Tascam Digital Mixing Console TM-D4000 Owners Manual

							4 - Module operations—Fader and cut groups
4–9
4.9Fader and cut groups
In shifted mode, this key brings up the 
GROUPING screen, allowing input channels to 
be assigned to fader and cut groups.
In this screen, each column represents an input chan-
nel (from 1 through 32). The two stereo input chan-
nels are also shown here.
There are eight fader groups and eight cut groups, 
shown as rows on the display. Each channel may be a 
member of one of each type of group (i.e. a channel 
can be a member of one fader group and one cut 
group, but not of two fader groups or two cut 
groups).
Fader groups and cut groups are independent of each 
other. The number of the fader group to which a 
channel is assigned bears no relation to the number 
of the cut group.
In each group (fader and cut), there is one master 
channel, and all other channels in that group are slave 
channels.
In the case of a fader group, moving the fader group ’s 
master channel fader will move the slave channels’ 
faders, relative to the master channel ’s fader. Moving 
the fader of a slave channel will affect only that 
channel.
NOTE
These fader groups are not the same as the 
output buss assignments (which are some-
times referred to as “groups ” on some mixing 
consoles). 
In the case of a cut group, pressing the CUT key of 
the cut group master channel will have the same 
effect as pressing the CUT key of all the cut group 
channels simultaneously.
NOTE
If channels have been stereo linked (see 
below), the stereo pair of channels can be 
used as a master channel. Moving either 
fader of a master pair or pressing the CUT key 
of either pair will affect the status of all slave 
channels in that group.
4.9.1Making group settings
Use the UP and DOWN cursor keys to navigate 
around the groups. As each group is selected, as 
shown by an on-screen box surrounding the group 
row, the SEL indicators of the channels of the active 
fader layer which belong to that group will light. 
Alternatively the ROW CURSOR keys and the JOG 
dial can be used for navigation around the screen.
Press the SEL key of a channel to assign it to a group 
or de-assign it from that group. 
An on-screen group/channel intersection with a small 
dot (•) means that the channel is not currently 
assigned to any group. A large dot (l) indicates that 
the channel is the master channel for that group (cut 
or fader). A check mark (4) shows that the channel is 
a slave channel within that group. 
When a group is selected on this screen, the SEL 
indicator of the master channel lights, and the SEL 
indicators of the slave channels ash (if they are visi-
ble in the current fader layer).
4.9.2Clearing group settings
The rst channel selected as the member of a group 
becomes the master channel. Removing that channel 
from the group clears it from the group and also 
clears all slave channel assignments from that group.
4.10Checking fader and cut status
This allows the checking of the fader positions on the 
display screen. This may be useful under the follow-
ing circumstances:
•when faders are grouped (see above, 4.9,  “Fader 
and cut groups ” and it is necessary to check the 
fader and cut positions of modules of layers other 
than the layer containing the fader or cut master.
•when a snapshot is recalled (see 8.1,  “Snapshot 
memories ”) and it is necessary to check the status  
						

							4 - Module operations—Buss delay
4–10 
of modules in layers other than the currently active 
layer.
•to view Aux send and buss levels (see below).
Press the FADER POSITION key:
Note that there are two screens available. Press the 
FADER POSITION key to cycle between them.
Both screens also contain an on-screen representa-
tion of the stereo meters. This allows metering of the 
stereo output, even if the main hardware meters are 
being used for another purpose.
4.10.1Resetting faders to 0 dB
An easy way of setting any fader (including the ST 
OUT fader) to the 0 dB position is provided:
1Press and hold the CLR key in the numeric 
keypad.
2Press the SEL key of the module to be set to 
0 dB.
The level will be set to 0 dB, and the fader 
will move appropriately.
4.10.2Buss and Aux send metering
In addition to the fader positions visible in the 
MASTER screen, this screen also contains eight 
meters for the buss masters and six for the Aux send 
masters.
These meters are calibrated in the same way as the 
main hardware meters, i.e. the top segment repre-
sents an  “over ” condition. However, the denition of 
“over ” sometimes differs between manufacturers. 
You are therefore advised to check the meter levels 
here against the meter levels displayed on your other 
equipment.
4.11Buss delay
Use the shifted DELAY key to show the DELAY 
screen, which allows the setting of a delay time to the 
output busses.
The delay settings may be made individually for each 
buss, or applied globally to all busses, as described 
below.
Use the PODs to control the settings for the eight 
individual busses using the top two on-screen POD 
rows.
The POD rotary controls are used to set the time of 
the delay. The minimum delay time is 0 samples (0 
milliseconds, obviously), and the maximum delay 
time is 16,382 samples (320 ms @ 44.1  kHz, or 
340 ms @ 48 kHz). The resolution is to individual 
samples, or to 0.1 ms.
The right switch of each POD can be used to turn the 
delay on or off for the selected buss, allowing instant 
A-B comparisons of the effect of the delay.
The left switch of each POD can be used to move the 
signicant digit (inverted) of the numerical value 
being edited. 
						

							4 - Module operations—MODULE screen (miscellaneous)
4–11
4.11.1Global delay setting
Use POD 1 of the last row to set the value and copy it 
to all busses (right switch of POD 1) for the “global” 
buss delay:
Confirm the setting with the 
ENTER key or cancel 
with a cursor key.
4.12 MODULE screen 
(miscellaneous)
In the MODULE screen, a meter is shown to the 
right of the screen:
4.12.1Meter pickoff point
Immediately below the meter is a description show-
ing the “pickoff” point for the meter (
POST-EQ 
in the illustration above).
Move the cursor to this description and press the 
ENTER key to cycle through the following pickoff 
points: 
POST-EQ (after the equalization), 
POST-DYN (following the dynamics processor) 
or 
POST-FADER (after the channel fader).
This also applies to the 
STEREO OUT. In this case, 
only the on-screen meters are affected. If this buss is 
selected for monitoring using the hardware meters, 
the meter readings will not be changed by this 
operation.
4.12.2Other information
The MODULE screen also shows the current fader 
and cut group assignment for the module (see 4.9, 
“Fader and cut groups”), the group assignments (and 
direct output assignment if appropriate).
A representation of the current fader position is also 
given, together with the fader level, relative to the 
nominal level. The cut status is also shown, immedi-
ately above the fader representation.
4.13 Soloing
Modules may be soloed by pressing the SOLO key of 
a module.
The exact action taken depends on the solo mode 
currently selected, as well as the Inplace Defeat set-
ting for the module and other modules.
See 5.4, “SOLO” for details of solo settings and 
operations. 
						

							 
 
 
5–1
 
5 - Monitoring
 
The monitoring facilities on the TM-D4000 allow the 
connection of both a control room (
 
CR
 
) and studio 
(
 
STUDIO
 
) set of monitor systems as well as the con-
nection of a 2-track analog recorder through dedi-
cated connections (digital 2-track recorders may be 
connected through the 
 
D IN1
 
 and 
 
D IN2
 
 inputs).
An integral talkback microphone is also provided, as 
is a line-up oscillator. The talkback may be routed to 
the slate or to the Aux 1-2 busses
 
5.1CR and STUDIO
 
The 
 
STUDIO
 
 buss echoes the selection for the 
 
CR
 
 
buss.
These connections are made through the appropri-
ately-labelled analog connectors on the top of the 
front panel.
Note that these are professional-level (+4 dBu) bal-
anced outputs, and should be connected to an appro-
priately-equipped monitoring system.
A standard pair of stereo headphones may be con-
nected to the 
 
PHONES
 
 jack at the right of the con-
sole.
 
5.1.1Monitor sources
 
The 
 
MONITOR SELECT
 
 keys (
 
AUX1
 
, 
 
AUX2
 
, 
 
AUX3
 
, 
 
AUX4
 
, 
 
AUX5
 
, 
 
AUX6
 
, 
 
D-IN1
 
, 
 
D-IN2
 
, 
 
2TR
 
 and 
 
STEREO
 
) are used to select the signals which are 
routed through the monitoring system. These corre-
spond to the six Aux buss sends, the two digital 
inputs, one of the two analog 2-track mastering 
recorders (selected with the 
 
2TR RTN 1/2
 
 switch ) 
and the 
 
STEREO OUT
 
.
Except when two Aux sends have been linked, only 
one of these monitoring sources can be selected at 
any one time.
The meters show the level of the selected monitor 
source(s).
 
5.1.2Adjusting volume
 
Use the 
 
STUDIO/PHONES LEVEL
 
 and 
 
CR LEVEL
 
 
controls to adjust the the 
 
STUDIO
 
 and the 
 
PHONES
 
 
levels together, or the 
 
CR 
 
level.
The 
 
MONO
 
 key (latching) puts the 
 
CR
 
, 
 
STUDIO
 
 and 
 
PHONES
 
 output signals into monaural mode.
Use the 
 
DIM
 
 key to cut the 
 
CR
 
 level by 30dB when 
necessary (the talkback key also dims the 
 
CR
 
 level). 
The indicator lights when dimming is active.
 
5.1.3Talkback
 
Push the latching 
 
STUDIO
 
 key under the 
 
TB LEVEL
 
 
control to activate the talkback to the 
 
STUDIO
 
 out-
puts. The other 
 
STUDIO
 
 signals will be muted and 
the control room outputs will be dimmed while talk-
back is carried out.
Adjust the level with the 
 
TB LEVEL
 
 control.
The 
 
TO SLATE
 
 and 
 
TO AUX 1-2
 
 keys in the monitor-
ing section allow the routing of the signal from the 
integral talkback microphone to the slate (the stereo 
output buss and the eight output busses) and the Aux 
1/2 busses.
These are  “smart ” latching keys; in other words, if 
pressed and released within half a second, they are 
latching, and if pressed and held for more than half a 
second, they are non-latching. They also dim the 
 
CR
 
 
output level.
 
NOTE
 
Since this facility is available on the Aux 1-2 
busses, which are also the only Aux busses 
that can be made pre- or post-fader, you may 
want to use these busses as the in-studio 
headphone feeds if you require the artists to 
listen to a different mix than that heard in the 
control room. Of course, the 
 
STUDIO
 
 outputs 
can also be used for this purpose, but they will 
 
always mirror the control room feed.
 
5.1.4Near-eld monitors
 
Although the TM-D4000 is not tted with two sets of 
CR outputs, it is possible to use the 
 
STUDIO
 
 buss as 
a  “near-eld ” feed (especially if the Aux 1-2 busses 
are used for in-studio talent cueing), and adjusting 
the relative levels of the 
 
CR
 
 and 
 
STUDIO
 
 busses.
Alternatively, a system to switch between the two 
different monitoring systems can be set up, fed from 
the 
 
CR
 
 buss.
 
5.2Meters
 
These meters show the level of the current signal 
being monitored, as selected with the monitor select 
keys. Note that the 
 
2TR IN
 
 analog signals cannot be 
metered using these meters, however.
 
NOTE
 
When working with analog equipment, the 
nominal analog signal level (either +4 dBu or  
						

							 
5 - Monitoring—2-track monitoring
 
5–2 
 
–10 dBV) corresponds to a reading of  –16 dB 
(relative to full-scale), which is represented 
here as  –16 dBFS). This factory value may be 
changed by authorized TASCAM service per-
sonnel only to either  –20 dBFS or  –9 dBFS. 
 
Contact your TASCAM dealer for details.
 
The top of the scale represents overload (over full-
scale). Unlike an analog meter reading of 0 or a 
“plus ” value, which are relative to a nominal signal 
level, digital overload results in harsh distortion and 
clipping. Take care that the top 
 
OL
 
 meter segment 
does not light, even in the loudest parts of the 
program.
 
NOTE
 
The way in which digital equipment meters 
are calibrated varies between different manu-
facturers. While a reading of OL or OVER will 
be the same on all TASCAM equipment, there 
is no guarantee that identical readings will be 
produced on equipment from other manufac-
turers. Be aware of the possible discrepan-
cies between meter readings on different 
 
pieces of equipment in your setup.
 
5.32-track monitoring
 
A balanced +4 dBu level analog recorder may be 
connected to the XLR-type 
 
2TR RTN 1
 
 jacks, and/or 
an unbalanced  –10 dBV analog recorder may be con-
nected to the RCA 
 
2TR RTN 2
 
 jacks.
Select which pair of inputs will be used when the 
 
2TR
 
 monitoring selection key is pressed by using the 
 
2TR RTN 1/2
 
 key (depressed for 
 
1
 
, out for 
 
2
 
).
Note that these analog signal levels are not shown on 
the meters.
 
5.4SOLO
 
The TM-D4000 provides two modes of soloing, as 
explained here. Soloing occurs when the 
 
SOLO
 
 key 
of at least one module is pressed. What happens 
when this happens is dependent on the settings made 
in the 
 
SOLO
 
 screen.
 
5.4.1Inplace solo defeat
 
The rst option is a defeat option to prevent channels 
selected in this way from being muted when other 
channels are soloed. It can be used with a pair of 
effect returns, for instance, so that these effect returns 
will always be added in the inplace mix, together 
with those other channels selected for inplace solo-
ing.
Inplace soloing will output the soloed channel(s) 
from the stereo outputs, and cut all other channels. 
Use the cursor keys to highlight a channel, and the 
 
ENTER
 
 key to change the status of the 
 
INPLACE 
SOLO DEFEAT
 
.
 
5.4.2Solo mode
 
The 
 
SOLO MODE
 
 can be selected as either 
 
PFL
 
 (pre-fade listen) or 
 
INPLACE SOLO
 
. 
The setting here is also reected in the status of the 
two solo mode indicators at the right of the console, 
below the talkback microphone.
The 
 
PFL
 
 indicator will ash whenever a channel is 
soloed in PFL mode. The 
 
INPLACE
 
 indicator is 
always lit when inplace solo mode is selected.
PFL is taken, as the name implies, before the signal 
is sent through the panpot and fader. When a channel 
is soloed in PFL mode, the output from the eight out-
put busses and from the 
 
STEREO OUT
 
 is unaffected. 
The solo monitor signal is in mono.
By contrast, as mentioned above, soloing a channel 
in Inplace Solo mode will cut the signal from the ste-
reo outputs. The level of the solo signals and their 
position in the solo mix is determined by the channel 
faders and panpots. 
						

							 
5 - Monitoring—SOLO 
5–3 
5.4.3 PFL level 
The level of the PFL signals is determined by the  
PFL LEVEL 
, controlled by the fourth POD 
rotary control. The maximum signal level is 10 dB, 
relative to full-scale. 
5.4.4 To clear all soloed channels 
Press and hold down the  
CLR 
 key of the numeric 
keypad  
[41] 
 and press any  
SOLO 
 key to clear the solo 
status of all currently soloed channels. 
						

							 
6–1 
6 - Surround modes 
Because the TM-D4000 is capable of mixing to sev-
eral different surround modes, some of the operations 
and display screens are slightly different from the 
“normal”, stereo mode, as explained here.
Some of these operations are also explained in other 
parts of the manual, but are gathered here for easy 
reference.
In all cases where a surround mode is selected, the 
output busses are used to control the levels of the sig-
nals sent to the different channels of the surround 
matrix. 
6.1 Selecting a surround mode 
This selection is made through the  
OPTION 
SURROUND 
 screen: 
1 
Make sure the  
SHIFT 
 indicator is off, and 
press the  
OPTION 
 key  
[5] 
 until the following 
screen is shown: 
2 
Use the cursor keys and the  
ENTER 
 key to 
highlight and select the stereo mode or a sur-
round mode from the following:A popup screen will appear, allowing you to 
confirm the new setting, or cancel it:
A plan view of the speaker layout is shown on 
the display screen.
Note that in the 5.1 screen, the two rear 
speakers can be selected as a single mono 
output. 
6.1.1 Selecting a buss pattern 
As mentioned earlier, the output busses are used to 
control the levels of signals sent to the surround 
matrix channels.
In this context, they can be regarded as “super-stereo 
master” controls.
The assignment of the busses to the channels is 
shown by a number beside the representation of the 
on-screen speakers.
The surround buss assignments below each surround 
mode type allow the assignment of different buss pat-
terns to the surround channels. Where a channel does 
not exist as part of a surround mode pattern, it is rep-
resented by a dash (–). 
STEREO One left and one right speaker, output through the 
stereo output buss
2 + 2 One front left speaker and one front right speaker, 
with a pair of rear speakers (left and right)
3 + 1 A pair of front left and right speakers, together with a 
front center speaker and a center rear speaker
5 . 1 A pair of front left and front right speakers, with a front 
center speaker. A pair of rear left and rear right 
speakers is also provided, as is a sub channel (typi-
cally placed front center)
 
Surround mode
Buss Assign Type
Output buss used for:
Front Left
Front Center
Front Right
Rear Left
Rear Center
Rear Right
Sub
 
2+2 
1 1—23—4—
2 1—32—4—
3 1—42—3—
4 1—24—3— 
						

							 
6 - Surround modes—Monitoring issues 
6–2 
This facility allows the selection of a fader pattern 
that suits an individual way of working. 
6.2 Monitoring issues 
The main issue that affects surround mixing is that of 
monitoring. 
Because the TM-D4000 uses the buss outputs as the 
sources for the surround mix, and these busses are 
output in parallel to all the interface cards fitted in the 
expansion slots, it is possible to use an IF-DA4000 
analog interface card in one slot, and an appropriate 
digital format (TDIF-1, AES3-1992 or ADAT) card 
in another slot. The multitrack output to the digital 
mastering recorder is therefore also output to the ana-
log buss outputs, which are connected to the monitor-
ing amplifiers.
However, this approach uses two of the three inter-
face slots available, and on a non-cascaded setup, this 
will probably not provide enough inputs for the mix-
ing of digital material.
One solution is to use the TASCAM IF-DA8 (pro-
vided the mix is to be made to a TDIF-1-compatible 
unit). The “pass-through” of the digital audio, 
together with the conversion of these signals, make 
this an attractive option.
It is also possible to use the on-board D/A convertors 
of the multitrack unit, with suitable source/tape mon-
itor switching, to drive the monitoring system. This option requires no additional convertors, and may 
prove to be the most convenient option under some 
circumstances. 
6.3 Buss delay 
The  
DELAY 
 screen (accessed through the  
SHIFT 
ed  
OPTION 
 key  
[5] 
) can be used in surround mode to set 
the delay of the busses relative to each other.
Use the POD controls to set the delay, which can be 
used to compensate for delay caused by speaker 
placement, etc. The right switch of the top two POD 
rows can be used to turn the delay on and off. the left 
switch of these PODs is used to change the digit that 
is adjusted using the POD knobs.
POD 1 in the last row is used to change and set the 
delay value for all busses simultaneously. Change the 
value with the pod knob and press the right switch to 
set the value.
POD 4 of the last row changes the delay time units 
between samples and milliseconds.  
6.4 Modules in the surround mix 
Since the busses are being used for the surround 
matrix channels, modules cannot be assigned to them 
in the usual way, and the buss keys for busses 5&6 
and 7&8 are disabled.
However, modules can always be assigned to the ste-
reo output buss. 
6.4.1 Assigning modules 
When a surround mode has been selected, the  
ASSIGN 
 screen changes so that the buss assign- 
3+1 
1 132—4——
2 123—4——
3 142—3——
 
5.1 
1 1352—46
2 1325—64
3 1234—56
4 1523—46
5 1235—46
 
Surround mode
Buss Assign Type
Output buss used for:
Front Left
Front Center
Front Right
Rear Left
Rear Center
Rear Right
Sub 
						

							 
6 - Surround modes—Modules in the surround mix 
 6–3 
ments are not shown, but it is possible to assign the 
modules to the surround channels:
The four buss pairs are replaced by two buttons:  
SRND 
 and (optionally)  
SUB 
. 
NOTE 
The  
SUB 
 button only has any meaning when  
the 5.1 surround option is chosen. 
When the  
SRND 
 button is “pushed” (on), the chan-
nel is routed to the busses for surround output.
When the  
SUB 
 button is “pushed” (on), the channel 
is routed to the sub channel.
In addition to these two routings, modules can also 
be assigned to the stereo master buss. This allows the 
monitoring and soloing of channels through the STE-
REO OUT, which of course is output to the CR mon-
itor outputs. The position of a module’s signal in the 
stereo outputs is represented by the balance between 
the front pair of speakers in the surround matrix.
Channels 1 through 16 can also be assigned to the 
direct outputs (i.e. they will be output from the out-
puts of the interface cards fitted in slots 2 and 3).
As well as the on-screen buttons controlling the 
assignment of individual modules to the surround 
and sub busses, there are three “master” buttons:  
ALL SRND ASSIGN 
,  
ALL STEREO 
CLEAR 
, and  
ALL STEREO ASSIGN 
. 
The last two work in exactly the same way as the but-
tons with the same name in the normal stereo screen  
[8] 
, allowing the assignment and “unassignment” of 
all modules to the STEREO OUT.The first button assigns all modules to the surround 
buss. Note that there is no dedicated button to do the 
same for the sub buss.
These on-screen buttons are used in the usual way; 
using the cursor and  
ENTER 
 keys. 
6.4.2 “Pan” controls 
The concept of panning does not apply to surround 
mixes as it does to stereo mixes.
Accordingly, when a surround mode is selected, the  
MODULE 
 screen does not show the pan controls. 
Instead of this, the  
PAN 
 screen (now the  
SURROUND 
 screen) is used.
The screen is accessed by pressing the  
PAN/BAL – 
SURROUND 
 key  
[8] 
. Instead of a general screen 
showing all modules, the surround screen for the cur-
rently-selected module and one other module is 
shown.
In the case of an odd-numbered module being 
selected, the other displayed module will be the 
even-numbered module immediately following the 
selected module. In the case of an even-numbered 
module, the other displayed module will be the odd-
numbered module immediately before the selected 
module.
If a pair of modules has been linked as a stereo pair 
(or if one of the stereo inputs has been selected), the 
stereo linking does not apply to the surround set-
tings—each module’s (or channel’s) position in the 
surround image is set independently. However, the 
fact that these modules have been linked is shown by 
a  
& 
 following the module number at the top of the  
						

							 
6 - Surround modes—Modules in the surround mix 
6–4 
screen. The screen below shows a stereo input in sur-
round mode:
Note that the “image” control is unavailable for these 
stereo inputs in surround mode, but either of the two 
stereo inputs may be selected as a mono input (using 
the on-screen buttons in the  
MODULE 
 screen).
To change the module to be edited, use the  
SEL 
 key 
of the channel to be edited.
Each channel is shown as a “dot” cursor on a plan of 
the current surround mode.
The crossing point of the cursor (i.e. the position of 
the module signal in the surround mix) can be 
changed with the knobs of POD 1 and POD 3 (these 
adjust the left/right position for the odd and even 
modules) and the knobs of PODs 2 and 4 are used to 
adjust the position from front to rear. These adjust-
ments are made when the row cursor is highlighting 
the top row on the screen.
For both the left/right and front/rear position settings, 
there are 91 steps, so the left/right setting goes from  
L45 
 through  
C 
 (center) to  
R45 
, and the front/rear 
setting goes from  
F45 
 through  
C 
 (center) to  
R45 
.
There is another parameter, which determines the 
amount of the total “sound-stage”, taken from the 
center position, within which the module signal can 
be positioned. This is set using the second row of on-
screen PODs.
The values here are set in 4 steps:  
25% 
 (the most 
tightly focussed, almost a point source near the cen-
ter), through  
50% 
 and  
75% 
 to  
100% 
 (the whole 
of the sound-stage is available).
Using these parameters, it is therefore possible to set 
the position of a signal precisely or loosely in either 
dimension.
As the space available for positioning the sound 
source is changed, the dotted box on the screen 
enclosing the available area changes size and shape.
Note also the “bar-graphs” (not meters) by each on-
screen speaker, which give an indication of the rela-
tive level of the signal to each of the output channels 
in the surround matrix.
In addition to these positioning controls, in the 5.1 
surround mode the sub- level ( 
SUB LVL 
) may be 
set with the knobs of PODs 1 and 3 using the bottom 
on-screen row of PODs.
The left switch of these PODs is used as an  
ON/
OFF 
 switch to route the module signal to the sub 
buss.
Pods 2 and 4 of this row are used to move the signal 
source diagonally within the surround area (equiva-
lent to turning the L-R and F-R pan controls simulta-
neously). The diagonal angle is set with the switches 
of these two pods.