MOTU 2408 mk2 w/3 Tascam da-38's

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KingZeph

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Hi,

I'm new to MOTU so I have a couple of questions.

I'm running on an older pc with winxp pro, 1gig pent III system with cubase SX.

I've got the 2408 hooked up and everything seems to work fine. Right now I just have the MOTU settings for bank 'A' as 'analog' and to enable 1-8 inputs and the outputs set to 'from computer'.

When I want to hook up my 3 Tascam DA-38's do I just change all three banks to 'TDIF'? And if so, what do I set the outputs to?

How should the control panel be set up for linking the three DA-38's is basically what I'm asking.

Thanks.
 
yo.

If I remember this correctly (not at studio computer)

set all the inputs for you DA38's x 3 banks TDIF.

output: to whatever channels you want -I usually use MAIN for a 2 channel mix, but can use more if you are monitoring via a small mixer. The MAIN ouputs has better convertor chips or the analogue path is better.
IN you DAW assign the MAIN (or whatever you choose) to monitor.

Don't forget to set the clock properly.

T
 
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yep. that's all right - just seconding the above explanation. i spent the weekend with a 2408 and my HD24. the guy i was recording used to use the tascams....switched it all to ADAT... got weird clicking on tracks 1, 9, 10 and 11...which we could never figure out.

...but the explanation above will work provided you set your clock properly.

Mike
 
Thanks for the replies,

I'm not at the pc right now either, but do you know what the clock should be set at. I know that right now I have it set at 'internal' because I'm just using the 8 analog inputs.
 
KingZeph said:
Thanks for the replies,

I'm not at the pc right now either, but do you know what the clock should be set at. I know that right now I have it set at 'internal' because I'm just using the 8 analog inputs.
Click to expand...
Leave it on internal... and set everything else to external or slave... at the same bite depth and frequency... they have to match
 
Ok, I set everything up, banks A,B,C set to TDIF, the inputs enabled and the output set at from computer. The clock is set to internal.

When I turn on the DA-38's I immediately get a noise on the signal that goes right up to 0db on every input channel. Also all the input lights on the motu light up.

If I go into the ASIO set up on the PC the input lights on the 2408 start to blink and it goes into a 'Pause' mode, I think, because when I hooked up some headphones to the headphone output on the 2408 there is no sound coming out (there is noise in the headphone channel when you close the ASIO set up).

I looked all through the manual for the DA-38's but couldn't find anything that looked like it would help.


Any ideas on where the signal is coming from and how to stop it?

Thanks.
 
KingZeph said:
When I turn on the DA-38's I immediately get a noise on the signal that goes right up to 0db on every input channel. Also all the input lights on the motu light up.

Any ideas on where the signal is coming from and how to stop it?
Click to expand...
Sounds like a feedback loop... like you're inputing the signal from the DA-38s and then turning it right back around at the 2408 back into the 38s, and so on, and so on...
 
That's what it sounds like to me as well, I just don't know how to stop it.

There are a couple of settings that I can check on the Tascam's but I don't think that's the problem.

Someone on another forum said that it won't work unless you have the word clock cable connected and set the pci card to '2408 word clock'.

All I'm trying to do is to dump the 24 tracks from the Tascam's onto the pc, so I don't think I need any audio signal going back to the Tascam's from the 2408.
 
Disable the outputs of the 2408 in the control panel for that unit. That should stop the feedback loop if that's what the noise is.

Also, if you are using the 2408 as the master clock, the DA-38's need to be set to sync to their inputs or to a word clock input.

You've possibly got two problems going: a feedback loop and not syncing properly.
 
When I disable all the outputs on the motu panel cubase will not open. It gives an error message saying that there are no outputs selected and then it opens the motu controle panel so I can change it.

Maybe I could try just selecting outputs 1 and 2 for the main outs?
 
KingZeph said:
When I disable all the outputs on the motu panel cubase will not open. It gives an error message saying that there are no outputs selected and then it opens the motu controle panel so I can change it.

Maybe I could try just selecting outputs 1 and 2 for the main outs?
Click to expand...
Sounds like you need the inputs and outputs enabled on the MOTU... in from the 38s, out to the computer... It may be your DAW that's sending the output back into the input...

I'd try to set it up with ins and outs enabled on the MOTU, then see what happens when you power the 38s and the 2408 in standalone mode without cubase launched... even with the firewire cable disconnected from the computer... That will let you know if the signal is turning around at the MOTU or computer...

Make sure that you've set up the 38s to recieve clock externally from TDIF... does it have that option?
 
It doesn't seem to matter if the pc is on or not. If the motu and the tascam's are on then I get the input signals lit up on the motu. It doesn't even matter if there are tapes in the tascam's or not.

I did get a cable for the clock and hooked that up (to the master tascam), but it didn't seem to help. I probably don't have the settings right some where. At one point I thought I had got it because I saw different levels on each track that matched the levels on the tascam's, but when I turned the monitors on I heard something that was mostly noise, but I could hear some kind of music but it was like it was the wrong speed. I'm sure that is the clocking issue, but I'm not sure if the input noise is the same issue or another.

Even when I only have channels 1 and 2 enabled as output, all the channels have the input signal, so I'm not so sure it's a feedback issue anymore. As I said above, it does this when there are no tapes in the tascam, so they shouldn't be sending any signal to begin with.

I think I need to find some info on clocking and figure out if the tascam's are set up properly.
 
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