Tascam Portastudio 424mkIII Owners Manual

23 Connections
Master level
Monitor source
Routing inputs
Playback levelHow to mix down
When the 4 tracks are all recorded, the final step is mixing them into a
standard stereo format. This procedure is known as Remixing or
Mixing down. During this procedure the tracks are blended together
and balanced to create the desired sound.
1. Connect the LINE OUTPUT L jack of the 424 MKIII to the left line
input of the mixdown deck, and the LINE OUTPUT R jack to the
right line input.
2. Raise the MASTER fader to...

24Review
Record level8. When the signal balance, level, and tonality sound right, rewind
the tape, and press PLAY again to check the result.
9. Rewind the multitrack tape again. Put a blank tape in the
mixdown deck and let it play for 5 seconds, then stop it and reset
the mixdown decks counter to zero.
10. Press PLAY on the 424 MKIII.
11. Put the mixdown deck into its Record Ready mode, and adjust
its input level controls for the desired record level.
12. Rewind the multitrack tape to the beginning of...

25
Using Memory Location Points
MEMO 1
MEMO 2
Establishing new MEMOs
Recalculation of MEMOs
Checking MEMO points
ErasingLoading MEMO points
Two autolocation points can be established in the 424 MKIIIs memory
system.
At the desired moment, hold the MEMO IN key and press the LOC 1
key. The MEMO 1 indicator will turn on, showing that the current tape
location is loaded into that register.
Similarly, if you hold MEMO IN and press LOC 2, the current tape
location is loaded as memory point 2 into that...

26To zero
To MEMO 1
To MEMO 2
Auto playLocating the tape
Press the RTZ key to fast wind the tape to the counter zero point.
If you press COUNTER RESET during the RTZ process, the tape
counter is reset to 0000 and the tape stops.
Hit the LOC 1 key to fast wind the tape to the MEMO 1 point.
Note :Only touch the LOC key. If you hold it down for 0.5 second or
more, autolocation does not start and only the tape counter shows
the location point.
Hit the LOC 2 key to fast wind the tape to the MEMO 2 point.
Note...

27
Repeat Play
Operating procedure
To interrupt REPEAT
sequence
Note 1
Note 2
The REPEAT function provides a Playback Loop or Block Repeat
between the two programmed MEMO points. The 424 MKIII
understands the lower MEMO point as the start point of the loop, and
the higher point as the end.
1. Use MEMO IN and LOC 1 and LOC 2 (as explained above) to
establish the beginning and the end of loop.
2. Press the REPEAT key. The tape will fast wind to the lower MEMO
point.
3. As soon as that location is reached,...

28
PUNCH-IN or INSERT Recording
Selecting in and 
out pointsPunching in or insert recording is recording over a small section
of previously recorded track to correct or improve a performance,
while keeping the rest of the track intact. The mixer settings should
be exactly the same as they were during the original recording.
In the following, well use track 2 as the punch-in track as an example.
1. As the punch-in track is track 2 in our example, your input must
be sent to the stereo right bus. To do so,...

29 Rehearsing Punch-in
(Insert) recording
Storing the punch-in and
out points into memoryRehearsal and Auto In/Out Procedures
You can rehearse your punch-in as many times needed without
affecting the existing recording. During rehearsal, what you hear in
the monitor mix and read on the level meters will be the same as
during recording, but signal wont be recorded on tape.
1. Cue the tape up a few seconds before you reach the expected
punch-in point.
2. Press the REHEARSAL switch. The RHSL indicator will...

30When the tape reaches the preset punch-out point, you will be
able to hear the old material existing on track 2, letting you check
that the new material is smoothly followed by the old one. The
RECORD LED will turn off, indicating that the dry-run record is
over.
After 3 seconds of play (postroll) the tape will automatically
rewind, stopping at the START point, so you can again go
through the rehearsal procedure.
cTo change the punch-in and out points, press CLEAR, and
restart from the beginning.
cIf...

31 Manual Punch-in
8. Press the AUTO PUNCH switch. RHSL will turn off and AUTO
will start blinking in the display.
9. Press PLAY.
What you have anticipated in REHEARSAL will automatically
occur in sequence: preroll, punch in, punch out, postroll, rewind,
and stop.
AUTO will be solidly displayed when the 424 MKIII punches out
of record.
10. Press PLAY (or the optional footswitch). The tape will play the
entire length of insert and rewind to the START point.
After completing auto review if you want to...

32Using the remote
footswitch (RC-30P)If you are recording alone and are too busy playing an instrument to
push the switches, the optional remote footswitch really comes in
handy.
1. Plug the RC-30P into the REMOTE PUNCH IN/OUT jack on the
rear panel of the 424 MKIII.
2. Check that the REC 2 indicator is blinking, and locate the tape to a
point a little before the error, then press PLAY.
3. When you reach JUST BEFORE the error, press the footswitch.
This has the same effect as pressing RECORD, and the...