- Initialize the SD card<\/strong><\/a><\/li>
- Set the date and time<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Create a new song<\/strong><\/a>
- Assign tracks to inputs<\/strong><\/a><\/li>
- Record a song<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Transfer songs to your computer<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
IMPORTANT: <\/strong>Before we begin this guide, please review the TASCAM Digital Portastudio SD card compatibility list<\/strong><\/a> to make sure it works with your device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nRegister the DP-24SD or DP-32SD<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Before everything gets connected, we\u2019ll show you how to register the recorder. Once you register the DP-24SD or DP-32SD, you\u2019ll get exclusive support and notifications for upgrades to your interface. Keep your Sweetwater invoice handy, as you\u2019ll need that during the registration process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
All you need to do is go to the registration page, fill out the registration form, and then click Submit<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"TASCAM](\"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/media\/2020\/10\/TASCAM-Registration-page-840x1024.png\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nClick the image to register your TASCAM Digital Portastudio<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nReturn to top<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nSetting up the Digital Portastudio<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
IMPORTANT: <\/strong>If the display remains frozen on the startup screen, try a different SD card that is listed on the compatibility list mentioned above. If that doesn’t work, turn the unit off, then press and hold the ENTER <\/strong>encoder (jog wheel)<\/em> while turning the unit back on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once your Portastudio is registered, it\u2019s time to get everything set up. The Digital Portastudio\u2019s connections and signal flow are the same as other mixers, so we\u2019ll dive into the menu settings to get you up and running. If you\u2019re not familiar with mixer connections and signal flow, keep this tab open and check out our Mixer Quickstart Guide<\/a> to learn the basics of how a mixer works. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are a few tips when connecting gear to your TASCAM Digital Portastudio:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Pressing the PHANTOM (+48V)<\/strong> will engage phantom power for the channel group A-D <\/em>or E-H<\/em>. <\/li>
- Connect your condenser microphones first before turning on phantom power. <\/li>
- Don’t connect a dynamic microphone with an unbalanced connection to any of the group’s inputs where phantom power is engaged.<\/li>
- When connecting a guitar directly to input H<\/em>, set the Guitar\/Line <\/strong>switch to Guitar<\/strong>. Set it to Line<\/strong> for all other inputs.<\/li>
- Phantom power will be disabled on input H <\/em>when a piece of gear is connected.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nInitialize the SD card<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before you create a song, you\u2019ll need to format your SD card on the DP-24SD or DP-32SD so it can read and write correctly. It\u2019s important to note that initializing and formatting SD cards will erase any current data stored on the SD card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TIP: <\/strong>If you have an SD card reader on your computer, you can format it to the FAT-32 <\/strong>file system. Check out our guide to learn more about the FAT32 file system<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n- Insert the blank SD card and wait for the Format SD Card<\/em> window to appear. Once that window appears, press the F1<\/strong> button.<\/li>
- Press the Menu<\/strong> button, use the jog wheel or cursor buttons to highlight format, then press the F4 <\/strong>button.<\/li>
- Highlight Quick Format<\/em>, then press the F4<\/strong> button to confirm.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nQuick format or Full format?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The <\/strong>Quick Format<\/em> <\/strong>option erases all recorded files and recreates the Music and Utility folder. The <\/strong>Full Format<\/em> option will erase everything and will also check for any SD card errors in the process. For first time use, you can just use the Quick Format <\/em>option. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"TASCAM](\"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/media\/2020\/10\/TASCAM-DP-Format-screen.png\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nSelect Quick format or Full format, then press F4 to execute.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nSet the date and time<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can set the date and time on the DP-24SD or DP-32SD, which is very useful for organizing tracks as it will print that data onto your files. For example, if you\u2019re playing the same set on different nights, you can see which is which without having to guess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Press the Menu<\/strong> button, use the jog wheel to highlight Preference<\/em>, then press the F4 <\/strong>button (right arrow icon)<\/em>.<\/li>
- Use the cursor buttons to navigate to Date\/Time<\/em>, then press the F4 <\/strong>button.<\/li>
- Use the jog wheel to change the time and date values, then press F2<\/strong> (Yes)<\/em> once you\u2019re finished.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\nReturn to top<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nCreate a new song<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Once everything is set up and connected, let’s create a new song. You can check how much longer you can on your SD card by looking at Remain <\/em>on the display. Follow these steps to make a new song on your DP-24SD or DP-32SD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Press Menu<\/strong>, use the jog wheel or cursor buttons to highlight Song<\/strong>, then press the F4 <\/strong>button (right arrow icon)<\/em>.<\/li>
- Once in the Song List <\/em>window, press F4<\/strong>, then select Create<\/strong>.<\/li>
- Use the jog wheel to edit the song name, bit depth, and sample rate, then press the F2 <\/strong>button (Yes)<\/em>
- Learn more about how to edit song parameters<\/a> in your DP3-SD Owner\u2019s Manual<\/a> or DP24-SD Owner\u2019s Manual<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Assign tracks to inputs<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you record using a DP-24SD or DP-32SD, you need to assign each track to a dedicated input. You can assign tracks as Mono<\/em>, Stereo<\/em>, or Stereo Bus<\/em>. By default, tracks 1-8 <\/strong>are assigned to inputs A-H<\/strong>. These can be tweaked at any time, however. Once the tracks are assigned to the desired inputs, you can then start recording.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Press the Assign<\/strong> button, press the Track Select<\/strong> button you want to update.<\/li>
- Press the Source<\/strong> button that you want the track to be routed to.
- You can select alternate inputs when assigning stereo tracks. For example, instead of input A\/A<\/strong>, it can be set to A\/B<\/strong>, A\/C<\/strong>, etc.<\/li>
- Reset the routing assignments by pressing the F1<\/strong> (Default) <\/em>button. To clear all routing, press the F2<\/strong> (All Clear) <\/em>button.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
![\"TASCAM](\"https:\/\/www.sweetwater.com\/sweetcare\/media\/2020\/10\/TASCAM-DP-Routing-screen.png\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAssigning tracks to inputs and outputs.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nRecord a song<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are four different types of \u201crecorder\u201d modes with the TASCAM Digital Portastudio: Multi Track<\/em>, Bounce<\/em>, Mixdown<\/em>, and Master<\/em>. In this guide, we\u2019ll cover the Multi Track <\/em>mode but feel free to learn more about the other methods in your DP-32SD Owner\u2019s Manual<\/a> or DP24-SD Owner\u2019s Manual<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Begin performing and slowly turn up the input knob to get a good input signal. <\/li>
- Set the individual track levels by slowly moving the faders up to an appropriate level but not <\/strong>clipping. Fine-tune the levels, if necessary.<\/li>
- Press the Monitor Select<\/strong> button and update your monitoring source.<\/li>
- Press the Rec <\/strong>button above the track or tracks you want to record. The buttons should begin to flash.<\/li>
- Press the Record <\/strong>button on the right side of the Portastudio to begin recording. Press Stop<\/strong> once complete.<\/li>
- Save the song by going to the Song<\/strong> menu, selecting it, then choosing the Save<\/em> option.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nReturn to top<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\nTransfer recorded songs to your computer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Now that your set is recorded, you can transfer everything to your computer. This is especially useful if you need to back your files up or format the SD card. No special software or drivers are necessary when connecting your Digital Portastudio, as your computer reads it as an external storage device. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
IMPORTANT: <\/strong>Don\u2019t rename any of the Digital Portastudio folders. However, you can delete the SONGS <\/strong>subfolder if you need more space on your SD card or if you don\u2019t need it anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n- Connect the Digital Portastudio to an available USB 2.0 port on your computer. <\/li>
- Press the Menu<\/strong> button, highlight USB<\/strong>, press the F4<\/strong> button, then push the F2 <\/strong>button to enable USB.<\/li>
- Once connected, it will be detected as an external storage device.<\/li>
- Open the Digital Portastudio MUSIC <\/strong>folder, open the SONGS <\/strong>folder, then click and drag the files to where you\u2019d like to store them.<\/li>
- Once you\u2019re finished, safely eject the DP-32SD or DP-24SD<\/a> from your computer.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- Press the Monitor Select<\/strong> button and update your monitoring source.<\/li>
- Reset the routing assignments by pressing the F1<\/strong> (Default) <\/em>button. To clear all routing, press the F2<\/strong> (All Clear) <\/em>button.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- Press the Source<\/strong> button that you want the track to be routed to.
- Press the Assign<\/strong> button, press the Track Select<\/strong> button you want to update.<\/li>
- Once in the Song List <\/em>window, press F4<\/strong>, then select Create<\/strong>.<\/li>
- Use the cursor buttons to navigate to Date\/Time<\/em>, then press the F4 <\/strong>button.<\/li>
- Press the Menu<\/strong> button, use the jog wheel or cursor buttons to highlight format, then press the F4 <\/strong>button.<\/li>
- Record a song<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Set the date and time<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>