PFL / AFL, AUX 1/2, FX --- I am incredibly confused.

[dougjr]

Hi - I'm Doug. Model 12 owner and anxiety victim.


There are clearly nuances to the way Tascam set things up for the Model 12. I Love it for very basic recording, but once I start digging in to embellish recordings from good to 'great ------ I feel as though I am sincerely confused..... I have a few mics that I'll set up for guitar and Vox ----- and I just want to record, go back & listen, make some adjustments and attempt to add more tracks as I continue to adjust and change mic, EQing on the fly ------- I am blown away a company would make such an awesome product that is so fun but so CONFUSING assuming people will just figure out it!!!!!!!!

I have to turn feeds on/off, twist knobs, hope pray and try not to cry just to hear what is going on and what I need, and then I am still not fully sure I am accomplishing what I think I am.

is there any chance a Jedi of the model 12/26/24 would be willing to jump on a zoom so I can better exemplify issues that I am running into? I would honestly pay $$

 

[Max Relic]

Hi @dougjr and welcome to the forum,
I guess your anxiety originates from the clash of your wish to build a song against the Model 12 (apparent) complexity. Before going technical I suggest you take a deep breath and spend some time reading the sticky threads at the top of this forum where you will find a number of interesting facts on the Model series collected for you by valuable forum members. This will build a basic knowledge.
Then I'd suggest you watch the Model 12 tutorials published on Youtube by Tascam Official and RecordingStudio9.com which cover any aspect of song production on the Model 12.
There's no instant magic, knowledge require time spent on learning and experimenting and at the same there is nothing impossible to learn if one is serious at it.
Hope it helps

 

[Mark Richards]

-- I am blown away a company would make such an awesome product that is so fun but so CONFUSING assuming people will just figure out it!!!!!!!!

The Model 12/16/24 are professional Front-of-House (FOH) mixers with onboard recording capability and D.A.W. interface capability.

Much is left unwritten in the owner manuals because the assumption is these mixers are being used by people already knowledgeable about audio engineering.

I agree with Max. Read the forum sticky threads, watch as needed the video stickies and the video links Max posted for you. You may also find some very useful information in the Recording 101 forum here on this site.

One of the most important things to wrap your head around is how signals flow in, through, and out the mixer. The Block Diagram found in the owner manual is your guide. At first blush it may seem daunting, but learn one channel and you've pretty much learned them all.

A forum search should be your first stop when looking for help on something specific. Chances are that, whatever it is has been asked/answered in the past. If that yields no joy, then fire away by posting in a related already existing thread, or start a new thread if your topic hasn't been covered previously, and we'll jump in to help sort things out.

...embellish recordings from good to 'great'...

It's going to take time and effort to get up to speed so you can take your recordings "from good to great". But once there, you'll appreciate the complexity, and the commensurate versatility these mixers bring to music production.

I suggest baby steps at first and work with the default settings for the mixer. Put down some tracks; play them back; make a basic mix. Focus on only one tool at a time as you mix (FX, EQ, compression, etc.) to gain experience with how each tool impacts the individual tracks and the song as a whole.
Welcome to the world of audio engineering.

 

[-mjk-]

Welcome to the world of audio engineering.

After learning the signal flow of the machine, having/using documentation while you're working and planning each session will help tremendously.