tascam 424 mkii, digital conversion, confused

Tucker_ma · Post by **Tucker_ma** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 6:02 pm

So i've been recording with a tascam portastudio 424mkii and have been using an inexpensive usb audio interface, edirol ua-1ex (http://www.roland.com/products/en/UA-1EX/), to send the cassette to digital.

I think I'm hearing some artifacts after converted and wouldn't mind upgrading to a better interface if the price wasn't too crazy (a few hundred $). Pretty confused because my searches turn up a lot of info on usb interfaces with all kinds of xlr ins and a/d converters that are $$$$$. All i plan on using it for is transferring recordings from the portastudio over to computer, so just need rca ins. Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

kslight · Post by **kslight** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 6:14 pm

It might be beneficial before plunking down some $$$...to determine the cause/nature of the artifacts. I'm not entirely sure if you are talking about some form of distortion, noise, etc...or just dissatisfaction with the interface you currently have.

Tucker_ma · Post by **Tucker_ma** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 7:36 pm

Hey thanks. It sounds like distortion to me, but it's pretty subtle. Maybe I'm just being anal given the roughness of the sounds I'm trying get, but I definitely hear distortion that I don't hear on the tape, most evident around the peak volume in the song. The interface has an input volume knob that i've messed with but without great success as of yet. Maybe I'm an idiot and the levels are just too high and it's clipping?, hard to tell to me since there isn't a light/meter or anything.

Here is a a song of mine (I apologize if posting links to music is a violation on here) where the subtle distortion is audible to me in the peaks around the chorus/slide part at around 1:10 and towards the end of the song as well.
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/51659901/5.16. ... .16.12.mp3

jgimbel · Post by **jgimbel** » Wed Jul 18, 2012 9:36 pm

I don't have much good input here, I do hear a slight difference in distortion there, but I don't know what to suggest other than turning the input on the interface down. I just wanted to see if there's a place this song/others are available or will be. I absolutely love that song, it's beautiful and right up my alley, I'd love to hear more.

ashcat_lt · Post by **ashcat_lt** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 8:54 am

To which program are you recording? Doesn't it have meters?

Tucker_ma · Post by **Tucker_ma** » Thu Jul 19, 2012 10:02 am

Thanks ashcat_lt, I'm just using Audacity but the meters in the program aren't showing any clipping.

Should I just experiment more keeping the input volume real low on the interface and boosting the volume out of the portastudio?

jgimbel, thanks for the kind words. that's me in the recording, stuff is online at www.thelowbredwatts.com and http://thelowbredwatts.bandcamp.com/ . working now on first full length.

brew · Post by **brew** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 9:35 am

I don't think there's anything wrong with the interface. Try setting it for 24 bit, record in Audacity at 24 bit, and turn it down a bit.

Great tune though!

thefanbelow · Post by **thefanbelow** » Sat Jul 21, 2012 3:58 pm

Hey I don't have any suggestions but I really like your music... Just out of curiosity, what mics do you use and and what pre amps? Also, if your using audacity how are you dealing with the time stretch differences that come from tape...

Tucker_ma · Post by **Tucker_ma** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 8:24 am

Hey thanks, on the recording above I tracked everything at the same time on the portastudio on 3 tracks (casio sk-1, vox, and guitar) and just mixed them down together, so I didn't have to deal with time stretch differences at all. That's pretty much what I always do... do everything on tape, then just mixdown the left/right to audacity all at once, so I'm probably not much help there.

on the recording above:
vox - SM57 through marshall mg30cd amp, mic'd with another sm57
guitar - ampeg reverberocket R12R, mic'd with an sm57
casio sk-1 - direct in to the portastudio

I didn't use any external pre-amps, just the 424 preamps.

thefanbelow · Post by **thefanbelow** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 10:41 am

Tucker_ma wrote:Hey thanks, on the recording above I tracked everything at the same time on the portastudio on 3 tracks (casio sk-1, vox, and guitar) and just mixed them down together, so I didn't have to deal with time stretch differences at all. That's pretty much what I always do... do everything on tape, then just mixdown the left/right to audacity all at once, so I'm probably not much help there.

on the recording above:
vox - SM57 through marshall mg30cd amp, mic'd with another sm57
guitar - ampeg reverberocket R12R, mic'd with an sm57
casio sk-1 - direct in to the portastudio

I didn't use any external pre-amps, just the 424 preamps.

How do you get the tape to your computer... I thought you would need a interface or a A/D converter?

Tucker_ma · Post by **Tucker_ma** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 10:46 am

I use an edirol ua-1ex (http://www.roland.com/products/en/UA-1EX/)

thefanbelow · Post by **thefanbelow** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 11:16 am

Tucker_ma wrote:I use an edirol ua-1ex (http://www.roland.com/products/en/UA-1EX/)

Do you know if you need one of these if you have an outboard pre amp?? I can't find ANY information about actually dumping tracks.. I'm so confused. It looks like that only has 2 inputs so do you only dump 2 tracks at a time? And how do you even connect your 4 track to that?? 1/4 line out from the 4 track to the 1'4 line in on teh Edirol? Thanks man

Tucker_ma · Post by **Tucker_ma** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 11:32 am

I've never needed to dump individual tracks but imagine you just run RCA outs 1-4 on the back of the portastudio to an interface with 4 in's. I'm sure there are folks on here who know the ins and outs outs of it, not me though. I just use the edirol interface for the mix down of all tracks, so it sounds like it wouldn't work for your needs.

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tascam 424 mkii, digital conversion, confused

tascam 424 mkii, digital conversion, confused

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