As has been said before, you can be very flexible with routing.
The one thing I don’t think you can do is send the signal to your DAW post-compression/EQ. I may be mistaken, but I think individual track signals going to your DAW only have gain applied.
I don’t believe the Model 12 responds to any MIDI messages. It sends clock and transport etc. but it’s MIDI in port is purely for forwarding MIDI to you computer via USB, if attached.
Thanks for the confirmation!
Watch this playlist and get all your questions regarding the abilities of the Tascam Model 12 answered:
TASCAM Model 12 Details and Tips
Gold!
Ok, sorry if this workflow has been explained above. Just trying to get my head around the best config.
I want to route my 8 S2400 outputs into analog inputs of the M12. I need the M12 to also be my audio interface. Ideally the remaining two inputs would be used for my SP404mk2 (say cha bel 9/10). However, am I right in thinking this would not be possible if I need channel 9/10 dedicated to in/out for my Mac interface?
If so, in reality my SP404mk2 is just capturing sounds to then feed back into the S2400. So when it comes to tracking I could technically just flips the Mode switch to Live and then to PC when I want to listen to the DAW instead of SP404? This actually would be fine if so. Or maybe I could route the submix out to the Sp404 and then into the S2400, and always keep channel 9/10 dedicated to the Mac?
This stuff blows my brain sometimes, lol. Looking to buy a M12 as my MTK12 died.
I’ve always been a bit confused as to whether the Model12 is actually an analog mixer (whether that matters is a seperate topic).
I looked into one a couple years back and found the answers I got a bit vague tbh.
The Model 16 and 24 defintiely are. But the 12 isn’t listed as analogue on the Tascam website and if you check the circuit diagram the inputs/outputs pass immediately through ADC/DAC on their way in/out.
If the EQ and compressor is analog then the signal would need to be converted again, but they’d have missed that off the diagram.
Anyone ever had the same questions and actually managed to work it out?
Maybe the converters can be bypassed or something? They’re not labelled on the bigger mixer diagrams which just adds to the confusion.
its digitial after the preamps. but havent heard anything bad said about the quality of the compressor and EQs , so im not fussed. really just decided if i want to replace my recently bust MTK12 and Clarett 4Pre with this. Sort of enjoying not having a mixer take up so much space, but it looks less wide than the MTK12 was.
Well, you don’t need to dedicate a channel to the Mac unless there’s something happening there you want to hear or record via the Model12.
Though, regardless, I keep my 404 on the sub mix. The flexibility of being able to route (or send via aux) arbitrary channels to the 404 without going through main opens up a lot of possibilities.
Normally I would route the outs of the 404 back in through 9/10 (and, if you need to monitor your Mac, use the PC/MTR switch to decide which source is active as you describe) for recording or mixing via main.
But if you want to use the 404 as a source for the Isla, there’s no real way to route audio from 9/10 to the s2400 ins (unless they’re hanging off of main, maybe?) It’s all starting to sound like a lot of problems that could be solved with a patch bay.
If I’m understanding your question, it is- “can you use tascam model 12 to record 10 channels into yr DAW, and still monitor the total output of the DAW (including other tracks that may be running on yr DAW)?”
And the answer is yes. You’ll need to have tascam in interface mode, but yes.
If you are recording to the m12 itself, you are limited to hearing the 10 inputs (but some of those inputs could be mixed out tracks from your DAW)
thanks. think this is mostly answering my question.
so i think the setup would be 8 ins from m8 ISLA, and 2 ins from my System 8 into the Model 12. Then the sub-out into the SP404mk2, and the SP404mk2 out into the ISLA record input. So i can just allocate the submix as a like and toggle 9/10 to be either my PC or System 8.
i dont see myself recording into the M12 to itself - although would def try to test the workflow. but ultimately the M12 would have to be my interface. The SP404mk2 (and same with the other devices actually) also has usb audio and can act as an aggregate device - but i ‘think’ my idea above would work.
anyone can comment on the sound of the compressor and EQs on the Model 12? I.e. comparable to any plugins - worthy substitutes for vsts?
Does anyone else sometimes struggle with getting this thing to turn on? Especially from a ‘cold start’.
Not sure if I’m just super unlucky or if the rocker switches on these are a bit dodgey. I returned my first one to retailer after couple of weeks of ownership, they took some convincing to take it back but eventually they did. Replacement was fine for a couple of months but then started doing the same.
It always eventually comes on so far, but I have to flip the switch numerous time’s especially if it’s the first time turning on that day, for example. Just intrigued to know if any other owners experience this.
Never had anything like this. Always starts up first try. Though sometimes it can take a second.
How are you turning it on and off? From the switch on the back of the Model 12 or via a power strip or something? It’s a soft switch — turning it off triggers the firmware to do some last minute tasks like flushing writes to the SD card — so don’t just kill the power to it.
Conversely, maybe switching it on does some verification of the SD card or something? A dodgy card could be slowing it down or tripping it up entirely. Try turning it on and off without a card in there and see if it responds any more quickly?
Thanks for response. And always powering it on/off by the switch on the back of the unit, never by the power strip. I always get a bit paranoid about damaging gear so I always just power down on the unit itself.
Fair shout with the SD card, I’ll experiment with that see if it changes anything.
A normal power up for me is white screen for few seconds then Tascam logo. When it goes wrong screen stays blank and there’s no signs of life at all. Have to switch off then on again, most of the time more than once before on 4th or 5th try it comes on.
Like I say my first unit that I got on release had this out the box. Now the replacement is doing it, quite sure it’s not my electrics as ive moved in that time as well.
I’m so glad to read this,
I was starting to think I was going mad.
(Well, glad to know I’m not mad but not really glad to know the mixer can act funny)
Have problems with mine too, almost sent it for repair but then I don’t know how, after plugging all cables out and trying on a different socket it went back to normal for a couple of weeks. Now it’s back to acting rebel. I don’t know what to do.
I do have a power strip that I turn off. And a few other devices sharing the strip. I have no idea if that’s related.
That’s interesting @phading. In terms of repair, if it is in warranty still I can only recommend going back through retailer, mine had a process in which they then sent it on to Tascam. It was a bit of a frustrating experience I must be honest. They claimed to have tested it in store, and at Tascam and returned it to me with “no issue found”.
I got it back and it immediately failed to turn on again when I plugged it in 
. It went back to them again and this time they conceded they had replicated the issue (no further explanation given) and sent me another unit.
Which like I say was fine for a few months, then it sunk back to the same behaviour. I’ve just lived with it for this past year as it does work totally fine once powered on, but of course it isn’t ideal to be having a power issue like that. A shame because I absolutely love the mixer and I’ve stuck with it because it really simplifies my workflow.
I was hoping it was user error, that I was doing something wrong with power supplies/plugs/cables. I really don’t want to send back the Model12.
I would need to find another mixer to use in the meanwhile.
Truth be told, I don’t use MTR all that much. Not sure why. And I don’t use usb neither because I’m tired of computers. In the end it seems to me a bit of an overkill if I only use the master recording.
But even without MTR and USB, I haven’t seen a compact mixer that rivals this one for me. I really like the design (number of tracks, auxes, suboutput).
Is there any other mixer that competes with this one that I might be overlooking? (I was considering SSL six, but still much less versatile, less tracks and much higher price).
The MTR is kind of the unique feature of the Model12. If that’s not something you want, pretty much everyone who makes a mixer makes a compact 12 channel comparable to the TASCAM. Off the top of my head:
Mackie ProFx12, Allen&Heath ZED-12FX or MixWizard, Korg SoundLink, Presonus StudioLive AR12c, Soundcraft EFX12, Midas DM12… I’m sure I’m missing someone.
Some are all-analog, and so a bit more expensive than the Model12. But I don’t think any are over $1,000 and most are pretty rugged and also available in good quantities used.
You didn’t used to be able to do this, but you can with the new firmware. (1.30 IIRC). Once you upgrade, the option is in the “Mixer” section, under MTR/USB Send Point.
You can choose to send any given input signal to the M12’s hard drive (or your DAW or both), either Pre-Compressor, Post-Compressor but Pre-EQ, or Post-Compressor & -EQ.
