Tascam TSR-8 to 4 Bus Mixer Set-Up

[vampireontitus]

Hey,
I recently got a Tascam TSR-8, and I have a big Yamaha MC2404 (24 Channels 4 Bus) mixer, and was wondering how I can connect them. I used to just use a little 8 input/output mixer, and a 8 cable RCA-1/4" and switched from output to input, but I have many more inputs and outputs on this mixer, so I'm wondering what the setup would look like.

 

[famous beagle]

Well, 8 tracks of the Yamaha would be for playback (from the TRS outputs). From there you have some choices.

If you don't anticipate ever needing to record more than 4 tracks at a time, you can just run the 4 sub outs to inputs 1-4 on the Tascam. I can't remember how the TRS-8 operates, but many 8 tracks will mirror the first 4 inputs on the second 4 channels. In other words, plugging into input 1 on the TRS would feed both tracks 1 and 5, plugging into input 2 would feed both tracks 2 and 6, etc. I know the Fostex decks work like that, but I'm not sure on the TRS.

Otherwise, if you need to record all 8 tracks at once, you could plug into 8 channels on the mixer and use the insert jacks as line outs to all 8 inputs on the Tascam.

Even if you did that, you'd still have 8 more channels open that you could use for FX returns if you wanted.

 

[bouldersoundguy]

I would do 8 channels out from inserts, 8 channels returning from tape and have 8 channels left for effect returns etc. Ideally, use a patchbay for the record sends so you can insert compressors or whatever into the record path.

 

[jpmorris]

I can't remember how the TRS-8 operates, but many 8 tracks will mirror the first 4 inputs on the second 4 channels. In other words, plugging into input 1 on the TRS would feed both tracks 1 and 5, plugging into input 2 would feed both tracks 2 and 6, etc. I know the Fostex decks work like that, but I'm not sure on the TRS.

Sadly the TSR-8 doesn't do that - in my experience, TASCAMs tend to mirror inputs in groups of 8, so the MSR16 can do that, e.g. echoing 1-8 to 9-16 and the MSR-24 can also echo 1-8 to 17-24, but the TSR-8 doesn't have provision for this.

I made up a pair of 4-way splitters so input 1 would be mirrored to 3,5 and 7, and input 2 would be mirrored to 4 and 6 (I use 8 for timecode). More recently I combined this with a half-normalled patchbay so that by default I'll get the stereo output from the mixing desk mirrored to all the tracks, but I can also override this by plugging into the lower row of the patchbay.

 

[famous beagle]

Sadly the TSR-8 doesn't do that - in my experience, TASCAMs tend to mirror inputs in groups of 8, so the MSR16 can do that, e.g. echoing 1-8 to 9-16 and the MSR-24 can also echo 1-8 to 17-24, but the TSR-8 doesn't have provision for this.

I made up a pair of 4-way splitters so input 1 would be mirrored to 3,5 and 7, and input 2 would be mirrored to 4 and 6 (I use 8 for timecode). More recently I combined this with a half-normalled patchbay so that by default I'll get the stereo output from the mixing desk mirrored to all the tracks, but I can also override this by plugging into the lower row of the patchbay.

Nice idea!

EDIT: Just realized I kept saying TRS instead of TSR. Oops!