Tascam 122 MKII Recording Levels??

MiXit-G

MiXit-G

New member
Hi i just bought the Tascam 122 MKII for a bargain and it sounds great but i cant seem to get those VU's bouncing and the recording level seems really low, i have the pre levels up to 10 and was using 2 shure 57's... any suggestions?
Would the bias or level adj fix this(i did have a fiddle to no avail).

Oh and are those mic jacks balanced inputs?

Thanks.
 
The balanced inputs in the back are +4db inputs and outputs for connecting to balanced mixers with the same +4db connectivity...If you're trying to use those for mic inputs, they won't work as your microphone's output signal is somewhere around -60db and require a microphone pre-amp which the deck does have in it but, it is dedicated to the unbalanced, TS, 1/4" jacks on the front panel.

SM57 are geared for mic'ing very loud sources like guitar cabinets and screaming vocalists...anything on the quieter side and your levels will be low compared to other more efficient microphones.

Cheers! :)
 
Oh, i thought the 1/4 inch jack L/R inputs were for mics...what are those two level knobs for on the front?
 
MiXit-G said:
Oh, i thought the 1/4 inch jack L/R inputs were for mics...what are those two level knobs for on the front?
Click to expand...
The big ones are the main recording level controls.

All the smaller ones are for calibration set up for different formulations of tape to ensure that when you record a 0vu level on the meters that it comes back the same on playback.

The manual would explain all of this stuff as well...I assume you don't have it so here ya go! :cool:

http://www.tascamcontractor.com/ftp_resources/files/manual/122mkIII_manual.pdf

Cheers! :)
 
What a pain, we've been using a consumer type tape deck with mic inputs which records really well, i thought this unit would work the same in principle...

So our old Teac tape deck has mic preamps but the tascam does'nt??
 
MiXit-G said:
So our old Teac tape deck has mic preamps but the tascam does'nt??
Click to expand...

That's correct. -10dBV RCA's on the back, +4dBm XLRs on the back if you have the optional balanced module (standard in the 122B if I remember correctly) and -10dBV jacks on the front.

You'll need to use either a small mixer or a couple of preamps to connect mics to this unit. Watch level matching - if you don't have the balanced option (XLR's on the back) you should come out of a -10dBV output on your desk or preamp.

The 122 is a *very* nice cassette deck though!

Cya
Andrew
 
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