Record straight from mixer to portable device

[fleabag]

We have a 24 channel Euro Desk, and i'm not sure which outputs to use to connect a Tascam DR07x portable recorder.  ?

 

The Tascam has stereo mini jack in.

Actually, it's for an external mic but we're going to use it as audio in from the desk.

[Phil Starr]

Does your desk have a 'control room' out. Or a main to monitor button so you can use the monitor outs. Or use the headphone out. You may or may not need a DI box to match the impedances but probably not, my Zoom takes a line level input fine. 

 

Do you use back line?  Recording just from the desk can be remarkably dispiriting until you realise it is adjusted to account for the drums and guitar amps etc. I've had singers want to end it all after hearing themselves straight off the desk. Stops them asking for "more me" for weeks

Edited April 11, 2023 by Phil Starr

[fleabag]

I'll have to check at rehearsals on Friday, Phil.  It's not for live recording, also no drums till our drummist gets his Roland E-Kit, so  instruments right now would be 3 guitars, 1 keys,  1 bass, 4 vocals. 

 

I would imagine it does have a control room out , because my even Xenyx 802 mini mixer  has control room out.  The main outs are already used to feed the PA cabs,

( though  they could be disconnected  ) but they're XLR main outs and we dont have any XLR's to mini jack cables.

 

Headphone out is likely to be single 1/4" stereo jack ?  We'd need to find adapters, though we must have those somewhere

 

Are monitor outs  left and right  jacks ?   That would be ideal as the cable i have is 2 x 1/4" jacks to mini 3.5mm stereo jack

 

 

[fleabag]

Just googling Eurodesks, and although i wont know for sure till Friday  ( i dont have dominion over the desk ) i think the desk is a Behringer Eurodesk MX2442A,

and looking at the specs, there ARE   2 x 1/4" jack main outs as well as main XRL outs.  So that could be one of your options

 

Also it's got 2 x 1/4 "  ( L + R ) control room outs, so another of your options.   Would main out jacks be best or control room out jacks be best, or is there no difference ?

[atsampson]

The main out is a good option, but that mixer also has "tape out" and "tape in" connectors which are designed for this purpose - the tape out is the same as the main out, so it's not affected by soloing channels, etc., unlike the control room output, and the tape in lets you feed the output of the recorder back into the desk so you can play back the recordings.

 

Another option is to use one of the stereo group outputs - this is useful if you want to exclude some channels from the recording (announcer's mic) or add extra ones that aren't in the PA mix (drum overheads), or if you need a gain control to avoid overloading the recorder's input.

[fleabag]

Good points.  Trouble with tape in/out is the phonos.  We dont need to bother with isolating announcers mic or anything like that as this is all in our rehearsal

space, recording stuff for ourselves to listen to at home.  The Tascam DR07x has it's own gain input adjustment.

 

I like the idea of the main out jacks, especially as you say, they are the same as tape outs,  it serves our purpose nicely re. cables, and we dont need to disconnect the XLR main outs.

 

 

[rmorris]

On 11/04/2023 at 16:31, fleabag said:

Good points.  Trouble with tape in/out is the phonos. 

 

 

phonos to 3.5mm jack cables are common.

[JPJ]

I get great results just sticking my Zoom H4n Pro in the middle of the room (assuming you rehearse “in the round”). No mics on drums, no faffing about recording off the desk. If it’s only for personal playback then this should be a much better and simpler option than trying to take what is essentially your FOH sound off your mixing desk. 

[fleabag]

8 hours ago, rmorris said:

phonos to 3.5mm jack cables are common.

 

Yes, but  cant be ar*ed to buy yet another cable when we already have others that should work

[fleabag]

4 hours ago, JPJ said:

I get great results just sticking my Zoom H4n Pro in the middle of the room (assuming you rehearse “in the round”). No mics on drums, no faffing about recording off the desk. If it’s only for personal playback then this should be a much better and simpler option than trying to take what is essentially your FOH sound off your mixing desk. 

 

TRied this but the room is so small that it overwhelms the input.  Output from desk seems best.

[Suburban Man]

If your mixer is a Behringer Eurodesk then there are lots of options for picking up a feed from a 1/4" jack output.

Main outs 

Control room outs

Aux sends (4)

Sub-group outputs (4)

 

I think that the 1/8" jack on the Tascam DR07 is actually a line input so any of the above should give about the right recording level.

 

If you're just wanting to record the rehearsal for reference then main outs are easiest and don't forget to add lots of reverb to the mix, otherwise it'll sound like you were all singing straight into each other's ears from about 2" away...

 

good luck!

[fleabag]

We'll find out tonight  !