I'm so exited

[antispatula]

So as many know, I've got 2 mx5050 1/2" 8 tracks. I now know how to use it decently, and was able for the first time to have it linked to some decent stuff. I went from an ADK Hamburg (300 bucks) to a DMP3 pre (160) to the recorder, and man, when I played back me saying "testing, 1 2 3 testing" I was SO suprised and happy to hear such fat and smooth and crispy and clear sound. Before this, I had tried recording on a 4 track cassete portastudio, then plugged direcly into my pc using a 20 dollar dynamic, then even recorded at my friends house with an at3050 and pc setup, but this is the first time I've truly been able to understand the great potential of A. home recording and B. analog recording. Man I'm so exited!!!!

And I'm proud of myself for actaully being able to hook up my pre to the recorder. The pre luckly had an unbal 1/4" out, and my recorder uses XLR UNBAL (WEIRD!) so I had to build my own wire and stuff to accomidate the recorders input-weirdness.

Oh, and a quick question: Since I miraculously have 2 8 tracks, to sync them together, do I just record a metrenome on both recorders and use that to sync them together? That sounds like a simple and easy way to do it.

Anyways, thanks all of you who have helped me SO much in learning all this stuff, you guys are like my main source of figuring all this recording/reel to reel/ electronics stuff out!

 

[elmerfunk]

Congratulations on your new twins!!

First I have to ask you a question. Are you the one that scored these 8 tracks for like next to nothing. One for like $100 and another for $300? I remember reading a thread somewhere just wondering if it's you. Analog is soooooo sweet. If you want to sync the decks together you are going to need a syncronizer of some sort. Just recording a metronome on both recorders does sound like the easy way to do it, but I'm sorry to say, it's not. In theory that's what a syncronizer does. If you record a metronome on each deck how are you gonna push play on each deck at precisely the same time and keep them running at the same speed. A syncronizer prints time code to a track on each deck which the syncronizer reads and keeps in line as far as speed. One deck becomes master and one slave (oooooh I like the sound of that) and when you start the master the slave starts as well. You'll only have 14 tracks because time code is gonna take up 2. You could use a Tascam MTS-1000 there's one on ebay right now item #7400044748. You are gonna enjoy those machines man. Congratulations!!!

 

[SteveMac]

You could use a Tascam MTS-1000 there's one on ebay right now item #7400044748. You are gonna enjoy those machines man. Congratulations!!!

Man, that thing looks confusing to use. Of course your recorders have to be midi equipped to use that, don't they?

Congrats Antispatula. You're a lucky dude. I bet alot of bands have had thier first albums recorded on those. For instance Nirvana's "Bleach". I know it was a 1/2" 8 track and it was probably an Otari.

 

[cjacek]

Congrats antispatula! I followed your posts from the beginning and admire your persistence to get everything set-up and also for not selling off your Otaris!

Btw, I think you'd need to get something like a synchronizer to sync your 2 recorders. From what I understand, you'd actually get 14 (and not 16) tracks out of it since each machine needs something called a SMPTE track. Obviously I'm not familiar enough in this area. Perhaps someone else can chime in ?

Alternatively and how they did it in the 'ol days, is to record all your tracks to one machine, submix them to the other, in either stereo (on 2 tracks) or mono and record to the other empty tracks and then on to final mixdown. That is IF you really *need* the extra tracks. 8 is plenty you know. That you have a 2nd Otari doesn't neccessarily mean you have to use it. Keep it for parts or when you actually *need* more tracks. Alternative #2 is that you can also bounce tracks on the one machine and / or submix to the other etc ... Many possibilities

 

[jpmorris]

Man, that thing looks confusing to use. Of course your recorders have to be midi equipped to use that, don't they?

No (since this is the box that adds MIDI capabilities to them) but they do have to have the Tascam accessory port. I don't know what sync box you use with the Otaris, but it probably won't be the Tascam one.

For instance Nirvana's "Bleach". I know it was a 1/2" 8 track and it was probably an Otari.

5050-8 MK1, or so I have heard.

 

[elmerfunk]

No (since this is the box that adds MIDI capabilities to them) but they do have to have the Tascam accessory port. I don't know what sync box you use with the Otaris, but it probably won't be the Tascam one.


5050-8 MK1, or so I have heard.

You shouldn't need the accessory port. It also has 1/4" ins and outs for time code. You should be able to sync any two machines together with this machine. I was looking at one to sync a Tascam 38 to my VS-1880, but I think the VS is going to have to go and I am going back to analog. Man if can fill all those tracks use them you'll have some fantastic warm recordings......"ride like the wind bullseye".

 

[SteveMac]

You shouldn't need the accessory port. It also has 1/4" ins and outs for time code. You should be able to sync any two machines together with this machine. I was looking at one to sync a Tascam 38 to my VS-1880, but I think the VS is going to have to go and I am going back to analog. Man if can fill all those tracks use them you'll have some fantastic warm recordings......"ride like the wind bullseye".

I have a VS1880 and the 38 too. In fact I've synched them together. All you need is a simple sync box for that.Like a midiman syncman, like this . I'm holding on to 1880 even though I'm tracking on the 38.

What I don't get though is how can you sync two machines if one doesn't even know what midi is? How can the deck slave to a midi signal?

 

[Mark7]

Of course, filling up eight tracks on one machine and then doing a stereo reduction bounce to the other will still leave you with only 6 tracks empty. Which is fourteen in total... exactly the same number as you'd have to play with if both machines were synched together.

I'd get the synchroniser

Of course, what'd really rock is if you could bounce all 14 tracks from both decks to a stereo recorder, then bounce that submix back to one of the Otaris and add another 12 tracks

 

[FALKEN]

man,

I would just record on one...

and then before you mix, dump all 8 tracks to the other machine...

why?

because you can do your mutes and efx and fades and stuff on that transfer. then when you mix all you have to worry about is the balance. its much easier than trying to do everything at once. plus you can re-use stuff like compressors...use it for the drums on the transfer, then the vocals on the final mix..or something. This is how they used to do it in the old days.

 

[Beck]

You just need a tape synchronizer like the Tascam ATS 500 or LYNX Time-Code. The synchronizer could be MIDI capable or not… it doesn’t matter. SMPTE was around long before MIDI.

The Otari machines have a SMPTE connector. You stripe track 8 of each machine with the sync code. You then plug the track 8 outputs into the synchronizer and plug the synchronizer into the slave’s SMPTE connector. (Connections may vary with type of synchronizer used). Otari may have produced a sync box, but I’m not familiar with it.

The synchronizer listens to the sync code on both machines and adjusts the speed of the slave machine to stay with the master. Using SMPTE, or MIDI time code (MTC) with Song Position Pointer (SPP) you can stop and start the machines at any point and they will sync up again without rewinding to the beginning.