DA88 and DA38 with Pro Tools

[cliepe12]

A few questions for the many advanced brains that roam the DUC:

1. I have a DA88 and just ordered a DA38. To sync them together, do I just need a word clock cable, then they act as a true 16 track recorder working together? this is what the guy at the guitar center told me, but I thought I needed something more.

2. given that I will eventually have the sync issue worked out, is there a way I can use both of these and put them in optically to the 001, or is 8 additional simultaneous tracks all that is supported.

[cliepe12]

anybody???

[Rail Jon Rogut]

You'd actually use a Tascam sync cable.. and set the ID of one of the machines to something other than zero.. press the chase button and you should be set.

You'd also need to buy a TDIF to ADAT converter box.. Tascam makes one.. but you only have one ADAT lightpipe port on your Digi hardware.

Rail

[swheaton]

Yes, you need a special Tascam Sync cable to sync up the two Tascam machines. This cable carries wordclock and other location information, it is different to (and more than) a normal word clock cable.

As mentioned, if you buy a TDIF Digital I/O-ADAT Lightpipe convertor. then you can transfer 8 tracks from one Tascam machine at a time. As the 001 only has a single ADAT lightpipe input, you can not transfer all 16 tracks from both machines at once into Protools/001.

I would record a 'sync' tone/pulse/signal accross both Tascam machines, onto all 16 tracks at once if you have a mixer that will bus a signal to all tracks, or just to one track from each set of 8 tracks in the two machines. Then transfer into Protools in two passes-8 tracks/1 machine at a time, then zoom down to sample level into the waveform in Protools and shift each set of 8 tracks together to line up the 'sync' signals across each set of 8 tracks by eye.

I use this method often to line up 24 tracks of Tascam when recorded into Protools, as we only have 16 channels into Protools at once.

Simon
Canberra
AUSTRALIA

[john1192]

has anyone tried using MTC to lock the whole system together and then do transfers this way ...

john

[cliepe12]

It is great to be able to come to the DUC with any weird question, and not only get it answered, but get great professional advice!! Thanks guys!!!

[swheaton]

MTC has some timing slop in it's sync, it is not sample acurate. Different passes will start at slightly different locations (I think it is within a quarter of a frame).

That's why I use an audio signal with a fast transient recorded onto the two (or more) source tape machines while they are locked together, then once loaded individually into PT you can zoom into sample level and shift them in single sample increments so they are in 'sample accurate' sync.

If you don't need totally accurate sync, then MTC would be fine for most situations, just don't spread stereo/multiple mic signals across the two machines.


Also, if buying a Tascam-ADAT convertor for newer high-resolution Tascam DTRS machines, like the DA78HR and DA98HR, you would probably want a convertor box that passes the full 24 bit high resolution signal through to the 001. But since you are using the older 16 bit Tascams this is not an issue for you.


Simon
Canberra
AUSTRALIA