Tascam DP24 and Direct recording

  • Thread starter Thread starter C4th
  • Start date Start date
C

C4th

New member
Hi,
Im trying to record guitar using a Palmer Speaker Simulator PDi03 direct to my DP24.
The Palmer is a cab sim, in which you can plug an amp head to it and it can record direct.
My question is, shall i use a preamp of some sort before the DP24, or a external mixer before the DP24? or something like that.
Also, should i use the DP24s OL knobs?, or should they be set at 0?
Any help, answers or questions would be much appreciated.
Thanks
 
the Palmer is geared to output line level signals so you shouldn't need a preamp; just jack it straight into the DP-24. do not use the high-impedance input switch; just use a regular input

should i use the DP24s OL knobs?, or should they be set at 0?
Click to expand...
OL, what's that, OverLoad? you mean the Trim knobs? ideally you want to play your guitar/amp as loud as you will during the loudest part of your new song, and watch the VU meters on the input - you want your guitar signal to be *almost* hitting the 0dB so that the OL indicator never lights, but you're as close to it as possible without actually crossing that point

so - if your signal from the Palmer is too low, raise the DP-24's trims until you're just under 0dB - if it's too high, even with the trims at 0, then reduce the Palmer's output until you are just under the clipping threshold (the OL or 0dB point)
 
Trim knobs, that's the one.
Thanks for your answer very helpful. Just one more thing, where should i set the stereo fader? im never quite sure where that should sit.
 
the master fader? (the one with the red line) - normally you'll keep that at its max (0dB)

when the master fader is at max, your recorder is at its most efficient, i.e. there is the highest range between your output level and any inherent noise in the machine (and they all produce a little)
 
But just one thing, setting it to 0dB, would that give me limited headroom?
 
you always have limited headroom - but keeping your master fader as high as possible gives you as much headroom as possible

your headroom limit is the 0db point (on the master VU meters) - cross above that and you get ugly digital distortion. go too far below it, and you get a quiet song that risks getting lost in the inherent hiss and noise (and if you boost your song afterwards to make it the correct volume, the noise will boost along with it)

here's an analogy for you - if i gave you 10 lego bricks and asked you to build a model, how detailed would it be? not very. what if i gave you 4,000? you could make some really fine detail with 4,000. digital audio is the same - by keeping your overhead as high as possible you are allowing the use of the most 'bricks' possible, which means finer detail/less grainy, a.k.a. higher resolution - as well as keeping your signal above the noise, as mentioned before
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top