The Cancers
New member
So,
I'm gonna be trying to use this thing for a couple purposes.
1) I'm gonna try out the preamps for a different flavor going into the front end of my computer based DAW.
2) I'm gonna be experimenting with using it as an external summing mixer.
Fun stuff, right?
Anyway, as I understand it, some if not all of the outs (including the XLR ones) are unbalanced.
So do I need to worry about this? Should I be on the lookout for some unbalanced XLR cables? My experience in these matters is minimal and, though I've done some searching and reading, most of the posts I find that appear to address what I need to know are still over my head (the language of mixers in general and especially an older one like this is vastly different from the language of computer based DAW I grew up with).
So here's what I'm seeing.
<Image deleted for convenience of reading messages>
The PGM outs are, I think, the buss outs. There are four PGM faders on the front labeled 1-4 and each of the input channels has a 1-2 and a 3-4 button above it's fader.
So, to use four preamps, I would plug my mics into the mic inputs on channels 1-4, then press the 1-2 buttons for the first two channels and the 3-4 buttons for the next two. I'd pan channels 1 and 3 all the way left and channels 2 and four all the way right.
This would give me my first input channel being sent to the PGM 1 (buss 1?) fader, my second to PGM 2, etc...
Now, assuming all that is correct, here's where I start to run into questions.
The PGM faders each have a pan pot above them.
And the PGM outs appear to be duplicated (reference the above picture). There are XLR PGM outs and then RCA ones that each have two plugs.
This kind of makes sense on the RCA plugs - ie if you can pan the busses, then you would want a stereo output option - so two RCA plugs to left and right inputs on whatever your recording medium and then you can pan that buss however you like.
But what's up with the XLR PGM outs? Does the panning come into play there? Is it meant to be used with an XLR to TS Y-cable? Are there XLR inputs out there that expect a stereo signal on the two different pins and the mixer was designed to use just a normal XLR-XLR cable in conjunction with a recording medium with those sorts of inputs?
And all that being asked, what's my best way to go about taking a signal from the preamps?
Should I just get some RCA-TS cables and go from the RCA outs (maybe just pan all the busses to one side and take all my outs from the corresponding RCA jack of the PGM out RCA pairs?) to my line inputs on my interface?
Can I just leave the four busses center panned and take XLR-TRS cables from the XLR PGM outs into the line inputs on my interface?
AND
As far as summing with the mixer goes, I'm pretty sure I've got that figured out, but just to make sure, I'm gonna want to monitor through the mixer but also send the signal back into my DAW.
The XLR stereo outs and the outputs labeled L and R that are just above and to the right of those are what I'm gonna want to use, right? Besides the fact that the non XLR one is probably unbalanced (no idea on the XLR one. Anybody?), are these two going to be outputting the same signal? Is this signal gonna be determined by my selections over on the monitoring side of the board (front right, above the master faders), or do those buttons just determine the behavior of the VU meters?
Anyway, really long post, I know, but any thoughts, answers or ideas are welcome.
I'm gonna be playing with this thing anyway and figuring out what's what, but if I could be saved time not having to run down dead ends I'd be really grateful.
Finally, please don't link me to the service/repair manual that shows up when you google "Tascam M-208 manual." I've seen it and it's way, way, way over my head.
I'm gonna be trying to use this thing for a couple purposes.
1) I'm gonna try out the preamps for a different flavor going into the front end of my computer based DAW.
2) I'm gonna be experimenting with using it as an external summing mixer.
Fun stuff, right?
Anyway, as I understand it, some if not all of the outs (including the XLR ones) are unbalanced.
So do I need to worry about this? Should I be on the lookout for some unbalanced XLR cables? My experience in these matters is minimal and, though I've done some searching and reading, most of the posts I find that appear to address what I need to know are still over my head (the language of mixers in general and especially an older one like this is vastly different from the language of computer based DAW I grew up with).
So here's what I'm seeing.
<Image deleted for convenience of reading messages>
The PGM outs are, I think, the buss outs. There are four PGM faders on the front labeled 1-4 and each of the input channels has a 1-2 and a 3-4 button above it's fader.
So, to use four preamps, I would plug my mics into the mic inputs on channels 1-4, then press the 1-2 buttons for the first two channels and the 3-4 buttons for the next two. I'd pan channels 1 and 3 all the way left and channels 2 and four all the way right.
This would give me my first input channel being sent to the PGM 1 (buss 1?) fader, my second to PGM 2, etc...
Now, assuming all that is correct, here's where I start to run into questions.
The PGM faders each have a pan pot above them.
And the PGM outs appear to be duplicated (reference the above picture). There are XLR PGM outs and then RCA ones that each have two plugs.
This kind of makes sense on the RCA plugs - ie if you can pan the busses, then you would want a stereo output option - so two RCA plugs to left and right inputs on whatever your recording medium and then you can pan that buss however you like.
But what's up with the XLR PGM outs? Does the panning come into play there? Is it meant to be used with an XLR to TS Y-cable? Are there XLR inputs out there that expect a stereo signal on the two different pins and the mixer was designed to use just a normal XLR-XLR cable in conjunction with a recording medium with those sorts of inputs?
And all that being asked, what's my best way to go about taking a signal from the preamps?
Should I just get some RCA-TS cables and go from the RCA outs (maybe just pan all the busses to one side and take all my outs from the corresponding RCA jack of the PGM out RCA pairs?) to my line inputs on my interface?
Can I just leave the four busses center panned and take XLR-TRS cables from the XLR PGM outs into the line inputs on my interface?
AND
As far as summing with the mixer goes, I'm pretty sure I've got that figured out, but just to make sure, I'm gonna want to monitor through the mixer but also send the signal back into my DAW.
The XLR stereo outs and the outputs labeled L and R that are just above and to the right of those are what I'm gonna want to use, right? Besides the fact that the non XLR one is probably unbalanced (no idea on the XLR one. Anybody?), are these two going to be outputting the same signal? Is this signal gonna be determined by my selections over on the monitoring side of the board (front right, above the master faders), or do those buttons just determine the behavior of the VU meters?
Anyway, really long post, I know, but any thoughts, answers or ideas are welcome.
I'm gonna be playing with this thing anyway and figuring out what's what, but if I could be saved time not having to run down dead ends I'd be really grateful.
Finally, please don't link me to the service/repair manual that shows up when you google "Tascam M-208 manual." I've seen it and it's way, way, way over my head.
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