TASCAM M-520 w/TASCAM 80-8

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Jimi Shelter

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Thanks for all the advice with my 80-8/M-520 setup. I used another mixer to record 8 tracks of music onto the tape so I could them play it back through the M-520 and at least have playback to start figure things out. I'm slowly learning. This is way more board than I need. I just need an 8 track mixer and I like VU meters. I'm not using and computers. That's why I got this. I should probably trade it for may a M-512.
 
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Yes, the M-520 is a big board, I used to have an M-512. I am sure you will become more proficient with it in time as you get better familiarized with all of its features.

Some other nice mixers, not quite so big, but still very good and compatible with 8 track recorders: the M-30 (early-mid 80's with VU meters) and Tascam M-1516 from the early-mid 90's- no VU's, but a nice board and you can lift/carry it without risking a hernia :)
 
The M-520 mixer is hard to understand? I took a look at it - seems straight forward - sound comes in - you can route each channel to one or more outputs to the Tape Machine - I don’t like the RCA returns - in fact i don’t like the RCAs on anything - they should of done better - you got 4 Aux sends and returns - blah blah - what so complicated to understand?
 
RFR said:
Learn one channel, then you understand all 20.
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I'll have more time this weekend. My studio is also my office. After 12 hours in the office, a 90 degree turn to the left to fire up the studio is tough sometimes. I'm slowly seeing how this works. I have elec. guitar coming through Chan. 1. I want to put that on Track 4. For the purposes of the music I recorded. For the purposes of learning how to use the board, that's not critical right now.
 
Jimi Shelter said:
I'll have more time this weekend. My studio is also my office. After 12 hours in the office, a 90 degree turn to the left to fire up the studio is tough sometimes. I'm slowly seeing how this works. I have elec. guitar coming through Chan. 1. I want to put that on Track 4. For the purposes of the music I recorded. For the purposes of learning how to use the board, that's not critical right now.
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Sounds like you just want to do some recording with out dealing with the learning curve.

So just use your Fostex and get busy. :D

The 520 is a fantastic versatile, durable and robust desk. Quite amazing considering it was a “prosumer’ desk.
For home use with an 8 track it might be a bit more mixer than you need, but at the same time opens up lots of options. Your recording space that doubles as an office, and I’d imagine the office is the priority, isn’t conducive to what the desk is capable of. You could record whole live bands with the 520.

But if you are going to keep it and use it, I’d say study your manual, study the videos, and play around with it when you have time. With some effort you’ll figure it out. It’s a lot better than the Fostex (imho)
 
RFR said:
Sounds like you just want to do some recording with out dealing with the learning curve.

So just use your Fostex and get busy. :D

The 520 is a fantastic versatile, durable and robust desk. Quite amazing considering it was a “prosumer’ desk.I
For home use with an 8 track it might be a bit more mixer than you need, but at the same time opens up lots of options. Your recording space that doubles as an office, and I’d imagine the office is the priority, isn’t conducive to what the desk is capable of. You could record whole live bands with the 520.

But if you are going to keep it and use it, I’d say study your manual, study the videos, and play around with it when you have time. With some effort you’ll figure it out. It’s a lot better than the Fostex (imho)
Click to expand...
I'm going to keep at it. Don't have a lot of time but a four day weekend. I'm hearing elec. guitar through Ch. 1 but it sounds very weak. Like it needs a pre amp but it shouldn't going through Ch. 1. Other than setting it to INS input and turning on the EQ and pressing the #1 assign button, I'm not sure what else will get the guitar to come through at volume instead of faint and distorted. The manual has a lot in it. I'm a guitar player, not proficient and reading block diagrams.
 
Jimi Shelter said:
I'm going to keep at it. Don't have a lot of time but a four day weekend. I'm hearing elec. guitar through Ch. 1 but it sounds very weak. Like it needs a pre amp but it shouldn't going through Ch. 1. Other than setting it to INS input and turning on the EQ and pressing the #1 assign button, I'm not sure what else will get the guitar to come through at volume instead of faint and distorted. The manual has a lot in it. I'm a guitar player, not proficient and reading block diagrams.
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Please refer to my post #31 in your parallel thread for some guidance. But also heed @RFR’s suggestion to first just see if you’ve got good signal at the channel 1 direct out.
 
Papanate said:
The M-520 mixer is hard to understand? I took a look at it - seems straight forward - sound comes in - you can route each channel to one or more outputs to the Tape Machine - I don’t like the RCA returns - in fact i don’t like the RCAs on anything - they should of done better - you got 4 Aux sends and returns - blah blah - what so complicated to understand?
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What I can't understand is, when I plug an electric guitar into the channel 1 INST and set the board to INST, turn the EQ on, Assign button #1, I can barely hear anything. No meters on board or tape machine. If I crank the trim all the way up and push the fader all the way up and boost the EQ, I get about half-meters and I can hear it but its very distorted. None of my other boards worked this way. That's what I can't understand.
 
sweetbeats said:
Did you read my post #31?
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Yes, I did. I’m going to work on it all weekend and determine if something is wrong with it
If I’m not getting any input, which is pretty simple, I will have to bring it to someone.
I got that Fostex in the mail, hooked it up and started recording. The 520 is more complex but plugging a 57 into C1 Mic input and set it to MIC and get a signal is something I’ve never had trouble with. But I will keep at it.
I appreciate everyone’s patience.
 
Start by monitoring at the direct out jack for channel 1 to verify signal is passing through the channel before you try and figure out monitoring at the master section.
 
Yep. I’m an idiot. No channel jumpers. I have the buss jumpers but I didn’t get that I needed them in each channel until I read some ancient thread where someone spelled it out in all CAPS for another idiot, and that’s when I figured it out. The guy I got it from has a vintage audio gear business and he’s going to give me 20 jumpers (?) which is probably most of them left on the East Coast.
Thanks again for the patience.
 
So glad you figured it out. This is what makes it hard to sort these things out online when we can’t actually see what you see. So it’s important everybody keep that in mind. Glad it was simple. I’m sure you’ll have other questions though now that you hopefully have an easier time passing signal, but please come back as those questions arise. And you’re not an idiot. I used to have the tag line “Never underestimate your capacity to be an ignoramous” in my signature block. There are reasons why I did that, and they were driven by things I’d done that were…not as brilliant as I wanted to be. :)
 
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