TASCAM 388 / EXT. REVERB UNIT EFFECTS LOOP SET UP SETTINGS! Opinions sought ....

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gentlejohn

gentlejohn

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Hi Folks! Due to ill health & a lot of my vintage gear breaking down on me I have to say: 'I'm having a REALLY crappy year to date!' I'm hoping the good, kind & knowledgeable folks on here can help cheer me up some! So ... after a LONG lay off I've now got my repaired spring reverb unit [a 'Bi-amp MR/140'] back from the workshop & I'm experimenting with the BEST way to hook it up to my TASCAM 388 using it as a global EFFECTS LOOP. From previous insights I think I've got the practical linking up connection side of things clear but my questions today revolve around SETTINGS both (on the 388 as Send & Returns) and on the Spring Reverb unit itself.

I've been tinkering around with it all and what follows is a working arrangement of sorts (but I'm still not convinced I have this Effects Loop operating at optimum performance levels!) Here goes:

FROM THE TASCAM:

- EFFECTS MASTER dial set to MAX.

- INDIVIDUAL CHANNEL EFF SENDS set to taste (anywhere between 7 o'clock & 5 o'clock)

INTO THE REVERB UNIT [Bi-amp MR/140]:

- DRIVE ('Input'?): 12 o'clock

- DRIVE SET (A green LED light that goes from a flicker to a solid light depending on amount of input determined by the DRIVE dial. When this DRIVE dial is set to about 12 o'clock the LED begins to flicker, the higher you go input level-wise, the more solid the light becomes).

- EQ SECTION consisting of 4 dials: 'LOW'; 'LOW MID'; 'HIGH MID' & 'HIGH'. To date I've just left the Equalisation set at 12 o'clock for all.

- BALANCE dial: Goes from 'DRY' to 'WET'. I currently have this set in the middle at '0'

- OUTPUT LEVEL dial: I was 'experimenting' for some time there with this set at 'MAX' but have gone completely the other way for the time being. 'MAX' output was giving me WAY too much signal noise so now I have it set at just: '1'. Hmm? Somehow this seems a bit odd!

GOING BACK INTO THE TASCAM:

- I have the Reverb coming back into the Tascam on EFFECTS RETURN 1 with GAIN on 'MAX' and PAN set in the middle.

Obviously, being a MONO Reverb Unit (plus wanting to use the other AUX for a separate ext. Delay effect) I'm accepting this above Effects Loop set up is MONO. I'm just not confident in my settings and wanting to run it by a few (far) more knowledgeable folks on here to determine whether I'm in the right kind of ballpark with these settings. Any thoughts, advice, suggestions greatly accepted & appreciated!

PS: One of the main things I can't decide on is the DRY/WET balance! When I have it on full WET then turn the dial back to fully DRY it's CONSIDERABLY louder in volume on a Dry playback. Also, is it 'normal' practice to have the OUTPUT LEVEL on an external Effects Loop Reverb Unit SO low??
 
FROM THE TASCAM:

- EFFECTS MASTER dial set to MAX.

- INDIVIDUAL CHANNEL EFF SENDS set to taste (anywhere between 7 o'clock & 5 o'clock)
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Yes, but I wouldn't set the EFF MASTER to maximum. You may introduce unnecessary noise at maximum gain. The only reason I'd do that is if it was necessary in order to get the signal hot enough into the effects unit, but you state the "DRIVE" control on the reverb unit only at 12 o'clock. I'd start by putting the 388 EFF MASTER control to about 3 o'clock and then tweak the DRIVE control on the reverb unit as needed.

INTO THE REVERB UNIT [Bi-amp MR/140]:

- DRIVE ('Input'?): 12 o'clock

- DRIVE SET (A green LED light that goes from a flicker to a solid light depending on amount of input determined by the DRIVE dial. When this DRIVE dial is set to about 12 o'clock the LED begins to flicker, the higher you go input level-wise, the more solid the light becomes).

- EQ SECTION consisting of 4 dials: 'LOW'; 'LOW MID'; 'HIGH MID' & 'HIGH'. To date I've just left the Equalisation set at 12 o'clock for all.

- BALANCE dial: Goes from 'DRY' to 'WET'. I currently have this set in the middle at '0'

- OUTPUT LEVEL dial: I was 'experimenting' for some time there with this set at 'MAX' but have gone completely the other way for the time being. 'MAX' output was giving me WAY too much signal noise so now I have it set at just: '1'. Hmm? Somehow this seems a bit odd!
Click to expand...

I already gave my suggestion for the DRIVE control setting.

I agree with leaving your EQ settings flat for now. Once you get your levels set then you can solo the EFF RETURN and tweak eq to taste. Most common areas are trimming the LF to get rid of washy mud, and tweak the HF to either bring some more presence to the reverb effect (boost) OR reduce presence (cut...like if its too sibilant).

You should have the balance dial set to 100% WET. You have your DRY signal already going to your PGM groups on the 388 and/or the main buss right? There's your DRY. You are mixing in WET signal to that via the EFF RETURN. You don't want any DRY signal coming back into the EFF RETURN. That control on the reverb box is used for the situation where you don't have a mixer and you are sending your signal through the reverb unit and taking it straight to you recorder or amp or whatever straight from the reverb unit, and without that control you'd have no dry signal in your feed. But you've got a mixer. :)

Your OUTPUT LEVEL dial setting is related to two things: 1. you're mixing dry signal in and 2. you've got your EFF RETURN set to maximum. When you go 100% wet (do it) you'll tame your signal level (as you noted), and back off your EFF RETURN level for the same reason I suggested you back off the EFF MASTER control. Try setting it to about 3 o'clock, set the reverb unit to 100% wet and then see where you need to set the OUTPUT LEVEL. You want to avoid setting controls at maximum because the noise gain on a signal gain circuit is logarithmic (IOW the internal noise of the circuit increases way much as you approach maximum gain) and you ALSO want to avoid having controls set at minimum because you aren't boosting the signal away from the innate noise floor of the entire device. So ideally you want the controls kind of balanced between the two devices. Do what I suggested and see how that leaves things.
 
Wet/Dry setting should be all the way wet when using effects send and return on a mixer. You control how rich the reverb sounds with the send and return levels. Mono reverb may cramp your style by shrinking the perceived stereo sound stage. You can make your mix sound more open by recording some tracks with reverb panned all the way right and others with reverb panned all the way left. Set EQ to taste as you're recording. Leaving it flat is an option. Bass instruments like kick drum and bass guitar should normally have little to no reverb.
 
Ohh! Thanks SO much. That's EXACTLY the kind of advice I needed. I'll print your replies out & 'get tweaking' over the w/e. REALLY APPRECIATED GUYS!!! PS: Beck, just on first reading without being at my console are you saying that I can create some kind of faux-stereo global reverb effect with a mono FX unit? PS: I also intend to hook up a 2nd global effects loop via the AUX using either a) my clapped out WEM Copicat or, perhaps invest in a Copicat emulator. I've been looking at a Stymon 'El Capistan' pedal (actually made for placing inline between a guitar & amp) that retails here in the UK for £249 - OUCH! (Ideally I'd like an original Roland Space Echo, A great piece of kit but the prices on those have gone plain daft! I very much regret passing on a mint one I was offered a couple of years back for just £100. "D'oh!")
 
gentlejohn said:
Beck, just on first reading without being at my console are you saying that I can create some kind of faux-stereo global reverb effect with a mono FX unit?
Click to expand...

Yeah, you could say that. Not knowing exactly what kind of music you record I can only speak in generalities, but the desired effect is to make the room seem more open. Doubling an instrument and panning each take with reverb to opposite sides will make the music sound huge and spacious compared to mono. Very pleasing to the ear.

A center-panned reverb is narrow and unrealistic. It makes the room seem one-dimensional. Once you have two similar tracks recorded you can adjust to taste by bringing the pan controls closer to 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock or you can leave them hard left and right, depending on how you want everything to fit in the mix.

The downside with recording effects along with the direct sound is you can’t go back and adjust the wet/dry ratio. It’s a lot less work to use a stereo reverb or return the reverb through a little digital effects box that simulates stereo.
 
Hi again! I've had some time to experiment and, YES, much improved with revised guideline settings so thanks very much for all your help. OK, in light of my latest tinkering I have a couple more q's regarding MUTING & SOLO'ING namely:

- I've done my Tracking and am now in Mixing mode. I set each channel to 'Remix' (as opposed to 'Mic' or 'Line' which I used for Tracking). I now have Reverb on some of my recorded tracks via the individual Effects send dial for each channel. Before when I mixed without effects, using the L/R button directly above each the fader I could simply MUTE that track by pressing the L/R button (Mute in UP) position. Now when I try muting the channel I'm still hearing just the reverb so, to completely mute the track I now have to go to the top of the console & take it off 'Remix'. Is this normal practice or do I perhaps have something wired up wrong do you think?

- SOLO-IN-PLACE?? So, I'm still in Mixing mode as it were ..... all my recorded channels are set to 'Remix' & my L/R buttons are depressed (not sad just engaged!) I just want to hear one channel in isolation for a few bars say. Is there an easier way to do this rather than my current method of having to individually disengage all the other tracks (with either the L/R buttons or 'Remix' switches)?

Again, many thanks in advance. I feel like I'm (finally!) beginning to make some progress this end!
 
To stop the reverb from being heard after muting, you have to push the green button that is near the eff knobs. Can't think of what they're called right now.
 
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