Tascam Model 24 - Unboxing and feature exploration

[@Drinkyoghurt]

No idea why I watched a mixer review for 18 minutes, but it was a fun watch.

[@jfmax2000]

You Can't Go Wrong With Tascam 😎💯

[@patrickwittenmyer3121]

I got mine at the beginning of the month and I could not be happier. Great video.

[@HomebrewMusic]

Thanks. We continue to love this mixer. I was showing off our studio last night to the owner of a very well-known studio last night and he zeroed in on the mixer and had great things to say about Tascam. He reminded me that this can be connected directly to a DAW to be used for recording on a computer which is something we are looking forward to testing out. Our Focusrite interfaces, two 18i20's, work well for us but it would be so convenient to use the Tascam which is wired into the studio PA and usually has the backline plugged in.

[@Curious_Skeptic]

Holy crud! That thing is a monster. I have a Model 16 arriving today. Think I'm going to need more room. LOL. Most videos don't give us such a great view of it's actual size. Thanks guys! Exciting day!

[@HomebrewMusic]

I wasn't aware of the Model 16 until you mentioned it. Smaller / lighter, perhaps a better choice for some bands. With 10 XLR inputs (2 Stereo) that would easily cover bass, 2 guitars, 2 vocals and perhaps a couple for the drums and still leave room for keyboard or more vocal mics. We use as many as 5 vocal mics, 1 bass, 2 guitar, sometimes a keyboard (stereo) and 4 for the drums at a live show so the Model 24 with its 12 Mono XLR's and 4 stereo channels gives us plenty of headroom. Plus, I get the extra arm workout hefting it. Let me know how the mixer works out for you.

[@V7StudioProduction]

Great video guys! ❤

[@HomebrewMusic]

Thanks. It would be fun to do these on a regular basis but, you know ... day jobs. This unit is still working out great for us. Being able to easily get multi-track recordings of our gigs has been useful and allows us to have high quality audio on videos. BTW: you can find us in the ongoing comic strip Studio Daze. StudioDazeComics.com.

[@orthodrummer7945]

Great Video Andy and Rob. Have been looking at one of these for ages and not been quite sure whether to go for this or the ZOOM Livetrak (currently have the Yamaha MG 166cx). I think you guys have sold me on this…..well done . We are a bunch of middle dads who love jamming and rocking out…can relate to everything you’re saying. P. S. Has anybody told you Andy that you could voice over for Alan Alda any day. Cheers , 😎

[@HomebrewMusic]

Ha, love the Alan Alda comment - that's a first. If you get the mixer maybe comment here. Or request an account on Homebrewmusic.com and you can contact me through there. I'd be happy to lend advice. We've got this mixer pretty well figured out. It's great being able to record live shows. And we record all of our rehearsals because, hey, why not. It's easy to do and we have recordings of all of our material.

[@orthodrummer7945]

@@HomebrewMusic Hey Andy thanks so much for the reply. Thanks for your offer of help with setting up and using the mixer will be in touch. 😀🥁

[@BarkingForBroccoliBG]

I have model 16 . The 24 wouldn't fit on my table stand. The Bluetooth feature to record right in is really cool

[@HomebrewMusic]

I liked the idea of possibly Rack mounting it but the 24 is too wide for that. And it overhangs my table a little which isn't an issue. The main thing is when we take it out for live shows we have lots of inputs and can easily record. We can then add a mix to videos and get great sound. I love having the extra inputs because we'll have guest performers and be able to pre-set up for them specifically. But I would think the 16 would be fine for most bands. We use the Bluetooth for canned music between sets. I would much rather control that than have the house do it and play stuff that doesn't mesh with our show.

[@EdwardJacksonproject]

Cheeky old dudes😂

[@mikeshanermusic]

Does it record the channels/tracks separate or does it just record the full mix?? Would like to tweak mix after recording.

[@tossedpenny]

It records all of the tracks individually. You can record the entire band at one time on individual tracks for each instrument and then go do post mixing afterwards. It will also record a single track at a time and you can then add more tracks which comes in handy if you're a one man band home studio musician building up a song.

[@mikeshanermusic]

Excellent!! Thank you.

[@HomebrewMusic]

Yes, as tossedpenney states, it records individual tracks. When you are done you can pop the SD card into your computer (you may need an inexpensive adapter if your computer doesn’t have an SD slot) and you’ll find a folder with your tracks. Just drag them into your DAW (Desktop Audio Workstation) and you’re ready to mix.

[@czorakownik]

Ua, but as far i know, you can not record signal after eq, wich dont has any sense. I can do the same with any audio interface with more inputs. Less space, better conversion, routing…i dont underestand why this tascam mixer exist to ne honest…

[@bobbydavro6594]

​@@czorakownikyeah TASCAM are too busy building thousands of units to take any notice of gimps like you commenting that you don't want to buy it, jog on

[@paullawson8610]

What do you think about the preamps in this mixer are they good?

[@HomebrewMusic]

I don't personally have much of a grasp on that as I have less experience in sound engineering than others I work with. I started with a need for a larger mixer and wanted one that would record individual tracks at live shows. The results seem to be as good as the Focusrite Scarletts we were using, and it is way easier than dragging those in a rackmount case plus a laptop. For more serious studio recording we use the Focusrite Scarletts or, more recently, Focusrite Clarett. If you listen to the associated video of "Use Me" (kzbin.info/www/bejne/ipquY4iijdCUjpo) you can hear the results.

[@JSSTUDIO-wr2jq]

❤👍

[@sboy1955]

Call me a buzz kill but I don’t count tracks the same way as these companies. I.e., this is a 16(17?) track PA/recording unit - or put another way, it will track 16(17?) mics/instruments/etc [4(5?) of them in stereo], which is actually plenty for most home studios. No way would I include the L/R mains as tracks.

[@HomebrewMusic]

I totally agree with you - no buzzes killed. When you look into getting a mixer you have to count how many usable inputs you actually get. With the Model 24 you get 12 mono channels. Channels 13-20 are actually 4 stereo tracks. We often end up using them as mono tracks. We only use them as stereo tracks when we plug in a keyboard and there is never more than one of those. The model 16 would not have been big enough for us but we have a lot going on with as many as 5 vocal mics and multiple drum mics. This is true for all of these - Mackie, Yamaha, Zoom, etc.

[@wemgadge]

Update your firmware. It’s worth it for the extra features and stability.

[@HomebrewMusic]

Sounds like good advice. Are there specific features or fixes I should be looking for? The only thing I see is an update from 2021 that fixes an issue if you are using the Model 24 as an IO device to your computer which is something we plan to experiment with.

[@wemgadge]

V1.63 does fix I/O to computer but it is also the most stable release. Also firmware upgrade will allow you to use higher capacity SD Cards. Also allows for the feature of midi sync. This feature lets you use the model 24 as the midi transport master so that you can sync up audio between your DAW and the mixer.

[@HomebrewMusic]

I decided to check my firmware version. I pulled up the menu, selected "System" and then "Information". Once I did that, I had to scroll down until the screen showing "Firmware" appeared. It turns out I have version 1.60 so I guess I have some homework to do.

[@wemgadge]

On the upside looks like you are only one version behind. Enjoy your mixer. I love being able to record without a PC on mine.

[@HomebrewMusic]

@@wemgadgeThat's the huge upside for us. I have 16 channels of Focusrite I/O, Adobe Audition, high end computer, everything I need to record to my DAW. But most of the time I don't bother and just record on the board. I only go direct to the DAW when recording individual tracks for more serious projects. I think any band would tremendously benefit from a board like this and I highly recommend recording rehearsals.

[@fickbasterd]

old dudes nerding out hah

[@HomebrewMusic]

Undoubtedly. We have decades of playing music behind us and hopefully a few decades left to enjoy this thing we love so much. Also, many of us have larger budgets for toys than we did when we were younger. For some people that equates to fancy cars, expensive golf clubs, luxury watches, etc. but we spend our money in music stores. Hopefully many years of nerding out ahead of us.