Mixer for 38-8?

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MartyMcFly

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Hey Joe...
Can someone give me an idea about what type of mixer to use wit a Tascam 38-8? Tanks
 
I use an m-208, and it works well for me. Sweepable mids, wonderful, warm sound quality, and it's pretty quiet as well. I only use it to listen back/ mix, since I use dedicated preamps for recording, so the lack of phantom power has never been an issue for me. Definitely something to consider- if you're not going to need to record through your mixer as well, there's no point in shelling out the extra hundred or two for the more popular m-300 series, which do come with phantom power.

Regards,
Theo
 
Lots of good choices out there, but I also love the TASCAM M-200 series. You get far more than one might expect from a “cost conscious” series. I bought my M-216 new about 1990. Lots of headroom; great sounding EQ and all in a compact easy to move and easy to modify (if you are so inclined) package. I bought an M-208 later to expand my inputs. They are 4-buss, but have two RCA outs for each buss. No patchbay or Y-cord needed to connect the 4 busses to the 8 inputs of the 38.

I also like the made in USA Mackies from the same era.

And of course the TASCAM M-300 series. If you really only need 8 channels the M-308 is a good bet. The M-312 would be a wise choice for a few extra inputs.

My studio is heavily MIDIized and very input hungry, so with my TSR-8 I still need 24 channels plus a line mixer or two. Make sure you don’t underestimate when assessing channel needs…leave room for effects returns and such.

:)
 
Howdy,
I just got my 38-8. It looks very nice cosmetically. But being the idiot I am neglected to notice that there are NO Mic inputs and NO Headphone jacks. So I am assuming that one MUST use a mixer?
Then my next logical question is this...What do I need? Id like to check it out...Do I need one of those snakes to connect it? What?
 
Should i run to Guitar Center and pay their prices or should I order them from Musicians friend...
Also if I want to hook it up with my digi-002 and at least 1 rack of DX-4D Noise Reduction what cables do I need?
I need the 1-16 or 2-8 patchbaysnakes and do I need extra to hook up the NR?
 
8 channel snakes are more common in stores... Where to buy? Any Guitar Center should have them. I don't know if it's cheaper at Musiciansfriend, or if they have a wide variety. I have some old HOSA snakes, those work just fine.
Yes, you will need extra snakes for the NR unit, but do you need a Noise Reduction? Try recording without it first... 38 is a great machine. If the heads are clean and demagged, if you've got good tape, if the preamps on your mixer are fine, there shouldn't be too much hiss.
 
P.S.: I'm not sure about Digi-002.
If it has 8 ins & outs it should be fine.
 
So then I need 8 RCA's to 8 1/4" line for the output set...Then 8 RCA's to 8 1/4" lines for the input. Im just not sure how this digidesign will work for a standard mixer. They claim it can work as a standard mixer but will it work?
How much should I be spending on good Say Monster cables of those 2 snakes I need???
 
MartyMcFly said:
So then I need 8 RCA's to 8 1/4" line for the output set...Then 8 RCA's to 8 1/4" lines for the input. Im just not sure how this digidesign will work for a standard mixer. They claim it can work as a standard mixer but will it work?
How much should I be spending on good Say Monster cables of those 2 snakes I need???
Click to expand...

I haven't used Digidesign mixers, so I can't tell, sorry.
http://search.ebay.ca/search/search.dll?from=R40&_trksid=m37&satitle=8+rca+1/4"+snake&category0=
 
Monster cables are extremely expensive. They're also extremely good, but there is sereously no point at all in spending the money for them unless your whole signal chain is of amazing quality. Personally I've never been able to even hear the difference- I'd just stick with HOSA.

Peace,
Theo
 
I have both Monster and Hosa, but I still use Hosa... don't see any difference, Monster cables just look better...but you can still get them dirt cheap on ebay sometimes. A better brand would be Evidence Audio, but I've only used them a few times at my friend's place...an instrument cable (guitar -> combo), the sound was much louder than any other cable. But those are worth something like $100 a piece and I don't know if they make snakes.
 
Opps...i posted that last one to the wrong topic...Nevermind...
 
So i probably want a mixer that has atleast 8 inputs/outputs and 12 busses for extra mixing. Is that pretty much all? What would be a decent newer mixer to match with the 38-8?
 
MartyMcFly said:
So i probably want a mixer that has atleast 8 inputs/outputs and 12 busses for extra mixing. Is that pretty much all? What would be a decent newer mixer to match with the 38-8?
Click to expand...

You mean a 12 channel mixer with 8 recording busses, right? :)

Like a TASCAM M50 or an M512 or perhaps something newer like a Mackie, Soundcraft or Yamaha?

If you want something new, the Soundcraft are pretty sweet boards. But their only 8 buss mixer is the Ghost LE which is major bucks!

http://www.soundcraft.com/product_sheet.asp?product_id=144

Yamaha actually does make a 12 buss, large format mixer but may be more then you need?

http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA...,,CNTID%253D2216%2526CTID%253D228100,00.html#

Cheers! :)
 
Are you Serious? I hope I dont need anything that big. Just incase you dont know my plans...
I plan on recording 8 tracks on the analog. Then I plan on shooting all 8 channels SEPERATELY into my digi-002 to edit and mix. Then I could mix that down and shoot it back as a rough mono mix and continue to add to it. At the end shoot it all back into Pro Tools and mix it there...
So I dont think I need too many extra options...
Just 8 channels and 12 busses I think. That way I should have 4 extra busses for submixes...
What type fits that???
 
MartyMcFly said:
Are you Serious? I hope I dont need anything that big. Just incase you dont know my plans...
I plan on recording 8 tracks on the analog. Then I plan on shooting all 8 channels SEPERATELY into my digi-002 to edit and mix. Then I could mix that down and shoot it back as a rough mono mix and continue to add to it. At the end shoot it all back into Pro Tools and mix it there...
So I dont think I need too many extra options...
Just 8 channels and 12 busses I think. That way I should have 4 extra busses for submixes...
What type fits that???
Click to expand...

As I mentioned in my previous post, I think you're getting your terminology mixed up a bit.

A few key questions you need to answer before anyone can soundly advise you.

1 - How many track do you see yourself recording in one pass?

2 - When you record, will it be just yourself recording or you and a friend or you and an entire band?

I ask these questions because I need to know how many busses you truly need.

If it's just you in the room, a 4 buss mixer with direct outs will do the trick for what you've described with transferring the 38's recorded tracks to your PC. As an example a TASCAM M312B would do a wonderful job for you because it is a 12 channel board, with 12 direct outs as well as 4 separate recording busses as well as a stereo buss.

It sounds to me what you need to learn here is not just what mixer to get but you need to learn what mixers can do and are capable of and that's a completely different question then the one you innocently started this thread with.

Cheers! :)
 
Hi,
Of course I want a mixer that can compliment the analog sound of the 38. But I also wouldnt mind a new mixer if it does just what i need and nothing extra fancy.
To answer your questions...
1.
Mainly 1-2 with the most ever being 4-6 for drums. And there I can compromise if I had to.
2.
Mostly just me. But occasionally I will be with someone...
 
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