy is no longer made, but RMGI SM911 is a "drop-in" replacement for that...in fact RMGI is presently the only tape manuafacturer making new +6 tape. US Recording Media has them going for $127.45.

 

[PaulWarp]

Sounds great, Mark!

Have fun and keep us "posted".

BTW, Quantegy is no longer made, but RMGI SM911 is a "drop-in" replacement for that...in fact RMGI is presently the only tape manuafacturer making new +6 tape. US Recording Media has them going for $127.45.

Hi

Thanks.
BTW: I noticed you referred to a 58 that you have. I presume it is a Tascam 58. Don't know if it matters, but I have a 58 that I was keeping for parts. If ever you think you could use it, let me know and we can chat. I can tell you more about it later, if you are interested.

Thanks for your help. Will be in touch again. I'll be away for a week, but will connect when I return, or if I find a computer on the road to check out the net.

Mark

 

[sweetbeats]

Mark,

What model and make of guitar amp do you have, and do you have model numbers for those APEX mics?