How to start a live/recording Rack

  • Thread starter Thread starter nik the barber
  • Start date Start date
N

nik the barber

New member
What are the essentials to a good live/studio rack, I'm very new to the entire rack or deal, and I'm wondering what you should start with, and how do I set up a rack. the thing is I want to go analog by recording on my tascam 424. I know it may sound stupid. But I want to set up a rack for it, and I need to know how I would set it up (connections and what not)
So would I need a Head phone amp, Compressor, Effets processor, and can some one give me DETAILED way of explaing how you set it up. One day I want to get a analog 8 track. But I want to know what I need to do with a rack?
 
Are you trying to record analog or digital? You said you wanted to record analog through the US424 but thats a digital interface with A/D converters. If you going digital than the 428 would work but I believe it will only record 4 tracks simultaneously which is typically insufficient for live recordings. As far as racking the Tascam I'm not too sure. You could get one of those slide out drawers for the rack and put it in there, but as a far as a rackmount kit for it, Im not sure one exists.
 
Geez, I have no idea!

Who ever heard of a rack system for a silly Tascam 4-track, anyway? ;)
 

Attachments

  • im002549a.webp
    im002549a.webp
    81.5 KB · Views: 261
Sorry, Dude. There's no such thing as a US-424, but good try.

Anyway, no one mentioned the US-428 or digital, to begin with.

Good SWAG, but not a match.;)
 
But what do I need to get to start a rack set up? What componets and processors and such, and I want to go old school. belive me I have recorded a band with only 4 tracks live. But when I use it for recording I planned on doing that classic mix down to a hi-fi vcr, then re-mixing down onto a casset in the 4 track. But WHAT DO I NEED TO GET, AND HOW DO I SET IT UP?
 
"Nik the barber"????

Sorry, I'm not letting a guy named "Nick" at me with a pair of scissors!

:D:D:D
 
Dude, there's at least a 1001 ways to spin the answer to your question.

Rackmounting of the 424 itself is the most difficult aspect of your request. There's no rack kit for it, and if you DIY, you'd have to be extremely careful that the screws that hold the rack rails onto the Porta would not enter the case and short something out inside the Porta.

The other part of the question, the rack gear you'd probably want, is another question to which there's no definite answer.

What I have posted, above, is:
[2] Tascam MX-80, 8x2 rackmount preamps/mixer
[1] Tascam PE-40, 4-channel/4-band fully parametric EQ
[1] M-1B, 8x2 line mixer
[1] MH-40, 4-banger headphone amp
[1] Tascam 234, rackmount 4-track cassette, with built in 4x2 stereo output/cue mixer.

This type of gear presents numerous and almost unlimited patching combinations, situationally dependent on what kind of gig you're recording.

Other gear, not pictured, that I'd recommend, might be:
Fostex 3180, stereo spring reverb
Fostex 3170, stereo compressor/limiter
Fostex 3030, digital delay
Tascam GE-20, stereo 10-band graphic EQ
Tascam PB-32R or PB-64R, RCA patch bays

Or, some comparable rack- or half-rack delay/reverb processor, such as my Yamaha R100, stereo digital delay/reverb, half-rack sized.

Notice, all this gear I've quoted is vintage gear items, only found on Ebay, and other used gear venues, but it represents a heck of a lot of bang for your buck, at the current low-bid prices.

There's also another vintage piece, that's rare indeed, the Tascam GA-40, 4 channel noise gate. I've only seen one of these GA-40's on Ebay in over 3 years.

There's more, I'm sure, depending on who you ask, but that's my answer. If you're talking about NEW rack gear, dude, there's loads of it, which you could spend the rest of the year talking about, wondering about, and/or comparing.

Rack gear is handy and versatile, and is still applicable to driving signal into the likes of a Tascam 424. The rackmount of the 424 is the most difficult part of the proposition.

Do you have the 424std, mk2 or mk3??
 
Oh sorry. I misread the orginal post. I thought he was talking about the little Tascam USB interface. Ignore what i said LOL. :)
 
424 mk3 porta, another question is how do you set a rack up. I mean what plugs into what. Should I get ride of the 424 and get something better. Like a 8 track. If so what kind should I get. Like I was looking in the tascam forum and they had a post about 8 tracks. But I just got really cunfussed. What would be a good 8 track. Are the 8 track cassets recorders good or bad? So many questions.
 
The 424mkIII's a good unit, that's worth hanging on to.

Rackmounting the 424mkIII is a slightly different story, but don't let me tell you it's impossible. I'm sure it's somehow possible.

The 424mkIII, like any other Portastudio, is pretty self contained. You don't really need another set of gear to do basic recording. As far as effects or processors go, there are 2 effects sends, but keep in mind that one effects send doubles as the tape cue section.

An 8 track is just another format. Sure, 8 tracks is sometimes more handy to have, to fill out your productions more. A cassette 8 track is a good budget solution. There are really so many variables. The field of cassette 8 tracks are few, but the 488mkII and 238 are probably the best cassette 8 tracks you can get. The 488mkII is a full Portastudio, which is self contained mixer/recorder, but the 238 is a Syncaset, and will require an external mixer.

There are really too many variables to say anything is any one way. In general, it's probably best to start with a 4-track Portastudio, and work your way up, although the 4-track Portastudio will fill your needs for a great part of your basic and learning years of recording,... or at least I think it should.

Any submixer you use as a front end to the 424mkIII, would have to plug in to the line in, 1/4" inputs. Any effects you might use would normally be patched from EFFECTS SEND to Channels 5/6 or 7/8, in most cases, but it's not limited to that, exclusively.

The 424mkIII is the topline cassette format Portastudio that's still available as new, and everything else you could think of would be an Ebay item. Search Ebay/Tascam for a while, to get a feel for what's out there.

The system I showed you [above] is a great, high tech solution, to what I thought your question was, but it's only one solution, and may be beyond the scope of your original question.

Good luck.
 
Hey Nic, I'm posting this very cautiously, haven't been to a barber in over three years ; )...I still have a Tascam 424mkIII, you didn't mention if you actually have a rack or other equipment you use...I had my MKIII mounted in a rack for awhile, I just bought a rack mount pull out shelf unit, put some 2" double sided tape on the bottom of the deck and stuck it to the shelf, it held in place good. Your other outboard equipment of course plays a key role in how you mic, mix and record a live show. Good luck
 
A live rack and a recording rack are two very different animals, and to be perfectly honest only YOU can configure your own ideal rack because it has to suit the way you work.

A generic live rack might have the following:

3 - Stereo 31 band graphic EQs. ( For stereo mains and 4 stage monitor mixes)

8 - Channels of gating. ( Most of the drumkit, maybe backing vocals, maybe percussion, etc.)

8 - Channels of compression. ( Vocals, bass, acoustic gtr, snare, etc. Whatever needs it.)

2 - Reverbs. ( One for vocals one for drums.)

1 - Delay or Multi FX (vocals.)

The compressors, EQs and gates will probably all be the same model for consistency and ease of use.


A recording rack can take just about any shape, but generally:

Several different stand alone mic preamps, all different so that you have a variety of choices and flavours.

0 - graphic EQs, recording engineers hate graphic EQs! Parametric EQs all the way baby! They offer more fine control and don't screw around with your signal as much.

1000 - Reverbs and Multi fx units, because no ONE unit does everything just the way that it needs to be to suit that one snare hit in the second verse.

4-8 - Channels of gating. ( just in case you need them during mixdown)

Several different types of compressor ( flavour options again)

Patchbays so that you don't have to go crawling around behind those neatly installed racks.

Other miscellaneous processors, bass expanders, aural exciters, Phase comboblifiers, etc.


Recording racks will generally be more about having options, and the right tool for the job. You will find less duplication of the same equipment because if you need to use one piece of gear on two different things you can always 'bounce' or 'print on the way in' or get around it some other way.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top