Tascam DP24/32SD Tutorial 6A: Advanced 8-track mixer
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- Опубликовано: 11 янв 2025
- Part 6A - using the track paths to make a more advanced 8-track mixer.
This tutorial has taken a lot of time & effort to put together but is offered free for anyone interested. I make no revenue from adverts so you shouldn't see any, but if you do, RUclips has changed its policy since the videos were first posted.
If you find the videos useful and wish to donate anything, however small, it would be much appreciated; PayPal link is paypal.me/Phil... - I have no affiliation with Tascam.
Playlist for all parts - • Tascam DP-24SD/32SD Po...
Alternatively, you can buy video parts 1-14B as an MP4 file on a DVD or as a download, and/or a Step-by-Step guide (no references to the block diagram, just plain steps for lots of practical tasks) - full details are here www.philizound....
Love your style of teaching. It really got me familiar with the DP32. I use it with my QSC Touch mix and my Davinci Resolve Movie making software. Thanks so much. Your tutorial series saved me hours of work.
@Andy Reid thanks Andy, much appreciated. Best wishes for 2022.
I am 54 years old and with the intent of creating my own personal studio, I have been slowly acquiring guitars, mic's, other instruments and gear since I was a teenager. I had a Tascam 4-track back in the early 90's, but it wasn't enough for my needs so I almost never used it, and I gave it away about 15 years ago. I ordered the Tascam DP-32SD on May 5, 2020, but it was on back-order and I had to wait nearly 2 months to receive it because this machine is so popular. I was very eager to begin learning about using this console, so I started watching these videos about 7 weeks before I even received it. You cover the diagram so well that when I finally received the Tascam, I wasn't lost or intimidated by getting started. Now, I am using these videos as a walk-through for every step, and it is helping tremendously. I just bought my new electronic drum set about a week ago and I am really beginning to understand how to navigate my way around the recording process.
Thank you Mr. Tipping!
@Brian White thank you for the kind words Brian, and the glimpse into your background - always interested to hear how people started :) Glad the videos helped. Good luck with your recordings, and hope they provide some light relief in these lock-down times. Quite envious of the drum kit :)
My band's had one of these for 4 or 5 years but no one's been able to figure it out. But with these videos I'm really getting somewhere. Thanks so much!
@Rick Bennett glad they helped Rick; enjoy the rest of the series. Thanks for stopping by.
Outstanding work Phil. Thank you so much. I have used this board for a couple of years now with excellent results. I have added a rack of effects, but was never sure how to incorporate them using the sends. Your videos clear up so many questions and frustrations with the Tascam. Once again, thank you for all the work. Truly invaluable.
@ricontheroad1 many thanks for the kind words :)
Dear Phil, this is invaluably great. This course on the Tascam DP-32SD sets standards for RUclips tutorials (at least when it comes to my personal demands). Even though I am not through with this series, yet, I have just given each video a thumbs up. Thank you very much for your time and effort.
@tillober1240 many thanks for your kind words - much appreciated. Take it slow with the series - don't 'binge-watch'! :) Do plenty of hands-on experiments with your own machine and you'll be a guru in no time :) Good luck with your recordings.
Greetings, I feel like I’m in a classroom environment, and I’m digesting so much information. Your understanding on this device is remarkable!!! Keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
~Grand Daddy Frost~Cold Current Beats
Thanks for the feedback.
Very comprehensive tutorial. Well presented. I feel like a student listening to a professor teaching everything about Tascam recorder. Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge.
@RTP many thanks for the kind words; glad you enjoyed the series. Good luck with your recordings.
@@philtipping Thank you for taking time to respond. I am still at Part 8 of your Video series tutorial, long way to go but I am digesting each part of the tutorial while actually doing it on the recorder. I just replaced my old Boss recorder with a new Tascam and so far so good, yes only because of I found your tutorial.
@@RTPGCO that's the best way to do it - if you try watching them all in one go, you just get information overload :) Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the rest of the series.
I just ordered one of these and watched all of your videos on the DP24. I am very confident that I will be able to use it when it gets here thanks to your great tutorials. Thank you
@Mechanical Mike Thanks for the kind words. If you're like me, you'll be impressed the minute you lift it out of the box :) Don't forget the majority of user issues are due to out-of-date firmware or dodgy cards, so before you start using it for anything serious, check/update the firmware and get an approved sd-card... and if an update is required, format the card *after* the update. If it's a 2nd hand machine, there may be sticky/intermittent buttons depending how the machine has be used/abused, but these can be fixed from the outside with good quality switch cleaner. Have fun :)
Excellent series and VERY well done. You make an EXCELLENT instructor by your clear and precise instruction. A pleasure to watch!
@torontotool1 thank you for the kind words; glad you like them. A pleasant contrast to @quentin bonnell on video #10 who appears to have fallen asleep :) Give him a nudge when you get there ;)
Bought 24sd & have studied about a week now & plan on for 3 more weeks. I own a x32 producer and had to do that. One has to know every possible move and many hrs self practice to work with pro musicians. So I thank U ever so kindly for your efforts
@Mabry Studios thank you. Yes the more prep you do, the smoother the sessions will be. Nothing worse than musicians waiting for you to sort out a routing or recording problem... they just wanna' play! :) Good luck and hope it goes well.
Hi, I won't repeat what Ken Taylor wrote a year ago because it looks like I would copy the entire comment except that I am so thankful for what you have done. I am looking at each video with great interest. I have the DP32 since a few years now but I will now begin to use it properly. PLEASE NEVER REMOVE THESE VIDEOS.
+Michel Larocque thanks for the kind words Michel. Good luck with your 'new-found' machine, and hope you make some fine recordings :)
Thank you ever so much for the info. I've gone too crazy with PC based recording, between the crashes , poor file management (my fault) and updates. The frustration of this old man has reached a boiling pt! This is my 3rd Digital multi tracker, I hope to never sell this great machine. You have helped me in many ways to fulfill my production dreams. Im currently /syncing this unit to my Roland MX1 to the Roland MC-707. Loving it all to no end. Keep up the great work. Rock on Phil! May God continue to bless and keep you and yours.
@Angel L. Guzman thank you for the kind words :) I know what you mean with the continual 'advancements' in technology. I think personal computers should be renamed as there's nothing 'personal' about them anymore - they're all under the control of the online marketeers. Sometimes a basic free-standing machine just hits the right spot :)
Good luck with your recordings, and all the best for 2021.
Excellent let’s keep this going. Rock on Phil.
I've just ordered one of these so I'll be watching your tutorials a good few times. Very helpful stuff.
@Matthew Tunnicliffe thanks for stopping by Matthew. That's a great way to start the new year :) I'm sure you'll be pleased with it right from the unboxing. If you get too bogged down with the videos at first, the step-by-step guide www.philizound.co.uk/freebies/dp24-32/dp24-32.html will get you off the ground quickly; you can always revisit the videos later. Good luck!
@@philtipping Thanks for the advice, Phil. Keep up the good work and all the best for 2021.
@@matthewtunnicliffe201 Thanks Matthew, best wishes to you too. Don't forget to check/update the firmware when it arrives, and make sure you use a recommended sd-card before doing any critical recordings... and if you do have to upgrade, reformat the card afterwards. The majority of problems are caused by users not doing this... although nothing can prevent operator error :) so make sure you adopt a regular backup routine. Have fun.
@@philtipping Will do! Thank you very much. Much appreciated.
Thanks for the time you took to make this. I've seen some people complaining about this unit but I love mine. I don't use it as my main recorder though I could, it really records well. I have studio one professional as my main daw but this works so great for just working out ideas and as my main board for playing out. just pair it with some powered speakers and you have a complete sound system that can record what ever you do at the gig. i can use this to take to people's house, record them then transfer it to studio one and finish it up in my studio. worth every dime I spent on it.
Thanks +Comanche Don bushcraft - me too. Used to use a Yamaha 4-track cassette machine so really appreciate the benefits of these dp machines :)
Thanks for the response Phil, I too use AT2020 mic's and have a Mackie ProFX22, it was almost like yu were working in my studio, lol. Be safe BTW I checked out some of your music, great job.
Thank you so much for these videos, they are done so professionally and the detail is fantastic! I am an engineer (mechanical) and want to use my home studio when I retire in a few years to record myself and others. These videos have opened my eyes to the total capacity of my DP32 and will be referred to for many years to come. I sometimes use drum samples and want to insert at the correct point for sync, do you cover such an application? I'm still going thru the videos and haven't gotten to that point if you have. In any case thank you again for such an informative and detailed operational presentation.
Hi +Ken Taylor, thank you for the support. I didn't cover the Track Edit features, but they're fairly easy once you work out how to set the (up to) 3 time positions reqd for copying/moving/pasting etc. The 'TO' position which marks the insertion point on the target track is the current time position. The other function (again not covered) which may be useful if you want accurate positioning for sync'ing is Jog Edit in conjunction with the cursor buttons to alter the amount the 'coarseness' of the wheel. Good luck in your retirement - you'll still find there are not enough hours in the day, but at least it's because you're doing all the things *you* want to do :)
These videos are fantastic man!
@Jamie Eddy thanks Jamie :)
your videos have helped me a ton to understand this DP-24SD. Thanks so much
@Al Germano thanks for stopping by Al. Best wishes for 2022.
Very helpful. Thank you, Phil.
Thanks +Schellbones... have just replied to one of your comments on another video.
The track assign function actually works like a patchbay!
AWESOME! Great Information - Many Many Thanks! It is very helpful indeed.
+wgccorey thanks for the kind words, glad they helped. Season's greetings.
I had a weird anomaly on my tascam DP32, where without recording engaged or play for that matter, the unit played a random 10 second loop of what I played on guitar while attempting to set levels. Never ending and evident on any channel (A-H) I armed. The factory reset would not get rid of it, nor would undo. I finally got rid of it by the “delete unused”function.
@Twelve Ounce Trance Not heard of that one before, so thanks for sharing. Is it the DP-32 or DP-32SD, and what firmware version is it running?
@@philtipping It’s outdated for sure. I spoke with my band mate ( Neutral Earth- posted here on RUclips), and it was the first thing he mentioned. I have a brand new DP32 and the SD used in the old transferred the problem to it. However, the delete unused cleared it up and I think I’m good to go. I’m in Florida for the winter. When I return to Michigan I’ll update the firmware with my pc, tho I’m going to start recording with the new one. My band mate is in Illinois and we use DP32s to long distance create our music through the exchange of SD cards. I enjoy your tutorials!
@Twelve Ounce Trance Thanks for the info. I think you're right; the latest firmware release notes mention compatibility issues with machines running older firmware.
The latest notes for the DP-32 (1.13) say:
V1.13 changes
A song created or loaded on a DP-32SD (V1.09 or later) would not load properly in this unit and could not be played back sometimes. This has been fixed.
The latest notes for the DP-32SD (1.11) say:
V1.11 changes
Master files could not be played by the DP-32SD (with firmware version V1.10).
This has been fixed.
V1.10 changes
Loading would not occur properly and playback would become impossible in the following cases:
- when a song created on a DP-32SD (using V1.09) was loaded in a DP-32SD (using V1.08 or older), DP-24, DP-24SD or DP-32,
- or when a song created on a DP-32SD (using V1.08 or older), DP-24, DP-24SD or DP-32 was loaded in a DP-32SD (using V1.09).
This has been fixed.
Don't forget to reformat your cards *after* updating. It's not official advice from Tascam, but several users on the Tascam forums said they had glitches after updating, but these disappeared completely after re-formatting. May have just been coincidence, but I always do it for peace of mind. It's good to do a full format every now & again regardless... and it forces you to keep your backups up-to-date :)
Thanks for the nice feedback; much appreciated.
@@philtipping Thanks for all this- it certainly will be helpful in getting my older DP32 on the mend!!!
@@philtipping just reading the comments here is very inspiring- nice to see helpful conversations STILL active on a 6 yo video :-) thanks for this series
Hi Phil, fantastic videos series, this is definitely THE reference knowledge database on DP32.
I bought it a few days ago and learning. Thought it would be piece of cake as i am pro (if you have ever had to route 5 different phone cue mixes to picky musicians from a 24 tracks main and being able to monitor and mix each of those on the fly while recording you’ll know what i mean ;-) BUT this DP surprised me by its sometimes strange circuits build. I wanted it as an easy yet quite large mutlitrack for my own songs sketches (having to start computer DAW, setup connections blablah and run from control to tracking room is simply not envisageable) . I already had 4tracks tape recorders some 20y ago and had bought the Roland br800 a few years ago but found it too limitating in its input flexibility not the mention the big mistake of only ONE phantom powered input and no REAL bouncing function.
whatever, the DP32 seemed to be the ideal candidate for now, so in order to check it out I read the manual and got through the block diagram BEFORE buying it (a good old habit that avoids the traps of “approximative” features description marketing ,-) but the Tascam still got me because their manual is vague, full of holes and even false statements, while the holy block diagram contains errors and missleading specifications.
Now, none of the above has put me off since limitations are part of the game and the device nevertheless seems promising. And going around limitations always gives you that extra thrill :-)
Phil, your videos are a fantastic way to understand all the secrets of this machine without scratching your head forever. And the constant referencing to the diagram and sound flow is perfect, an art that is getting lost in those “just tell me on which button to push” days.
So, THANK YOU!
@mic Ruelle well thank *you* for the kind words; it makes it more worthwhile knowing they've helped in some way. Yes the machine has its quirks, but that doesn't stop anyone making great quality tracks on it - it's how you use it which counts :) ... and as you're finding, it's so convenient having a portable all-in-one box even if you have other ways of recording.
I got mine originally for location work but am finding more & more uses for it. The latest studio layout has the main gear in the loft and the playing area downstairs. I can now use the DP machine downstairs for tracking and avoid having to drill holes for feed lines :)
Best wishes, and enjoy the rest of the tutorials.
Take care.
Phil Tipping Thanks Phil. Spent a couple of hours on it today testing all possible assigns, routings, effects, levels, EQs, markers, punch-in, bounce etc. think I have it all clear by now. Didn’t cover Mixdown/Mastering yet. Superb possibilities for such a small cheap device!
One thing puzzled me though, that the block diagram seems to confirm : the track meters are only of use when recording a track, to visually monitor its level and do whatever adjustment in the source chain (external inputs or bounced source tracks) is needed. In play mode they are basically useless as they always show the level of the recorded file regardless of any fader (be it digital or physical), trim or effect setting. Both in multitrack and bounce view. Do you confirm?
Haven’t tried mixdown yet but from the diagram I can’t see how track volume (ie fader, trim, effects) could ever affect the meters considering their position in the chain...
Well, all considered they do have a use in play mode : shows you there is something happening in the track :-))
@@micruelle9466 you're right, the track meters only show the levels going in or out of the vtrack box on the diagram, so they are unaffected by any controls after that point. The only useful meters after that are the L/R monitor meters, which show whatever the Monitor Select source is set to.
Learning a lot from these! Thanks!
@Phil Roelofson thanks for stopping by, Phil.
thank you phil. your videos are a great help for me.
thanks +mountainchatter 0 - next batch just uploaded. Don't watch them all in one go or you'll get brain overload... or fall asleep :)
Phil Tipping my brain is not overloaded because i can look at your videos when i want to. before my brain gets overloaded i just stop the videothing for the next day😊
haha -that's ok then :) Many thanks for taking the time to comment - it's a nice bonus to know they're helping. All the best to you.
Hi Phil...great stuff, this has really helped me. Here's my question...in SONG menu, what's the difference between ERASE and DELETE UNUSED and when should I be using each?
+robbykirkland thanks for the feedback. Don't get these mixed up :) Erase will delete the whole song, whereas Delete Unused just deletes unused audio from the song, leaving the song intact. The machine creates new files on the sd-card whenever you record & re-record, or edit etc. so you can end up with a lot of redundant files. Some of these are for the Undo system, but I've found it keeps far more than it should. This won't matter if you've got plenty of space on the card (see Menu, Information), but if you want to keep things tidy, Delete Unused should help.
Error in trying to download this file. This and Tutorial 6B. Thank you for your great work.
+Bobcatt22 Don't know why it can't be downloaded, but the whole series (parts 1 to 12) is available on a single DVD for convenience and viewing offline; full details here: www.philizound.co.uk/freebies/dp24-32/dp24-32.html Thanks for the feedback.
Watching this tutorial, I am impressed with the thoroughness with which you have approached your explanations.
However...I'd like to offer an idea for how you could enhance your course - and it may well seem obvious...
Think about how every manual has a Quick Guide section. It is this kind of summary - with audio examples - and quick button pushing, that would be INVALUABLE for someone like me who already has extensive music technology and audio production background. The key here is to use AUDIO EXAMPLES and setup permutations.
That's not to take anything away from the superb work that you're doing here. In effect, I'm suggesting additional Quick Guide approaches ,for musicians like me, that you could use to add to what you've already done.
I'm convinced that they'd be easily put together, simply because you've already put in the groundwork.
In effect, you could complete a Quick Guide tuition in only 2 or 3 videos.
Again to emphasise, this is not criticism, rather an additional idea for what is already an effective series. You will have many professional or semi-professional engineers watching this. I have no doubt that this would be invaluable, maybe as an additional video for which people would have to pay.
Again, well done Phil.
Many thanks Danny - much appreciated. There *is* a paid-for Step-by-Step guide for those who prefer written instructions for specific tasks, and also a single DVD containing the first 20 videos for quick/offline access... but not sure if I've got time to do much more for now - I really want to get back to *using* the gear :)
Hey Phil! The fader level indicator on the mix screen only goes up 1db at a time. When I set the faders for a mix can they be set between? "1.5db" vs 1 or 2db for example.
@Gabe Huston I've just checked mine and they work ok in both multi-track and mixdown modes. Are you running the latest firmware?
Hi! I'm hard of hearing and depend on captions! Please could you enable automatic captions for this video like the others in the playlist? Thanks so much for this course, I've learned a lot!
Ok +Dale Hards, have added (and corrected) auto captions for this one. I didn't know RUclips had that facility so thanks for the heads up. It takes a lot of editing to get the translation right, so will tackle the others when I get some time. Also noticed the captions sometimes block part of the action in the video so may need to tweak it again later. Hope this one's ok for now.
Perfect! Thank you so much. I hugely appreciate your hard work!
Thanks very much for this video. I am a musician and songwriter (old school) and would like to know if it is possible to record my playbacks (MP3) onto a stereo track, then how to record vocals on it hearing the playback. Also it would be very kind if you could explain what connections I have to make. I gather my MP3 format has to be converted to a WAV format? Thanks in advance .
@Peter-Paul Burns thank you for the feedback. Yes it's possible to get your backing tracks onto the machine, and hear them playing while you are recording onto other tracks. That's exactly what a multi-track recorder does. You're right in that the machine can only understand wave files so you'll have to convert them from mp3 first. This is fairly easy using either a dedicated conversion utility, or using a DAW. The free Audacity can do this.
No audio connections are required as you can copy the wave files directly from your computer onto the sd-card. This makes a pristine loss-less copy. You *could* use an audio connection and 'record' the music in realtime, but this won't be a perfect copy - you may also get background hum or other noises.
If your machine is close enough to the computer, you can use a USB cable to copy the file, which saves having to physically unplug the sd-card.
There are several precautions and 'gotchas' though, so it might not be plain sailing. It's too much to write them all here, but full details are in my step-by-step guide www.philizound.co.uk/freebies/dp24-32/dp24-32.html
@@philtipping Thank you very much for your rapid reply which is much appreciated. Thumbs up and keep up the great work!
Hi Phil, thank you for making these videos. If you don't mind, I have a question that maybe is already answered here but I still don't figure it out. It's about faders.
Let's suppose, I would record a podcast, 5 inputs. One of them is music from an Ipad which works as background music. When recording, can I use faders and make the music louder when no-one is talking? Or, does it record at the same levels, no matter if I move faders when recording?
What about the master mix... do I have to playback the show and move the faders to make the background music quiet when people are talking and pull it up to make music louder when nobody is talking? With a mixer I can do all this... but I want to get this Tascam to get rid of DAW's, mixer and handheld recorder. This seems to be all in one.
I downloaded the booklet and checked the diagram but I'm clueless. Any light? thanks in advance.
Hi +dluis1 and thanks for the feedback. The latest video (part 8A) just released may help answer your question. The faders only operate on the playback path and monitoring path - they have no effect on the recording levels when in normal multi-track mode. When you're mixing down, you're creating a separate recording using signals from the stereo bus, so the track faders *will* affect things as they are controlling the playback levels onto the stereo bus. Once you've mixed, the mixdown file can *only* be played back if you go into Master mode. You are then playing back this special self-contained file so nothing on the machine will affect it - non of the faders or other knobs - the only things which affect the mixdown file are the Mastering effects which you see on the screen when in Mastering mode, and the monitor knob if you're monitoring the stereo output. I'll be covering mixdown & mastering once I've got the recording topics out of the way. If you're still stuck, give me a shout on the email shown at the bottom of the www.philizound.co.uk page - email is easier than youtube for me.
Phil Tipping Thank you Phil. I will take a look at the video just released. You've clarified me all my concerns. This is a great device.
I will check your website and store it in favorites for future references when I get the unit. Have a good night and thank you once again.
Do you ever give seminars in the U.S.? If so I would love to attend.
@Keith Miller sorry Keith, am based in the UK... but can offer one-to-one tuition via phone or video link. If interested, send me an email for details; address is at the bottom of the page on my philizound.co.uk website.
stereo assign is a switch. so if I use send 1 and 2 as a stereo effect (input assign switched off), how do I then get that effect signal back in and recorded or into a track?
+age defiant-hetero mundane- singular damsel - Great name! :) Connect the signal from your external fx unit to spare inputs on the dp machine. How you connect depends on whether you want a mono or stereo signal from the fx unit. Detailed examples are shown in the Step-by-Step guide; see video 12 or goto my web page www.philizound.co.uk/freebies/dp24-32/dp24-32.html for full details.
@@philtipping brilliant, thanks
Thank you very very much. Such usefull examples.
@Luk Van Lieshout thank you for the kind words Luk, and for the donation - much appreciated. Have replied via email. Best wishes.
When i move a fader down...why does the signal indicater in the mixer dont go down?
@fantastico music It may be because the mixer screen is not displaying the track whose fader you are adjusting. You have to select the track or input in order to see its settings on the mixer screen. The selected item is shown at the top-right of the mixer screen.
I've been interested if the loop region loops smoothly on this Tascam.
Phil, could you try this and see if this is possible? I've heard there is a lag, which would not work for me.
The idea is to record and layer sequences, press play and have them loop, then mute and solo them and use the faders to mix. I would be capturing the audio into my DAW system recording via stereo outs of the Tascam. Would love to know if this will be possible.
Thanks in advance if you could give it a try.
+foggydrifty the repeat function does have a slight pause each time round the loop. I don't think it's intended to be used as an accurate looper but it's not difficult to create loops manually. You can do this on the machine with the Track Edit functions - there's a copy/paste function which allows you to copy a section 'n' times. The tricky bit is to set the start/end/to location points accurately, but it's not impossible - just needs a bit of patience. The functions are instantaneous as it doesn't actually copy audio data - it just manipulates pointers to it - and it can be undone so you can try several times until the result sounds perfect. Alternatively, use your DAW to generate a long wave file containing the loops - it might be easier to adjust the loop length and timing locations on a DAW. Then import the whole wave file into the machine.
If you are wanting to record and layer sequences you'll need some way of synchronising them - there is no MIDI sync in the dp24sd and dp32sd models. Again you can use the move/paste Track Edit functions to line things up (or use the DAW), although this won't be interactive if you're planning on live improvisation.
Phil Tipping thanks for taking the time to reply. I think your videos are great for people using this machine and getting started, along with useful and insightful technical info. Yes, I have considered the DAW as the looper, it's easy, but I liked the idea of tracking with the Tascam and using its faders, mutes, and solo features to mix into my daw as a stereo track. I could copy and paste, but was really wanting to just record 4 or 8 bars and loop those, creating different processed variations while mixing out of the machine.
Well if you're wanting live hands-on looping and interactive 'noodling'... and your instruments are midi-based, take a look at Sequetron :) - see www.philizound.co.uk/freebies/software/sequetron/sequetron.html
Phil Tipping I work mostly in audio. Think I'm going the Push2 route.
Thanks for the info. The DP series look like fine machines.
Who is the woman singing? Beautiful voice!What mics did you use?
@MyBichSustained it's Liz Crippin, from an EP called The Passing Of The Years. I used a Rode K2 on vocal and a Neumann TLM 103 on guitar. There are some snippets here (scroll down) www.philizound.co.uk/projects/projects.html More info and links to buy/download her music are on her website www.lizcrippinmusic.com
@@philtipping Excellent!Thank you!
Is there a vari-pitch function on this unit ?
@djtomswift808 no, but you could export track(s) to a DAW, alter the time/pitch there and import it back. Not as good as a 'live' solution, but doable.
Hi Phil
Please excuse my ignorance to begin with.
I am thinking of buying the DP24 SD, but I’m a newbie to all this, all I want to do is to record my vocals to backing tracks, I’ve tried computer based recording but can’t really get on with it, I think it would be much easier with one of these.
Would this machine suffice for what I need ?, I realise I don’t need all the channels but I’d sooner have something like this than the smaller units.
+Pete Davies hi Pete, no ignorance to be excused - these machines are complete studios in a box, and can be quite daunting if you've never ventured into the world of multi-track recording. This machine would certainly do what you want with ease. It's just a question of whether it's overkill. There are plenty of recorders around, but once you need to play and record at the same time, the options become more limited. The extra channels are a great bonus for re-takes, or for building up multiple overdubs & harmonies etc. so you could justify it as something to grow into as you become more adventurous, and the effects would give you some nice options for enhancing or experimenting with the sound. I too avoid computers for the recording process as I find them too distracting - so much easier to use a box which just does its job when you switch it on. To use it with backing tracks, you could either record them in real-time via an audio connection to your music source, or more simply, just import the wave files from your computer. You may find a DAW useful for extracting digital audio from CDs or for converting MP3 files into the wave files required by the import process. Audacity is a free DAW to get you off the ground. Once you have your backing tracks loaded on the machine, it's just a case of setting it up to play back those tracks while recording your vocals onto spare tracks... if you're not happy, just rewind and re-record, or if you want to keep the first attempt, just arm another track and your vocal will record in parallel with your first one.
You could check out the Zoom models for comparison, but to me, the Tascam seems a more physically robust machine. Good luck, and let us know how you get on. There's an email shown in video 12, so feel free to use that if you need any more help.
Phil Tipping. Thanks very much for the quick reply Phil, I really appreciate that. You’ve said exactly what I was thinking, it may seem overkill at the minute but as you say, there’s time to grow into it and the options are there, without me having to buy something else. The smaller units seem pretty limited.
I’m very old school with my music lol, 50s and 60s mainly,
I’ve looked at the Zoom R16, but keep reading about the preamps not being that good, not that I understand too much what that means but I have an idea lol, that’s what’s putting me off the, although I do like the idea of it being able to be used in conjunction with my Mac.
I’ll look into it mate and I will let you know how it goes.
Thanks again 😉
Ok Pete, but keep an open mind re. unqualified 'advice' on the internet... and that includes anything I say as I'm only an amateur :)
It's easy to do an A/B comparison under test conditions and hear differences between various bits of gear, but in the context of the final song, you have to ask yourself if the rest of your recording/playback chain (and that includes expertise at driving it all) is going to justify the cost. If you're coming from old-school cassette recorders with dynamic mics, you'll be blown away by the quality of most modern digital recorders, especially if you use a condenser mic on your vocals.
The Tascam machine had similar pre-amp criticisms which put me off for a while, but there was very little choice if I was determined to avoid a computer-based solution. In hindsight, I found there was nothing to worry about! The choice of mic, the recording environment, recording techniques, the monitoring environment, not to mention how good your voice is, all have far more impact (imho) on the final result than the pre-amp.
And don't forget, both machines include 8 pre-amps for the price. If you really felt high quality pre-amps would make a difference, you could always enhance either unit later on by adding an 8-way pre-amp box, or spend the whole budget on a single pre-amp if you only wanted one high quality recording path.
Good luck, and hope to hear some recordings soon :)
I know what ya mean mate, I’ve read good reviews on your videos though, so you’ll be my first port of call when I get stuck, and I’d imagine I’ll get stuck quite a bit lol 😉.
I’m hoping to be able to overdub to a backing track with a bit of reverb on my voice, but not for it to be recorded like that, I think that’s possible on this unit. That’s the main problem I’ve always struggled with.
I’m actually ready to go for it but for some unknown reason, I’m still debating on the Tascam or the Zoom, I hate it when that happens lol, because it can take a while for me to decide, the problem is though that I want to get cracking with it 😉
Adding reverb which is not recorded is really easy - the hard bit is recording it live :) ... but plenty of help available for this.
Re. the choice, try asking for opinions on the two forums:
zoomforum.us
www.tascamforums.com
I don't know about the Zoom forum, but the Tascam one is very friendly.
Depending on your location, some vendors may offer you the chance to return a product for a full refund if you're not happy with it - it comes under the Distance Selling regulations in the UK. Others may charge you return postage, but even this might be a small price to pay to avoid ending up with something you regret.
POST and PRE-Level hurt my brain. Especially when adding the Master 1 level. Ugh...
@rm4po4 It doesn't help that there's a lot of misinformation about these on social media. The pre and post just refer to where the send signal comes from. They have no affect on whether the effect is recorded or not.
If the send signal comes *before* the track fader (PRE), the send signal will always be the full track level as recorded, regardless of the fader position. So if you alter the fader, the direct (dry) track signal will change (as normal), but the amount of signal going to the send path will always be the full amount. If you are using send-1 and the internal effect, say for reverb, this means you will always hear the reverb regardless of the fader position... even if you turn the fader right down, the reverb will still be heard.
If the send signal comes *after* the fader (POST), the amount of send signal *will* be affected by the fader. This means the fader now controls both the level of the track playback signal and the amount going to the send effect. Assuming the same scenario as before, as you alter the fader, both the direct (dry) signal and the amount of reverb will change in step with each other. If you lower the fader completely, the direct signal and the reverb will disappear.
The reason for having both PRE & POST options is to give you flexibility, e.g. some effects such as reverb, sound more realistic when you're adjusting the fader if you use POST, whereas if you use the send signal for monitoring purposes, the PRE signal may be more useful. It's completely up to you and your workflow.
If you're the same Jason who just sent a donation, many, many thanks. It's much appreciated :)
Is it just me
But I used to have the Tascam dp-20 I thought the effects on that were much better, I’ve just brought this but still learning
@clint parkinson do you mean the dp-02? I don't have one so can't compare, but the manual shows different FX settings to the dp24/32 so they may use different algorithms in the firmware. It would be disappointing if Tascam have gone backwards with the FX, although that hasn't stopped them before with functionality, which is a shame. For example they added more inputs and channels, but then dropped the individual EQ, send and pan controls... and more recently, they dropped MIDI and the CD burner from the original dp24/32 models! But there's not much choice on the market if you want a DAW-less system so we just have to make the best of what there is. Thanks for stopping by, and good luck with your machine.
@@philtipping yer do-02 🤦♂️.
Thanks again I’m sure once I’ve got used to it and had a good play.
Don’t suppose you know if there is anything out there on the market you can buy. for vocals effects a bit like a guitar pedal but for vocals ?
@@clintparkinson129 There are lots of choices, so depends on your budget and what effects you want. You could just get a single high-quality effect, or go for a multi-purpose unit with compressor, eq and fx if you wanted to avoid using any of the DP internal effects. I've heard some good reports of the TC Helicon Voicelive but this may be overkill. Try asking on the Tascam forum, although any forum should have users with similar requirements. Whatever you get, make sure it's easy to set up - nothing worse than a unit with a gazillion effects but with a horrible cryptic user-interface.
@@philtipping just the dp-02 had a lovey moody effect great for recording and singing live, need to recreate that 😂
@@clintparkinson129 I know what you mean. You may never capture it exactly as you remember, but.... you may find something even better :) If you've still got the dp-02 you could always use it as an external effect with the dp24/32.
Thanks Phil
Thanks for the feedback +Pee White
Do you prefer this mixer or the zoom r24?
@felpa97 I've never tried the Zoom product in earnest although I did consider it when researching (several years ago). I was put off by the lightweight, plasticky feel of the Zoom, and I also had bad memories of the cryptic user interface on my old Zoom PS-04 so I (maybe unfairly) didn't investigate it further.
The Tascam is a heavier machine and much more rugged, which was perfect for my requirements. There are some limitations with effects but there are work-rounds using bouncing etc.
The Zoom may well have similar quirks but I can't compare. I'm sure it's capable of making excellent recordings like the Tascam - most complaints are due to operator inexperience as multitrack recording is a whole new ballgame if you've never done it before. Whichever you go for, you'll need to put some effort in to get the most out of them. Good luck :)
Awesome Phil!
@Al Smitherman thanks Al
THANKS I SUBSCRIBED..
+ li austria
+li austria many thanks for the feedback and sub. Season's greetings to you.
Hi ....I bought a Dp24SD ...... I just cant handle it . It is too involved..now I have a cheap DP24 for sale ... I am a songwriter not a techincian.
@Ann Maria Russell fair enough. The machine *is* a complete studio in a box... but it doesn't come with an engineer :) Buying these machines implies a commitment to learn some of the terms and techniques, so it's not for everyone. Hope you find something more suitable... or maybe someone who can do the recordings for you. Good luck with your songwriting :)
Thanks a LOT for making these videos. There's a used DP32SD for sale a few km away. But i'll stick to my old faithful Fostex VF160. CD burner, MIDI ports, 2X internal FX which can be used simultaneously, 2X external AUX sends, 8 inputs with individual meters for the input signal etc. The only advantage of the DP32 is USB and SD cards, easier transfer to the Mac/PC. Ok it is the last of the Mohicans, the only serious new Portastudio on the market today. Oh Fostex why have you left us out in the cold?
@munkienl1 agreed - it would have been good to have more competition in the porta-studio market. I originally bought the dp32sd for location recording to replace a Fostex 8-track hard disc recorder and Mackie mixer which were getting too heavy to lug around. When I get back to base, I transfer the digital recordings to a Fostex 24-track... still alive & kicking :)
Thanx Phil
+Nash Vox thanks for the feedback
Thanks for posting these instructional videos. I've been gleaning what I can from them. Just a little feedback.
Audio quality is poor. Your voice is muffled. Is this the best you could do?
Block diagrams might be *your* friend, but I would rather see paths described using the unit itself, and using real world examples. Once you've explained things this way, THEN go to the block diagram and use it to reiterate your point.
Along those same lines, you describe a lot of things, but you don't contextualize most of them, so it goes "in one ear and out the other."
Personally, I want you to show me how you record things, not so much how the unit works, because how it works becomes evident with use and familiarity.
Thanks again for posting these. I know it's a lot of hard work, and you've helped educate a lot of people.
+Ffej Uadlos many thanks for the feedback. The audio *was* the best I could do so sorry about that. There's a step-by-step guide for just these situations where the videos aren't exactly what you're looking for. It spells out the steps for lots of practical tasks, such as 'how to record', 'how to bounce' etc, so maybe this would suit you better. Details and a link to the contents are here philizound.co.uk/freebies/dp24-32/dp24-32.html
Thanks for the response. I'll check out the guide.