Tascam DP-008

I recently picked up a Tascam DP-008 and I am a complete newbie to home recording, so everything is new to me. I am chipping along with the manual trying to figure things out, and am doing okay I guess.

Something I can't figure is working with an Audio-Technica AT2020 mic it came with. I hooked it up to the XLR input A but the signal is extremely weak. yes, I have the phantom power turned on, but the you can sream into the mic and it barely raises the level indicator at all. I hope it's not a bad mic, but I don't think so, the guy I bought it from told me it's brand new and used one time. Maybe I'm using the wrong input mode?

Apprciate any advice.

A shot from the hip....and bump for you.

Is there a switch for 'line' or 'mic' input source?
Do you have the track channel switch set for 'playback' rather than 'input' source?
Is there a switch on the mic itself that may be set incorrectly?
Is there a battery charge time necessary before the mic is ready for usage?

Some things to consider/eliminate.

I'll allow others to chime in.....good luck....carry on.

A shot from the hip....and bump for you.

Is there a switch for 'line' or 'mic' input source?
Do you have the track channel switch set for 'playback' rather than 'input' source?
Is there a switch on the mic itself that may be set incorrectly?
Is there a battery charge time necessary before the mic is ready for usage?

Some things to consider/eliminate.

I'll allow others to chime in.....good luck....carry on.


No switch anywhere on the mic. I t did record, but at an extremely low level. I am going to double check the input mode, (there's different options such as mic/line/low/high -- has to be one of those.

I am going to double check the input mode, (there's different options such as mic/line/low/high -- has to be one of those.

Correct....it (mic recording channel) should be set to 'mic' as your input 'source'.
To play back your recording you may have to change a setting/switch on your device also.

Be sure to check your routing options also as I'm unfamiliar with your unit.

Hope that helps.....

There should be a gain, or trim, knob on each channel(not to be confused with the volume knob/slider). Usually(but not always) it's the topmost knob on the channel strip, above the EQ section. This controls the sensitivity of the preamp. Adjust this until your signal has the proper strength.

There should be a gain, or trim, knob on each channel(not to be confused with the volume knob/slider). Usually(but not always) it's the topmost knob on the channel strip, above the EQ section. This controls the sensitivity of the preamp. Adjust this until your signal has the proper strength.

Yeah, I had that trim knob cranked and it was still quiet. I just didn't get the bright idea that I might be using the wrong input mode until I was driving to work this morning.

Yeah, I had that trim knob cranked and it was still quiet. I just didn't get the bright idea that I might be using the wrong input mode until I was driving to work this morning.
I think that's your solution. I took a closeup look at that unit on MF's website.
I'd be willing to bet the advice you've already gotten about the input mode is dead on.
A friend of mine has the Tascam 2488. It also has the different input modes, and all the other stuff that comes with the DAW's that are so popular. Many of the buttons/knobs/switches/ have multiple functions, and there's a learning curve.
2" tape and a sweet mixing console was sooo much simpler, LOL.

2" tape and a sweet mixing console was sooo much simpler, LOL.

UNTIL....one had to spend far too much time doing maintenance on these tape machines after every session with 20 minutes cleaning the rubber pinch roller alone.:lol:

I grew up in analog and had the Teac A3440S and the Fostex Model 8 from 1979 through 2000....I'd never go back!

Back to topic....let us know you got is solved.

thanks everyone, I'll let you know how it goes. :mrgreen:

I have a DP-004 that's the little brother to your recorder. My main complaint was low recording levels no matter what settings I used. It has a mic/line or guitar input selection switch. I never found that it made much difference which way you set it. My solution was as per the advise of the guys here on the forum to purchase a Professional tube mic preamp made by ART. It was only like $40 at music123.........Has 1/4 " inputs/outputs as well as XLR Helped alot , otherwise the unit is unusable far as I'm concerned when it comes to levels..................You can also order the ACadaptor for it . It's high though, like $35.00...........But will pay for it'self as high as batteries are now.

Jeffro

I've got a DP-008 and the ONLY negative I can see is that the mic preamps don't have much gain. I was able to record and mix a song without consulting the manual until it was time to export. The great thing about the 008 is it has KNOBS and runs on battery power so you can lounge around with headphones on and mix away.

So....from what I read here the unit may not have the best of channel pre-amps which does not surprise me but they (IMO) should respond better than your experience.

I bought the ART Tube MP when it first came out and used it until I bought a Behringer 1622 FX mixer 2 years ago (glorified patch bay only as I mix in the box) that has phantom power and the the pre-amps are fine from my experience.
It was 220$ for the 1622FX.

A new mic pre-amp should solve your input gain problem.

Good luck on your quest....carry on.

I have DP-008 and the input setting can be a bit confusing at first.

It's true that the mic preamps aren't very strong, but you should be able to get a usuable signal from it.

The switch on the back that is marked mic/line - guitar should be on mic/line.

If your mic needs phantom power, be sure that is turned on. The red light must be on.

Then check the input setting - do not use the Mic setting, that uses only the built-in mics and will ignore anything plugged into the back.

Instead you should use Ext. Input/Mid or Ext Input/High

Then adjust the Trim knob for whichever input you are using your mic with, and try setting the volume. This is for the recording level only.

The Master Level control sets how loud the sound will be coming to your headphones or line-out jacks so make sure that is turned up to a reasonable level too or you wont hear anything in your headphones or monitor speakers.

Same goes for the level controls on the individual tracks.

check the input setting - do not use the Mic setting, that uses only the built-in mics and will ignore anything plugged into the back.

That was it. Once I shut the built-in mics off and had the proper input set, the mic responded great. Not sure it recorded my acoustic guitar very good, in fact, the built-in mics did a better job of that (they sound really good!) but I guess I just have a big learning curve ahead of me with condenser mics.

Now the thing that's REALLY got me perplexed is trying to creat a master track. I am following the manual's directions to a tee:

I set the OUT point >> record Master Track >> select Master Track Playback

That's when I keep getting the message "NO MASTER TRK".

Not sure what I'm doing wrong.

Glad you got it working.

Yes, the built-in mics are surprisingly good if you can get the unit positioned right.

I haven't ever used the master track myself - once I have everything recorded I have been transfering it all to my computer. And I'm actually pretty new to this too.

I'll have a look at my manual later today when I get home from work and see what I can find out about the master track.

I haven't ever used the master track myself - once I have everything recorded I have been transfering it all to my computer. And I'm actually pretty new to this too.


Okay, I thought I had to create a master track in order to transfer to the PC. I haven't attempted that feat yet, maybe tomorrow.

Yeah, I am really impressed with how good those internal mics sounds, and the bass and electric guitar going direct sound excellent. Have to figure out how to mic my amp and get that vocal mic to sound good.

You can also transfer all 8 individual tracks to the computer if you have any multi-channel editing software on the computer which is what I do (I use Reaper)

Anyway, I tried recording a Master track with mine, I set the out point and so on and went to Record Master Track.

Here, I (think) I made the same mistake as you did, and I got that same message when I tried to play the Master Track.

When you go into Record make sure you press and hold the Rec button first, then press play. The Red light on the Record button should be on - if it isn't, it's not recording. The first time, I was trying to push them both at the same time and the red light did not come on.

Once I did it with the red light on, it all worked correctly.

I've never used a condensor mic so I can't give you any advice there.

I've only used the built-in mics, and my regular dynamic vocal mics that I use for singing live.

You do want to experiment with various mic placements and angles.

Beyond that I would suggest starting another thread for advice on using a condensor mic on this forum?

Thanks, Curt. I'll give that a try.

It's funny because when I was first attempting to record tracks I was following their instructions to hold the play button while pressing the record button and it wasn't doing anything. Finally I just pressed the play button (lifting up my finger) and then pressed the record button and it started recording. Go figure.