What do you plug in the effect sends inputs on the back?

[musicianvw]

what do you plug in the effect sends inputs on the back of the tascam dp24?

 

[Phil Tipping]

These are outputs. The signal levels are set with the Send EFF-1 and Send EFF-2 controls (and corresponding Send Master 1 & 2 levels) for the selected track/input. Connect them to whatever you like, e.g. loudspeakers (via an amp) for an alternative mix of the input/track signals, a headphone amp for a performer for monitoring, an effect unit, an EQ unit, a recorder, etc.

 

[musicianvw]

so the effects send one and two are just headphone jacks to? now which output would i get the most realistic sound? meaning that sound i hear would be on a cd if i transferred it to one i know some sounds are just for playback and not tied to the song thanks.

 

[Phil Tipping]

Well, technically, headphone jacks have a small power amplifier to drive them, whereas the send outputs don't - they're referred to as 'line-level' outputs and are meant to connect to devices which don't need a lot of power, such as amplifier inputs or effect units. You can get a sound through headphones but it might not be very loud (and the sound may only come out of one side as the sockets are not wired correctly for stereo headphones). Having said that, I use this trick for checking the presence of line-level signals but wouldn't recommend it for continued use.
Re. quality, some people (including me) have a small amount of hiss on the headphone jack at the front of the machine, but all the outputs on the back of the machine should be high quality. If you were being picky, the shaded area on the right hand side of the block diagram implies the stereo and send outputs are the cleanest, followed by the monitor outputs (which have an extra amplifier stage), followed by the headphones (which have yet another amp stage - probably the cause of the hiss?).

 

[musicianvw]

yes yes phil i do have that hiss i have had 3 machines over the years and all had the small static hiss threw my headphones and tried different headphones was wondering if its my house and power or the machine. so you plug your head phones in the stereo out rca out puts? and why wouldn't your recommend it all the time thanks.

 

[Phil Tipping]

I use the headphone socket at the front and ignore the hiss for non-critical monitoring. I either use loudspeakers on the monitor outputs (via an amp) or transfer the recordings to another system to process and mix down there. If the hiss really bothers you, you could use the stereo outputs, but you'll need a headphone amplifier and you'll miss out on all the advantages of the monitoring system. A better choice would be the monitor outputs, but again you'll need a headphone amp.

 

[Doodle46]

I use a Presonus Monitor Station for my headphones, and I only hear what I am recording. This unit was not cheap, but (for me) it has been worth the cost. It also has a Talk Back Mic built into it. Of course, I suppose the possibility still exists that something could bring unwanted hiss thru my monitor station.

 

[-mjk-]

@EeMm just plug a cable in and see. It does no harm whatsoever. Some of the issue rests with the configuration of the inputs to your outboard device.

 

[-mjk-]

Apparently, he withdrew the question.