What is the latest skinny on these Tascam X-48 machines?

[Barish]

I have been considering to invest into a pair of these X-48 machines and I have been bumping into mixed reviews some of which seem to be quite old, possibly currently no longer relevant.

What is the final situation with these units? Could anyone in the know shed some light?

How easy is it to use these machines in tandem (master-slave mode) for instant backup?

Any issues with Video syncing or MTC?

I hear a MKII is coming out anytime soon, how different will it be from the MKI?

Is it worth going for the old stuff, or shall I wait for the new version?

Cheers.

B.

[Barish]

I thought there were a number of regulars here, including moderators, who used that stuff on a regular basis, no?

May be I should have put a question mark at the end of the subject line up there.

[LX3]

Originally Posted by Barish

I have been considering to invest into a pair of these X-48 machines and I have been bumping into mixed reviews some of which seem to be quite old, possibly currently no longer relevant.

What is the final situation with these units? Could anyone in the know shed some light?

Don't know about anyone else, but my final situation is that they've been and continue to be excellent workhorses. They record, they lock to timecode and they're more reliable than most other machines I've used (they're not perfect. I haven't found anything that is).

If you're used to other recorders, it's important to realise that the X48 is different to what you've used before. Most criticisms of the X48 are along the lines of "Why isn't it like an HD24 but with 48 tracks?" or "Why isn't it like ProTools but in one box?" or "Why doesn't it have every single feature that every other DAW has?". It can get a bit ridiculous, particularly over on TascamForums, which is why I tend not to get into discussions about it so much.

How easy is it to use these machines in tandem (master-slave mode) for instant backup?

If you're running two machines for safety, you don't want to link them in any way, so I'm not sure what you mean by master-slave mode. If you want, feed the same timecode to both machines. I don't think there's any kind of master-slave thing where putting one machine into record puts the other into record as well... but as I say, I don't know why you'd want to risk doing that.

Any issues with Video syncing or MTC?

Only the same issues every piece of TC-equipped kit has with sync. Most sync problems I hear about are user error/ignorance. I don't use MTC for anything if I can avoid it, so I can't comment on that.

I hear a MKII is coming out anytime soon, how different will it be from the MKI?

No idea, only just heard about it myself. Doesn't look all that different. Bigger internal HD as standard. eSATA connection (firewire is more convenient for me to be honest). New v2 OS (which evidently will work on the Mk1 as well). If we're lucky it'll have a more powerful motherboard and processor (the X48 is effectively a PC running embedded Windows). But the Mk1 works fine.

Is it worth going for the old stuff, or shall I wait for the new version?

If you intend to buy new, I'd wait. If cost is a major issue or you need to get going right now, buy the old one. I'm not feeling any particular necessity to upgrade.

Hope that's useful.

Paul

[Barish]

Thanks for the neat info mate, that was very helpful. I really appreciate it.

I can see your point in the master/slave mode but it could be helpful if I needed to record 96 channels with them.

Regards,

B.

[PDC]

Originally Posted by Barish

I have been considering to invest into a pair of these X-48 machines and I have been bumping into mixed reviews some of which seem to be quite old, possibly currently no longer relevant.

What is the final situation with these units? Could anyone in the know shed some light?

How easy is it to use these machines in tandem (master-slave mode) for instant backup?

Any issues with Video syncing or MTC?

I hear a MKII is coming out anytime soon, how different will it be from the MKI?

Is it worth going for the old stuff, or shall I wait for the new version?

Cheers.

B.

Buy a computer, some software and I/O. It would be cheaper.

[Barish]

Already have that in my studio mate. I don't want to carry my MacPro and the interfaces and stuff in flightcases from venue to venue. I just want a compact one-button solution that would work throughout a live performance with the least risk of dropping out.

But thanks for the suggestion anyway.

B.

[Sounds Great]

My ideal setup has always been a mixing board and a multi-track machine, whether analog or digital with built in interfaces. I've recorded with a computer and haven't liked it.

I hope to soon again get a tape machine or an HD24. How is this Tascam (other than track count) different from the Alesis? Pluses and minuses? Thanks.

[LX3]

Originally Posted by Barish

Thanks for the neat info mate, that was very helpful. I really appreciate it.

I can see your point in the master/slave mode but it could be helpful if I needed to record 96 channels with them.

In that case, you feed both machines with timecode (or perhaps send timecode from the "master" X48 to the "slave" if you prefer to do it that way...) then put them both into record. You don't have to put them into record at the same instant, as all the files are timestamped. Just spot all the files to timecode when you're mixing and you're back in sync.

Of course, if you're using one machine to send code to the other, then you can't put the slave into record until the master is rolling. You probably can, but you'll be recording in the wrong place on the timeline.

The advantage of going master-slave is that you can roll back on the master X48 and put the whole rig into play if you need to.

But it's not quite like the HD24 system where the transport of the slave is controlled by the transport of the master. The slave is chasing the master, but doesn't know if the master is in play or record. But thanks to proper timecode support the X48 doesn't need to do that.

With the stuff I do, I generally have separate TOD TC running and sync everything to that. Then again, if I'm going above 48 tracks I'm usually using a MADI rig rather than the X48s. But I did do 88 tracks on X48s at one show. All depends what makes the most sense for the gig.

Important to watch what you're doing with clock and freewheel settings.