Tascam Portastudio 424mkIII Owners Manual

Ch 7-8STEREO INPUT: Connect any stereo
line-level signal (such an effect
return or electronic instrument)
here. Alternatively, you can
connect two mono line-level
signals.
MONO feature: If only one mono
signal is to be connected,
connect it to the L jack, and
leave the R jack unconnected.
The signal is automatically taken
to both the 7 and 8 channels.
LEVEL: Controls the volume of both
of the inputs simultaneously.
The signal is sent to the
destination selected by the
ASSIGN switch.
ASSIGN: This sends...

13Recorder Controls 
RECORD FUNCTION 1-4 :These control
which track(s) will be recorded when the
master RECORD and the PLAY key is
pressed, and choose where the signal to
be recorded is coming from.
Ï
Setting to DIRECT routes the
channel signal directly to the tape
(channel 1 is recorded on track 1,
channel 2 on track 2, and so on).
Recording level is adjusted by the
channel fader only.
Ï
When recording the stereo mix: As
the labels indicate, tracks 1 and 3
are recorded with the mix in BUSS
L, and tracks...

Input connections
Powering on
Headphone connection
Routing inputs Let’s try the 424 MKIII mixer
To learn how the mixer works, first you need to plug a signal source
into one of the 1-8 jacks located at upper top of the unit, in your easy
reach.
As an example, well use a microphone as the source.
1. Have to hand a dynamic microphone and a set of stereo
headphones.
2. Plug the 1/4 plug on your microphone cable into the leftmost
MIC/LINE IN jack for channel 1.
3. Turn the 424 MKIII on. The TASCAM logo...

Panning
Channel level
Master level
Monitor selection
TRIM adjustment
Listening level6. Turn the channel 1 PAN control all the way to the left.
7. Raise the channel fader to 7 on the scale.
8. Raise the MASTER fader to 7.
9. Set the MONITOR SELECT LINE OUT switch to the left (L-R)
position.
10. While speaking into the microphone, turn the TRIM control in
channel 1 to the right/MIC until the monitor level meter reads
around 0 in average.
11. Slowly turn the MONITOR LEVEL control to the right. You will
hear...

Resetting the counter
Selecting tracks
Mic level adjustment
Beginning to record
Stopping recording
Putting track into Safe4. Press the COUNTER RESET switch, so you can use the RTZ
(Return-To-Zero) function to get back to this point.
5. Set the RECORD FUNCTION switch for TRK 1 to its BUSS L
position. The REC 1 indicator will start blinking in the display
window, indicating track 1 is in Record Ready mode.
6. Speak into the mic. You will see meter 1 move. If no level or too
low a level is shown, continue...

Switching TAPE CUE on
Monitor selection
Locating tape to zero
Begin to play
Listening level
adjustment
Routing tape signals to
TAPE CUE
Stop playTrack 1 playback through TAPE CUE1. Set the EFFECT 2/TAPE CUE selection switch located below the
LEVEL control to the right/TAPE CUE position.
2. Slide the MONITOR SELECT LINE OUT switch to the center
MONO position.
3. Press the RTZ key. The tape will rewind, automatically stopping at
the zero counter point.
4. Press PLAY.
5. Turn the MONITOR LEVEL control up or...

19 Routing input
Panning
Channel 1 level
Master level
Monitor selection
Locating tape to zero
Track selection
Record level adjustment
(TRIM)How to make an overdub on track 2
Overdubbing entails recording one or more additional tracks on the
same tape, while listening to previously recorded tracks using TAPE
CUE.
Leave the microphone connected to the channel 1 input. There is no
need to repatch it to channel 2 to record on track 2. You can send any
mixer input to any track of the recorder through the...

20How to record tracks 3 and 4
How to record many sources onto a single track
9. Hold RECORD and press PLAY to initiate recording.  The REC 2
indicator that was blinking will turn on solid, indicating track 2 is
now being recorded.
10. You will hear track 1 play, together with the new signal going to
track 2, in the headphones.
NOTE:Adjust only the TAPE CUE control of channel 1 if you need to
change the balance between the old and new tracks in your
headphones. Leave the channel fader and TRIM and the...

21 How to record a mix onto two tracks simultaneously
ÏSet the PAN control of each channel to the same setting, for
example :
In this example, all instruments plugged into
channels 1-4 will be recorded onto Track 1 or 3.
If you want to record multiple sources onto two tracks, you use the
channel PAN controls to send them to LEFT or RIGHT (or anywhere in
between, if youre making a stereo mix). The track RECORD
FUNCTION switches choose what track the Left and Right mixes will
be recorded on. Note that in...

22Recording on more than two tracks simultaneously : DIRECT
·Set the MONITOR SELECT LINE OUT switch to L-R or MONO, and
set the EFFECT 2/TAPE CUE switch to TAPE CUE if you need to
hear tape tracks or MIDI virtual tracks.
Recording is the same procedure as for one track. In the example
above, set both the TRK 3 and TRK 4 RECORD FUNCTION switches to
BUSS to record on tracks 3 and 4 simultaneously.
Restrictions : The 424 MKIII mixer section has only two main mixes,
Left and Right. For this reason, 
you can...