recording with analog tape, need help ...

T

thegoonmat

New member
hi,
sorry, i'm a belgium beginner ...
here's my gear : pro tools m powered, m-audio fast track ultra 8R, esi near 5 , mics , and an analog recorder fostex R8
what i'd like to do is recording with my tape recorder and then editing with protools ...
can you tell me how to do that and what gear i need more ??
hope someone can help me ...
thanx !!
 
Record to the deck and dump it into ProTools.

Trick question...?

Up to 8 mics, up to 8 preamps, deck, 8 outputs to 8 inputs on an interface (with at least 8 inputs), DAW.
 
thegoonmat said:
hi,
sorry, i'm a belgium beginner ...
here's my gear : pro tools m powered, m-audio fast track ultra 8R, esi near 5 , mics , and an analog recorder fostex R8
what i'd like to do is recording with my tape recorder and then editing with protools ...
can you tell me how to do that and what gear i need more ??
hope someone can help me ...
thanx !!
Click to expand...

shiny side up with the tape on the reel.
 
Not a trick question... How do you get anything to tape without pre-amps?

You need at least 8 pre-amplifiers to get 8 mics on tape. You have pre-amps on your Ultra 8R but there are no direct outputs. You could use the outputs of the M-Audio box but that completely defeats the purpose of going to tape in the first place. I suggest you get a mixer with quality pre-amps. Mixer---> Fostex R8---->M-Audio Box

Mike
 
thanx mike,
that was my question , does my M audio can be used 2 times ??
as a preamp 1st , and as a convertor in a second time
so for me
mic ->maudio(pre amp)->fostex
then
fostex->M audio (convertor)-> pro tools

could work ??

if i have to buy a mixer, any recomandations ???

thanx for your help !!
 
Technically, it would work if the outputs on the M-Audio box do not need to be connected to a computer to output sound. I don't think that M-Audio box will output directly from the preamp.

The reason people like to go to tape first is for tape saturation. (The warm sound) Recording from your digital M-Audio Box directly to tape will not give you that sound.

If you must go to tape first then. Buy a Soundcraft or Allen and Heath mixer. Both boards have good transparent pre-amps for a reasonable price. With your mixer you can M-Audio Outputs---> Mixer Inputs---> Mixer Outputs---> M-Audio inputs MIX!!!! Lot of flexibility there
 
Four M-Audio DMP3's (dual channel mic preamps). Cheap as sin, reasonable quality, very high bang-for-the-buck factor (around 8.97 on the BFTBF scale). Those to the deck, right off the repro head to the M-Audio interface.
 
ok ...
but buying 4 preamps or a console is kind of the same price ...
maybe it's better to buy a console and later buying some good preamp
so the thing would be
mic->console (preamp)->fostex->maudio->computer
right ???
or it"s console out -> maudio in ??
 
That is the correct signal chain.

The Pre-amps on the mixers I mentioned earlier are much better than anything M-Audio could ever make anyway. Plus, you will have much more flexibility to mix this way.

Good Luck,

Mike
 
Have you ever compared the DMP3's to those mixers...?

Don't get me wrong here - I'm no particular fan of M-Audio (I'm no particular fan of A&H and Soundcraft for that matter). But the DMP3 is an exceptional unit for the price and beyond most "budget-friendly" built-in preamps IMO/E.

I'd rather have a rack of DMP3's than a MixWizard (great, flexible, wonderful routing, etc., etc., use them live rather frequently, etc.) or one of the 'lesser' Soundcraft consoles (same thing - Slightly sonically superior to A&H, IMO, but nowhere near the routing options). Either one being far noisier and more "pinchy" than the DMP3...
 
That is your opinion. I have mine. For the price I'd rather have a console.

Besides if it was up to you he would be recording through his digital system to tape.

"Far noisier". Show me the specs! "Pinchy" is an opinion.
 
The question Massive Master asked was not answered. The question was, Have you ever compared the DMP3's to those mixers...?
 
never taste it ... but as i don't have a console and i try to built my own studio, don't you think it's better for me to buy a console 1st?
anybody knows really good preamp that does not coast 2000$ ??
i don't have so many room now, so maybe preamps are an option ...
 
No dodge you want to send me some to have a listen? I've compared pre-amps on many different consoles, audio interfaces and stand alone Mic pres. It's one of the perks of working for a consultant firm. IMO and many others in the industry A&H and Soundcraft have quality pre-amps. But, since I haven't A/B a Soundcraft or A&H with that specific Mic Pre I'll retract that statement until further notice. I'm just not a big fan of M-Audio's audio equipment. I dig their midi shit though.


thegoonmat

I think that if your recording to tape it is nice to work on a console. You have filters and EQ at your disposal to help out in a less then ideal acoustic situation.

Mixing by mouse is not fun but I guess it is something you can get used to. If you don't get a mixer now you can get control surface down the road.

If you have space and budget restrictions then a strip of mic-pres might be the way to go. I'll refrain from recommending any more gear on this one. I don't want to get nipped again.
 
thanx for your help !!
i was thinking about a mackie onynx and later preamp 'TL AUDIO 5001'
i'm more fan of blues-roots-vinatge sound instead of 'digital - plug in things ' ...
i did my first band recording today and i'd like to have a more 'dynamic' sound ... , more colour ...
don't know how to do ...
how do i have to play with the 'gain ' thing on my M audio, going far, just before the clip ??
take care !!
 
On cheaper preamps you usually want to stay well below clipping and ignore any tube gain bs unless you happen to like a particular sound you are getting. Especially on fast transient stuff like cymbals and drums. If you need more saturation try running the preamp out a little hotter into the tape or adjust the tape inputs if you have knobs for that.
 
Well, I not sure what you mean but raising the gain to just before clip can have adverse affect on dynamic range. The key is to get a solid sound on tape but leave yourself some headroom. Also,

-Limit compressor usage, by nature they squash the dynamic range
-Pan instruments to create space
-Reverb and Delay plug-ins have come a long way so don't be scared to use them to create an atmosphere around your instruments during mixing

It's hard to say more without hearing the recording.


Good Luck
 
I'm just not a big fan of M-Audio's audio equipment.
Click to expand...
I think 95% of what they make is garbage myself. But not that preamp (or the Solaris microphone - but that's for another thread). The rest you can throw into a pile and burn for all I care.

I'm not trying to say that the A&H / Soundcraft stuff are down there with Berry's preamps - And maybe *if* I could pry the preamps out of the mixers and avoid all that other (sorry - noisy) circuitry, I'd think those preamps were on par with the DMP's. But as it stands, I'd much (MUCH) rather have a rack full of DMP's. There's no contest.

For the record - I'm not dumping on the "nicer" A&H / Soundcraft stuff either. I won't even go as far as to say that the 'cheap' A&H stuff is 'bad' (as some of the better recordings I've ever made were on A&H FOH mixers). But they'd definitely not be my 'ideal on an extremely tight budget' list.
 
dodgeaspen said:
The question Massive Master asked was not answered. The question was, Have you ever compared the DMP3's to those mixers...?
Click to expand...

I have. The DMP3 is very much like my A&H 4000 console pre-amps. I can't tell the difference at all. Both are quiet and have a good balanced sound with plenty of headroom. The DMP3 is the ticket for those who rock.

For those about to DMP3, we salute you!
 
I'm familiar with the Fostex 1/4" 15 ips R2R format.

In my opinion, the much sought after tape compression sound is not really achieveable on this format reel to reel machine. You need big fat tape for that, like 2" tape.

I recommend bypassing the analog stage altogether. The R8 uses funky Dolby C that imparts its own artifacts. I think your project will suffer more than it'll gain from spending some of its life in the analog format.

This machine was pretty nice in its day, but was never considered a serious pro level machine.
 
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