Whats with Tascam and those damn RCAs?

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Outlaws

Outlaws

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I am still looking to get a open reel machine but I a lot of Tascam products use RCA instead of balanced 1/4".

RCA isn't balanced if my memory serves me.

So now I have to send my balanced XLR and 1/4" into a unbalanced RCA. ??? You guys really put up with that?




Oh ya.....

How does $400 sound for a "never-used" (slightly I have a feeling) 34B? Its looks clean, its got the box, manual, AND styrafoam.
 
If it was truly never used, that's a fair price!

As for the RCA's...true enough. They're not balanced and if you are running half decent cabling, shorter then 30 feet, there is probably little need or benefit to running balanced lines as proper shielding will make noise issues like hum and RF interference a non-issue with shorter cable runs.

If your mixer only offers balanced TRS or XLR connections then yes, it will be a pain to convert the plugs, impedance and signal strength.

TASCAM makes a product called the LA80 which should do the trick of converting the signals and connections if you are stuck.

Cheers! :)
 
Outlaws said:

How does $400 sound for a "never-used" (slightly I have a feeling) 34B? Its looks clean, its got the box, manual, AND styrafoam.
Click to expand...

Ya saw that one too, eh ? ;) . Well, I can tell you that it is well worth $400 - 500 USD. Well worth it indeed. ARP (A Reel Person) will tell you I'm sure ;) .

Don't worry, I won't be your "competition" to outbid you, perhaps a few weeks ago, but not now. For you see .. I won an "absolutely new and unused" 34B in box myself. No manual and no take up reel as this one has though. It looks as if it has a better condition box as well. I paid (won) mine for $442 USD + about $40 shipping + damn taxes am bound to pay (around $100 CND) on the Canadian border and some made up "handling" fee. Damn thieves! So yeah, I'd definitely bid around $500 or even $600 if you can pick it up or are in the States. Well worth it. Plus, it may be a long while before we see another New-In-Box 34B. These types of auctions are so damn rare.

~Daniel
 
I am generally a trusting sort of fellow but, when someone tells me that they purchased a 1300 dollar item and only took it out of the box to just look at it and never actually use it, I will be suspicious about a statement like that.

If the seller was to say something like, " I bought the machine to record my band's demo tape and shortly after we did that, the band broke up and I never joined another band again and the machine just sat there un-used all this time and now my wife is getting on my case to sell it and make a few bucks". "There is maybe 30 hours of actual use on it and the last time I checked it out, 10 years ago, it worked like a charm".

That's a story I would believe.
 
The Ghost of FM said:
I am generally a trusting sort of fellow but, when someone tells me that they purchased a 1300 dollar item and only took it out of the box to just look at it and never actually use it, I will be suspicious about a statement like that.

If the seller was to say something like, " I bought the machine to record my band's demo tape and shortly after we did that, the band broke up and I never joined another band again and the machine just sat there un-used all this time and now my wife is getting on my case to sell it and make a few bucks". "There is maybe 30 hours of actual use on it and the last time I checked it out, 10 years ago, it worked like a charm".

That's a story I would believe.
Click to expand...

Ok, fair enough .. I see your point. But didn't the 34B cost more like $1700 USD ?? I've seen conflicting prices from $1300 to $1750 .. Are you sure it was 1300 ?? Nevertheless, if I bought a piece of gear like this for that amount of money, even if it was 10 years ago and it spent most of its time in a box, unused, I'd wonder why I was so stupid enough to wanna sell it for 1/3rd or 1/4th that! Boggles the mind.

Granted that this particular unit looks "as new" with the original box, styro, manual, take up reel etc .. and that's particularly rare but what I don't get is why anyone would wanna sell for, what seems, 25c on the dollar. :confused:

Daniel
 
So what exactly whould you use to properly hook up my XLRs to the RCA?

Just a standard Radioshack adapter?
 
Outlaw, most of us who go hardcore into Tascam recorders get matching Tascam mixers,.

so matching cabling and signal level is usually not an issue.

When you go from balanced to unbalanced, it depends on which way you're going with the signal, and intended cable lengths, etc, as to whether you'll need a "bump box" converter, line transformers or simple adapters. Tascam made bal-unbal line converter boxes, the LA-40 and LA-80, also Fostex made the 5030, all units classified as "bump boxes". You may need one.

It depends a lot on the mixer that you're using, and the outputs it provides,... f/i, a [blank] mixer with balanced TRS 1/4" output jacks. That's what you have, eh? Well, go to the [brand] bbs and SCOLD the mixer mfr for NOT making his I/O Tascam-compatible! Haha! Well, my friend, the all-Tascam or Tascam-dominant setup uses unbalanced RCA I/O, and if you stick with one brand solutions, it's never a problem.

The NIB 34B is a rare find, indeed, and is easily worth $400, or more, depending on the day. It's excellent value at $400-$500, and still good value at $500-$650. BTW, it does include original box, packing, orig manual and takeup reel. It depends on how badly you want it, doesn't it?... as to how much it's ultimately worth. I don't have an exact figure, but when brand new the 34B probably cost appx $1400, so $400+ for a NIB unit is not too shabby.

Yes, I do believe that this unit was purchased new and never used, as I believe this has happened in "real" life, at least once or twice that I know of,... haha. His loss, your [my] gain, haha. Do you want first-person testimonial,... on how I've purchase several recorders and put "ZERO" time on them? Dude, it happens,... especially with the "wanna-be" recording star, who purchases a bunch of nice equipment, and then nothing ever comes of it,... [like me?... another autobiographical statement?... you decide, ha.]
 
Thanks for all the info so far guys.

Well, right now I only have my 1680, so I will have to purchase a mixer sometime. I don't really want to track on the 34 and then mix to the 1680, but for the time being.....ya know....:)

I was actually planning on just sending my micpre into the 34 so I don't have to deal with extra stuff in my signal path that I really don't need. Then I could send it out to a mixer / 1680 / or whatever .... I would eventually get either a Mackie or a used Soundcraft or something.
 
I forgot one other thing to ask....


DBX.


I gotta get that seperatly huh...?

Thought so.

Any good models to star looking at? My tape player has 3 modes, something/b/c.

C is awsome.
 
Dbx is extra. For the Tascam 34B, you'll need the Tascam DX-4D.

You may run a single [mic-pre] input to your 34B recorder as input stage, and that's practical if you're laying down one track at a time. However, the 34B accepts both UNbalanced T/S 1/4" MIC/LINE and RCA UNbalanced -10db LINE level INPUTS, and those are still your choices.

However, note that when using the 34B's 1/4" mic inputs, the DBX is not in the signal chain!

On mixdown phase, you'll still need some sort of mixer.

Cut to the chase,... the recommended mixers for the 34B would be the M-30, M-308/312/320/B -type 4-buss mixers.

You could use a Mackie or Behringer with the 34B, but you'd be dealing with differing plug adaptors and possibly level or conversion issues.

;)
 
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Outlaws said:
Thanks for all the info so far guys.

Well, right now I only have my 1680, so I will have to purchase a mixer sometime. I don't really want to track on the 34 and then mix to the 1680, but for the time being.....ya know....:)

I was actually planning on just sending my micpre into the 34 so I don't have to deal with extra stuff in my signal path that I really don't need. Then I could send it out to a mixer / 1680 / or whatever .... I would eventually get either a Mackie or a used Soundcraft or something.
Click to expand...

Why would you want to use a mic-pre with the 34B ?? The preamps on those things are great as is.

Daniel
 
Re: Dbx is extra. For the Tascam 34B, you'll need the Tascam DX-4D.

A Reel Person said:
You may run a single [mic-pre] input to your 34B recorder as input stage
Click to expand...

Why a single? What about 2 tracks?




Also....I am looking at some of the Tascam mixers right now, but many are OLD!!!!!!!! I don't mind the whole used market thing when things are in great shape, its just the searching for one and hoping to find something close to NIB that makes it a lot easier to just get a more recent item, ya know...
 
cjacek or anyone else,


What are all those ins and outs on that DBX unit?
 
Yeah, cjacek, great onboard pre's on T/S-1/4" UNbalanced connectors.

I believe he's talking about coming from a balanced output device.

Cjacek's right, though, an outboard mic pre may not be needed, depending on the mic. The 34B's onboard mic pre is adequate. That's why it's there, as a specific upgraded feature. The 34B is the only Tascam reel recorder with 1/4" inputs & TRIM, [and mono cue mix] and if you think you'll not need the 1/4" inputs and onboard cue mixer, then you'd be just as set with the 34[std].

I'd say, get the M-30 if you're a solo artist, and get the M312 or M320 if you're looking to record more live-to-tape setups and bands.;)
 
On the DX-4D, the unit serves 4-channels of audio,...

so the connections go:

MIXER_BUSS_OUT--->DX-4D_INPUT
DX-4D_ENCODE_OUT--->RECORDER_INPUT
RECORDER_OUTPUT--->DX-4D_DECODE_IN
DX-4D_OUTPUT--->MIXER_TAPE_RETURN

... for EACH CHANNEL, 1-4.;)
 
Well I dropped a lot of money on my Davisound TB10 and I will be damned if I am not going to use it. :D

I was looking at that 320...nice. I don't have that kind of money right now, but with all the routing I do on my 1680 I am sure I could find use for all the channels. Plus I do like to record my band (when its together:rolleyes: )
 
Re: On the DX-4D, the unit serves 4-channels of audio,...

A Reel Person said:
so the connections go:

MIXER_BUSS_OUT--->DX-4D_INPUT
DX-4D_ENCODE_OUT--->RECORDER_INPUT
RECORDER_OUTPUT--->DX-4D_DECODE_IN
DX-4D_OUTPUT--->MIXER_TAPE_RETURN

... for EACH CHANNEL, 1-4.;)
Click to expand...

Duh.....

I completely forgot I have to record with it and mix with it :p
 
If you're really into mics that demand phantom power,...

then be sure to get the M-308B, M-312B or M-320B, as the "B-models" have the phantom power, built in.

Likewise, not mentioned before, for the big guns, the Tascam M-512 & M-520,... are 8-buss mixers, with phantom power, built in,;)
 
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