Tascam TM-D8000
Tascam's first digital console, 52-input in-line desk for DTRS/DA-88 studios (Japan, 1997)
Description
The Tascam TM-D8000 is the brand's very first digital console: a 52-input in-line desk (16 mic/line, 6 stereo line, 24 tape returns), 8 buses, 6 aux, 4-band parametric EQ and 8 freely assignable dynamics processors. Built for 24-track studios based around DTRS recorders (DA-88/DA-98) via TDIF, it bets everything on control: 48 (non-motorized) faders, a central LCD “window” onto the functions and a rotary-encoder control pod. As an engineer, it's a pivotal piece: Tascam's entry into studio digital — ambitious for its price, but dated by its non-motorized faders.
Technical
Specifications
Inputs / Outputs
| Total inputs | 52 |
|---|---|
| Mic inputs | 16 |
Processing
| Mix buses | 8 |
|---|---|
| Aux sends | 6 |
| DSP engine | Traitement numérique Tascam (première console numérique de la marque) |
| Max sample rate | 48,000 kHz |
Surface
| Control | Écran LCD rétroéclairé servant de « fenêtre » sur l'ensemble des fonctions, positionné au-dessus d'un « control pod » d'encodeurs rotatifs ; centre de transport intégrant une molette JOG/SHUTTLE pour le pilotage machine et vidéo. |
|---|---|
| Physical faders | 48 |
| Motorized faders | No |
| Touchscreen | No |
| Faders | 48 faders de voie (24 tranches à double fader : 60 mm supérieur, 100 mm inférieur) + 4 faders de contrôle assignables + 1 fader de mix stéréo. Aucun fader motorisé (approche de type VCA). |
Recording
| Onboard recording | No |
|---|
Networking
| Networking & protocols | AES/EBU |
|---|---|
| Redundant PSU | No |
| Redundant networking | No |
Physical
| Width | 1,020 mm |
|---|---|
| Depth | 717 mm |
| Height | 315 mm |
| Weight | 40 kg |
Other
| Architecture | Première console numérique de Tascam, de format in-line, pensée pour interfacer les enregistreurs multipistes DTRS (DA-88/DA-98) via le format TDIF. La commutation d'un bouton fait passer les 16 entrées analogiques à 16 canaux TDIF supplémentaires, soit jusqu'à 40 canaux TDIF au mixage (jusqu'à 5 machines DTRS) tout en gardant 6 entrées stéréo pour les retours d'effets. |
|---|---|
| Channels | 16 voies mic/ligne + 6 voies stéréo ligne + 24 retours de bande = 52 entrées ; 8 bus multipiste + 6 auxiliaires mono + master stéréo ; 16 sorties directes (16 premières voies). |
| Eq Dynamics | EQ paramétrique 4 bandes et delay (jusqu'à ~180 ms) sur chaque voie et retour de bande, EQ sur le master stéréo, plus 8 processeurs de dynamique (compresseur/limiteur/gate) librement assignables (patchables) sur n'importe quelle voie. |
| Automation | 4 groupes de faders et 4 groupes de mute ; automation par snapshots (interne) et automation dynamique via un ordinateur externe. |
| Io | 16 entrées analogiques (jack ou XLR, chacune avec insert) ; 5 connecteurs TDIF-1 (D-sub 25 points) ; 4 entrées AES/EBU stéréo assignables (XLR) ; 2 entrées S/PDIF (RCA). Pas d'interface ADAT. |
| Converters | Résolution des convertisseurs non spécifiée par le fabricant ; le test Sound On Sound suppose des convertisseurs 16 bits de type DTRS (à vérifier). Échantillonnage 44,1/48 kHz. |
Strip & details
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Diagrams
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Software
Other screenshots
Documents
Editorial & artists
Our take
History & design
Introduced by Tascam (TEAC) in the late 1990s — the official preliminary brochure dates to September 1997, the Sound On Sound review to May 1998 — the TM-D8000 was the brand's first foray into digital consoles. It targeted the 24-track studios then equipping themselves with DTRS recorders (DA-88/DA-98): its in-line architecture and TDIF format were designed to talk directly to those machines, a single button switching the 16 analog inputs to 16 TDIF channels, up to 40 TDIF channels at mixdown (five DTRS machines) while keeping 6 stereo inputs for effect returns. The mixer has 16 mic/line channels, 6 stereo line channels and 24 tape returns — 52 inputs in all — 8 multitrack buses, 6 mono aux and a stereo master, with 16 direct outs on the first channels. Every channel (and every tape return) has a 4-band parametric EQ and delay; eight dynamics processors (compressor/limiter/gate) can be freely patched onto any channel. There are 4 fader groups and 4 mute groups, snapshot automation internally and dynamic automation driven by an external computer. Ergonomics are the heart of the matter: 48 channel faders (24 dual-fader strips, 60/100 mm, non-motorized), four assignable control faders, a stereo mix fader, and above all a backlit LCD acting as a “window” onto all functions, sitting above a rotary-encoder control pod, complemented by a JOG/SHUTTLE wheel for machine and video control. I/O gathers 16 analog inputs (jack or XLR with inserts), 5 TDIF-1 connectors, 4 AES/EBU inputs and 2 S/PDIF inputs. The exact converter resolution was never disclosed by Tascam (to be verified).
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