Tascam 388 noise reduction

[illuminations]

I have used the 388 for a long time with the noise reduction off and prefer it this way with most applications. However, I recently tried using it for vocals and was surprised how much it helped. It removed the sort of nasal honk and airy aspects that I never could get rid of using EQ, mic choice/placement, and soundproofing. I know I can activate the noise reduction on 4 tracks, but I really just want to use it on the one.

Does anyone know if there is any outboard gear that is similar to the DBX type 1 used on the 388? Maybe the dolby 166? I use minimal outboard gear and I'm obviously not much of a compression user, so I don't need something very fancy. I'd just like to find something that has a similar effect that I can use on one channel.

[kslight]

I don't know the model number but dbx used to have a 900 series line of processors (Aphex also sold modules in this format) and one unit that was available was noise reduction. Then you'd need a chassis for it...I think there was a 2 module chassis available so you aren't wasting a ton of rack space...

Or you could find the dbx noise reduction setup from the Tascam 38/etc... I think those were sold in 4 channel blocks?

Either way not sure how they compare to the onboard dbx, but I would assume they are similar.

There is also probably a simple way to defeat the dbx on the individual channels of the 388 with a little DIY...track 8 already has an individual bypass...

[illuminations]

Cool, thanks for the quick reply. I'll have to look into those suggestions. So is noise reduction more than just compression? I should have stated more clearly, I guess, but I never use compression, so it is new territory for me. Do you think getting something like the Dolby 166 or FMR RNC would be similar, or is noise reduction a different beast.

As for defeating the DBX, I'm not really sure how to go about that. I know you can select to use it or not use it for channels 1-4 and 5-8. I tried recording on track 2 with DBX and bouncing to track 8 without DBX, but it lost the clarity I liked on track 2.

I too feel like there should be a way to record just one track with noise reduction, but it's probably wishful thinking. The issue is with playback. If I record on 2 track with reduction then record on 3 and 4 without it, during playback one or the other is going to be effected, becuase reduction needs to be engaged during playback. I'm sure anyone who uses the 388 knows that. That's why I was thinking about an ourboard solution. If anyone knows a way within the machine to achieve this, that would be the bee's knees.

[floid]

dbx 122 or 124

[kslight]

I own three 388s so I do have some experience with what you're talking about. You are right you probably don't want to encode while recording and not decode on playback...or vice versa... NR is not exactly the same as compression...while it does use compression going in there is more to it then that...you may Google if you wish for more specifics... So in other words, an off the shelf compressor is not going to do what you want. But as I stated above, you can buy older Rackmount or 900 series dbx noise reduction units that would work as intended. However I have never thought about it before today, I do think a technician could make it possible to defeat channels individually without much effort...and that to me would be ideal and keep your routing simple.