Mixer to tape to digital?

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GroovySlick

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Hi, everybody! I'm new to the recording thing so I have a question, maybe you can straighten me out...
I'm running my mic's into an old 20-track Tascam M320, routing out to an 8 track 1/2" reel to reel, then back into the board. From there I plan on running the master into the first two tracks of my Korg D3200 digital recorder for mastering. Is this going to be a viable set-up, or should I go directly from the 8 track into the first eight channels of the Korg for editing and mastering? (Bet you can tell I'm new to this...) Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
 
Either way is a viable method.

One way you are using the mixer to sum in analog, the other way you would be using the Korg mixing engine to sum digitally.

My suggestion is to try both and see what you like and you may find you use the different methods depending on the material.

BTW, welcome.

The M-320 rocks.

What is your 1/2 inch deck?
 
Mixer to Tape to Digital ?

Hey, thanks for the info! I just picked up a Tascam 80-8 reel to reel, and now I'm waiting for my 8-channel snakes to come in. For $325 I got the r2r (which runs, all lights on, just have to test it all when I hook it up), 13 reels of (used) 1/2" tape on 10" reels, two Hosa snakes that have eight rca's to four 1/4" plugs (the seller said he had them special made from Hosa), two older Edcor HA400C headphone amps, a 10" take-up reel, and a Teac (Tascam) DX-8 eight channel noise reduction unit that I may have to have the first channel worked on, the seller said. So at $325 for everything listed above, I think I made out okay. Any insight on all this stuff?
 
it all sounds pretty nice... what sort of tape? you'll want to be careful it doesnt have any shedding problems. If so it won't cause any permanent damage but it will be quite annoying.
 
tascam 80-8

Ive never owned one, but a few of my favorite underground albums were made on 80-8s. I remember the bands telling me they used noise reduction, and that there was no pitch control on the deck. I do recall seeing some kind of a box that you could get for 80-8 that could vari the pitch, but that was a long time ago on ebay.

Also i read somewhere that the sounds for R2-D2 were recorded on an 80-8 for the Star Wars movies.
 
you'll want to be careful it doesnt have any shedding problems.
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+1 to that. What kind of tape is it?

Also i read somewhere that the sounds for R2-D2 were recorded on an 80-8 for the Star Wars movies.
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Its true.

Documented in Randy Alberts relatively exhaustive book on 30 years of Tascam History.

I do recall seeing some kind of a box that you could get for 80-8 that could vari the pitch...
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It is the VS-88 varispeed controller and came with a DC servo capstan motor and retrofit kit. The 80-8 comes stock with an AC capstan motor which doesn't mean it is any less "good" than the DC motor. DC motors actually present some flutter issues, and are much harder to rebuild and service.

Overall comments: I think you did good for $325. The 80-8 is the patriarch of Teac/Tascam products that developed into the lineage of the Tascam 58 and ultimately the ATR60-8. The 80-8 was very popular when released but it lacked features needed for professional video sync environments and was still a bit too pricey and out of reach for the budget home-recordist, a market that Tascam passionately wanted to serve and one they (in a way) created. The 80-8 was then developed into two products; the 58 addressed the needs of the professional environment (sync'able with balanced I/O) and the 38 adopted a feature-set more suited for the home recordist and his/her budget. Both great machines. The 80-8 is known for its good sound, rugged build and servicability.

Enjoy and keep us posted! ;)
 
Mixer to Tape to Digital?

Thanks everybody for the info! The tape I got in the deal was five rolls of Maxell 35-180, seven rolls of Ampex 456, and one roll of Quantegy 456 (same as Ampex, right?) All used of course. Supposedly they originally came from a guy who did soundtrack work in LA, so I'm gonna look up some of the names he's got written on the reels to see if I've got some Original Rare Tapes That Someone Famous Is On, you know, like an obscure track that Dylan contributed but never saw the light of day. (Hey, if I can find an original J R Monterose In Action lp on the Studio 4 label in great shape for 75 cents, which I did, anything is possible! I've seen that go for $1,750 to $2,000 on ebay!)
So is this tape worth recording over, or should I just shell out the 90 bucks for the 1/2" new stuff they sell on ebay?
 
GroovySlick said:
Thanks everybody for the info! The tape I got in the deal was five rolls of Maxell 35-180, seven rolls of Ampex 456, and one roll of Quantegy 456 (same as Ampex, right?) All used of course. Supposedly they originally came from a guy who did soundtrack work in LA, so I'm gonna look up some of the names he's got written on the reels to see if I've got some Original Rare Tapes That Someone Famous Is On, you know, like an obscure track that Dylan contributed but never saw the light of day. (Hey, if I can find an original J R Monterose In Action lp on the Studio 4 label in great shape for 75 cents, which I did, anything is possible! I've seen that go for $1,750 to $2,000 on ebay!)
So is this tape worth recording over, or should I just shell out the 90 bucks for the 1/2" new stuff they sell on ebay?
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the maxell should be fine.

I believe both the ampex and quantegy could be an issue, someone will chime in with a way of checking based on production date which will be listed as a serial number on the boxes.

Instead of ebay for new tape you should check here:
http://usrecordingmedia-store.stores.yahoo.net/opreelrectap.html
 
Mixer to Tape to Digital?

Again, thanks for the info! It's good to know I can get new tape for less out there. I'm sure I'll have more questions as I go along, so I'll be sure to post them as soon as I can shake the clumps of hair off my fingers.....
 
AFAIK, the Maxell is fine, but isn't that 1/4"? The Quantegy should be fine too. The Ampex is problematic, look on the box or the back of teh reel and look for the date code, it should list the year first. I think anything after 1994 should be OK. However, you don't really know if the right reel is in the right box either. If the Ampex logo is in the middle of the box, as opposed to the bottom of hte box it is likely no good. You can and should salvage the reels if you choose to not use the tape, as you can sometimes find tape on 'pancakes' (no reels) for less money.

I'd recommend you get a new reel though just to make sure, then worry about using the used tape. RMGI is readily availble. There is some NOS Quantegy out there as well, and they keep promising to come back.
 
boy I didn't even catch that.... I think it is only 1/4", at least I couldn't find any reference to 1/2" anywhere I looked, good eye.
 
Another thing you can/should consider (and I may get my ass jumped for this) is to mix to HI FI VHS. I don't really have any experience with it yet, but I'm about to do this in my next session (this week.) If you want to stay analog as along as possible this may be a viable option. Just thought I'd toss it out there.
 
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