As any recording afficionado knows, capturing drums and percussion instruments is an art. Failure to properly manage the levels and attack transients can easily result in something akin to beating on cardboard boxes. With the right gear, however, the process is much easier – and to hear drummer/percussionist Fredo Ortiz describe things, his Tascam Model 12 mixer, two SERIES 8p Dyna preamp/compressor units, and SERIES 208i audio interface make all the difference.
Fredo Ortiz is an LA-based musician who has toured and recorded albums with artists including the Beastie Boys, the American punk band Gogol Bordello, and the comedy/rock duo Tenacious D. Currently, Ortiz is playing drums and percussion for the rock band Los Lobos. He has also acted and written for TV and film projects such as Along Came Polly and the forthcoming CSI Las Vegas. His percussion talents can also be found in the movie No Sudden Move, which was released on HBO Max. With a background of this caliber, Ortiz knows his stuff and he shared his experiences using his Tascam equipment.
“So much of what I do revolves around my Tascam Model 12 mixer, which I use live and in rehearsals,” Ortiz explains. “I use my Model 12 as a mixer and recorder on stage with Los Lobos. I receive a stereo feed from monitor world so I can hear the entire band on channels 1 and 2. I also connect my cell phone to the mixer via Bluetooth to reference music as well as hear a click track live. Lastly, I record the shows onto a memory card so I can hear the show and take any notes I might need to prepare for the next performance.”
“After capturing what I want,” Ortiz continues, “I take the WAV file right from the Model 12 by syncing my computer and Model 12 via a USB C cable. I drag and drop the file onto my desktop so I can then import the data into my Logic Pro digital audio workstation software and separate the file by each song. There’s nothing like hearing your last performance and making notes on those items that need further work!”
Ortiz also described how his two SERIES 8p Dyna preamps/compressors and SERIES 208i audio interface figure into his studio setup. “I have been using the 208i as my interface in addition to connecting my keyboards, guitar, and bass into the front four inputs,” he reports. “Via optical cable, I connect my two Tascam 8p Dyna mic pre’s and use these to plug in my drum mics, which amount to 12 mics total for my drumkit, three mics for my congas and bongo, and one overhead for my timbales – totaling 16 inputs for the entire setup.”
When queried about those aspects of his Tascam gear that he most likes, Ortiz offers the following thoughts: “With the Model 12, I love that I can add compression to any track and still alter it after I have recorded, regardless of whether it’s a rehearsal or a song. I also appreciate the ease of connecting a device like my iPhone via Bluetooth. The great thing about the 8p Dyna is that every input is equipped with phantom power, which I use to power my overhead microphones and anything else that requires phantom power. The knobs are easy to work with, and the excellent visibility of the meters lets me check my record levels. I also like the fact that my 208i interface sits nicely on top of my 8p Dyna and lets me control my headphone and monitor levels with ease. All in all, it’s a very cool setup.”
Occasionally – especially when ramping up with a new piece of gear – questions arise. Here too, Ortiz has been very impressed with Tascam customer and technical support services. “I have been directed to Tascam customer service and technical staff many times,” he says, “and I have always completed my call pleased with info I received. The Tascam staff is well informed, they provide the information I need, and they are courteous!”
Before shifting his focus to the business of the day, Ortiz summarises his experience with Tascam as follows: “I have used top-of-the-line studio equipment to record my drums over the years, and the latest products from Tascam certainly hold their ground with those comparisons. Because I have recorded in my home studio using only my Tascam 8p Dyna preamps, 208i interface, and my Model 12 with absolutely no special outboard gear is terrific. The response has been very positive, and I’ve never had to re-record anything I submitted to the various artists I work with. In the 25-plus years that I’ve been performing and recording, I have never told so many people about the gear I use as much as I have regarding my experience with the Model 12. My final thought? Get yours today!”
VS-R264 Streaming church services online with
Tascam VS-R264 at the Church of the “Quick to Hearken” Icon of
the Mother of God in Tallinn, Estonia.
The construction of the Church of the “Quick to Hearken” Icon of the Mother of God was completed
in June 2013, and was consecrated by the Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia. It serves as a centre of
Russian Orthodox religion and community for the Lasnamäe suburb of Tallinn.
Due to the Covid-19 virus pandemic the church was closed but all kind of regular services were
still happening on a daily basis.
Integrator SG Install Ltd, together with EW Sound & Light OÜ (Tascam’s distributor in
Estonia), made a proposal to the church to try a new way of holding the services through streaming technology to
a YouTube channel. The project goal was to make it possible for parishioners to take part in the church services
during the quarantine period and in the future.
SG Install had previously made all of the sound system equipment installations for this church and
EW Sound & Light proposed the Tascam VS-R264 as the streaming appliance. “The reason for selecting the
VS-R264 was that Tascam is well known for product quality and outstanding reliability” commented Stanislav
Sergejev of EW Sound & Light.
The audio system consists of four SE4 condenser microphones for choirs, plus two Shure VP83 for
the
background and the reader, connected to a separate mixer. Then there are a pair of Shure VP89M shotgun
microphones in the altar, two more Shure wireless microphones and a Crown 31 hanging microphone near the central
gates.
All signals are mixed together and routed to a BSS BLU-100 matrix DSP processor, then sent out via
a Shure PSM300 monitoring system wirelessly to the audio input of the Tascam VS-R264 video streamer, which is
installed in a rack in the choir balcony. This avoided some audio cabling which would have been tricky to
install.
The camera used was a Panasonic HC-V770 camcorder, but there is a plan to
upgrade the video systen to add a second camera and also add a small vision mixer.
Streaming to YouTube from the VS-R264 uses the RTMP protocol and is in Full HD resolution
1920 × 1080p60. Although recording is not currently used, the church does plan to use the VS-R’s
recording feature
to record some of the most important church services, so that they can be edited and posted to the YouTube
channel or the church web site later.
The project was successful and the customer was very satisfied with the quality and simplicity of
use of the VS-R264. Parishioners are delighted that they can take part in church services even while seated at
home.
Within couple days of the system going live they had collected more than 1,500 subscribers. This
has since risen to nearly 1,900.
Since 1991 EW Sound & Light OÜ offers complete professional sound and lighting equipment
solutions, being the official distributor of the world’s best-known brands such as Shure, JBL Professional,
Neutrik, Tascam, Crown and others in Estonia. We supply Estonia’s largest rental and installation companies,
theatres and concert halls, educational institutions and museums, factories and conference centres, etc.
In addition to concert and studio equipment, we also offer integrated sound system
engineering and planning for new buildings and existing venues. Thanks to state-of-the-art sound
systems, we can offer complete integration solutions without competition.
DA-6400
Tascam DA-6400 Is The Star At “Greece’s Next Top Model“ TV Show
VF Pro Media, a professional broadcast supplier based in Athens, have for over 15 years provided broadcast
services to the Greek television networks, ranging from supply and rental of broadcast equipment, to shooting
and editing for full TV productions, and providing on-site broadcast vans for live events.
For Greece’s Next Top Model, a reality TV series which aires on the Star Channel and was the
number one TV show in Greece in 2019, there was a requirement to record 32 separate audio channels together with
a multi-camera TV shoot. For this important task, VF Pro Media chose a Tascam DA-6400 64-track audio recorder
which is able to record 32 channels at 96-kHz sampling rate and 24-bit resolution. The recorder was supplied and
installed by Elina PC, the Tascam distributor in Greece, who additionally provided product training for the
audio engineers to enable them to implement the device in their setup as quickly as possible and get the maximum
benefit from its many functions in short time.
The audio is provided over a Dante network and so the IF-DA64 Dante extension card for the DA-6400 was a key
requirement. Other reasons why VF Pro Media chose the DA-6400 were for its high recording track count, its
mobility and its small “footprint” in a rack where it only takes up one height unit. Ease of use like operation
from a dedicated iPad app was also an important factor since the recorder is used by many different sound
engineers.
VF Pro Media commented “We wanted a machine that can record at once at least 32 channels via Dante and has the
option for remote control, but also to be easy to use and to be reliable. Tascam has a long history of offering
reliable solutions for recording, so we knew it was the right choice for us.”
There are 32 mics that are handled by a Yamaha QL5 digital console which communicates via
Dante with the
DA-6400. The DA-6400 is also connected via Dante with a Pro Tools system, and all connections are made with
Cat-6 cables. Sometimes the DA-6400 is the primary recorder and sometimes it is the backup recorder, depending
on the location where the TV shoot is taking place.
Conclusion
Overall, the installation was quite straightforward, and there weren’t any difficulties,
except that all machines had to be upgraded to the latest Dante software. The customer was satisfied enough with
the service and product to the extent that they ordered a second DA-6400 unit.
About VF Pro Media Broadcasting Services
VF Pro Media was established as a corporation in Greece in 2004 with offices in Athens. Soon with the rapid
pace of technology and the extensive needs for broadcasting coverage, VF Pro Media evolved and now is one of the
leading full service companies in the broadcast industry, as the company has more than 80 percent of the Greek
television shows and productions. https://www.vfpromedia.com/
About Elina PC
ELINA AVEE was established in 1970, by Anthony Mazarakis, an electronics engineer with a great passion for
Hi-Fi music reproduction and recording and started by distributing Hi-Fi equipment throughout Greece. In 1980
Elina started manufacturing a line of loudspeakers for Hi-Fi use, under the brand name Dynasonic and then
entered the professional audio market in 1995, becoming the main distributor for some top audio manufacturers,
including Tascam. Today, Elina has a solid dealer network throughout Greece, and covers the hardware and
software needs of musicians, professional studios and broadcast stations alike. https://www.elina.gr/
Lititz, PA, USA, July 2018 — The rumor is false that when prehistoric fish first crawled onto land, Clair
Global
was there to provide the sound system and technical expertise. It only seems like the legendary production
company
has been providing tour, festival, broadcast, and corporate event support for 400 million years. But should a
fish
attempt such a feat today, Clair Global may well be present to record the sound of the event with a Tascam
DA-6400
64-track digital recorder and archive the stereo mix with a Tascam SS-CDR250N CD player.
“Nowadays multitrack recording is a big deal for concert tours,” observes Clair Global Senior Director-Systems
Development Harry Witz. “Some people bring out full DAW rigs, but that’s a lot of space and weight. Some record
to
a laptop. But I prefer dedicated hardware, and using the Tascam DA-6400 is simple, convenient, and reliable.
It’s
1U rack-mount, and you’re setting up your rack and your console at a gig anyway. It’s available with Dante or
MADI
cards; I use a lot of DiGiCo products, so I got a MADI card. Hooking it up is dead easy: Connect two coaxial
cables into the input rack of a DiGiCo, and it’s up and running.”
You have to adjust a few settings on the front panel to get it to talk to the console, Witz acknowledges. “But
once you know what to do, it’s pretty simple. Then you just hit Record. That’s it; you don’t have to deal with
anything else until you’re done. You don’t have to get out cables and your converter, find a place to set your
computer so you can see the screen, make sure you have power, and boot up the computer.”
Once up and running, Witz notes, “it automatically tracks the inputs from the MADI rack. You can set up the
little metering section on the front so that it’s easy to see that you have input on everything. You can even
see
that you have live mics without looking at the board. It has a caddy with a hot swappable SSD drive, so if you
fill a drive, you swap it out and keep going”. When finished recording, Witz connects the DA-6400’s USB 3 port
to
a laptop and downloads the files. “It’s quick”, he asserts. “A two-hour show downloads in just a few minutes.”
When testing the Tascam DA-6400, Witz recorded a half-dozen bands in genres ranging from Irish folk music to
heavy rock. “The first thing I noticed is, the thing’s dead quiet,” he reports. “I’ve listened to DA-6400 tracks
in my home studio, and they’re as high quality as anything I’ve ever heard.”
For one high-profile Clair tour, Witz was preparing to mix some dates the regular engineer couldn’t make. “I
watched the show so I knew what was going on, recorded it on the DA-6400, brought the recorder back to the shop,
plugged it into a DiGiCo SD10, and used it to mix the tracks on the board,” he recollects. “It worked great for
that. How much easier could it be than a 1U rackspace recorder that does 64 tracks at 48 kHz? Another of our
engineers and I both gave the DA-6400 a thumbs up, and it’s now on Clair’s ’approved’ list.”
At Clair Global, multiple engineers are responsible for testing new equipment. Senior Director of Engineering
Howard Page assessed the Tascam SS-CDR250N two-channel networking CD/media recorder. “For worldwide concert
tours,
we always need a reliable and easy-to-use way of archiving the shows to a medium-or multiple media-that is
instantly transferrable to many situations”, explains Page. “The SS-CDR250N unit fills that need perfectly. I
use
the SS-CDR250N to record full archive recordings of all of my live shows.”
Previously, Page used Tascam CD-RW901 CD recorder/players. “My custom CueController program for Windows PC was
rewritten to take advantage of the complete RS232 remote-control capabilities of the CD-RW901,” he recalls.
“Artists and band members really appreciated the results, as they could get a CD disc of a show with not only
the
venue and date of recording but also fully named and ID’d tracks.”
The SS-CDR250N enabled Page to take advantage of the latest advances in technology. “Bands and artists want a
more flexible format to instantly download into their computers,” he observes. “Like the CD-RW901, the
SS-CDR250N
offers RS232 control, and it has exciting new features, like backup recording, the ability to upload files to a
server, and many more great features that make it ideal for our purposes. Initially the SS-CDR250N firmware was
not fully compatible with what the CD-RW901 was able to do but thanks to outstanding firmware development by the
technical guys at Tascam in Japan, the SS-CDR250N now interfaces perfectly with my CueController control
software.”
Page’s show control software has too many elements to detail here. Suffice it to say that, used with the Tascam
SS-CDR250N, the end result includes a full archive recording with all tracks ID’d, including song titles, where
it
was recorded, and on what date. Page records simultaneously on both a USB memory stick and an SD card for an
extra
level of security. Touring pressures have precluded him from using the SS-CDR250N’s FTP features to upload files
to a server, “but,” he states, “I am certainly excited to get to those functions in the future.”
While features and sound quality are crucial for Witz and Page, it’s imperative that gear holds up under the
stresses of touring. “The DA-6400 has been absolutely reliable,” states Witz. “The SS-CDR250N has performed
flawlessly so far,” Page adds. And that’s no fish story.
DA-6400 DA-6400 used at 34th Chaos Communication Congress
The Chaos Communication
Congress is an annual conference between Christmas and New Year,
where interested and committed people meet to discuss computer security and social and technological
developments.
The event is organised by the German Chaos Computer Club. The interest has
been
international for a long time and attracted 15,000 participants to the Leipzig exhibition halls in December
2017.
Since 2005, a team from the Technical University of Ilmenau has been streaming the lectures at the congress for
many thousands of spectators. In the meantime, an independent team, the Video Operation Center (VOC), has grown
out of it in which pros and committed helpers volunteer to make many events freely available on the Internet
throughout the year. As the largest event of the VOC, the Congress always sets new quality standards and
promotes
internal development. This year’s focus was on sound. For the first time, a separate mix was created for
streaming
and recording and the entire production chain was switched to stereo.
At the 34th congress
(34C3) in December 2017, there were four lecture halls, each with over 12 hours of lectures per day. The almost
170 lectures were streamed live and then published on media.ccc.de.
Volunteers
took over the live mixing of the lectures. In addition to the picture direction, each hall had its own audio
mixing console and a Tascam DA-6400 with Dante interface cards. The mixing consoles
were remotely controlled from a central audio control room. Remote control was chosen since no suitable space
was
available to ensure insulation against ambient noise. This also made it possible to provide better support for
volunteers in the event of questions or problems. It was very important to easily secure a complete multi-track
recording of all presentations in order to be able to repair the mix for later publication in case of an error.
Since a Dante network was already available, the use of the DA-6400 with Dante interface cards was the logical
choice. By placing the recorders in the hall, the recording was independent of the network connection between
the
halls and the central control room. To monitor the remaining recording time, the technicians used the network
control functions of the recorder. The remaining capacity of the SSDs was automatically queried at regular
intervals via Telnet and displayed with an existing monitoring tool.
Due to the short set-up time, the simple commissioning and uncomplicated operation was very helpful to the
team.
The recordings could be started in no time at all. At the end all recordings were faultless and could be used
successfully for the quick repair of some lectures.
DA-3000 Tascam Quality and Reliability Proves Crucial
to Michael Whalen’s Daily Workflow
Michael Whalen, two-time Emmy® Award-Winning Composer and Music Supervisor, Recording Artist, and Record
Executive, knows what it takes to deliver world-class recordings. His credits include original compositions
that span the genres of jazz, classical, pop, and new age, as well as film scores, television themes, audio
books,
and commercials. He has created music for thousands of ads, hundreds of TV shows, 14 feature films, plus the
theme to ABC’s Good Morning America — and let’s not forget his 34 solo albums, along with a piano
song with 38 million streams on Spotify. Simply put, Whalen is one prolific composer — and Tascam gear is
central
to most everything he does musically.
Whalen’s exposure with Tascam recording equipment dates to 1985 and his use of the Tascam 388 Studio eight
quarter-inch eight-track tape recorder with integrated mixer. In the mid-to-late 90s, he was an avid fan of
the
Tascam DA-88 8-track digital recorder (for which the company received a Technical Emmy Award), along with
the
equally popular DA-30 MKII DAT recorder. Reflecting on his time with these products, Whalen notes, “Each of
these units served as the centerpiece of my studio during the years I had them. I remember them fondly!”
Presently, in addition to composing for TV, film, and facilitating the careers other artists, Whalen also
runs a record label named myndstream (https://myndstream.com),
identified as ‘music to support your mindful practices’. These days, the Tascam DA-3000 Stereo Master
Recorder - AD/DA
Converter is a pivotal tool for his various endeavors. “Since getting the DA-3000”, Whalen explained, “I
have
been using the recorder for capturing hi-res audio recordings using the DSD (Direct Stream Digital) format
up
to 5.6 MHz. I have been blown away by the sound and the headroom. DSD is a very demanding format and I love
the
results the DA-3000 helps me achieve.”
Reflecting on the DA-3000’s various attributes he finds most appealing, Whalen focused on the recorder’s
sound quality, SD card, and track increment capabilities. “First and foremost, it’s all about audio
quality”, he
said, “and the DA-3000 is at the front of the line in this regard. Secondly, I love being able to use SD
cards as my
recording medium. I’ve never done that before. It adds yet another element of flexibility that I really
appreciate. And with the DA-3000’s automatic track incrementing function, audio files can be created
automatically while continuing to record when various conditions, such as level, file size, or digital
input,
are set in advance. This ensures that everything gets captured, which can make all the difference in the
heat
of the creative moment. This function is awesome!”
The Tascam DA-3000 was a core component in the creation of Whalen’s new album, titled Future
Shock,
which is slated for release on April 23rd, 2021 on the Spout/MWM label. According to Whalen,
“It’s
an instrumental jazz / fusion album featuring Simon Phillips, Tony Levin, and Bob Magnuson—and it has a
‘touch’
of progressive rock too! These three amazing musicians have spent their careers blurring stylistic lines and
pulling influences from one musical genre to another. I knew this rhythm section would be great. I used the
DA-3000 for all the mixing on the project. It was terrific. In all honestly, I wasn’t a believer in hi-res
masters at first. I didn’t really think it was a ‘thing’ and that you could do anything you needed with a
44.1 kHz/24-bit mix. Not true!”
Given the sophistication of electronic music and studio equipment, questions inevitably arise. For this
reason, quality customer support services are of paramount importance. In this regard, Whalen was very
complimentary
of Tascam. “The company’s response to my questions has been great”, he says. “The Tascam website has been
solid
as well—particularly as I started getting into DSD. It’s been super helpful.”
Before turning his focus back to the business of the day, Whalen offered these parting thoughts, “I love
Tascam products and I have been using them for 35 years. The company and the brand have always represented
quality
and reliability to me. Tascam products always become a focal point of my studio and an everyday part of my
workflow.”
For more information about Michael Whalen or his forthcoming Future Shock album, visit his website
at
www.michaelwhalen.com.
DR-70D Fritzsche uses the DR-70D with his Sony
FS7 camera
Creative
producer Bruno Fritzsche from Stuttgart, Germany, has
successfully used the Tascam DR-70D for a commercial video production at “Green
Innovation and Investment Forum 2017” in Stuttgart. The DR-70D had been rigged to the camera and connected via a
wireless filmmaker kit to feed further recording equipment. Using this setup, it was easy to combine and
synchronise the high-resolution audio recording with the video in a later step.
Bruno Fritzsche is working as a creative producer and director since 2010 and has already received several
awards
for his creative work.
DR-100MKII Mercedes with her DR-100MKII in
an interview in Havana
A concert with Addys Mercedes is a journey
between moon and sun, yesterday and today, depth and ease. The great voice liberates the music of her homeland
from antiquated clichés of thick cigars, singing grandpas and ladies of easy virtue and takes us into a world of
exuberant cheerfulness and deep melancholy – here at the interview in Havana and at the beginning of the new
year
on her Germany tour from 7 January to 17 June 2017.
DR-60DMKII Mare Nostrum use DR-60DMKII for
scientific documentaries
"Only
few people have heard and talked about the sound that the heart of every volcano emits. In every single lava
stone and basalts we find on volcano summits and flanks there is a fragment of our history of Earth and
Mankind. We have to tell this in a different way to internet users who can participate on the web in our
initiative which is unique in its kind." -- VFF Marenostrum e. V.
A Tascam DR-60DMKII is currently being used to help create scientific documentaries
of
active volcanoes. The VFF Research Institute Marenostrum e.V., registered in Austria, started their research
project in 2014 and decided to use a Tascam DR-60DMKII to archive the sounds of those volcanoes and
publish
the results to the world. First recordings have been made at the Stromboli in Italy. The project is planned to
be
completed by 2018.
ML-32D Dante-compatible Tascam ML-32D contributes to
the construction of a new compact office studio
Humax Cinema Co., Ltd. HAC Studio
Post production studio “MA-4” https://hacstudio.com
Humax Cinema Co., Ltd. HAC Studio is a long-established post-production company founded in 1995. With its
state-of-the-art equipment and professional personnel, it has been involved in the editing of a wide range of
projects such as music videos, live concert footage, TV commercials, movies, drama series, and projects extended
to the production and delivery of web and promotional movies as well.
The MA-4 Studio was established in 2019 and the following points were achieved:
Efficient time saving: the time used to deliver video data (QT) between studios for editing was shortened.
A well-maintained infrastructure that provides both engineers and clients a comfortable listening/production
experience.
Although MA-4 Studio is located far away in a building across an intersection from the main studio’s building, mutually connecting both studio’s servers with dark fiber made a great improvement in reducing the time of copying or transferring data between studios, which at some point had taken several hours depending on the content. Moreover, well-spaced and neat infrastructure makes it possible for MA-4 Studio to offer plenty of room for creativeness with their one-floor-per-client concept.
The MA-4 Studio also has a narration booth where recordings of up to four people is possible. Talk-back and monitoring operations are done with the Tascam ML-32D, which converts analogue signals into Dante. Together with an AVID MTRX, DAW I/O routing and management of each post-production process is built flexibly and smarter.
Analog-to-Dante Converter ML-32D
There were many concerns related to load capacity and ceiling height as the MA-4 Studio itself is located on the 3rd floor of an office building. By taking advantage of Dante and combining multiple channels into one LAN cable, there was no need to route large numbers of analogue cables so physical and weight issues didn’t exist.
This has become a valuable case study for Tascam since the Dante-compatible ML-32D contributed as part of the system that eliminated the challenges of establishing a new compact and efficient studio.
Network overview diagram
Tascam products other than ML-32D are also being used:
AV-P250 (Power Distributor/Conditioner (not for Europe))
With the HAC SHIBUYA, Humax Cinema Co., Ltd. opened a new post-production studio in June 2021.
Same as the MA-4 Studio, multiple ML-32D and other Tascam products were introduced.
Two US-16x08 interfaces have been introduced into the home studio of Masayuki
Muraishi, a leading drummer in Japan. His studio is used for pre-production and recording of artists he
produces.
Mr. Muraishi also teaches drums in the studio and is working on a recording curriculum for his students. The
US-16x08s were introduced to meet a demand for drum recording in the studio.
US-16x08 US-16x08 Application Example: Hirotaka
Mori Live Recording
Three Tascam US-16x08 were used together with Tascam X-48MKII and Tascam DR-44WL on the multitrack recording of
the “Masayuki Muraishi meets Hirotaka Mori ‘LIVE ON PLANET EARTH’” DVD, which features
the
work of the widely popular singer-songwriter Hirotaka Mori.
On the day of the event, a monitor console was not
used, so the monitor console lines were directly connected to three US-16x08 used in mic-pre mode. The X-48MKII
had the IF-AN24X analogue expansion card installed, and its connection to the US-16x08 was made using three
XLR/D-Sub multi-conductor cables. In order to utilize all the inputs used on the stage, a 24-channel recording
was
done.
The DR-44WL was used to record the ambient sound of the venue as a whole, and was placed at the front-of-house
mix position. A boom stand was installed in the PA booth, and the DR-44WL was remote-controlled via Wi-Fi with
level-monitoring active.
The post-recording mixing and mastering were both done using Sonar Platinum, using only the standard plug-ins
and
functions of Sonar Platinum. The mix recall function of Sonar Platinum was used, and distinct mixing was done
for
each song within this project. For effects, extensive use was made of the Sonar ProChannel effects features.
Note: Since this was a multi-angle DVD, the video data volume was large, and the audio was recorded in a
compressed state.
Equipment Used
TASCAM US-16x08
TASCAM X-48MK2
TASCAM DR-44WL
TEAC AV-P250LUV
SONAR Platinum Software
Recording Venue: SHIMOKITAZAWA GARDEN
About Hirotaka Mori
Born March 9, 1976, Hirotaka Mori is a singer songwriter originally from Kagoshima Prefecture. He made his
major
debut with Warner Music Japan in October 2001. While there, he released six works – including the single
“Zero Chiten” and the album “Coexisting Concepts.” Subsequently, he shifted to indies,
releasing the album “planetblue” in 2009 and the album “Ii’n desu” in 2013. He is
also actively involved in producing, arranging, and distributing music under the name Coa.
Recording Source: Masayuki Muraishi meets Hirotaka Mori “LIVE ON PLANET EARTH”
Multi-angle Live DVD
DR-40X Tascam Helps DePauw University School of Music
Address the Challenges of the Pandemic
As a private university with a Methodist heritage, DePauw University (Greencastle, Indiana, USA) houses
a School of Music as part of its liberal arts focus. With the COVID-19 pandemic creating a wide range of
challenges for people of all walks of life, it comes as no surprise that fine arts programs have also had to
make adjustments in the way they operate. For DePauw University’s School of Music, a significant
part of the solution resulted in the purchase of 155 pieces each of the DR-40X 4-track Digital Audio
Recorder/USB Audio Interface and TH-MX2 headphones from Tascam.
Steven Linville is the Director of Productions at DePauw University. As the person responsible for
overseeing
all events in the performing arts, including music and theatre, he is actively involved in everything from
marketing/publicity and event planning to managing instrument and technology equipment distribution. He
discussed the various factors that led to the University’s purchase of the Tascam equipment.
“Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our students have been learning remotely,” Linville explained. “As a
School of Music, we needed to provide high quality solutions for virtual lessons and virtual classes. Each
faculty and staff member, as well as each student in the School of Music, received a Tascam DR-40X to be
used
for recording or as an external microphone on their computer. Additionally, each person received a pair of
TH-MX2 headphones and a separate Bluetooth speaker. This enabled our students to perform with tracks while
sending high quality audio via Zoom or other similar platforms. We’ve also used these recording devices to
create virtual productions, such as our recent opera productions Sorry, Wrong Number by Michael
Remson
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEkAcl1_rck) as well as The Old Maid and the
Thief by Gian Carlo Menotti (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTVCNZaL6Ac).
With classes and rehearsals occurring both remotely and in hybrid formats, the Tascam DR-40X recorders get
used
in a variety of ways. “We have mostly used these recorders to connect to computers—both MAC and PC,”
Linville
notes. “As expected, they are also being used as stand-alone recorders, and therein lies one of the distinct
advantages of the DR-40X. With its built-in 4-track record capability, the USB audio interface, plus its
ability
to use SD cards as its recording medium, there is a tremendous amount of flexibility that makes this
recorder
so
well suited to a wide range of musical environments.”
For their use among faculty and students, Linville pointed to some additional DR-40X attributes he admires.
“First and foremost, audio quality is crucial and, in this regard, the Tascam DR-40X delivers. The units
produce
broadcast quality audio, and this has had a very positive impact on everyone who comes in contact with the
recorder. The DR-40X is also very versatile. The fact that it can operate as both a recording device and a
microphone make this an excellent solution for a variety of music applications. Further, its compact form
factor
enables it to be carried around easily and conveniently, which are important considerations for student
use.”
Since their purchase in the Summer of 2020 for use when classes began that August, Linville reports the
Tascam
equipment has exceeded expectations, “These devices were the right choice for us. They’ve allowed us to
continue
to provide quality education to our students during a very difficult time. There are many more uses that we
look
forward to incorporating into our programming once our current restrictions allow. This pandemic has forced
everyone to re-evaluate how they address music instruction, and for us, Tascam has been an important part of
the
solution.”
Csaba Toth Bagi, Production Manager: “They work great! They are very practical
too. We’re recording all of the shows now with two lines and the two built-in mics!“
Dirk Schulz, Mando Diao FOH engineer: “As the band asked me for a live Autotune
effect, the TA-1VP was instantly my first choice to go for. The open and transparent sound is very convincing
and
without a loss of quality comparing to the main vocal signal.“
On the day of the event, a monitor console was not
used, so the monitor console lines were directly connected to three US-16x08 used in mic-pre mode. The X-48MKII
had the IF-AN24X analogue expansion card installed, and its connection to the US-16x08 was made using three
XLR/D-Sub multi-conductor cables. In order to utilize all the inputs used on the stage, a 24-channel recording
was
done.
Equipment Used
