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In general, don't mix with your eyes. When you get familiar with things like spectrum analyzers (I use a FFT) they are great for identifying and fixing audible problems. When you are really familiar, you can look at them and predict audible problems, (but with less than perfect accuracy). But don't...

If you're anything like most of us, this music stuff encompasses your entire lifestyle, therefore you can write off a number of things which you had been paying for (and paying taxes on your income and possibly your expenses) out of pocket. Now you technically pay for them directly from your income...

Thought it was a Black Friday score but it was actually just used:

A fun and simple exercise could be to give everyone (or pairs of people) a mic and a guitar/drum/electronic toy/hand percussion and all record some noodling at the same time, trying to get good isolation from the rest of the class. First try it with an SM57, then (if you have the budget) multi-patte...

Matt C. wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 24, 2017 12:30 pm

try using really "bad"/unusual mic placement for everything. and yeah turn the gain on the recorder up way too high.

This! Also, a lot of what we call "lo-fi" records were one-dynamic-mic-on-everything kinda deals, so that could help get you there.

I may be recording an audition tape for a violinist. Sound is a bigger concern than video for this, so it looks like I'll be syncing up my audio to a cell phone video. How should I go about it to avoid headaches later? I know 48khz is the standard for video because of the old 24 FPS film standard, b...

I can't remember the physics behind it, but I read that boundary mics capture lower frequencies depending on the area of the boundary they're on. For example, hung in mid-air they'll sound thin and attached to a wall, floor, or piano lid you'll get the full frequency range. Since the latter isn't po...

Maybe fried the bias oscillator coil? Go over to the TapeHeads reel-to-reel forum and ask the question there. You might get mildly abused by the pro repair techs for the DIY mistake, but you'll probably get knowledgeable answers as well. I don't suspect that because four cards still work, even slot...

kslight wrote: ↑

Sat Nov 11, 2017 10:51 am

They of course threw a couple curve balls...

Of course they did. I think the mark of a good engineer is rolling with those curveballs in a no-stress way, deciding what the priorities are (especially with 8 tracks), and making it all work smoothly without anyone ever knowing. Good job.

Well, first I tried swapping in a new bias tuning pot. Didn't work. Then I swapped out what I believe is the bias amp? (Not the master bias oscillator, everything I did was on the channel card). Still no change. Probably just gonna order a few new cards. And yes, I've swapped cards between slots so ...

I think I shorted out/burnt something while calibrating my Tascam 38 and I'm wondering how severe the problem is, and if I can simply replace the component: -I was on the first step in the biasing process, adjusting the "bias tuning" pot on the channel cards. (I have done this before when I knew a l...

Who's been saying instrumental music is dead? Jazz, electronic, orchestral, and ambient/noise have always been thriving in their own scenes. As for being on the pop charts, I suppose that's a different story. i don't care for vocals, never have. i have always gravitated for the music. I used to neve...

Just any regular keyboard type foot switch should work. I use a Roland that I got in a dollar bin at a thrift store with my 388, looks similar to the Tascam pedal you have linked. Well, I tried it with a keyboard sustain pedal--and it worked--but here's the catch: Punch in/out is triggered on the r...

Oh yeah, and if it's at all possible try to get a mic on that acoustic!

And post your results!! Good luck.

Very cool. I did this with a 4-track for a simple acoustic attic show and felt real cool but never did anything with the tracks... oops. Your plan sounds pretty solid, but I'd offer some advice on the drum overhead: choose isolation or bleed, not somewhere in between. (i.e., don't use a cardioid con...