keeping track of TRACKS

[jbal122819]

I used to have the Tascam 788 Portastudio and it allowed me to Name tracks (i.e. Guitar 1, Tele 1, LesPaul 2, Snare, etc.).
My new Tascam DP-24 cannot do this.
Is there some simple, generally accepted way to keep track of all these
Tracks?
I've tried Post-a-Notes, colored stickers, etc. all pretty low tech.
Any suggestions are appreciated.
jb

 

[JeffroMixesYou]

One long strip of masking tape underneath the faders and a Sharpie. Not everything in the studio has to be hi-tech

 

[RAMI]

One long strip of masking tape underneath the faders and a Sharpie. Not everything in the studio has to be hi-tech

Sounds good on paper, but the DP-24 uses virtual tracks. If you don't name them, it can get really confusing not knowing what track is what.

Jbal, I can't believe the DP-24 doesn't allow you to name tracks. I mean, I believe you, but I can't believe it. Even the 2488 allowed yo to do this. Why would they get rid of such a useful feature. TASCAM is the weirdest company when it comes to their "up-grades".

 

[mjbphotos]

I used to make a grid chart for the tracks for my Boss BR600 as it did not let you name them. It was easier to use - could look at it to decide where to put the next virtual track when also thinking of the bounce-down stage.

 

[Doctor Varney]

Well, here's one idea... but it's more technical than bits of paper... only a bit. If you have a laptop running nearby on your desk, that is.

When I was learning how to use my mixer, as there were no presets, I'd frequently need something to quickly refer to in order to remember routings and levels. Thankfully, I quickly grew out of the need for this as I learned the controls.

If you have a half decent image editor which supports layers - and a text tool, then take a high quality digital snap of your mixer and then using the text tool, drop a few words onto the image where needed.

Then save your images into a folder on your desktop, named appropriately, in a way that makes sense to you and will be easy to recall in a couple of seconds. Obviously, make sure you save in the editor's native format, so you can easily edit to reflect changes.

You can always make a template 'sticky note', bubble or text background so you can easily copy the layer to type onto. In fact, I suppose you could even use office software like Word or Powerpoint - anything which supports placing text over images. Though I found Photoshop the quickest - and I'm aware you can tag PSD files with terms for quick searching.

Save as JPGs as well and you can quickly reference them through Windows picture viewer to save opening the whole imaging application.

Course, you could always get into making complicated diagrams, but the beauty of a digital pic is that it's both quick and records your slider levels as well as track names.

I also take pictures of where wire connectors were before I dismantle a PC, so there can be no mistake when putting things back together. If anything doesn't look too clear, I'll throw some text over the top to aid my memory.

Like I say, it's just one way that worked for me.

 

[grimtraveller]

If you have a half decent image editor which supports layers - and a text tool, then take a high quality digital snap of your mixer and then using the text tool, drop a few words onto the image where needed.

Then save your images into a folder on your desktop, named appropriately, in a way that makes sense to you and will be easy to recall in a couple of seconds. Obviously, make sure you save in the editor's native format, so you can easily edit to reflect changes.

You can always make a template 'sticky note', bubble or text background so you can easily copy the layer to type onto. In fact, I suppose you could even use office software like Word or Powerpoint - anything which supports placing text over images. Though I found Photoshop the quickest - and I'm aware you can tag PSD files with terms for quick searching.

Save as JPGs as well and you can quickly reference them through Windows picture viewer to save opening the whole imaging application.

That sounds great but overly complicated for what is actually something quick and intuitive. Supposedly.
Does the DP~24 not number the tracks ? Then just keep a notebook with what is on each track.
I do think it's ridiculous that the tracks can't be named. I wouldn't believe it either, were it not for the fact that today a bus driver refused to take my money for my fare {he said he had no change} and turned the engine off when I refused to get off.
So anything ridiculous is possible.