Help with Tascam DM 24 please!

naethoven · 19th June 2008, 09:37 PM

Hi, this question is for experienced Tascam DM-24 users:

I am trying to figure out a way to have 24 inputs (preferably ADAT or Analog) going into the board, and 24 pre fader/eq outputs going out to my interface (preferably ADAT), and then have those 24 recorded tracks come back to the board for playback during overdubbing and mix down (preferably ADAT if there is a way, but TDIF may work for me). It doesn't seem like this should be so hard, but I must be missing something. If you have experience setting up the routing on one of these things, please help me out!

Thanks

naethoven · 20th June 2008, 03:57 AM

any experienced users out there? can anyone even suggest a comparable set up with this equipment in which the signal goes to tape dry, the CR and que mixes are separate and can be monitored with effects, and there is no latency? I also have a MOTU 2408 I can use for conversion if I must. any ideas?

Dimes · 20th June 2008, 04:34 AM

Well not sure if this is what you need but here is how mine is set up:

I've also got a 2408 and I've got a couple of Adat cards for the DM-24. (Is that how yours is configured?)

Since the DM-24 works in groups of 8, I will set one group (or more if necessary) of channels to monitor from tape (DAW) and one group to send to tape for tracking. All of this can be done via the routing screen.

With my setup, I also will group some tracks together in the DAW to be sent back for monitoring. This way I only need a group of 8 tracks for monitoring.

naethoven · 24th June 2008, 04:02 AM

Dimes, thanks for the input. So, is there any way to have 24 channels recording going to tape, monitor those, and monitor 24 off tape at the same time?

The grouping in the DAW technique is a good idea.

Dimes · 24th June 2008, 04:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naethoven

Dimes, thanks for the input. So, is there any way to have 24 channels recording going to tape, monitor those, and monitor 24 off tape at the same time?

The grouping in the DAW technique is a good idea.

You need to track 24 at once? hmm not sure how to do that mostly because of the limits of the inputs (16). I know though that monitoring 24 from tape as well as 24 coming in might not be possible because routing-wise, it only allows you to monitor either input or tape, not both.

What's your pre situation going to be? Do you plan on using the DM-24's mic pre's?

naethoven · 24th June 2008, 05:04 AM

Yeah, I can use the tascam pres and I was planning on using a rack of 8 external pres thru ADAT to have 24. I just want to be able to record and overdub a lot of tracks at once when I need to.

Dimes · 24th June 2008, 08:25 PM

So how are you hooking all of this up? You're gonna go into a 2408 right? Is the external 8ch mic pre going straight into the 2408? the other 16 coming from the DM-24? then 24 back into the DM-24 for monitoring?

naethoven · 27th June 2008, 10:36 PM

That would work, but I'm trying to monitor pre-tape for no latency, so I really want everything to go into the board, have seperate mixes of control room and phones, and then go to tape. Is there an easier way?

Dimes · 27th June 2008, 10:52 PM

If you want to monitor both pre and post "tape" I think you might have to sacrifice having all 24 and just have 16 monitored and 8 returns that you can group together in the DAW. To my knowledge that would work. Do you really need 24 at once?

uncle duncan · 28th June 2008, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naethoven

So, is there any way to have 24 channels recording going to tape, monitor those, and monitor 24 off tape at the same time? .

I send 24 channels of audio via various external preamps into the analog of a Alesis HD24 recorder. I then monitor via the lightpipe outputs of the HD24 into a Yamaha 01V96 mixer. The lightpipe returns are zero-latency, so I can set up 4 seperate headphone mixes (5 counting the control room mix) via the 4 aux outs of the 01V96. I'm monitoring input and playback, just like you would on a real tape deck.

When it's time for overdubbing/mixing, I transfer tracks into the DAW via lightpipe into a 2408, which will do all 24 tracks in one pass. (Try that on an 003!) Plus, with ADAT sync, you can slave-sync the DAW to the HD24 - handy for using loops as click tracks, or for overdubbing to existing DAW tracks.

I believe this is the only way you're going to get latency-free monitoring of 24 inputs, other than getting PTHD or trying an Apogee with Logic, which is supposed to be close to zero latency. It's possible that the newer motu interfaces give you latency-free monitoring of 24 inputs, but on my 2408MK3, I only get that on one selectable bank of 8 inputs (unless I missed something in the manual.)

The converters on the HD24XR are actually pretty good, (comparable to RADAR, they say) and the upgrade from standard HD24 to the XR is only about $600. Compare that to a PTHD system, or a second analog mixer for monitoring inputs, and the HD24 looks like a pretty good choice. Plus, the HD24 is crash-proof.

Actually, you could get a cheap mixer to monitor your inputs via splitters coming off of whatever preamps you're using, (or split off of a patchbay) but then you'd have one mixer for monitoring inputs, and a second one for monitoring playback. Come to think of it, that might look really cool in your studio, having all those faders...

(edit to add) If your DM24 is the same as the 01V96, you can take direct outs from the mic preamps via the insert jacks to the input of the recorder without affecting those channels for tape monitoring, assuming your using digital inputs on those channels. In other words, when using the digital inputs, the mic pres still work, but they're not routed to the mixer.

naethoven · 8th July 2008, 09:27 PM

blackfish · 8th July 2008, 10:08 PM

u should try at tascamforums.com. they will know more about this situation. there are three layers on that thing right? 1-16, 17-32 and auxes and busses. Unless you can repurpose the third layer as returns from TDIF or ADAT u prolly cant do 24 input/output and returns at once. you would have to group inside the daw in a bank of 8. try the tascam troops at their forum. good luck. as a side note, do you have the log taper pots installed?

naethoven · 16th July 2008, 07:18 PM

Blackfish,
Are you talking about the pre amp change? I think the ones that come stock are log based, and the change is for linear. I wish I had the linear because the logs are jumpy. How much do they cost? The manual even mentions them, I wonder why they even put those jumpy things in the board in the 1st place.

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19th June 2008, 09:37 PM	#1
naethoven Gear maniac Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 175	Help with Tascam DM 24 please! Hi, this question is for experienced Tascam DM-24 users: I am trying to figure out a way to have 24 inputs (preferably ADAT or Analog) going into the board, and 24 pre fader/eq outputs going out to my interface (preferably ADAT), and then have those 24 recorded tracks come back to the board for playback during overdubbing and mix down (preferably ADAT if there is a way, but TDIF may work for me). It doesn't seem like this should be so hard, but I must be missing something. If you have experience setting up the routing on one of these things, please help me out! Thanks

8th July 2008, 09:27 PM	#11
naethoven Gear maniac Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 175	bump

8th July 2008, 10:08 PM	#12
blackfish Gear maniac Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: SxDx Posts: 219	u should try at tascamforums.com. they will know more about this situation. there are three layers on that thing right? 1-16, 17-32 and auxes and busses. Unless you can repurpose the third layer as returns from TDIF or ADAT u prolly cant do 24 input/output and returns at once. you would have to group inside the daw in a bank of 8. try the tascam troops at their forum. good luck. as a side note, do you have the log taper pots installed? __________________ "yeah yeah yeah just keep playin, i can fix it"

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20th June 2008, 03:57 AM	#2
naethoven Gear maniac Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 175	any experienced users out there? can anyone even suggest a comparable set up with this equipment in which the signal goes to tape dry, the CR and que mixes are separate and can be monitored with effects, and there is no latency? I also have a MOTU 2408 I can use for conversion if I must. any ideas?

20th June 2008, 04:34 AM	#3
Dimes Gear nut Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Chino Hills Posts: 112	Well not sure if this is what you need but here is how mine is set up: I've also got a 2408 and I've got a couple of Adat cards for the DM-24. (Is that how yours is configured?) Since the DM-24 works in groups of 8, I will set one group (or more if necessary) of channels to monitor from tape (DAW) and one group to send to tape for tracking. All of this can be done via the routing screen. With my setup, I also will group some tracks together in the DAW to be sent back for monitoring. This way I only need a group of 8 tracks for monitoring.

24th June 2008, 04:02 AM	#4
naethoven Gear maniac Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 175	Dimes, thanks for the input. So, is there any way to have 24 channels recording going to tape, monitor those, and monitor 24 off tape at the same time? The grouping in the DAW technique is a good idea.

24th June 2008, 05:04 AM	#6
naethoven Gear maniac Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 175	Yeah, I can use the tascam pres and I was planning on using a rack of 8 external pres thru ADAT to have 24. I just want to be able to record and overdub a lot of tracks at once when I need to.

24th June 2008, 08:25 PM	#7
Dimes Gear nut Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Chino Hills Posts: 112	So how are you hooking all of this up? You're gonna go into a 2408 right? Is the external 8ch mic pre going straight into the 2408? the other 16 coming from the DM-24? then 24 back into the DM-24 for monitoring?

27th June 2008, 10:36 PM	#8
naethoven Gear maniac Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 175	That would work, but I'm trying to monitor pre-tape for no latency, so I really want everything to go into the board, have seperate mixes of control room and phones, and then go to tape. Is there an easier way?

27th June 2008, 10:52 PM	#9
Dimes Gear nut Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Chino Hills Posts: 112	If you want to monitor both pre and post "tape" I think you might have to sacrifice having all 24 and just have 16 monitored and 8 returns that you can group together in the DAW. To my knowledge that would work. Do you really need 24 at once?

16th July 2008, 07:18 PM	#13
naethoven Gear maniac Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 175	Blackfish, Are you talking about the pre amp change? I think the ones that come stock are log based, and the change is for linear. I wish I had the linear because the logs are jumpy. How much do they cost? The manual even mentions them, I wonder why they even put those jumpy things in the board in the 1st place.