Tascam 644 midistudio owners manual

Page 1

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS

CAUTION:

I Read all of these instructions.

a Save these instructions for later use.

0 Follow all warnings and instructions marked on the

audio equipment.

1. Reed Instructions - All the safety and operating instructions

2.

3.

should be read before the appliance is operated.

Retain Instructions - The safety and operating instructions
should be retained for future reference.

Heed Warning: - All warnings on the appliance and in the
operating instructions should be adhered to.

. Follow Instructions - All operating and use instructions

should be followed.

. Water and Moisture ~ The appliance should not be used

near water - for example, near a bathtub,washbowl, kitchen
sink, laundry tub, in a wet basement, or near a swimming
pool, etc.

. Carts and Stands - The appliance should be used only with

5A.

a cart or stand that is recommended by the manufacturer.

An appliance and cart combination should be moved with
care. Quick stops, excessive force, and uneven surfaces may
cause the appliance and cart combination to overturn.

. Wall or Ceiling Mounting - The appliance should be mount-

ed to a wall or ceiling only as recommended by the manu»
facturer.

. Ventilation - The appliance should be situated so that its

location or position does not interfere with its proper venti-
lation. For example, the appliance should not be situated
on a bed, sofa,_rug, or similar surface that may block the
ventilation openings} or, placed, in a built-in installation,
such as a bookcase or cabinet that may impede the flow of
air through the ventilation Openings.

. Heat - The appliance should be situated away from heat

10.

11.

12

sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or, other
appliances (including amplifiers) that produce heat.

Power Sources 4 The appliance should be connected to a
power supply'ionlyof the type described in the operating in»
structions or as marked on the appliance.

Grounding or Polarization - The precautions that should
be taken'so that the grounding or polarization means of an
appliance is not defeated.

Power-Cord Probation - Power-supply cords should be
routed so that they are not likely to be walked on or pinch-
ed by items placed upon or against them, paying particular
attention to cords at plugs, convenience receptacles, and
the point where they exit from the appliance.

13.

i4.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

Cleaning - The appliance should be cleaned only as recom-
mended by the manufacturer.

Power Lines - An outdoor antenna should be located away
from power lines.

Outdoor Antenna Groundlng -- If an outside antenna is
connected to the receiver, be sure the antenna system is
grounded so as to provide some protection against voltage
surges and built up static charges. Section 810 of the
National Electrical Code, ANSI/NFPA No. 70 - 1984, pro-
vides information with respect to proper grounding of the
mast and supporting structure, grounding of the lead-in
wire to an antenna discharge unit, size of grounding con-
ductors, location of antenna-discharge unit, connection to
grounding electrodes, and requirements for the grounding
electrode. See Figure below.

EXAMPLE or ANTENNA anounnmc
As on NATIONAL
ELECTRICAL com:

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ANTENNA
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(NEE sEcnoN aio-zc)
swam:

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,4 eowzn sznvcc cnounowc
71 amnion: svsreu
(NEc ART 150. PART 4;

NEC - wmmt :chmlcat mes

Nonuse Periods - The power cord of the appliance should
be unplugged from the outlet when left unused for a long
period of time.

Object and Liquid Entry - Care should be taken so that
objects do not fall and liquids are not spilled into the env
closure through openings.

Damage Requiring Sen-ice - The appliance should be ser-

viced by qualified service personnel when:

A. The power-supply cord or the plug has been damaged: or

B. Objects have fallen, or liquid has been'spilled into the
appliance; or

C. The appliance has been exposed to rain; or

D. The appliance does not appear to operate normally or
exhibits a marked change in performance; or

E. The appliance has been dropped, or the enclosure dam-
aged.

Servicing -- The user should not attempt to service the

appliance beyond that described in the operating instruc-

tions. All other servicing should be referred to qualified

service personnel.

Page 2

How to Use This Manual

The 644 Midistudio is different in major ways from
previous Portastudios. The basic structure of the mixer,
the features of the tape transport, the MIDI implemen~
tation, and the electronic switching are all new. To get
the most out of your 644, spend some time now to
READ THE MANUAL? Youll be glad you did. Even if
youre experienced, youll discover some tricks you
havent tried before.

This manual is divided into sections.

iNTFiODUCTlON: Everyone, from expert to novice,
should read this part.

STANDARD OPERATION: This covers the how
to" procedures of basic multitrack recording with the
644. it advances to instructions about using effects,
bouncing tracks, and punching in.

MIDI OPERATIONS: After you've worked with
and are comfortable with the mixer and the recorder
sections, read this if you want "how to procedures of
MIDI synchronization. Non-MlDi users don't need this
part.

FEATURES AND CONTROLS: Everyone should
use this "what is it?" dictionary that defines every
control and indicator on the 644 in detail.

You'll get the best results by having your system set up
so you can experiment with it as you read. Dont make
the mistake of booking a crucial recording session before
youve had free time to really get to know your 644.

Dual used as MONITOR

i I-J-L4@

Main Channels Dual Channnels
(1 8i = (9-16l=
a mics to 4 taps returns
multitrecks 4 line inputs HEADNQNES

l-e-Q

Dual used at MIXDOWN

Main Chain: L-l

Dual Channels
I18) 2 I916) =

4 tape returns 3 line inputs
a
5%; Eefisgfils .

4 line inputs
2-Track Recorder

MuIII-xlmbrei
Sound Module

Dual used as STEREO EFFECT SEND

Main Channels +T° GROUP OUT
Gated

l1»Bl _" .
L-:l-L$AUX1 -> Reverb

Dual L STEREO
Channels .. Digital
(946) H v Rmrb

Introduction

The 644 Midistudio ® is a 4vchannel multitrack cassette
recorder, a 16 input mixing system with electronic
routing control, and a MIDI Tape Svnchronizer com-
bined into a single workstaion. it's the first Portastudio®
expressly designed to meet the challenge of the MIDI
revolution. Its mixing section is designed in a new
way to accommodate the greater number of line inputs
in a typical MIDI studio, up to 16 at once plus 4 effect
returns. Each main channel can access up to 4 effects
busses, so you can use a variety of different effects
ireverbs, delays, choruses etc.) on different inputs. MIDI
Tape synchronization with Song Position Pointer (same
as that used by the TASCAM MTS-30) is built in, so that
the capabilities of MIDI sequencing can be blended with
the advantages of multitrack recording.

To make the 644 Midistudio easy to use, TASCAM
designed an all~electronic switching system that auto-
mates all mixer routing into one central display panel.
You can change the settings of the whole mixer by
pressing just two buttons. This makes each stage of
multitrack recording more automatic, so you can con-
centrate on the creative work instead of getting bogged
down in the technical details of moving from tracking
and overdubbing to the final mix. Unlike many of the
units an electronic musician has to face today that use
menus and complicated messages, the Midistudio show:
what it's doing with an easy~toAread, black on white LCD
screen.

In addition, the Midistudio can be synchronized to other
multitracks (like the TASCAM MSR~16 or 238) or to a
video tape recorder using the TASCAM MlDiiZER.

For those who are already familiar with previous Porta-
studio operation, there are two innovations in particular
that make the Midistudio different from other units:

Dual Section

Just above the main fader and pan is the DUAL section,
with its own LEVEL and PAN controls. The DUAL is
called that becauseit has dual functions. The first
function is as an in4line stereo monitor mixer, which
allows you to get amix of tape tracks (and live MIDI-
controiled instrumentsl so you can play along with
previous tracks while over-dubbing without interfering
with the~levels being sent to the recorder.

At mixdown time, the dual section converts to its
second function; as 8 additional inputs to the main
mixer, each with independent pan, level, and effect
sends. This LINK feature makes the Midistudio into a
16x2 console, while maintaining a compact size.

Alternatively, the DUAL can be used as a stereo effects
send, which in addition to the 2 dedicated AUX sends
adds up to 4 possible sends from each of the 8 main
input channels.

To summarize, the DUAL section is an independent 8x2
mixer within the mixer", with its own input selection,
master volume control, and output jacks that can also be
linked to the main mixer outputs without repatching.