Helpful ReplyWOW! Is the PortaStudio Back?

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soens
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2018/10/12 10:04:36 (permalink)

WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back?

OK so it's not so Porta but this is what TASCAM shudda made when the 688 era ended.
 
The Model 24   $1000 US
 
  • All-in-One, Multitrack Recorder with 22 channel Mixer and USB Audio Interface
  • WAV 48kHz/24-bit, 24 channel multitrack recording to SD, SDHC and SDXC cards
  • Built-in USB Audio Interface to send/receive audio data to/from DAW
  • 22 Inputs (20 Balanced, 12 Monaural, and 4 Stereo)
  • 16 TASCAM Microphone Preamps
  • Input Mode switch on every input channel
  • TASCAM Ultra-HDDA Mic Pre-amp (Channels 1 to 12)
  • Preamp Gain Controller with Overload indicator (Channels 1 to 12)
  • 3-band EQ with a sweepable mid-range frequency (Channels 1 to 12)
  • 100kHz Low-cut Filter (Channels 1 to 12)
  • 7-band Graphic EQ
  • 16 Pre-set Effects
  • 100mm Long-throw Faders for precise adjustment
  • Mute, Main/Sub, PLF switches on every input channel
  • Bluetooth® input supporting both AAC and SBC codecs
  • SUB Outputs via XLR Balanced and RCA Unbalanced connectors
  • LINE Inputs via RCA Pin and ⅛" Stereo Mini jacks
  • 3 AUX Outputs (Monitor 1, Monitor 2, FX)
  • 1 Stereo Output for Control Room
  • Phantom Power (+48V)
  • ¼" Stereo Headphone Output
  • Backlit buttons for key operations such as REC and Play
  • Multi Jog-dial for quick menu operation
  • 12-segment LED Output Level Meters
 
 
A 12 or 16 channel variant and USB 3 would make it better!
#1
soens
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/10/12 10:12:33 (permalink)
Is this the 5th entry in the multichannel "analog mixer" interface genre?
 
1. Behringer UFX1604 & 1204
2. Soundcraft MTK 12 & 22
3. PreSonus StudioLive
4. Allen & Heath ZEDR16
5. Tascam Model 24
 
Edit: Clarified.
post edited by soens - 2018/10/13 20:55:29
#2
Jim Roseberry
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/10/12 14:33:38 (permalink) ☄ Helpfulby simeon 2018/10/13 17:47:31
The latest generation digital mixers offer similar features
Behringer XR18 (about half the cost) doesn't have knobs/faders and doesn't record to SD card, but it has more extensive EQ/processing, and built in multi-channel audio interface. 
 
 

Best Regards,

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#3
batsbrew
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/10/12 16:29:16 (permalink)
seems like all the earlier ones only had 16 bit audio,
or 44.1khz, some limiting factor that made me never consider.
 
i had a tascam 688, back in the day, a great sounding machine.
 

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#4
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/10/12 22:32:09 (permalink)
I had a Porta 05 4 track cassette back in 1987 that I loved. I still have it. I also got a Portastudio 564 4 track minidisc recorder in 1997. I didn't use that for long cause I got my first computer based DAW in '98, running Vegas Audio. But I still have a real soft spot for my old Porta 05.
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msmcleod
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/10/13 00:01:46 (permalink)
batsbrew
seems like all the earlier ones only had 16 bit audio,
or 44.1khz, some limiting factor that made me never consider.
 
i had a tascam 688, back in the day, a great sounding machine.
 


I dreamed of having a 688, but it was way out of my price range at the time.
 
I ended up upgrading my Yamaha MT1X 4 track to a Yamaha MT8X 8 track which was great, although only being able to record 4 tracks at once was a major limitation when recording bands.
 
For most of my own stuff though, I relied on MIDI hardware, striping trk 8 with timecode via a JLCooper PPS100. This gave me 7 tracks for vocals & guitar, which was more than enough.

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gswitz
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/10/13 02:24:19 (permalink)
I started with splitter cables and 2 cassette decks. I'd merge the guitar and whatever was coming from the first cassette deck and record on the second.
 
I love how great gear is becoming. I love recording live, but I still have challenges... things to learn.
 
The model 24 linked above looks so intuitive. I think I could work it without opening the manual.
 
It looks light and easy to use. Tempting.

StudioCat > I use Windows 10 and Sonar Platinum. I have a touch screen.
I make some videos. This one shows how to do a physical loopback on the RME UCX to get many more equalizer nodes.
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jamesg1213
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/10/13 11:05:55 (permalink)
gswitz
.
 
The model 24 linked above looks so intuitive. I think I could work it without opening the manual.
 
It looks light and easy to use. Tempting.




 
I agree. I was looking at this a little while ago;
 

 
Have to admit I'm getting a little burned out with PCs and DAW software The thought of going back to a hardware unit (I used a Boss BR-8 for years) is quite appealing.

 
Jyemz
 
 
 



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BobF
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/10/13 11:22:40 (permalink)
Looks great, but based on the 90 Day warranty that came with my us-16x08 I would be leery.  I took a quick look and didn't see the warranty info on this new gear, so perhaps that has improved.

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gswitz
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/10/13 11:35:51 (permalink)
I have a tascam 2488. Mostly sits on the shelf unless i need more than 16 inputs.

StudioCat > I use Windows 10 and Sonar Platinum. I have a touch screen.
I make some videos. This one shows how to do a physical loopback on the RME UCX to get many more equalizer nodes.
#10
fireberd
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/10/13 14:04:51 (permalink)
I had a Tascam 4 track cassette recorder.  Was pretty good considering what it was.  I then went to a Fostex hard drive unit with a built in CD burner and I liked it until I found Sonar (V6) and then it was "history".  I don't think I could go back to a standalone recorder.
 
I have a laptop that I use with my MOTU 896Mk3 Hybrid for "off site" recordings.
 
 
 
 

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mettelus
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/10/13 16:07:33 (permalink)
I still have a 424 sitting on a shelf under my desk as a reminder of "what was" when digital recording got frustrating. I was a bit surprised the ones online are listed for the original price. I only unpackaged it once in the last 20 years to offload tapes with it, but hobbled along on that till Cakewalk was recommended to me. That one in the OP is a monster in comparison.

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#12
rsinger
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/10/13 17:56:01 (permalink)
I started with a dual cassette deck in the early to mid 80s that could dub from one side to the other. I then got a PortaTwo and later a Korg D8. I got a Roland TR 505 when they came out and not long after a Roland S-550 that had a midi sequencer. In 1990 I got my first PC and I got the Cakewalk midi sequencer. I was using the PortaTwo then and had a Tascam MTS-30 that allowed me to sync midi to tape.
 
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#13
rsinger
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/10/13 17:56:01 (permalink)
I started with a dual cassette deck in the early to mid 80s that could dub from one side to the other. I then got a PortaTwo and later a Korg D8. I got a Roland TR 505 when they came out and not long after a Roland S-550 that had a midi sequencer. In 1990 I got my first PC and I got the Cakewalk midi sequencer. I was using the PortaTwo then and had a Tascam MTS-30 that allowed me to sync midi to tape.
 
I love working on a DAW 

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#14
Wayfarer
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/10/14 17:24:45 (permalink)
rsinger
I started with a dual cassette deck in the early to mid 80s that could dub from one side to the other. I then got a PortaTwo and later a Korg D8. I got a Roland TR 505 when they came out and not long after a Roland S-550 that had a midi sequencer. In 1990 I got my first PC and I got the Cakewalk midi sequencer. I was using the PortaTwo then and had a Tascam MTS-30 that allowed me to sync midi to tape.
 
I love working on a DAW 


 
Interesting. I started with one of those tiny Fostex X-15 4-tracks and then went to a TEAC A3440S 4-track reel to reel. But oddly enough, I later ditched the TEAC in favor of another 4-track cassette unit by Audio Technica called the RMX64, arguably the best 4-track cassette portastudio ever made. They somehow managed to get 16k of high-end from it (and yes, that's at 20 down and 0-VU at 3 3/4 ips). Lots of bells and whistles like XLR ins, two headphone outputs, 2 effects send, channel inserts, parametric EQ, Dolby C, lighted VU meters, and an excellent tape transport. It really did sound comparable to my TEAC reel to reel. If it had 8-tracks I might still be using it today.
 

 
I also had those horrible Roland drum and bass machine units, the TB-303 and TR-606. Then I went to the TR-707 which sounded miles better, but you were still stuck with forced quantization and no way to turn it off, which made them sound very robotic, and some drum patterns couldn't be done at all such as a bolero. Then I went to an Alesis HR-16 and all was right with the world.
 
I miss those days, but find DAW recording much easier and way more flexible. No turning back now I guess.
 
Bill
#15
soens
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/10/16 04:49:28 (permalink)
BobF
Looks great, but based on the 90 Day warranty that came with my us-16x08 I would be leery.  I took a quick look and didn't see the warranty info on this new gear, so perhaps that has improved.


Not the industry best:1yr parts, 90 days labor. Heads & disc drive parts is 90 days but this unit has neither.

By comparison my Behringer counterpart has a 3 yr warranty.
#16
jimfogle
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/10/21 17:29:51 (permalink)
soens
Is this the 5th entry in the multichannel "analog mixer" interface genre?
 
1. Behringer UFX1604 & 1204
2. Soundcraft MTK 12 & 22
3. PreSonus StudioLive
4. Allen & Heath ZEDR16
5. Tascam Model 24

Then there is:
6. Zoom LiveTrak L-20
https://zoom.co.jp/products/production-recording/live-sound-recording/livetrak-l-20
 
 

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#17
Mannynyagain
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/11/13 22:31:28 (permalink)
Love this thread. I had a teac 3440 and a small teac mixer. Recorded my tunes in my attic. If you want a laugh check the video I made. All on the 3440. If you don’t like beer, you might not want to watch.
https://youtu.be/jcXqwCzdLa0
post edited by Mannynyagain - 2018/11/14 00:15:29

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#18
Cactus Music
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/11/16 20:15:34 (permalink)
To this day I do not think I've topped any of the recordings I made on my Yamaha MD 8 mini disk 8 track. I also had the MD4 4 track and figured out how to sync them together. SO I had 12 tracks plus the MIDI sync driving an Atari and my old Roland and Korg hardware synths. But mostly I only recorded audio in those days. ALl those recordings have a very clean crisp sound. The bottom end is also nice and round.
 

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#19
HighAndDry
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/11/16 22:03:51 (permalink)
Jim Roseberry
The latest generation digital mixers offer similar features
Behringer XR18 (about half the cost) doesn't have knobs/faders and doesn't record to SD card, but it has more extensive EQ/processing, and built in multi-channel audio interface. 
 
 


Does it's usb port have decent performance for recording?

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#20
jimfogle
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/11/20 02:26:24 (permalink)
Back in the mid seventies I purchased my dream sound system: Teac-3340 four channel 1/4' tape reel-to-reel that handled 7" or 15" reels at 15 or 30 inches per second (ips) recording speed, the companion eight input \ four channel mixer, companion Teac AN-30 four channel Dolby A/B noise reduction system, Panasonic two \ four channel eight track recorder \ player, JVC two channel \ quadraphonic turntable with two cartridges and cartridge heads (one stereo and one CD-4), Sony TC-730 stereo tape recorder with built-in sound-on-sound and echo, Pioneer QX-949 four channel receiver and four Pioneer floor speakers.
 
I saved every penny I could while in military service and ordered the equipment about a month before returning to the US from an extended tour of Southeast Asia.  The package cost a little more than $2,500 in 1975 US dollars and arrived at the post office one week before I returned home.  Two trips to the post office in a pickup truck and later a U-Haul trailer rental to take from my Dad's home to my next duty station.

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#21
Starise
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/11/28 13:04:13 (permalink)
Back in the day I had a Roland VS 880, a very slow AMD  computer,and Aardvark interface, an Alesis HR-16 and a Korg M-1. That was basically my setup. I was using bookshelf speakers for monitors through a consumer stereo amp and recording to cassette.I guess I don't miss those days compared to the tools I have now. I still use a Mackie mixer in my studio sometimes. It mostly gathers dust now though.
 
The main drawback for me concerning a few of these new mixers is the usb only captures the master buss. That's a deal killer for anyone who wants a good take of each individual track. With Zed, it's like they simply decided to tack on a cheap recording solution. Pretty much useless to me. 

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#22
Leadfoot
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/11/28 16:07:55 (permalink)
Yeah, it's too bad. They were so close to making the ZED mixers truly awesome. They dropped the ball big time.
#23
Cactus Music
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/12/01 16:44:21 (permalink)
It's one of those "you get what you pay for" situations. 
The under $500 mixers that sport USB will only be stereo in/out USB.  usually the highest channel can be swapped between RCA/1/4" or USB. 
 
I have a Soundcraft Signature 10 that is like that and the stereo USB channel was what I needed  for playback from my laptop of backing tracks. Otherwise you have to go to the bother and extra cables of an audio interface or ( shudder) use the 1/8" jack. One more thing to go wrong. So far this board has performed beyond my expectations and was money well spent. 
https://www.soundcraft.com/en/products/signature-10
 
If I played in a bigger group I would for sure get a mixer that could multitrack as I'm one to record just about every gig I play at. Once again the Soundcraft was high on my list. 
https://www.soundcraft.com/en/products/signature-12-mtk
 
 But looking now at the Tascam in the OP,, I think I would go that route. All my Tascam gear has been a bargain. I am still using my Tascam us1641 since they updated the drivers a few years ago I see no reason to upgrade. It has better performance and stability than my Scarlett 6i6. 

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#24
GaryMedia
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/12/01 19:20:10 (permalink)
There was a discussion of the XR18 usage in Sonar here on the forum:
[http://forum.cakewalk.com/Anyone-using-the-Beringher-Xair18-m3505035.aspx ]
 
In general the multi-channel recording is solid through USB, but the round-trip latency is too high for input monitoring.  Since this is a mixer, you should be able to arrange for mixer-centric monitoring and avoid round-tripping through the software.   
 
Soft-synths are always the bugaboo, so managing the way you use them is the key to success.  I use an M32 that shares the relatively high latency of the XR18, but I've managed to keep soft-synth sound generation confined to another computer, and therefore I'm free to leverage the many strengths of a mixer as an interface.

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#25
Wayfarer
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Re: WOW! Is the PortaStudio Back? 2018/12/01 21:41:10 (permalink)
I've had two sub $500 Behringer mixers that had USB on them (still using one of them), and the latency is so bad it isn't worth messing with. Sounds no better than the 1/4" or XLR outs anyway. At least I can't tell the difference. That's why I've hung onto my old Echo MIA card all these years. USB just doesn't seem worth the effort.
 
Bill
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