Recording guitar DI in to Tascam FW-1884 question

[Rhys Llewellyn]

Hi.

Short and simple question hopefully!... I posted this in the SoundOnSound forum the other day and had no replies, so I'm hoping you guys can help ;p

The Tascam FW-1884 has a hi-Z input for guitar and I've recently got in to the wonders of cab impulses. Anyway, I've plugged it in, all set-up, everything works great except knowing how to go about setting the input levels properly ie. balancing the Cubase input channel fader level with the trim control on the Tascam.

If I leave the Cubase fader at 0dB the trim control can go up to a little over 1/4 and then the signal in Cubase shows as clipping, but of course I can turn down the fader channel and turn up the trim more. Will this give me a better sound to noise ratio?

I've also noticed it doesn't seem very sensitive either, almost like there's a limiter or compressor on there. What I mean by this is if I set the input to a healthy amount just under clipping, I can hit the strings as hard as I can and it seems to limit the input to stop it clipping? Surely I don't want that...

Any help or ideas please?

Thanks.

 

[deLuther]

Set cubase input fader to 0 db and leave it there. Adjust only gain of interface to get proper level.

 

[Rhys Llewellyn]

Thanks dude

Just wanted to make sure that my dry DI Input is optimal before I go ahead and re-record an entire album!

 

[stuglue]

Hi Rhys, i own the Tascam FW1884 and apart from a decent audio interface its a great control surface (i use it in mackie hui mode in Studio One)
Remember in Cubase to set your input as number 8 as that is where the Hi Z input is.
If you look at the control panel on the Tascam you'll see that by default it is set to warn you when you are close to clipping when it hits -2.5db
Use the Trim pot to get a decent signal (-6db is good)
The only downside i think with the FW1884 is the connectivity, i find that when i first boot from cold the firewire light doesn't come on and it doesn't connect.
Sadly tascam discontinued this great piece of kit so no further drivers.
Like the previous poster said, leave the cubase chanel fader at 0, gain stage with the trim pot on the Tascam, i have to change the Trim pot a lot when i plug my guitars in as they have different output pickups.

 

[Rhys Llewellyn]

Hi Rhys, i own the Tascam FW1884 and apart from a decent audio interface its a great control surface (i use it in mackie hui mode in Studio One)
Remember in Cubase to set your input as number 8 as that is where the Hi Z input is.
If you look at the control panel on the Tascam you'll see that by default it is set to warn you when you are close to clipping when it hits -2.5db
Use the Trim pot to get a decent signal (-6db is good)
The only downside i think with the FW1884 is the connectivity, i find that when i first boot from cold the firewire light doesn't come on and it doesn't connect.
Sadly tascam discontinued this great piece of kit so no further drivers.
Like the previous poster said, leave the cubase chanel fader at 0, gain stage with the trim pot on the Tascam, i have to change the Trim pot a lot when i plug my guitars in as they have different output pickups.

Thanks man, very helpful It's sounding pretty good. New strings, re-recording all the guitars. It's great knowing I can sit for hours after and tweak the sounds to get it right without having to go back and re-do the guitar parts all again like I have in the past. I only wish I'd done this sooner!

And yeah I too do have FireWire issues... If I turn off my Tascam once it's connected I get the BSOD so I have to restart my computer each day to get it to connect, no big deal really. Other than that it's reliable as anything and the audio sync is flawless

 

[stuglue]

Hi, are you using the 1.80 driver? i used to get the BSOD with 1.7 but the update cured that problem.
What firewire chipset is on your motherboard? I have found that it works better with a Texas Instruments rather than Via

 

[Rhys Llewellyn]

Hi, are you using the 1.80 driver? i used to get the BSOD with 1.7 but the update cured that problem.
What firewire chipset is on your motherboard? I have found that it works better with a Texas Instruments rather than Via

Hi.

Yeah I'm using the 1.80 driver on Win 7.

I did a lot of research in the past on compatibility with certain chipsets and FireWire devices after seeing disastrous consequences on a mate's top spec PC (at the time) that just didn't like handling audio at all. I built the system for him, he bought all the parts without researching, I got it all up and running and his CPU spiked at 100% and crackled like crazy on the largest buffer settings running the Cubase 3 demo track! lol

I'm using a TI chipset card, through many recommendations on the Sound On Sound forum, it was about £35, and yeah, other than the BSOD when I switch off the Tascam, once it's connected it works flawlessly.