Tascam Track Pack LE

[Tele-Champ]

Just bought a Tascam Track Pack LE US-122L on clearance from GC. Includes TM-78 condenser mic, headphones, and Cubase LE 4 software. Seemed like a decent deal at $175. Any thoughts on this unit? Pros, cons on keeping it? Heard good things? Bad things? I haven't had a chance to get it up and running yet. My first foray into home recording. A real newbie... Any thoughts?

Thanks!

[electricbody]

I'm interested in how you like the Tascam US-122L as I'm looking at buying an interface soon.

[Tele-Champ]

Originally Posted by electricbody

I'm interested in how you like the Tascam US-122L as I'm looking at buying an interface soon.

OK, will let you know as soon as I get it up and running.

[electricbody]

I just bought a US-144 at the GC sale/coupon event. So far so good. With the coupon, the US-144 was the same price as the US-122L even with tax.

I like the control layout, though the knobs seem a bit off kilter--maybe they're designed that way? It's nice that I can see the knobs weather sitting or standing since the controls are on the top. The casing is a metal and plastic mix. The ends are matte plastic and the body is a matte aluminum. Overall, it seems sturdy enough.

So far I've just used the mic in. In the coming days I'll try the hi-Z input and see how it responds to taking line output from my mixer.

Sound quality sounds good--it sounds like my amp and guitar (SM 57>SFVC>CP50). A big improvement over running the line out of my mixer into my internal sound card.

Cubase was a bit of hassle to get running (more operator error than anything--mabye).

The unit works with Reaper but doesn't seem to like Audacity on Mac. With Reaper I got some hiccups on playback with Reaper but not on Cubase. I think the difference was in Reaper I was at 24 bit and in Cubase I was at 16 bit. It seems Cubase defaulted to 16 bit.

[T Prior]

My intent here is to not deter anyone from the gear in this topic but rather share my own experience.

Let me preface by saying I am PC savvy, maybe more than the average person, configuring PC's and running various technical software is part of my "real job". I'm also one who researches over the net all the time to see what others are doing or "how" they are doing it. I am a technical geeky reader.

I did purchase a USB-144 with Cubase LE in a package a year or so back with the intention of loading it up and using it as an alternative to the 16 track workstation . It was $150 at GC , seemed like a great deal.

Cubase LE, the configuration and setup made no sense to me, I did get the 144 to work and be recognized but never really knew why. Cubase LE operation at first seemed easy and strait forward until it was time to edit, then it was like using an original version of an '80's Word Processor. It made no sense, to me. Maybe others "got it' right away, I didn't.

The Tascam interface, until I started to actually use it for tracking guitars ( recording and monitoring thru the PC ) it seemed fine then all of a sudden a new phrase entered my vocabulary, "USB Chatter" of which these interface's was prone. Not all of them, it appears that some did and others didn't. This USB Chatter is an oscillating feedback that starts and doesn't stop until you shut it down and reset it. It's quite nasty in the cans. It sounds like something you would hear as a sound effect on the "Outer Limits" TV show. I learned about this on the Tascam forums.

Latency, I could never get the latency issue resolved so I stopped using the entire system for easily 6 months. It didn't matter which drivers but I suspected it was my primary PC . Yes, I used the ASIO drivers.

Late last year I decided to try this "PC recording " thing again, this time I purchased a copy of Cakewalk Sonar v7 and set it up an an independent PC, nothing running in the background and no internet connection. I plugged in all the do dads and low and behold Cakewalk found the USB 144 interface and auto configured it. That took all of a few minutes after loading the software from scratch. I started fooling with a stock track which I loaded into Sonar and although I still think it is "goofy" in the editing department, it is functional . The $90 I paid for the software was not a waste of money, I could actually use it !

Ok back to the 144 interface, I had all the appropriate drivers selected ( ASIO) and started tracking guitars and guess what came back, yep, the USB Chatter. It was really strange, I could track for maybe 30 minutes then all of a sudden the latency went to hell and the chatter arrived. I fooled with this on and off for a few weeks before I did some more research. Turns out the the chatter was something that these Tascam interfaces are prone to, some experience it , some do not. Some folks took them back to the store and had them replaced and that fixed it for them, mine was too old a so I was stuck. So now I have Cubase LE and an Interface which I am not going to use...$150 down the drain but I still wanted to use the PC based system for recording. More research and I found that many folks are having great success with a hard card ( PCI Slot ) MAudio interface, so I bought a 2 in , 2 out , with midi and a other stuff , plugged it in , Sonar found it, configured it and I am in business, all the issues went away, latency, chatter, blah blah blah...I still need to add 2 gig of memory to my recording PC but at the end of the day I am fully functional and can track, I have finished a few projects and have even provided a few "over the internet " projects for some clients for real money. ( not a lot) .

I am not sure I can say that Cakewalk Sonar is the answer as some of the editing still appears "goofy" to me but at least it is capable and functional.

I never had any success with the Cubase LE and Tascam USB Interface , I know others have, this is just my experience. Take it or leave it.

Happy Sunday
t

[electricbody]

T Prior,

Thanks for the info. I'm not crazy about Cubase's interface, but I'll play with it and see how things go. It does seem a bit like an old word processor. Plus I'm not crazy that it doesn't export mp3s. It's not a big deal as it does WAV, etc. but it means opening another program, etc.

I'll push the US-144 hard this weekend and see how it responds. I did update the drivers and am waiting to update the firmware (I might end up using my Windows machine and the firmware update seems platform specific).

[Tele-Champ]

Originally Posted by T Prior

My intent here is to not deter anyone from the gear in this topic but rather share my own experience.

Let me preface by saying I am PC savvy, maybe more than the average person, configuring PC's and running various technical software is part of my "real job". I'm also one who researches over the net all the time to see what others are doing or "how" they are doing it. I am a technical geeky reader.

I did purchase a USB-144 with Cubase LE in a package a year or so back with the intention of loading it up and using it as an alternative to the 16 track workstation . It was $150 at GC , seemed like a great deal.

Cubase LE, the configuration and setup made no sense to me, I did get the 144 to work and be recognized but never really knew why. Cubase LE operation at first seemed easy and strait forward until it was time to edit, then it was like using an original version of an '80's Word Processor. It made no sense, to me. Maybe others "got it' right away, I didn't.

The Tascam interface, until I started to actually use it for tracking guitars ( recording and monitoring thru the PC ) it seemed fine then all of a sudden a new phrase entered my vocabulary, "USB Chatter" of which these interface's was prone. Not all of them, it appears that some did and others didn't. This USB Chatter is an oscillating feedback that starts and doesn't stop until you shut it down and reset it. It's quite nasty in the cans. It sounds like something you would hear as a sound effect on the "Outer Limits" TV show. I learned about this on the Tascam forums.

Latency, I could never get the latency issue resolved so I stopped using the entire system for easily 6 months. It didn't matter which drivers but I suspected it was my primary PC . Yes, I used the ASIO drivers.

Late last year I decided to try this "PC recording " thing again, this time I purchased a copy of Cakewalk Sonar v7 and set it up an an independent PC, nothing running in the background and no internet connection. I plugged in all the do dads and low and behold Cakewalk found the USB 144 interface and auto configured it. That took all of a few minutes after loading the software from scratch. I started fooling with a stock track which I loaded into Sonar and although I still think it is "goofy" in the editing department, it is functional . The $90 I paid for the software was not a waste of money, I could actually use it !

Ok back to the 144 interface, I had all the appropriate drivers selected ( ASIO) and started tracking guitars and guess what came back, yep, the USB Chatter. It was really strange, I could track for maybe 30 minutes then all of a sudden the latency went to hell and the chatter arrived. I fooled with this on and off for a few weeks before I did some more research. Turns out the the chatter was something that these Tascam interfaces are prone to, some experience it , some do not. Some folks took them back to the store and had them replaced and that fixed it for them, mine was too old a so I was stuck. So now I have Cubase LE and an Interface which I am not going to use...$150 down the drain but I still wanted to use the PC based system for recording. More research and I found that many folks are having great success with a hard card ( PCI Slot ) MAudio interface, so I bought a 2 in , 2 out , with midi and a other stuff , plugged it in , Sonar found it, configured it and I am in business, all the issues went away, latency, chatter, blah blah blah...I still need to add 2 gig of memory to my recording PC but at the end of the day I am fully functional and can track, I have finished a few projects and have even provided a few "over the internet " projects for some clients for real money. ( not a lot) .

I am not sure I can say that Cakewalk Sonar is the answer as some of the editing still appears "goofy" to me but at least it is capable and functional.

I never had any success with the Cubase LE and Tascam USB Interface , I know others have, this is just my experience. Take it or leave it.

Happy Sunday
t

I'm also having trouble with my Cubase LE software, and the Tascam 122L Interface. The Cubase software is rather complicated to use, it seems to me .. It makes no sense to me, either. I was thinking it was just me...
I have downloaded all the drivers, etc. and have failed to get it to work so far. Now let me admit that I haven't had the time yet to really get into it and study it, but I thought it would be much easier to "set up" and start using right away than it is...

I'm thinking now that at $175 at GC, it really wasn't such a great deal after all...

More later if I can get it working... Lools like it's going to be a long study..

[Tele-Champ]

Originally Posted by electricbody

T Prior,

Thanks for the info. I'm not crazy about Cubase's interface, but I'll play with it and see how things go. It does seem a bit like an old word processor. Plus I'm not crazy that it doesn't export mp3s. It's not a big deal as it does WAV, etc. but it means opening another program, etc.

I'll push the US-144 hard this weekend and see how it responds. I did update the drivers and am waiting to update the firmware (I might end up using my Windows machine and the firmware update seems platform specific).

Not happy with my Tascam 122L and Cubase LE so far... We'll see how it goes I guess this week when I have more time to try to get it up and running... Seems fairly complicated...

[electricbody]

Originally Posted by Tele-Champ

Not happy with my Tascam 122L and Cubase LE so far... We'll see how it goes I guess this week when I have more time to try to get it up and running... Seems fairly complicated...

There is a bit of a learning curve.

Are you not getting any audio in? If so, make sure you've set Cubase to use the 122L. In the menu go to Devices>Set up Devices and from the dialog box, choose the 122L.

Also make sure you "arm" the track by clicking on the red button with a black center in the track. Then make sure you click on the round button with a speaker symbol so it turns orange (if you hover over it with your mouse it will say "monitor"). Then when you want to listen to what you've recorded, make sure you unclick the round speaker button so it's not "lit."

So far I've had the best luck choosing "default" from the list when I start a new project. Right now I'm keeping things simple. The whole "busses" thing can be a bit confusing and the manual isn't all that clear.

I've been bouncing between Cubase and Reaper. I think Reaper seems easier because I've used it before, etc. Walking away and taking a break can be a good practice. Then go back with fresh eyes when you're not frustrated.

I'm getting a bit of back ground noise, but it might be my amp. Tomorrow I'm going to unplug all the pedals and go straight into the amp and go straight into the interface as well to see if it's my amp or the TASCAM that is making the noise.

[T Prior]

I think Reaper for $50 is a great deal !. I downloaded the free version and used it for a bit, it seemed very simple a to use and made sense. I had it on the same PC as Sonar and it also recognized all of the drivers as well as the MAudio Interface right away. That in itself is a good thing !

I'm still not sold on Sonar even though I am using it. I have two versions, 7 Home Studio and 8 Pro. Surprisingly I like 7 Home Studio much better, the user interfaces are very similar but for some reason the simplicity of Ver 7 Home Studio just comes across as easier, but the editing stuff still appears goofy.

I paid $90 for Ver 7 and a friend gave me 8 Pro to use, which I have not done yet. 8 Pro does have many more things behind the scenes I will give it that.

I never clicked with Cubase LE and I tried.

t

[electricbody]

Just a quick update. So far so good. With Cubase & Reaper I hear everything--my amp's "hiss" (I live in a noisy house) and single coil hum (the CP50 Strat isn't shielded very well) as well as all my playing goofs and bad technique. So far I've recorded via a mic and direct and monitoring through the computer. Both work well.

I think I like Cubase a bit better than Reaper mainly because Reaper seems to be a bit less CPU efficient. With Reaper I get some play back glitches and a red warning light when recording after 15 minutes or so. No such signs with Cubase. The interface for Cubase isn't great (lots of choices and menus), but it seems to do its job with less CPU use than Reaper.

I'm using an old Powerbook 1 GHz PowerPC G4 with 512 RAM and an external FW drive for recording. It's not the best recording platform, but it's what I have. I have everything but Cubase or Reaper shut down when recording.

iTunes sounds better through the US-144 than through the internal sound card too.

As always YMMV.

[Tele-Champ]

Originally Posted by electricbody

There is a bit of a learning curve.

Are you not getting any audio in? If so, make sure you've set Cubase to use the 122L. In the menu go to Devices>Set up Devices and from the dialog box, choose the 122L.

Also make sure you "arm" the track by clicking on the red button with a black center in the track. Then make sure you click on the round button with a speaker symbol so it turns orange (if you hover over it with your mouse it will say "monitor"). Then when you want to listen to what you've recorded, make sure you unclick the round speaker button so it's not "lit."

So far I've had the best luck choosing "default" from the list when I start a new project. Right now I'm keeping things simple. The whole "busses" thing can be a bit confusing and the manual isn't all that clear.

I've been bouncing between Cubase and Reaper. I think Reaper seems easier because I've used it before, etc. Walking away and taking a break can be a good practice. Then go back with fresh eyes when you're not frustrated.

I'm getting a bit of back ground noise, but it might be my amp. Tomorrow I'm going to unplug all the pedals and go straight into the amp and go straight into the interface as well to see if it's my amp or the TASCAM that is making the noise.

Correct, Electricbody, no audio in. Thanks for the tips - I haven't been able to work on my 122L this week, but hope to this weekend, so I'll post the results (if any, ha!) of my efforts.

[electricbody]

Tele-Champ,

Any luck this weekend? If not, TASCAM has a video tutorial on Cubase--at the bottom of the page.

[Tele-Champ]

Originally Posted by electricbody

Tele-Champ,

Any luck this weekend? If not, TASCAM has a video tutorial on Cubase--at the bottom of the page.

Great link! Just what I needed, it looks like.. Oddly enough, was just gonna start working on it again tonight. Thanks for all the tips and the link. Will let you know if (WHEN!) I get it up and running!