When the DM4800 eventually dies

[John Flynn]

When the Tascam DM4800 eventually dies (Because unfortunately all equipment does eventually what is a good option to replace it?
Is the new Sonicview 24 an option although it seems to lack DAW control?
Are there better options anybody has gone for or considered going for?

 

[dmartin]

Maybe:

https://www.allen-heath.com/hardware/sq/

 

[John Flynn]

Does it have DAW control and is it better than the Sonicview 24 by Tascam?

 

[dmartin]

Mr. Flynn:
Yes it has DAW control. Only you can decide what is best for you. If I was going to spend 5,000 pounds, euros, dollars, on gear I would do research and then go to a shop and try it to see if it meets my needs.

 

[John Flynn]

Yes of course I will be doing tests and this post is actually part of my research, not just for me but for others on this forum too I reckon. Thanks so much for your input

 

[mixerizer]

If I find a board that does as much as a DM-4800 and is as reliable, I would consider it. If not, I would find another DM.

The DM is a workhorse and to me, has the workflow I want. So far, I haven’t found any of the recent boards have the features I need (# of busses/auxes, selectable pre and post auxes per channel, excellent sample rate conversion/correction) at anywhere near the price range. DAW control is less of an issue, instead of the Remote Layer I use a more modern dedicated control surface for the DAW.

Good luck!

 

[John Flynn]

I have considered the option of a second DM4800 and there’s a couple for sale here in Ireland S/H for about €800. They’re a big board though and it’s finding space to keep a spare for parts should my own one fail.
bottom line is they’re old and basically a computer in Desk form.
My Apple computer is 2008. My Tascam is about the same vintage. I’m just trying to make sure when that inevitable day comes that I know my options. if I could buy a brand new DM trust me I would. I love and understand that desk. The thought of learning a new one is worse than the cost of replacing it!

 

[mixerizer]

I hear you! If I found a board that simply did what this one does, for anywhere near a reasonable price for me, I would relearn the new board’s workflow.

as it is, after decades of DAWs and software, I have come to realize I prefer having my mixing and recording activity be physical, with as little interface tweaking and computation in the DAW as possible. I really enjoy working in a workflow where I don’t have a mouse or trackpad in my hand unless needed for some deeper function, where everything for a recording session works without a single DAW running, and I can mix with my hands without having a screen to reference besides metering and monitoring. Then, DAWs on top as instruments, recorders, dsp, editor/sequencers, librarians etc as needed is fine, but the modern trend of boards and control surfaces with touchscreens are way closer than the DM to a computer-centric workflow that I seek to avoid.

Definitely doesn’t stop me from checking out other boards though! If one appears that ticks my boxes for anything close to an affordable price, I’m gonna consider it.

 

[-mjk-]

The main thing that I liked about the DM series was the onboard automation system. By the time I was ready to get a new console they had already been disco'd.

 

[John Flynn]

All very valid points. The Tascam sonicview 24 though? Anyone got any thoughts re using it in a studio setting?

 

[mixerizer]

Havent sat down with one but from the key features - biggest key feature is three screen visual editing interface (opinion of those, mostly as previously stated). Same # of mic/line ins, and more analog line outs, than the DM. Lower bus count, fewer auxes, less flexible assignment of both, plus a lower channel count than the DM. Less flexible within itself, but able to work w Dante audio, an internal non-punch multitrack recorder or 32x32 USB, the latter of which is pretty comparable to a DM w 4 expansion cards or a FW card. Imho, the Soniview boards are TASCAM’s new take on the DM mixer, with a fair bit of Presonus and other modern influences. To my eye and matching the industry, they are designed to be much more dependent/used with DAWs than the DM era mixers, which were designed to work with hardware digital and analog sources.

 

[John Flynn]

Yeah. That fairly much my take on it too tbh

My only problem with the DM is that it’s old and anything old is nearer to failure
What I will do is stockpile the cash to replace both the desk and computer and not purchase until I have to. Ie until my present system fails. The purpose of my post is to know what I’ll go for when that inevitable thing happens. Until then I’m more than happy to stay with my current set up for as long as is possible

 

[mixerizer]

All 100% true imho and absolutely solid thinking. I would say the difference is that a board like the TASCAM isn’t serviceable the way a newer board is - they all break, even the new ones, and sometimes sooner than later. there is precious little guarantee these days that a new or more modern product won’t be far more failure-prone, but at least it’s under warrantee, or serviceable at a modern repair shop. You can look at it either, or both ways - the service age of the board is an indicator of how much time left it has, but it is also an indicator of its failure-resistant design.

 

[-mjk-]

My personal experience with servicing older consoles is that you're less likely to find bespoke parts or SMD that are difficult to replace. Normally they are good old fashioned PCBs with leaded components. In older gear, sometimes all it takes to clear up issues is to resolder all the pads. My Soundcraft Ghost is a good example of that. I can pretty much go down to the local electronics store and get caps and chips I need for it.

What would really be something is if there was an engineer for hire who could design a modern Dante interface to replace the Thunderbolt interface.

 

[mixerizer]

Yup! I think u meant Firewire, vs thunderbolt? I wish there were a TB card

While getting this fixed at a shop would take some doing, learning to get in there and diagnose or fix stuff has been a big thing for me, helping me avoid making things worse sometimes

And I would be so into a card you describe, mjk - I have been experimenting a little w a MADI board for the DM series, max 16x16 because it uses the TASCAM cobranet CM-2 card board (the TASCAM firmware for which is max 16x16) and a Klark-Teknik MADI daughter card in place of the cobranet daughtercard. If it could be modeled/rev engineered and new boards/chip firmware made for a MADI card, a Dante CM-1/2 profile daughtercard like the following within a cloned Tascam expansion card would work well too, i bet.

https://peaveycommercialaudio.com/product/dante-legacy-module-dlm/

 

[-mjk-]

I think u meant Firewire, vs thunderbolt? I wish there were a TB card

Yes @mixerizer, thank you.

On another forum (for Behringer products) many are talking about the cheapest type of Dante expansion cards available so users can take the Brooklyn daughter board out of those non-Behringer expansion cards and install the Brooklyn in the WING, internally. There is some great info because some manufacturers have FW that limits the card to being used with their own equipment, and also because there are some cheap options out there that can be re-flashed. Often the card can be flashed with the WING FW and it work in the WING. The FW that runs the Dante card might turn out to be the limiting factor since there isn't any for DM-Dante.

I do know an engineer in Taiwan who is capable of taking the schematic drawings and creating a Dante interface. I just don't know if he would do it.

 

[cmaffia]

Q. When when DM4800 dies, what's a good replacement
A. NOTHING. Maybe try to find a used one.

I loathe the day when my mixers die. I probably will bow out of home recording when they do.

 

[shredd]

I loathe the day when my mixers die. I probably will bow out of home recording when they do.

Can't count the times I thought exactly that!
As home-studio equipment/technology evolves/devolves (my perspective on this varies!), I consider that a big part of why I enjoy it is the equipment I've chosen to work with.

At various times in my studio/recording life when my gear's age is showing and I've experimented/explored emerging gear/technologies that I ended up hating, I considered that if nothing else were available, I'd probably take up gardening or making dioramas of my favorite rock stars, a' la "fusilli Jerry"...wouldn't a "lego Gilmour be ossum?!?

 

[cmaffia]

Sadly, when it comes to technology, evolution doesn't always mean "better".

Music hardware, the Music industry and Music (quality of songs) have all evolved and not for the better IMO.

When my DM3200's go to that great stairway to heaven in the sky, I will find it difficult to justify spending my time and money researching what mediocre alternatives I would need to purchase in order to continue making music.

Honestly my passions have moved on to other ventures (Drone racing, building and repair) which is why I haven't been active on this site for almost a decade.

 

[-mjk-]

@cmaffia, and also smashing guitars on YouTube, lol.