Tascam 788 manual Mixer Functions, Effect & Aux Sends, Fader, Pan & Linking Channels

Selector for PAN and MASTER

PRE/POST LEVEL send fader or OFF controls level

9

Mixer Functions (Continued) Section II

On vocals, perhaps 2kHz will add an edge, 6kHz might take some "honk" out of the sound, and 10kHz will add an airy quality to the sound.

A parametric EQ goes a step beyond the sweepable EQ by offering variable Q width. This controls how wide an area the EQ will affect around the center tone. This may take some practice to really use

effectively. However, the		Mid Parametric Q
parametric EQ can be used as a	20Hz		20kHz
tool to eliminate ringing noises,
			Wide/Narrow
or it can be used with great
precision to sweeten the sound

by focusing in on the specific range of the sound you want to affect. The mid band of the EQ is a parametric band.

Example - By focusing the frequency on a ringing tone from a floor tom and narrowing the bandwidth, offending rings can be reduced without greatly affecting the original tone of the recording.

The other common shape of an EQ is called a shelf. The shelf will rise up to a point, just like a boost/but band will, but the shelf EQ continues that peak level of boost through the rest of the frequency

band. So, a high shelf will slope		High & Low Shelf
as it approaches the center	20Hz		20kHz
frequency, then it maintains that
		Shelf EQ
boost or cut forever. The low
shelf does the same thing, but
the shape is inverted. On the 788, the high and low

bands are shelf bands, with a sweepable center frequency.

Effect & Aux Sends

The EFFECT SEND and AUX SEND operate similarly to each other, although they are not identical. First, we'll cover their similarities, then

we'll point out the few differences at the end.

The other control on the sends is the PRE/POST fader switch. This switch determines whether the send gets its signal before or after the channel fader. The significance of that is whether or not the channel fader level has any affect on the level of the send.

PRE FADER - When a send is placed before the fader, the send level is totally independent of the fader. This is typically used for headphone monitor mixes, allowing the performer to have an independent mix from what the engineer is listening to. (The engineer can tweak the levels of channels without affecting the talent's cue mix.)

POST FADER - When a send is placed after the fader, the send level is affected by the channel fader. This is the popular mode for effect sends, since the balance between the effect and dry signal will be maintained.

OFF - For convenience, the send can also be turned off. This is good for A/B comparisons of a signal with and without an effect or muting a channel from a headphone mix created on the aux sends. It can also be a simple way to bring in specific effects for a channel without moving the dial all the way up and down. (i.e. adding a delay on a vocal for the chorus, and keeping the vocal dry during the verse.)

The only real differences between the EFFECT SEND and AUX SEND is what they feed. These are listed below:

EFFECT SEND can feed the internal processor EFFECT 1. The signal before the EFFECT 1 processor can be monitored at the MONITOR section. If EFFECT 1 is not assigned to EFFECT SEND, then EFFECT SEND will be muted.

AUX SEND always feeds the AUX OUTPUT on the back panel of the 788. AUX SEND can also feed the internal processor EFFECT 2, if EFFECT 2 is assigned as a stereo processor on AUX SEND. The signal before the EFFECT 2 processor can be monitored at the MONITOR section.

Both the EFFECT SEND and AUX SEND are stereo sends, with level and panning controls. In the screen (at right), each send is arranged in a row with the EFFECT SEND on top and the AUX SEND on the bottom.

EFFECT SEND and	Channel
AUX SEND labels	Indication

Fader, Pan & Linking Channels

These functions are fairly straightforward, but this will make sure you understand the screen layout, and show you some short cuts.

Channels 1-6 on the 788's main mixer can be linked into stereo pairs, if so desired. Linking the channels saves time by automatically assigning the same values for volume, send levels, and EQ for both channels. This is extremely useful for stereo pairs of audio.

To the right of the and dials is a dial labeled , which adjusts the overall level of the send. ( controls the amount of one particular channel in the send, affects the level of all the channels.)

Linking channels use an odd channel with its following even channel. (ie - Channels 1-2 can be linked, but 2-3 cannot.) To link the channels, press SELECT for the two channels at the same time. SELECT for both channels

TASCAM 788 Operational Tutorial • 8/2000 Edition Mixer Functions