Topic: TASCAM DR-680 portable 8-track - announced at NAMM

[Chuck]

Yeah, that increasing track number thing is a bit annoying.

[yert33]

Has anyone transferred the WAV files from the DR-680 to a recording program like Cubase for post or mastering work? My goal is to be able to record directly off the mixing console 4 stereo tracks: stereo vocals, stereo band, stereo effects, and stereo audience tracks. Then transfer them to Cubase Essentials for mastering.

Can I really get 8 tracks off the 680? The manual seems to indicate that if the Recording File Mode is set to Stereo, I'll get 3 stereo WAV files plus the "stereo mix".  Then if I set the Stereo Track setting to DIN that I'll get my 4th stereo WAV file form the digital input. Thus getting 4 stereo files.

Has anyone done this successfully?

[bgreen]

Record to mono files.

I didn't use the digi in so I got 6 mono waves and on stereo mix that are compatible with any editing software.

[yert33]

Question number 2: Anyone connect the 2TR OUT DIGITAL AES/EBU output of the Yamaha M7CL to the Digital Input of the DR-680? The Yamaha manual states that the word clocks must be synched. I see no word clock input/output on the DR-680......

[Chuck]

Record to mono files.

I didn't use the digi in so I got 6 mono waves and on stereo mix that are compatible with any editing software.

Yes, you can record 4 stereo pairs or 8 mono tracks.
With another outboard mic pre-amp > A/D converter you can actually take advantage of the digital input to get 4 stereo tracks from analog sources.

I'm debating whether to get a UA-5 to take advantage of that.

[darby]

Record to mono files.

I didn't use the digi in so I got 6 mono waves and on stereo mix that are compatible with any editing software.

Yes, you can record 4 stereo pairs or 8 mono tracks.
With another outboard mic pre-amp > A/D converter you can actually take advantage of the digital input to get 4 stereo tracks from analog sources.

I'm debating whether to get a UA-5 to take advantage of that.

so why did you sell your V3?

[Chuck]

Record to mono files.

I didn't use the digi in so I got 6 mono waves and on stereo mix that are compatible with any editing software.

Yes, you can record 4 stereo pairs or 8 mono tracks.
With another outboard mic pre-amp > A/D converter you can actually take advantage of the digital input to get 4 stereo tracks from analog sources.

I'm debating whether to get a UA-5 to take advantage of that.

so why did you sell your V3?

I couldn't afford to keep both...

edit to add...

...and I can get a UA-5 for around $100

[gratefulphish]

Question number 2: Anyone connect the 2TR OUT DIGITAL AES/EBU output of the Yamaha M7CL to the Digital Input of the DR-680? The Yamaha manual states that the word clocks must be synched. I see no word clock input/output on the DR-680......

Although many decks, such as the R-4 Pro, have no word clock input, when they are connected via AES/EBU they automatically are slaved to the input source word clock.  I imagine that this would probably be the case with this deck, but I had to get to Edirol Japan before I finally got an answer about the issue with that machine.

[yert33]

Although many decks, such as the R-4 Pro, have no word clock input, when they are connected via AES/EBU they automatically are slaved to the input source word clock.  I imagine that this would probably be the case with this deck, but I had to get to Edirol Japan before I finally got an answer about the issue with that machine.

Thank you. I hope that's the case with the DR-680. I'm about to spend some more of our food and shelter budget on daddy's audio addiction and get the DR-680....

[kirk97132]

I took the digi out from a Yamaha LS9-32 and had no problems at all.  BUT that was a coax spdif output.  An AES out put should have a resistor in line between the SBD and the deck.  There is an article somewhere here on TS about the differences in the two signals.  I also seem to remember that you can just drop an AES signal into a SPDIF input, it just strips some of the info off the signal.   

[ArchivalAudio]

^^^^ AES/EBU (coax) or XLR is 110 ohm and S/Pdif(coax) is 75 ohm coax
there are converters, and perhaps cable, but yes perhaps a resistor in the line could work, the ohms need to be converted from 110 to 75 - if I remember correctly

[bobbygeeWOW]

Hosa makes converter boxes including AES/EBU SPDIF coax for about a hundred and change.

[bgreen]

You don't need a convertor for the dr-680, do you?

Page 14 of the manual, item 30

Digital Sync In Jack

"The unit automatically determines whether the input signal is S/PDIF or AES/EBU which are both supported"

[ashevillain]

So now that these have been in the field for a bit, how does everyone feel about changing levels 1 track at a time?

Does it work alright?

[fobstl]

So now that these have been in the field for a bit, how does everyone feel about changing levels 1 track at a time?

Does it work alright?

It certainly isn't ideal! I plan to e-mail them about a possible firmware update to be able to adjust more than one at once. Seems it would be possible in firmware.