Mixdown Compression Tascam 388

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jrdamien
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Mixdown Compression Tascam 388

Post by jrdamien » Fri Apr 08, 2011 9:59 pm

Anyone have any inventive ways of using compression on a mixdown from a Tascam 388 to another tape machine?

My dilemma: I have access to either a single channel or a dual channel compressor (but more access to a single channel, over easy comp). At the very least I would like to use compression on the two drum tracks. Could I use a Y cable on the 2 channel outs into the comp and a Y back into those channels?

Or, should I just hit the tape hard while both recording and mixing down, utilizing the tape compression? I'm going for a more classic sound and wondered if this might do it.

Or, behind door #3, apply the compression to the stereo mixdown/use the compression on all channels?

I appreciate any and all advice.

kslight
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Post by kslight » Sat Apr 09, 2011 5:44 am

In my experience hitting the 388 hard doesn't result in straight compression as much as distortion...definitely a machine that I'd be careful of your levels with. I usually go for no more than an average of 0 on the meter. I've pushed it harder for experimentation and for me it's too distorted to want to do all the time. Check out The Black Dots of Death-Destroy Anything for an example of this, you can stream the whole thing on www.theblackdotsofdeath.com and click "TBDOD". The whole song was recorded to 388...the music tracks were recorded hot into the 388 so there's like a midrange distorted sound, but then the rest of the tracks were recorded at prudent levels.

I'd probably use compression on the way in if you can, though certainly you can after the fact also this way if you are short on compressors then you have more for mixing.

Have you tried using the insert send and receive jacks? That would be the ideal way to use the compressors... Then if you had open tracks you could bounce those down to open tracks and then have compressors to use for the next tracks.

jrdamien
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Post by jrdamien » Sun Apr 10, 2011 11:28 am

No other 388 users out there using compression during mixing?

E.Bennett
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Post by E.Bennett » Sun Apr 10, 2011 6:42 pm

patch the comp in on the efx bus for parallel compression.

jrdamien
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Post by jrdamien » Sun Apr 10, 2011 6:47 pm

RM, could you elaborate a bit? If I patch it in through the efx bus can the compression be dished out to the individual channels in the same way as any effects would be and, if so, can I simultaneously use other effects (reverb)?

E.Bennett
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Post by E.Bennett » Mon Apr 11, 2011 7:52 am

yup. there are two busses on that mixer, one labeled efx the other aux. use one for comp the other for reverb or delay or whatever.

eh91311
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Post by eh91311 » Mon Apr 11, 2011 5:41 pm

Here's a working link to a Tascam 388 pdf manual:
http://thesnowfields.com/manuals/Tascam_388_Manual.pdf

If you have 2 tracks of drums, why don't you use the inserts on those 2 channels and route them to/from the 2-channel compressor, either while tracking or on playback (or both).
Use the aux for global efx like reverb.

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