Recording not sounding the same when bouncing to digital

[fuzzface]

Hey Tascam forum,

So I have this issue when I´m trying to bounce to digital a tape I´ve recorded using my Tascam 644.
When I listen to the tape using headphones from the Tascam 644 the tape sounds amazing, super warm, all frequencies are there, etc.
But when I try to bounce the tape to digital, from the "monitor out" outputs to two jack inputs of my Tascam US 4x4HR and record it using Ableton, it doesn´t sound right, frequencies are missing, the whole guitar solo is very low on volume...
I know the song is properly recorded because when I listen to it via headphones everything is there!
So what is the issue here? Maybe the "Monitor Out" outputs are not actually like the "stereo out" as some other 4 tracks have?

 

[Jack Saturn]

The monitor out signal should match what you're hearing in the headphones. I would first rule out that there isn't a short in your cabling that is causing frequency loss or phase cancellation. A few questions:

1) What kind of interface are you using?

2)What are the connections on the cable that is going between it and the Tascam 644? Dual RCA to dual TRS, or dual RCA to XLR?

 

[shredd]

Not sure I'm helping here - I'm not engineer...

But this sounds suspiciously like when CD's came out (this was the 1980's, for all you pupz that have never used a land-line phone or remember when albums were recorded on something called "tape"), and everyone complained that the CD's didn't sound the same as the original material (mostly LP's)...
And I remember thinking - even then: "that's cuz LP's are analog; CD's are digital...each's manner of reproducing sound are completely different from the other"...
We all know CD's sound great - but they DON'T sound like the same material played from an LP record.

So I guess I'mma thinking the same concept applies here...

 

[fuzzface]

The monitor out signal should match what you're hearing in the headphones. I would first rule out that there isn't a short in your cabling that is causing frequency loss or phase cancellation. A few questions:

1) What kind of interface are you using?

2)What are the connections on the cable that is going between it and the Tascam 644? Dual RCA to dual TRS, or dual RCA to XLR?

Hey Jack thanks for replying!
Ok so let me give more details, so what I am doing is I´m recording into the 4-track a project from Ableton using my interface´s stereo out, into tracks 1 and 2 of my Tascam 644. Now I want to send it back to Ableton.

The interface I´m using is a Tascam US 4x4HR

I´m using a generic cable Dual RCA -> DUal TS like one of those:

Amazon.com

 

[Pierke]

I am not familiar with the 644, but could it be that the signal routing to your headphones output is different from the one to your monitor outputs? Volumes, EQs, and the like?

 

[fuzzface]

Not sure I'm helping here - I'm not engineer...

But this sounds suspiciously like when CD's came out (this was the 1980's, for all you pupz that have never used a land-line phone or remember when albums were recorded on something called "tape"), and everyone complained that the CD's didn't sound the same as the original material (mostly LP's)...
And I remember thinking - even then: "that's cuz LP's are analog; CD's are digital...each's manner of reproducing sound are completely different from the other"...
We all know CD's sound great - but they DON'T sound like the same material played from an LP record.

So I guess I'mma thinking the same concept applies here...

I hope I can get the sound out of this tape somehow!!

 

[fuzzface]

I am not familiar with the 644, but could it be that the signal routing to your headphones output is different from the one to your monitor outputs? Volumes, EQs, and the like?

In the 644 there´s only one signal path to headphones and monitor outs, meaning it´s the same for both! Maybe my headphones are too good?

 

[Jack Saturn]

Ok so let me give more details, so what I am doing is I´m recording into the 4-track a project from Ableton using my interface´s stereo out, into tracks 1 and 2 of my Tascam 644. Now I want to send it back to Ableton.

In your original post you said that you're hearing quality loss when recording to your DAW from the signal being output by the Tascam 644. But now you're saying the opposite, that you're hearing issues while recording signal on to the Tascam 644 which is being sent from Ableton. Can you confirm which it is?

 

[fuzzface]

@Jack Saturn sorry I was not clear in my last post.
Indeed my issue is when recording to my DAW from the Tascam 644. Before I was describing that the project also came from the DAW. So what I´m trying to do is DAW -> Tascam 644 -> DAW, but from the Tascam back to DAW I have this issue.

Could it be the cables I´m using? I was also considering recording from the Tascam 644 into the Tape In of a regular tape deck (like recording a master tape). Then I would try the same process of recording into the DAW but from this new master tape... not sure it would work though, but just for trying the signal out of the tape deck instead of 644...

 

[shredd]

I hope I can get the sound out of this tape somehow!!

Don’t despair - you can surely get SOME kinda copy/reproduction…what quality remains to be seen!

Any chance you kin git the TRAX out of the tape machine into yr DAW, & work with that? Might be able to get a good remix!

 

[Jack Saturn]

Can you confirm that the stereo mix you've created on the Tascam 644 has all of its tracks routed to Groups 1-2? In other words, if you have the Group 3-4 fader turned all the way down, do you still hear the full mix?

If so, try recording the same mix you had previously created from the Tascam 644 to your DAW, only this time take the output from the Group 1 and 2 jacks rather than the Monitor Out jacks. Let us know if the resulting audio quality is any different.

Also, if you aren't already, you should be monitoring via your DAW during the transfer. What you hear from the Tascam US 4x4HR is going to be your end result when recording in the DAW.