subatomic wrote:
I would like to record all four tracks in mono. Then play with final mix in GB. Can't record 4 at once. Should I do 1&2, then 3&4 and try to sync the timing? About setting playback on TASCAM, should I pan 1 track right ,2nd track left?
So far I have set the playback so it sounded OK thru headphones ,then recorded in stereo. It still sounds OK but I can't control track levels without many re-recordings.
Thanks to all who have posted answers and questions. I couldn't have gotten this far without you.
Poflynn's suggestion about the clap is a great one. It's the audio equivalent of one of those movie clapboards that they smack at the beginning of filming scenes. You'll be able to literally see the clap in the waveforms which will help you line everything up.
However, there may be a misunderstanding with the panning. I think you (subatomic) have the right idea - in this case hard panning tracks in the Tascam isn't to create a stereo image in a final mix, it's a logistical strategy to separate the Tascam's output into single channels for transferring into GB (the left/right output become channels 1/2, then 3/4).
The one caveat of doing this is that tape machines drift and are inconsistent. So you may have all tracks start at the same time, on the clap, but then slowly move out of sync by the end of the song. If you hear it start to get phasey, that's what's happening. In pro setups there's usually a time code reference to keep everything in sync. You don't have that here. However, sometimes things just work, so this might just work! Worth trying in any case!
Shep Pettibone recorded some demo tracks with Madonna at his place on his Tascam tape machine when they were working on her Erotica Album. His Tascam wasn't all that much better than yours. They liked the demo tracks they did on his Tascam so much they decided to transfer them onto the pro machines in the studio rather than redo them, and the tracks wound up on the album. So... depending on what you think of Shep Pettibone and/or Madonna and/or the Erotica Album, you're in good/questionable company!
