Model 24 is great

[Bill Hoff]

I’m really enjoying learning my new Model 24. Lots of nice features and I love not having to go to menues to do changes and able to do on the fly adjustments to eq, effects and levels. At first I was a little miffed about there being two channels used up by the bluetooth channel, as I don’t plan on using my 24 as a live mixer and not planning on needing between set music. Well guess what, it’s got a great use for home studio use. Download a metronome app, link it up and you have a nice clean hot level metronome to use.

 

[Mark Richards]

Sounds like you're making good use of your new 24, Bill.

Since you've had experience with the DP-24SD, what were the positive features of the Model 24 / limiting factors of the DP-24SD that convinced you to make the move?

My big stumbling block is whether the cost/benefit is there:
Does $1,300USD (almost 3x the cost of the DP-24SD) deliver 3x the production benefit in the home recording environment?

For those of us still fence-sitting, if you have the time/inclination to share your assessment, I think that would make for a very informative thread.

 

[Bill Hoff]

First off the Model 24 is $1000 not $1300. The ease of use factor has me using this daily. I can honestly say I have used the Model 24 more in one month than I used the DP 24 in the 18 plus months I owned it. I don’t like menues and the build quality leans strongly towards the 24 in my opinion. Anything that is turn on, hit record and get the job done wins out over anything that requires all the set up and button pushing that the DP 24 required. BTW, I love the sound of the preamps also; very musical. 100 mmf faders feel soooo right too.

 

[-mjk-]

Mark, you will want motorized faders. DP-32/24 tracks into Reaper with a Behringer X-Touch is way more cost effective, and you're not going in and out of the digital domain to get things done.

 

[-mjk-]

It's all been hashed out here: http://www.tascamforums.com/threads/new-tascam-model-24-reactions.5543/

 

[Mark Richards]

Bill, thanks for responding, that's helpful information. If you read through the thread mj linked to above, you'll see there's confusion about what the Model 24 can (or can't) do as a stand-a-lone production tool.

To summarize your 2 posts:
Model 24 ($1000) PROS:

• Ease of use (on the fly adjustments to eq, effects and levels)
• Build quality
• 100 mm faders
• Preamp sound
• Turn on, hit record, done

DP24/32 ($500) CONS:

• Set up
• Button pushing
• Menus

 

[-mjk-]

Dealbreaker Cons:

No MIDI: not only can you not control external instruments, you cannot use MIDI to control the DAW, which is necessary for any studio work with the 24.

No Track Routing: external patch cables mean multiple conversions between digital and audio. Bouncing tracks is not a viable option. Again, one must rely on the DAW, and the Model 24 is useless add a control surface.

22 Tracks: I'm not even going to comment on the arbitrary, non standard track count.

As far as functionality, yeah, there are rudimentary dynamics on each channel, but again, that can be done better in the DAW. I'd rather use an interface with my Ghost. I'm sure the Model 24 is a good small format live mixing console, and you can use it for live recording (and I presume for helping setup live shows by playing back recorded live tracks), but without the ability to write automaton and even have DAW transport controls, to me it's just a USB interface.

 

[Will Miho]

Former DM4800 power user here.
Seems to me the now $900 Model 24 has a niche - live *recording* of bands.
More like the cheap Xynyx Mackie firewire mixers than a DM4800, with a portable, smaller footprint than a DM series mixer. If you want motorized faders you need to get an X32. Hauling one or two DM4800's around and a computer setup was a major undertaking, this set up is more guerrilla style grab and go.
Direct to a card so you don't have to bring a computer and worry if it's going to work (the DM24 was unreliable over firewire.) And you can still sound check the band from the last gig's recording without them there, playing back from the card..
16+ channels is enough for basic tracking of most bands. They could squeeze some utility out of the unit by making the stereo channels summable to mono though. This simple cheap feature is something pretty stupid for designers to leave out. If you don't have stereo inputs you only get 16 channels in, summing feature to mono just for stereo to the the two bus path would make the mixer more attractive.

- Will Miho

 

[Gloria]

Yes This is a great Machine! No external Computers No Menus, no Motorized faders, No Software, Hands on with real buttons, Knobs and Faders! Mix it down manually to a stereo 2 Track Master recording on Tape,SD, CD, ect ..