Adding Tape Outs to Tascam Portastudio 414 mkII

[Lotus 7]

The (4) outputs from the DBX module labeled "TAPE1,2,3, &4" will have the (4) channels of audio, but the signal level may not be enough to drive your DAW interface, and the output impedance at those points may not be low enough to drive cables and your DAW inputs without seeing some signal degradation.

A schematic would be helpful since the block diagram does not give any actual circuit details.

The block diagram does show two amplifiers after the mix bus for the main line outs as well as the monitor amps for the phones and monitor outputs. That implies that more gain may be needed to reach reasonable "line" levels.

Even with a schematic, it may be difficult to determine the signal level at the DBX module output points. If you have access to an oscilloscope, you should measure the signal level at those internal output points. If it's an appropriate level, you could always try patching them through RCA jacks to your interface line inputs (probably setting the inputs up for -10dBv levels), but a better way to do it would be to put in a set of op-amp "voltage followers" as buffers/line drivers. If the internal signal is too low, those same buffers could be set to provide 10 or 20 dB of gain as needed.


Another possible set of "output taps" would be the output of the amplifiers immediate following the EQ stages (feeding the pan pots and the Effect-1 pot labeled "DIRECT-1,2,3, & 4). The signal level may be higher there and the output impedance may be lower. (Keep the EQ "flat" if you use those points)

The biggest potential problem of just bringing out the internal signal points is that if they are being driven by a moderately high circuit impedance, the signal will be degraded by the output cable capacitance and the input load of your interface. Those same points are also inputs to the internal (4) track mixer. so if they are not isolated by a buffer amp, you also risk adding noise to the internal mix going to the main outputs.

Hope this makes sense.

[WaxAegis]

I follow your response enough to conclude that doing it the 'right' way is probably not worth the effort and I'd rather not mess with it

Nevertheless, thanks for the information.

[themagickite]

here's a crappy solution!

pan channel 1 hard left and use the left out
pan channels 2 and 3 hard right and send each one to either aux out
then use the sync out for channel 4

I don't know if this would work, but you don't have mess with the unit to try it out