I'm borrowing a friend's 488. I have no trouble recording on tracks 1,2 with a mic. I don't own any remote mic preamps. I want to know how to record onto tracks 3-8 by using the pre-amps on tracks 1/2 and how to assign them to different tracks. If someone knows how, please be very explicit. (where every knob on the tracks should be set to where on the mix,off,cue switch, etc. etc. etc.) Thank you.
Simple question, with hopefully simple answer about old 488's (gray)
- Thread starter StinkyEd
- Start date
I'm gonna take a shot in the dark (I could be COMPLETELY wrong), but I believe this involves panning and recording from that bus. Does the 488 have the option to record Direct, or Buss L, or Buss R for each track? If so, let me give you an example. Plug a mic into channel one, first XLR input (mic input). Pan channel one all the way to the left using the pan control. Set the player to record Buss L (Bus Left, whatever) on track 3, and there you go. That SHOULD be the way to do it. Most recorders that do this are set up in a way that the odd tracks record from Bus L, and the even record from the right. Buss is basicly where the signal is coming and going. You're panning it so that the signal goes all the way into the left buss, and the recorder picks the signal up from the left. Make sense? Someone correct me if I am wrong, I don't know how the 488 works exactly.
Thank you for the info., but....
the 488 isn't quite set up like that. The first track has only a 1/4"? input (i have an adapter), all tracks have this input. then below that is the preamp level knob (only tracks 1&2 have this). Below that is a mix/off/group1 switch. Below that there is a knob in which hard left is mix and hard right is cue (the same on this knob for all tracks). Below that is all of the effects, eqs. Then the pan knob (which is the same on all tracks) has odd on left, and even on right. Then comes the buttons: top button: 1/L 2/R, second button: 3-4. are these pertaining to groups? How should they be pushed in/out? After these buttons is the up and down level knob/switch/thing.
Now, on track 3 everything is like I said but the switch is mix/off/group3 (where it says mix/off/group1 on track 1).
But get this, on track 5 this switch reads mix/off/cue.
Hopefully this paints a better picture for what I'm working with. Like I said, the answer is probably pretty easy but I think I've tries just about everything. But if you know how to record (overdub as I am one person) on to tracks 3-8, please help. I feel like I'm recording on a 2 track.
the 488 isn't quite set up like that. The first track has only a 1/4"? input (i have an adapter), all tracks have this input. then below that is the preamp level knob (only tracks 1&2 have this). Below that is a mix/off/group1 switch. Below that there is a knob in which hard left is mix and hard right is cue (the same on this knob for all tracks). Below that is all of the effects, eqs. Then the pan knob (which is the same on all tracks) has odd on left, and even on right. Then comes the buttons: top button: 1/L 2/R, second button: 3-4. are these pertaining to groups? How should they be pushed in/out? After these buttons is the up and down level knob/switch/thing.
Now, on track 3 everything is like I said but the switch is mix/off/group3 (where it says mix/off/group1 on track 1).
But get this, on track 5 this switch reads mix/off/cue.
Hopefully this paints a better picture for what I'm working with. Like I said, the answer is probably pretty easy but I think I've tries just about everything. But if you know how to record (overdub as I am one person) on to tracks 3-8, please help. I feel like I'm recording on a 2 track.
Gear_Junky
New member
Yes, it's pretty easy 
I have the 488 mkII, but it looks like it should be fairly similar. Here's the idea: The recorder can only do up to 4 tracks at a time. Therefore tracks are grouped into 4 groups. Tracks 1&5 = group 1, tracks 2&6=group 2, etc. So you can only record on one track from each group, i.e. you can't record on tracks 1 & 5 simultaneously, they're like "radio buttons", "either,..or".
Remember, that in recording mode tracks refer to tracks on tape, not the strips on the mixer, think of your mixer section as an outboard mixer, it has nothing to do with track numbers. Your first 2 strips of the mixer have preamps. To assign any one of them, or, in fact, any strip to a certain track do this:
Track 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Pan L R L R L R L R
G 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
R 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
"G" means "Group assign switch", it's either 1L/2R(for tracks 1, 2, 5, 6) or 3/4 (for tracks 3, 4, 7, 8)
"R" means recording track, there's buttons in recording section that specify which track is being recorded. There's only 4 unique combinations of the "Pan" and "G" controls for the 4 groups. The "R" selects whether you're recording to track 1 or 5, 2 or 6, etc. Note, that you can't assign "R" to 1 & 5 simult. These "G" and "R" are my abreviations, cuz I don't remember what they're called, but you should figure it out. It's easier than it seems. Of course downloading a manual will make it even easier. Hope I helped and not confused
I have the 488 mkII, but it looks like it should be fairly similar. Here's the idea: The recorder can only do up to 4 tracks at a time. Therefore tracks are grouped into 4 groups. Tracks 1&5 = group 1, tracks 2&6=group 2, etc. So you can only record on one track from each group, i.e. you can't record on tracks 1 & 5 simultaneously, they're like "radio buttons", "either,..or".
Remember, that in recording mode tracks refer to tracks on tape, not the strips on the mixer, think of your mixer section as an outboard mixer, it has nothing to do with track numbers. Your first 2 strips of the mixer have preamps. To assign any one of them, or, in fact, any strip to a certain track do this:
Track 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Pan L R L R L R L R
G 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
R 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
"G" means "Group assign switch", it's either 1L/2R(for tracks 1, 2, 5, 6) or 3/4 (for tracks 3, 4, 7, 8)
"R" means recording track, there's buttons in recording section that specify which track is being recorded. There's only 4 unique combinations of the "Pan" and "G" controls for the 4 groups. The "R" selects whether you're recording to track 1 or 5, 2 or 6, etc. Note, that you can't assign "R" to 1 & 5 simult. These "G" and "R" are my abreviations, cuz I don't remember what they're called, but you should figure it out. It's easier than it seems. Of course downloading a manual will make it even easier. Hope I helped and not confused
Gear_Junky
New member
No, you should be able to use any input strip to record to any track, AS LONG AS it's the only track of a group. like I said, totally independent mixer. there's only 4 "panning" + "group" combinations, then you just assign the signal to a track.
you can do:
1234 or
1238 or
1278 or
1678 or
5678 or
1638 or
5274 or
... and so on
you can do:
1234 or
1238 or
1278 or
1678 or
5678 or
1638 or
5274 or
... and so on
Gear_Junky
New member
Here's how it works on mine:
Pan: "Right"
Group: "3/4" (cuz it's group 4)
Select track 8 to record to. (the same setting is also for track 4, if you assign it, but you can't do 4&8 together.) Let me know if it works
Pan: "Right"
Group: "3/4" (cuz it's group 4)
Select track 8 to record to. (the same setting is also for track 4, if you assign it, but you can't do 4&8 together.) Let me know if it works