TAC Preamps...

T

tf5_bassist

The LouDogg
Working with an oldschool TAC Scorpion 16 channel console, and wanting to get a better sound than what the pres in the channel strips offer, and I don't honestly know what would begin to be an improvement over these pres, what'd be a waste of money, etc etc. I'm just not really happy with the sound coming from our studio right now. Guitars are thin, vocals are meh, drums are aight (need better mics), but it's primarily the guitars (distorted guitars) that bother me the most... suggestions?
 
I've used all sorts of distortion tones in this studio, and they all lack. everything from metal to punk to slightly distorted.. blah.

even clean tones are a bit lackluster.
 
my mates got a tac, and i think his pres vary from channel to channel. Do all the pre amps sound the same? it is an old ( and very cool) desk, and might just need a service. i'd do that before investing in external pres. don't forget that it is an older pro console rather than new semi pro one, and most of the budget pres around are intended to replace consideraly worse than those in the TAC.

Wasn't linkin parks first album tracked through one of these? i think the studio only had one or two external pres .
 
:cool: The TAC Scorpion does have a slightly less than dynamic sound in its pre's It's an older unit, I like it because there's less need for compression on some tracks. It softens a very dynamic keyboard or vocalist who doesn't control their voice dynamics very well.
It may need a good cleaning also they tend to get very warm, there may be some heat stress issues that need repair.........


da MUTT
 
Say . . . didn't the Scorpion do that one tune . . . "Here I am. Rock you like a hurricane" ?

Great tune, man. That thing rocks.


Rock on!
 
I've been recording at home for about 10 years on a small home scale. started off on a fostex 4 track, now pc based using cakewalk. I also had the hardest time finding a guitar sound I liked and I tired everything from processors to miking speakers with all different kinds of stomp boxs, amps and even higher end units I really couldn't afford (borrowed or rented). The one unit I've liked the best thus far is my POD. hope that helps...
 
toby.I. said:
my mates got a tac, and i think his pres vary from channel to channel. Do all the pre amps sound the same? it is an old ( and very cool) desk, and might just need a service. i'd do that before investing in external pres. don't forget that it is an older pro console rather than new semi pro one, and most of the budget pres around are intended to replace consideraly worse than those in the TAC.

Wasn't linkin parks first album tracked through one of these? i think the studio only had one or two external pres .
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I haven't done much observation on the board, as far as channel-by-channel comparisons go. I plan on trying a bunch of things out on it when I can. Normally, we're tracking a band in there, so I don't have much "personal exploration" time on it. But sometime in the next month or so, I'm gonna' put the TAC and the Otari through their paces and try some different things out on it.

Here's the weird thing... We tracked some acoustic guitar through an sm57 directly into the board, and the signal was rather weak. I mean, substantially so. I stuck my dinky little Rolls Mini-preamp into the line, and it did the trick, exactly what i was hoping for, and gave it a LOT more depth, not to mention volume. This is why i started questioning the pres in the Scorpion in the first place. But yeah, I *really* should have someone do a service call on the board, but unfortunately, i really don't think there's a single experienced service outfit or person in this area, and we really can't afford to bring someone up from Sacramento or S.F. or ship the board. So I guess we're stuck lol.

Okay. All this said, what preamps do you guys think would be a step up from the pres built into the Scorpion? I'm just curious.
 
I have mixed a song tracked through a Tac Scorpion. It was very nice. Some tracks didn't seem to take EQ but I found the quality to be better than most I've been called on to mix.

They did use some old Neumann and AKG mics so that might account for part of it.

You might get someone to look at it who knows about these particular consoles. There are a couple of gentlemen on Harmony Central who own Tac consoles.

Steve
www.mojopie.com
 
ozraves said:
They did use some old Neumann and AKG mics so that might account for part of it.
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This is one of the major things i'm facing right now, and something i've been contemplating more and more recently as opposed to better outboard gear. Our studio's meager mic selection comprises of a Peavey PVM 520T (vocal mic), Shure sm58, sm57, Prologue, various AudioTechnica (I think) dynamics, and the infamous Radioshack Sennheiser ripoff. We're hopefully going to borrow a senn 421 or two and some overheads and a few others from his friend's studio, and maybe that'll convince him of a need for better mics.
 
Does that board have an external power supply? If a 57 is too weak then maybe the power is not where it should be. I know some boards have external PS's and it could be rather easy to get any tech to check it. Trouble shooting 101 says check the powersupply first. It would be much cheaper to send that out rather than the whole console, that's if it hasn't fried any of the components.

Good luck.
 
i spoke to my mate today, he said he just has to really crank the gain on his. you could try taking out the first two channels, having them serviced?or my solution to any problem and spray contact cleaner all over the channel strips!!
 
yeah, the board's got an external power supply (luckily!). We'll see about having the PS checked, and also the channel strips, since I completely forgot they're removeable lol... Thanks guys.





But still. I'm curious as to what preamps would be the NEXT STEP UP from the Tac board. I mean, am i going to have to make the jump to one of the avalon pres, or will a good Focusrite be an upgrade? I'm rather clueless as to where these pres lie in the grand scheme of things.
 
tf5_bassist said:
I mean, am i going to have to make the jump to one of the avalon pres, or will a good Focusrite be an upgrade? I'm rather clueless as to where these pres lie in the grand scheme of things.
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Sinces its better to be safe than sorry, you have a hell of an excuse to go buy an Avalon. I say go for it.:D
 
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