Tascam MX2424 questions...

[stinkpot]

So if I link my MX2424 to a PC with sufficient hard drive memory and a DVD RW burner using an ethernet cable, I can use the MX software to "see" the session and burn entire sessions to the PC's hard drive or to a DVD RW?

Yes. Or you can ignore the GUI and just use the MX like you would a tape machine and then back up to your computer later.

There's really 2 ways to "back-up" to the computer. One is a network backup which dumps the file as a .bu - which i believe is just a MX thing. Or you can export your data as .wav files. Both are realatively quick, but not real time.

Just plan a little bit ahead. It's no big deal. Most backup/ restore operations via ethernet take 10 - 15 minutes for a big file - including verifing (checking for errors, like you would burning a data CD) the data. Not too bad for approx. 1 gig of data.

Backing up and restoring to the DVD RAM discs is a good bit slower.

Dumping .wav files (remember render/ consolodate first) is even faster.

Does that give you a better idea?

I'm quite sure you'd need to copy the DVD-RW data to the computer, and then upload it via ethernet.

[strdsk]

I'm quite sure you'd need to copy the DVD-RW data to the computer, and then upload it via ethernet.


So once I copy the DVD-RW contents to the computer, do I then have to then copy the computer contents to the MX2424 or can I read the data from the computer in real time from the computer via ethernet? If I can't do the later of the two, I'll have to wipe the MX2424's hard drive clean after every song we are mixing at the time then get new song data downladed from the computer? I know a guy selling a few Neumanns man! You interested? Thanks very much in advance...Joey D!

[stinkpot]

Once the data is on your computer, you then copy via ethernet onto the hard drive in the MX. The MX is the actual recording platform, the computer using the tascam software (MX-View) is basically a remote control. You can't do any recording directly to the computer except backup operations. This is why you can get away with a pretty slow computer. You are only sending commands to the MX from it, so you're hardly using the CPU on the computer at all.

You don't need to wipe the MX's hard drive in order to restore another project as long as there's enough hard drive space availible. I typically have 5 - 9 songs loaded at a time, and I'll just load them up one after another - then get to work.

If you do end up getting a MX-2424, never use the "Disc Cleanup" operation. It's very suspect. When I've been recording tracking/ editing in non-destructive mode A LOT and the undo lists are pretty large, it will take up a fair amount of hard drive space. This is when you want to back up your data, do a LLF, then restore your data and keep going. Blah, Blah, probably too much information

[strdsk]

Hey all,
In the Tascam MX2424 instructional manual, they use the word "span" quite a bit...as in some disks and drives do or do not "span". I'm wondering if the stock, internal, 9 gig hard drive "spans" with the optional front mounted hard drive or optional external hard drive that links to the MX2424 via SCSI connector? In other words does the stock, internal, 9 gig hard drive plus say an external 73 gig hard drive equal a 82 gig hard drive filling up the 9 gig drive first then cascading gracefully into the 73 gig surplus, or must you end your session project once the 9 gig stock drive is full and begin a new session or "project" on your external...is adding more hard drives beneficial and if so...how? Thanks much in advance...Joey D!

[Mark Alan Miller]

In light of what you're saying I have to agree that the MX2424 is the way to go.
I don't care much for the Alesis unit due partially to its propretary file system...

I'd take a more stable proprietary system over a less stable FAT format any day of the week.

The reason some people were bitching about the Alesis OS was that someone on this board was pissed he couldn't recover data after the drive died on his Masterlink (not that his chances were that much better using freeware or proprietary drive recovery utilities had it been on FAT or the Mac format).

My impression is that most people are having sporadic problems with the Alesis drives not because of its format, but because they forget that it's a hard drive. Move a piece of equipment with it, and you'll always be faced with a risk of a head crash. If you don't keep your deck well ventilated, that's a risk too. And there's always a risk just because it has moving parts.

And the reason why most people are having drive problems with standalone systems that support cut and paste are probably the same people who don't understand why they need to defragment their PC/Mac drives. At least stinkpot understands that (in the absence of any defrag utilties provided by Tascam) that the only other alternative is a low level reformat- basically nuke the drive and start over before the fragmentation issues get out of hand.

The villified Alesis format basically writes data in more sequential chunks than with FAT. Although I'm not sure if I completely believe the Alesis claim that this method allows use of slower spinning drives (not that it matters anymore since 7200 rpm is the minimum standard for new drives), I do believe that this helps control fragmentation of the files. Since the HD24 does not support virtual tracks or non-destructive DAW style editing (it behaves mostly like a tape machine), that also helps with the fragmentation problem.

With an HD24, you can use the Fireport to transfer all of your files to a Mac or PC in a flash. Then you can back it up to whatever format or medium your little heart desires. But no matter what box you use (HD24, MX2424, laptops, G5 towers, etc.), YOU are responsible for your data backup and integrity (a more serious corollary to Joel H's primary directive). Don't wait until your drive is on the fritz to start bitching about the format. It's like bitching about the brand of tires on your car after you drive off the highway into a tree.

For chrissakes, don't blame the format or protocol. If you do a general search of the board threads, you'll find that most HD24 users (myself included) are extremely happy with the stability of the system, including board luminaries heylow and cgarges. But I'm sure they would be the first to tell you to BACK UP YOUR DATA.

I must be crabby. Gotta go get some coffee and food.

Well, I do agree overall. My feelings about the Alesis format are not due to the post you refer to, they're due to it's behavior like tape. It's not really non-destructive, and if I, personally, am going to use a digital system these days to record, I'd prefer to have that ability... that's the main crux of it. And while Alesis' method is not only stable, it actually eliminates the issue of fragmentation, not simply reducing it, as the tracks are allocated across the drive from the get-go. No, I really was referring to my preference for the non-destructive nature, and thus the ability to have alternate takes, to go back and change edits, etc...
Regarding backing up, I cannot agree more. Anyone who loses data and hasn't backed up in a reasonable period of time (like, at the end of each sesion, at the least) is asking for trouble and waiving their right to complain. Harsh, but true.

[kayagum]

No worries. I agree that if you want virtual tracks, you should use something else besides the HD24 as a standalone. There was a thread around the same time as the start of this one that was dissing the Alesis format, and I thought I should quash it before it became an Internet fact (or as heylow would put it, porn).

[stinkpot]

Hey strdsk - I have no idea about the "span" thing. I've never used an external scsi drive with mine. Sorry. Maybe one of the other MX users can help you on that, or like I've suggested before, try this --> http://www.themx2424board.com/
They're very helpful and way more knowledgable than I ever will be.