Tascam Digital Portastudio 788 Owners Manual

							788
OWNER’S MANUAL
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT
REMOVE  COVER (OR BACK).  NO  USER-SERVICEABLE  PARTS
INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.
The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the pres-
ence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature
accompanying the appliance. The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert
the user to the presence of uninsulated “dangerous voltage” within the product’s enclosure
that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.
This appliance has a serial number
located on the rear panel. Please record
the model number and serial number
and retain them for your records.
Model number
Serial number
Ü
ÿ
Ÿ
WARNING: TO PREVENT FIRE OR SHOCK
HAZARD, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS 
APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.
9101420600 
						

							2  TASCAM 788 Digital Portastudio
Important Safety Precautions
IMPORTANT (for U.K. Customers)
DO NOT cut off the mains plug from this equipment.
If the plug fitted is not suitable for the power points in your home or
the cable is too short to reach a power point, then obtain an appro-
priate safety approved extension lead or consult your dealer.
If nonetheless the mains plug is cut off, remove th
e fuse and dispose
of the plug immediately, to avoid a possible shock hazard by inad-
vertent connection to the mains supply.
If this product is not provided with a mains plug, or one has to be
fitted, then follow the instructions given below:
IMPORTANT: DO NOT make any connection to the larger termi-
nal which is marked with the letter E or by the safety earth symbol
ç or coloured GREEN or GREEN-and-YELLOW. 
The wires in the mains lead on this product are coloured in accord-
ance with the following code:
BLUE :NEUTRAL
BROWN :LIVE
As these colours may not correspond with the coloured markings
identifying the terminals in your plug proceed as follows:
The wire which is coloured BLUE must be connected to the terminal
which is marked with the letter N or coloured BLACK.
The wire which is coloured BROWN must be connected to the ter-
minal which is marked with the letter L or coloured RED.
When replacing the fuse only a correctly rated approved type should
be used and be sure to re-fit the fuse cover.
IF IN DOUBT — CONSULT A COMPETENT ELECTRICIAN.
TO THE USER
This equipment has been tested and found to
comply with the limits for a Class B digital device,
pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These
limits are designed to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference in a
residential installation. This equipment gen-
erates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in
accordance with the instruction manual, may
cause harmful interference to radio comm-
unications. However, there is no guarantee that
interference will not occur in a particular
installation. If this equipment does cause harmful
interference to radio or television reception,
which can be determined by turning the
equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to
try to correct the interference by one or more of
the following measures.
a)Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
b)Increase the separation between the 
equipment and receiver.
c)Connect the equipment into an outlet on a 
circuit different from that to which the 
receiver is connected.
d)Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/
TV technician for help.
CAUTION
Changes or modifications to this equipment not
expressly approved by TEAC CORPORATION
for compliance could void the user’s authority to
operate this equipment.
 For U.S.A 
						

							  TASCAM 788 Digital Portastudio 3
CAUTION:
…Read all of these Instructions.
…Save these Instructions for later use.
…Follow all Warnings and Instructions marked on the audio
equipment.
1) Read Instructions — All the safety and operating instructions should
be read before the product is operated.
2) Retain Instructions — The safety and operating instructions should
be retained for future reference.
3) Heed Warnings — All warnings on the product and in the operating
instructions should be adhered to.
4) Follow Instructions — All operating and use instructions should be
followed.
5) Cleaning — Unplug this product from the wall outlet before cleaning.
Do not use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for clean-
ing.
6) Attachments — Do not use attachments not recommended by the
product manufacturer as they may cause hazards.
7) Water and Moisture — Do not use this product near water — for
example, near a bath tub, wash bowl, kitchen sink, or laundry tub; in a wet
basement; or near a swimming pool; and the like.
8) Accessories — Do not place this product on an unstable cart, stand,
tripod, bracket, or table. The product may fall, causing serious injury to a
child or adult, and serious damage to the product. Use only with a cart,
stand, tripod, bracket, or table recommended by the manufacturer, or sold
with the product. Any mounting of the product should follow the manufac-
turer’s instructions, and should use a mounting accessory recommended by
the manufacturer.
9) A product and cart combination should be moved with care. Quick stops,
excessive force, and uneven surfaces may cause the product and cart com-
bination to overturn.
10) Ve n til a ti on — Slots and openings in the cabinet are provided for ven-
tilation and to ensure reliable operation of the product and to protect it from
overheating, and these openings must not be blocked or covered. The open-
ings should never be blocked by placing the product on a bed, sofa, rug, or
other similar surface. This product should not be placed in a built-in instal-
lation such as a bookcase or rack unless proper ventilation is provided or
the manufacturer’s instructions have been adhered to.
11) Power Sources — This product should be operated only from the
type of power source indicated on the marking label. If you are not sure of
the type of power supply to your home, consult your product dealer or local
power company. For products intended to operate from battery power, or
other sources, refer to the operating instructions.
12) Grounding or Polarization — This product may be equipped with a
polarized alternating-current line plug (a plug having one blade wider than
the other). This plug will fit into the power outlet only one way. This is a
safety feature. If you are unable to insert the plug fully into the outlet, try
reversing the plug. If the plug should still fail to fit, contact your electrician
to replace your obsolete outlet. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the
polarized plug.
13) Power-Cord Protection — Power-supply cords should be routed so
that they are not likely to be walked on or pinched by items placed upon or
against them, paying particular attention to cords at plugs, convenience
receptacles, and the point where they exit from the product.
14) Outdoor Antenna Grounding — If an outside antenna or cable
system is connected to the product, be sure the antenna or cable system is
grounded so as to provide some protection against voltage surges and built-
up static charges. Article 810 of the National Electrical Code, ANSI/NFPA
70, provides information with regard to proper grounding of the mast and
supporting structure, grounding of the lead-in wire to an antenna discharge
unit, size of grounding conductors, location of antenna-discharge unit, con-
nection to grounding electrodes, and requirements for the grounding elec-
trode.Note to CATV system installer:
This reminder is provided to call the CATV system installer’s attention to
Section 820-40 of the NEC which provides guidelines for proper grounding
and, in particular, specifies that the cable ground shall be connected to the
grounding system of the building, as close to the point of cable entry as
practical.
15) Lightning — For added protection for this product during a lightning
storm, or when it is left unattended and unused for long periods of time,
unplug it from the wall outlet and disconnect the antenna or cable system.
This will prevent damage to the product due to lightning and power-line
surges.
16) Power Lines — An outside antenna system should not be located in
the vicinity of overhead power lines or other electric light or power circuits,
or where it can fall into such power lines or circuits. When installing an
outside antenna system, extreme care should be taken to keep from touch-
ing such power lines or circuits as contact with them might be fatal.
17) Overloading — Do not overload wall outlets, extension cords, or
integral convenience receptacles as this can result in risk of fire or electric
shock.
18) Object and Liquid Entry — Never push objects of any kind into
this product through openings as they may touch dangerous voltage points
or short-out parts that could result in a fire or electric shock. Never spill
liquid of any kind on the product.
19) Servicing — Do not attempt to service this product yourself as open-
ing or removing covers may expose you to dangerous voltage or other
hazards. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.
20) Damage Requiring Service — Unplug this product from the wall
outlet and refer servicing to qualified service personnel under the following
conditions:
a)when the power-supply cord or plug is damaged.
b)if liquid has been spilled, or objects have fallen into the product.
c)if the product has been exposed to rain or water.
d)if the product does not operate normally by following the operating
instructions. Adjust only those controls that are covered by the operating
instructions as an improper adjustment of other controls may result in
damage and will often require extensive work by a qualified technician to
restore the product to its normal operation.
e)if the product has been dropped or damaged in any way.
f )when the product exhibits a distinct change in performance – this
indicates a need for service.
21) Replacement Parts — When replacement parts are required, be sure
the service technician has used replacement parts specified by the manufac-
turer or have the same characteristics as the original part. 
Unauthorized substitutions may result in fire, electric shock, or other
hazards.
22) Safety Check — Upon completion of any service or repairs to this
product, ask the service technician to perform safety checks to determine
that the product is in proper operating condition.
23) Wall or Ceiling Mounting — The product should be mounted to a
wall or ceiling only as recommended by the manufacturer.
24) Heat — The product should be situated away from heat sources such
as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other products (including amplifiers)
that produce heat.
ANTENNA
LEAD IN
WIRE
ANTENNA
DISCHARGE UNIT
(NEC SECTION 810-20)
GROUNDING CONDUCTORS
(NEC SECTION 810-21)
GROUND CLAMPS
POWER SERVICE GROUNDING
ELECTRODE SYSTEM
(NEC ART 250. PART H)
NEC - NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODEELECTRIC
SERVICE
EQUIPMENT
Example of Antenna Grounding as per
National Electrical Code, ANSI/NFPA 70
GROUND
CLAMP
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS 
						

							Table of Contents
4 TASCAM 788 Digital PortaStudio
1 – Introductory concepts
Multitrack recording (general) ........................... 8
Tracking ..........................................................8
Overdubbing ...................................................8
Punching .........................................................8
Mixdown ..........................................................8
Mastering ........................................................8
Disk vs. tape recording ...................................... 9
Multitrack tapes .......................................................9
Multitrack disks .......................................................9
The “song” ............................................................... 10
What do “16-bit” and “24-bit” mean? ............... 10
Real and virtual tracks on the 788..................... 11
Editing ...................................................................... 12
Nondestructive editing on the 788 ................12
788 editing  ......................................................12
Undo and redo  ................................................12
Multi-take punch-ins on the 788 ............................13
Instant location on the 788 .....................................13
Recording technique .............................................. 13
Assignment ......................................................... 13
The 788 internal patchbay ...................................... 13
Track bouncing ....................................................... 14
Quick setup and the assign screen .......................15
Synchronization and the 788 ............................. 15
Timecode synchronization .....................................15
Tempo map synchronization .................................16
Sync track recording .............................................. 16
MIDI external control (MMC, etc.) ...................... 16
MIDI remote control ................................................17
SCSI issues ......................................................... 17
SCSI connections.................................................... 17
SCSI IDs ................................................................... 17
SCSI termination .....................................................17
SCSI devices and backing up ................................ 18
Further reading ................................................... 18
2 – Getting started
Precautions, etc. ................................................. 19
Shutting down the 788 ....................................... 19
Power-on ............................................................. 20
About the demonstration song .............................. 20
A few notes about this manual .......................... 20
“Roadmap” to this manual .....................................21
1 “Introductory concepts” (page 8)  ..............21
2 “Getting started” (page 19)  ........................21
3 “Before recording” (page 34)  .....................21
4 “Mixer” (page 41)  ........................................21
5 “Recorder operations” (page 49)  ...............21
6 “Location operations” (page 60) ................21
7 “Track editing” (page 65)  ...........................21
8 “Mastering and backup (CD-R)” (page 72) 21
9 “Effects” (page 81)  ......................................21
10 “Routing and scene libraries” (page 91)  .21
11 “Synchronization” (page 94)  ....................21
12 “MMC and MIDI functions” (page 101)  ....21
13 “Specifications, etc.” (page 119)  .............21
Connecting other equipment to your 788 ........ 22
Additional connection notes .................................. 22
About the menus ................................................ 24
Selecting multiple entries....................................... 24
The MENU key ......................................................... 24
Other control screens ............................................. 25
Selecting parameters.............................................. 25
Setting values.......................................................... 25
The “home” display............................................ 26
The time display ...................................................... 26
Entering and editing titles ................................. 26
CAPITAL ..........................................................27
small ................................................................27
Numbers ..........................................................27
Preset words and phrases. ............................27
Setting and editing preset words .......................... 27
The SONG menu ................................................. 28
Creating a new song ............................................... 28
Saving a song.......................................................... 28
Reverting to the previous saved version of a 
song ...................................................................... 28
Loading a song........................................................ 29
Erasing a song ........................................................ 29
Copying songs ........................................................ 29
Deleting unused space from a song ..................... 30
Protecting a song.................................................... 30
DISK menu .......................................................... 31
Formatting a disk .................................................... 31
Selecting a disk ....................................................... 32
Ejecting a disk ......................................................... 32
Checking disks........................................................ 32
The OPTION menu .............................................. 33
Global options ......................................................... 33
Key sense time  ...............................................33
Meter peak hold time ......................................33
Meter release time  ..........................................33
Mixer settings .......................................................... 33
Fader settings  .................................................33
Recorder settings.................................................... 33
USER WORD............................................................ 33
3 – Before recording
Quick Setup......................................................... 34
RECORDING ............................................................ 34
MIX DOWN ............................................................... 35
BOUNCE 7/8............................................................. 35
Assignment on the 788 ...................................... 36
Assigning sources to mixer channels. ................. 36
Removing assignments .......................................... 36
Viewing assignments.............................................. 37
Channel-to-track assignments............................... 37
Track-to-channel assignments .............................. 37
Assigning inputs to the sub-mixer ........................ 37
Assigning the sub-mixer to stereo ........................ 37
Monitoring ........................................................... 38
If you don’t hear anything ...................................... 38
How to monitor tracks ............................................ 38 
						

							Table of Contents
 TASCAM 788 Digital PortaStudio 5
Monitoring the recorded sounds (TRACK CUE)... 39
Arming tracks and monitoring ...............................39
More monitoring options ........................................40
Monitoring in mono................................................. 40
4 – Mixer
Mixer features ..................................................... 41
Linking channels ................................................ 41
To link two channels ............................................... 41
Unlinking a pair of channels ..................................41
Notes on linked channels .......................................42
Basic operations ................................................ 42
About the screens ................................................... 42
Adjusting EQ....................................................... 43
EQ and linked channels..........................................43
Channel digital pad and gain .................................44
Send levels.......................................................... 44
Fader and pan ..................................................... 45
Internal and physical faders .............................. 45
Soloing ................................................................ 46
Turning off soloing .................................................46
Stereo output ...................................................... 47
Stereo output selection ..........................................47
Sub-mixer ............................................................ 48
5 – Recorder operations
Basic transport controls......................................... 49
Playback.............................................................. 49
Setting the playback position ........................... 50
Return to zero (RTZ) ............................................... 50
Last Recording Position (LRP) ..............................50
Jog positioning .......................................................50
Fast forward and rewind......................................... 51
During playback ............................................. 51
From the stop position  .................................. 51
Repeat playback ................................................. 51
Setting the IN and OUT points ...............................52
Editing the IN and OUT points ...................... 52
Setting the time between repeats ..........................52
Recording............................................................ 53
Recording (ii) ...........................................................53
Hands-free recording ..............................................53
Dropping out of record mode ................................53
Rehearsing recording .............................................54
Assigning virtual tracks..................................... 54
Overdub recording ............................................. 55
Auto punch operations ...................................... 55
Setting the punch points ........................................56
LAST REC ....................................................... 56
IN -> OUT  ........................................................ 56
LAST TAKE LOAD  ......................................... 56
Checking the punch points .................................... 56
Rehearsing the punch ............................................ 57
Recording the punch ..............................................57
Checking the take ...................................................57
After finishing the punch ........................................ 58If you change your mind......................................... 58
Varispeed operations (pitch and SSA) ..............58
Pitch ......................................................................... 59
To use the set pitch  ....................................... 59
SSA (Slow Speed Audition).................................... 59
To use the SSA  .............................................. 59
6 – Location operations
Direct location .....................................................60
Direct location (i)..................................................... 60
Direct location (ii).................................................... 61
Location marks....................................................62
Entering location marks ......................................... 62
Active location marks ............................................. 62
Giving a title to the active location mark .............. 62
Deleting the active location mark .......................... 62
Editing the active mark........................................... 63
Using the location mark list ...............................63
Locating using the list ............................................ 64
Using the IN OUT and TO marks............................ 64
Titling using the list ................................................ 64
7 – Track editing
About track editing .............................................65
IN, OUT and TO ....................................................... 65
Entering the edit mode ........................................... 65
Track editing functions.......................................65
Remember! .............................................................. 65
COPY -> PASTE...................................................66
COPY -> INSERT .................................................66
MOVE -> PASTE ..................................................67
MOVE -> INSERT .................................................67
OPEN ....................................................................68
CUT .......................................................................68
SILENCE...............................................................68
CLONE TRACK ....................................................69
CLEAN OUT .........................................................69
UNDO and REDO .................................................69
Undoing and redoing actions ................................ 70
An undo/redo example ........................................... 70
8 – Mastering and backup (CD-R)
Connection .............................................................. 72
Notes regarding the handling of CD-R discs........ 72
Mixdown ...............................................................73
Pre-mastering .......................................................... 73
Recording the pre-master  ............................. 73
Exiting mastering  .......................................... 74
Checking the master............................................... 74
Exiting master checking  ............................... 74
Trimming the master .............................................. 75
Recording to CD-R ..............................................75
Recording to CD-R (track recording) .................... 75
Finalizing the disc ................................................... 76
Recording to CD-R (multiple tracks) ..................... 77 
						

							Table of Contents
6 TASCAM 788 Digital PortaStudio
Playing back CDs using the 788 ............................78
Backup using CD-R ............................................ 79
Backing up a song ..................................................79
Restoring data from CD-R ...................................... 80
9 – Effects
EFFECT 1  ........................................................81
EFFECT 2  ........................................................81
Setting up EFFECT 1 .......................................... 81
Using EFFECT 1 as a multi-effect processor........ 81
Using EFFECT 1 as a single stereo effect 
processor in the effect loop ...............................82
Setting up EFFECT 2 .......................................... 82
Using EFFECT 2 as a multi-channel dynamics 
processor ............................................................. 82
Using EFFECT 2 as a stereo dynamics 
processor ............................................................. 82
Using EFFECT 2 as a single stereo effect 
processor in the AUX effect loop .......................83
Send levels, etc. .................................................. 83
Pre- and post-fader sends explained ....................84
Changing between pre-fader and post-fader 
settings .................................................................84
Selecting the type of effect ................................ 84
Multi-effect processor preset settings .................. 85
Single stereo effect processor settings ................85
Dynamics processor ...............................................85
Making settings................................................... 86
Using the user libraries ...................................... 86
Storing an effect in the library ...............................86
Recalling a user setting from the library ..............86
Parameter details ................................................ 87
Multi-effect processor settings .............................. 87
Compressor ....................................................87
Distortion ........................................................87
Noise gate  .......................................................87
Flanger ............................................................87
Exciter .............................................................88
Pitch shifter  ....................................................88
Chorus .............................................................88
Reverberation .................................................88
Delay ................................................................88
Parametric EQ  ................................................88
De-esser ..........................................................89
Single stereo effect settings ..................................89
REVERB ..........................................................89
DELAY .............................................................89
CHORUS ..........................................................89
PITCH SHIFTER  ..............................................90
FLANGER ........................................................90
PHASER ..........................................................90
REVERB + GATE  ............................................90
Dynamics processor ...............................................90
10 – Routing and scene libraries
Routing libraries ................................................. 91
Saving the current routing settings to the library 91
Loading routing settings from the library ............. 92
Scene libraries .................................................... 92
Saving a scene to the library ................................. 92
Loading scenes from the library............................ 93
Other matters concerning scenes ......................... 93
11 – Synchronization
Master or slave?...................................................... 94
How to measure time?............................................ 94
Synchronization methods.................................. 95
MIDI Time Code (MTC)  ...................................95
MIDI clock ........................................................95
MIDI Song Position Pointer (SPP):  ...............95
Synchronization settings on the 788..................... 95
MTC ..................................................................95
syncTrk (sync track)  ......................................95
Tempo Map  .....................................................95
Making synchronization settings ...................... 96
Synchronization master/slave setting on the 788 96
Selecting the master synchronization type .......... 96
OFF ..................................................................96
MTC ..................................................................96
CLOCK .............................................................96
SycTRK ............................................................96
MIDI Timecode frame rate ...................................... 96
MIDI Timecode offset (788 as slave only) ............. 97
Sync track ........................................................... 97
Recording the sync track ....................................... 97
Using the sync track ............................................... 98
Tempo map ......................................................... 98
Entering and editing the tempo map..................... 98
BAR ..................................................................99
SIG ...................................................................99
Tempo ..............................................................99
Using the tempo map.............................................. 99
Using MTC to control a sequencer ................... 100
Metronome .......................................................... 100
OUTPUT ...........................................................100
MODE ...............................................................100
INT LEVEL  .......................................................100
CH ....................................................................100
ACC. NOTE ......................................................100
(ACC.) VELO  ...................................................100
NORM. NOTE  ..................................................100
(NORM.) VELO  ................................................100
12 – MMC and MIDI functions
MIDI Machine Control ......................................... 101
788 MMC slave/master setting ............................... 102
MMC ID ..................................................................... 102
Bit-map array of MMC commands ......................... 103
Bit-map array of Response/Information fields ..... 104
Program Change messages .............................. 105
Enabling/disabling Program Change .................... 105
Control Change messages ................................ 106
Enabling/disabling Control Change messages .... 106
Mixer Control Change ............................................. 106
Effect Control Change messages .......................... 107 
						

							Table of Contents
 TASCAM 788 Digital PortaStudio 7
NRPN values for multi-channel and stereo dynamics 
processors ...........................................................107
NRPN values for single stereo effects .................. 108
NRPN values for distortion multi-effect processor 
settings (1) ...........................................................109
NRPN values for clean multi-effect processors (2)113
NRPN values for multi-effect processor (3) .......... 118
13 – Specifications, etc.
Dimensional drawing ......................................... 119
Specifications ..................................................... 119
Physical and electrical specifications...................119
Digital recorder specifications...............................119
Mass storage ...........................................................120
Analog audio I/O  .....................................................120
Audio specifications ............................................... 120
Error messages, etc. .......................................... 120
MIDI Implementation Chart ................................ 124 
						

							8 TASCAM 788 Digital PortaStudio
1 – Introductory concepts
If you are new to disk-based recording or to multi-
track recording generally, there may be some ideas 
with which you are slightly unfamiliar. This section 
briefly introduces you to some of the concepts regarding the 788 and its operation. Even if you are 
familiar with the idea of multitrack recording and 
disk-based recording, you may find this to be a useful 
introduction.
Multitrack recording (general)
Multitrack recording allows you to make recordings 
of many different signals separately, allowing a high 
degree of control over the finished sound. 
Tracking The signals of the first tracks to be 
recorded as part of the song are fed through a mixing 
console, and recorded on many different tracks on a 
multitrack recorder (“tracking”)
Overdubbing New material can be recorded on a 
track while listening to previously-recorded tracks—
this is known as “overdubbing”. For instance, the 
vocal parts of a song can be recorded after all the 
backing instruments have been recorded, allowing 
the singer to concentrate on getting the best vocal 
performance. While tracking or overdubbing, effects 
can be added to enhance the recorded sound.
Punching Most recorders have silent “punch-in” 
and “punch-out” facilities, i.e. if you make a mistake 
in only a short passage, you don’t have to re-record the whole piece—you can re-record only the part 
where the mistake occurred.
Mixdown These recorded tracks are then “mixed 
down”—this means that the volumes, tonal balance 
(the amount of bass and treble, etc.) of the different 
recorded tracks are adjusted and fed to a stereo 
recorder (a DAT recorder can be used for this pur-
pose). At this stage, additional effects such as echo, 
reverb, etc. may be added to individual tracks, to help 
produce a “feel” to the piece.
Alternatively, with the 788 it is possible to mix to 
CD. First the song is mixed to a special stereo mas-
tering track and then written to CD, using a CD-R or 
CD-RW drive connected to the SCSI port of the 788.
Mastering If the mixdown has not already been 
done to CD, then an audio CD (or an analog cassette) 
may be then mastered and duplicated from the master 
stereo recording.
  
Mixdown Recording 
(tracking) and 
overdubbing 
						

							1 – Introductory concepts–Disk vs. tape recording
 TASCAM 788 Digital PortaStudio 9
Multitrack recorders can be analog (for example, the 
TASCAM PORTASTUDIO cassette series) or digital 
(for example, the TASCAM series of DTRS record-
ers), and likewise mixing consoles can be analog or 
digital. The 788 is digital, that is, after the signals 
enter the 788, the mix, recording process, the internal 
effect processors and mixdown are all digital. This avoids any possible loss of quality caused by 
repeated conversion between analog and digital.
This also allows a consistent frequency response (i.e. 
there is no loss of the very high or very low frequen-
cies) and dynamic range (from quiet to loud), since 
all the components in the integrated 788 system are 
designed to work with each other.
Disk vs. tape recording
The 788 uses a disk for recording, but traditionally, 
multitrack recording has been done on tape. The methods of recording with tape and disk recording 
systems differ in a number of ways.
Multitrack tapes
A tape is divided into a number of different “tracks”; 
usually either 4, 8, 16 or 24.
A typical arrangement of tracks used during a tape-
based recording session is shown below:
If more tracks are required in the course of a session, 
there are a number of alternatives:
It is possible to record on unused parts of a track 
(for instance, if there is a saxophone part which is 
never played at the same time as the backing 
vocals, you can use the spare portions of track 7 for 
recording the saxophone).
By sacrificing a track of audio, special synchroniz-
ing timecode can be recorded on the “sacrificed” 
track, allowing sequenced MIDI instruments to 
play along with the audio tracks.If there are more instruments than tracks, it is pos-
sible to do a “mini-mixdown” from some existing 
tracks to a spare track or tracks. This is known as 
“track bouncing” or “ping-pong”.
In the example above, the four recorded tracks 
incorporating the drum parts will be bounced and 
combined onto tracks 7 and 8. Tracks 1 through 4 
may now be reused for other purposes.
Multitrack disks
On an analog tape deck, the number of tracks avail-
able is determined (mainly) by the width of the tape. 
By contrast, in a disk system, the power of the pro-
cessor determines how many tracks can be recorded 
and played back at one time. On the 788, eight tracks 
can be recorded and played back at one time.While a tape’s tracks are recorded side-by-side along 
the length of the tape, a disk track may be placed 
anywhere on the disk.
If you could see the magnetic patterns that are 
recorded on a hard disk, you might find that the 
Track 1 Bass (kick) drum
Track 3 Drum Kit (left)
Track 2 Snare drum
Track 4 Drum Kit (right)
Track 5 Bass Guitar
Track 6 Guitar
Track 7 Vocals (backing)
Track 8 Lead vocals
Track 1 Bass (kick) drum
Track 3 Drum Kit (left)
Track 2 Snare drum
Track 4 Drum Kit (right)
Track 5 Bass guitar
Track 6 Rhythm guitar
Track 7 Click track (disposable)
Track 8 Guide vocals (disposable)
Track 1 Was bass (kick) drum - now reusable
Track 3 Was drum kit (left) - now reusable
Track 2 Was snare drum - now reusable
Track 4 Was drum kit (right) - now reusable
Track 5 Bass guitar
Track 6 Rhythm guitar
Track 7 New mixed drums (left)
Track 8 New mixed drums (right) 
						

							1 – Introductory concepts–What do “16-bit” and “24-bit” mean?
10 TASCAM 788 Digital PortaStudio
tracks recorded in a session would look something 
like:
Actually, the arrangement of tracks on a disk is more 
complicated than this, but the diagram above gives 
you an idea of how tracks don’t need to live side by 
side as they do on tape. Another thing to notice is that the tracks are of differ-
ent lengths. Unlike a multitrack tape, where the 
length of the track has to be equal to the length of the 
tape, a disk recorder can be “smart” enough to recog-
nize when nothing is recorded, and use that space for 
other tracks, if necessary. This means that it’s diffi-
cult to say that you can record a song of a certain 
length on a disk of a given size (unlike a cassette, say, 
which is clearly labelled with the length of material 
that can be recorded on it).
When recording or playing back material, the proces-
sor (“brain”) of the 788 must collect all the tracks 
together and play them simultaneously, so that you 
hear them playing together in perfect timing with 
each other. 
This is what we meant when we talked earlier about 
the number of tracks that can be replayed at one time. 
If we asked the 788 to play back hundreds of tracks 
together, it would end up having to do too much 
work, and the tracks would be out of time with each 
other. 
The “song”
On the 788, as on many MIDI sequencers, etc., a 
piece of music is referred to as a song (whether or not 
it has a vocal part). Because on a multitrack tape sys-
tem, a piece of music takes up a fixed length of all 
tracks of the tape—no more, no less, there is no need 
to pre-divide a tape into songs.
On a disk-based system, however, before you start 
recording a piece, you must “tell” the recorder that 
you are recording a new song.To the 788, a song is all the audio data you record, 
together with the playlist which allows you to select 
parts of the song for playback, until you start work-
ing on another song.
You can copy songs to other songs (or to another 
disk), erase them, protect them against further 
changes, and so on.
Since the song is a collection of digital data, there is 
no loss of quality when a song is stored or copied to 
another disk.
What do “16-bit” and “24-bit” mean?
The 788 is capable of recording at 16-bit and 24-bit 
resolution. Basically speaking, in digital audio, the 
more bits, the better. This is because in a digital 
audio device like the 788, incoming sound is digi-
tized, that is, converted into numbers, which in the 
case of the 788 are stored on the disk.
When it is time to replay the sound, the 788 reads the 
numbers from hard disk and converts them back into 
sound.
In each second, the 788 takes a “snapshot” of the 
incoming sound 44,100 times. By playing back these 
snapshots one after the other at the same speed 
(44.1 kHz, in technical terms), the 788 provides you with an accurate reproduction of the sound, in much 
the same way as a movie camera takes a series of still 
pictures (frames) 24 times a second, which are 
replayed by the movie projector to give you the feel-
ing of a continuously moving picture.
However, the speed at which the sampling is carried 
out is only half the story. The depth at which the sam-
pling is carried out is also important.
To illustrate this, let’s think of a black and white pho-
tograph. In such a photograph, there can be an infi-
nite number of grays, all the way from complete 
white to total blackness.
Track 3
Track 6
Track 5
Track 4Track 1Track 7 Track 2