Tascam 244 and Outboard Pre?

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chopmotion

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Hey All-

Sorry if this has been covered ad nauseum but I haven't gotten quite what I wanted from reading other threads. I have a tascam 244 4 track coming in the mail and am very interested in the prospect of using an outboard pre with it. Have any of you done this before? If so how should I go about doing it? I think I have read that the 244 doesn't have balanced inputs so I'm just really not sure. If I can't I'll just enjoy the 244 for what it is... but it would be exciting to use my daking pre with it :D Any help would be wonderful.

ALSO: If I have an audiofire 4 interface, would I be able to use the balanced inputs to get my 244 tracks into the computer?

Again, great thanks to any thoughts or advice!
 
4 tape line-out's to 4 computer line-in's - no worries:D You only need pre-amp if you have a microphone, guitar or something.
 
I'd not advise using an external preamp with the 244.

One reason is that the 244's built-in preamps are fine. The risk you incur by using an external preamp is of overloading and burning out something within the channel strip, just past the mic pre section. Fact is an external preamp is not needed for quality or any other reason. To adapt balanced mics to unbalanced inputs you'd use a simple XLR-1/4" transformer adapter. The concept of using an external preamp with any Portastudio is a misplaced and highly overrated idea, that's romanticized but with little substance. You heard it here first.:eek:;)
 
Thank you so much for responding! I was getting a little worried there that nobody would. Of course, as soon as I finally post something after reading bulletin boards for hours and hours I find a thread that pretty much covers my question- in fact by YOU Reel Person, back in 2006 haha

(tried to insert url here but apparently I have to post at least five times first)

Some of my mics require phantom power, I may want to use the outboard pre for that reason, yes? If I decide to risk the romance :rolleyes: does that mean I just keep the levels a little cooler? Or would this have little bearing on whether or not I fry my new (ollld) baby?
 
If you had inserts on your recorder you could use a different preamp or if your recorder has stereo rca line-in jacks you could use a preamp there too. Doesn't Behringer have something for phantom powering in situations where there is none on mixer or recorder?
 
Thanks for all of the suggestions... as far as pre's go though, I already have a Daking Mic Pre IV, which has phantom power, I was just wondering about using it with the 244, mainly regarding the risk of frying the 244.
 
...

Thanx. That is funny. I've been posting here since Y2K, and I've owned the 244 since 1983. Am I dating myself with this info as an aging hippy with a grey beard? Um,... yeah!:eek:;)

The 244 has ACCESS-SND/RCV patch points. You may remove the jumper from between the SND and RCV patch points and patch your preamp's output to the RCV jack on RCA connectors.

It can be done, but you increase your risk to the 244's innards by injecting the preamp signal there. My best advice is to make sure your preamp is outputting a moderate but acceptable level, but nothing too hot.

*** Make sure your preamp output is switched or set to -10dbV output level/unbalanced. This is a must!!! ***

Of the BBS posts I've read, and of the equipment I've acquired from eBay that turned up with burned out channels, it was almost invariably that the previous user had patched an external preamp to the circuit. Just as things go, I'd be very careful or warn against doing this in general.

The issue of phantom power is one reason outboard preamps are used. As noted above, there are standalone phantom power boxes for this as a simple accessory, but it's your choice.

Often times you'll find condenser mics that have capability to run on an internal battery. All of my condenser mics have internal batteries,... mostly TEAC/TASCAM mics and one SHURE BG 5.0, for the record.:eek:;)

(This one's a little dirty!).:eek:;)
 

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Infinite Thanks for all of this information, Reel! Do you use a computer in your setup at all, or are you just analog?
 
I...

I mixdown to 'puter and make CDs of my mostly analog musings.:eek:;)
 
thats 63c each for chrome, that is very good and a big saving over what maxell and tdk go for, and esspecialy if it is new too? They look like they don't do international shipments? The shipping is the killer?:eek: There is a bit of unbranded UK stuff on ebay. I don't think you need much more than hundred, take a chance and go for it:D
 
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