Tascam FW1884 Production Studio

FW1884 Production Studio description:

The Tascam FW1884 Production Studio. Versatile 96kHz/24-bit Firewire Audio/MIDI Interface and Control Surface with Cubase LE 48-track recording software and GigaStudio 3 LE.

The Tascam FW1884 is a professional DAW control surface and audio/MIDI interface that uses the FireWire high-speed data transfer protocol. With FireWire's high-bandwidth capabilities, the FW-1884 provides audio and MIDI interfacing to computers as well as control of DAW parameters via eight 100mm motorized touch-sensitive channel faders, one master fader, and controls for pan, solo, mute and select functions on each channel. Tactile control for four bands of parametric EQ, a weighted jog wheel and a variety of shortcut keys for various popular software applications are also included. Co-designed between TASCAM and Frontier Design Group, the Tascam FW-1884 is an expandable audio and MIDI interface and control surface for professional DAW users. Its DAW control capabilities include comprehensive mixing, automation, editing and navigation tools. In addition to its faders, dedicated controls and assignable/pre-assigned shortcut keys, the FW-1884 provides eight balanced XLR analogue mic/line inputs with high quality mic preamps, phantom power (switchable in groups of four channels) and inserts on every channel. Using 24-bit/96kHz A/D and D/A converters, the FW-1884 offers full 96kHz operation on all analogue I/O channels with compatible DAW software. In addition to its two FireWire (IEEE 1394) computer interfaces, the Tascam FW-1884 gives users eight channels of ADAT lightpipe as well as stereo S/PDIF inputs and outputs. Perfectly suited to multi-channel surround production as well as standard stereo mixing, the FW-1884 has eight analogue outputs that default in L/R and 5.1 surround modes. A headphone output is also provided. Four MIDI inputs and four MIDI outputs on the FW-1884 allow users to connect with a wide variety of MIDI sound generation and timing tools. Its Word Clock in and out jacks allow computer systems to maintain accurate clock synchronization in digital recording environments. Also, its assignable footswitch jack can be used for tasks such as hands-free punching or MIDI control. In use, the FW-1884 allows up to 18 audio inputs (including its eight analogue channels, eight ADAT Optical channels and stereo S/PDIF channels) to be accessed at once. As a DAW controller, the FW-1884 is compatible with a wide variety of popular applications including MOTU Digital Performer, Steinberg Cubase, Steinberg Nuendo, Cakewalk Sonar, and more. The FW-1884 can sum all of its inputs (18 in addition to the outputs of a DAW), and send them back to the DAW. Using this flexible capability, users can (for example) attach analogue synthesizers, inputs from a GigaStudio sampling rig and so on, mix them with the outputs of their DAW software, and then send the summed signals back into the DAW software to print a stereo mix.

The main features of the Tascam FW1884 include:

• Versatile 96kHz/24-bit Firewire Audio/MIDI Interface and Control Surface with Cubase LE 48-track recording software and GigaStudio 3 LE
• Comprehensive mixing, automation, editing and navigation tools for DAWs
• Eight 100mm motorized touch-sensitive channel faders, one motorized touch-sensitive master fader
• Dedicated controls for pan, solo, mute and select functions on each channel; tactile control for four bands of parametric EQ
• Shortcut keys for various popular audio software applications
• Eight balanced XLR analog mic/line inputs with high quality mic preamps
• Phantom power and inserts on every channel
• 24-bit/96kHz A/D and D/A converters; full 96kHz operation on all analog I/O channels with compatible DAW software
• Eight channels of ADAT lightpipe, stereo S/PDIF inputs and outputs
• Eight analog outputs, allowing connection of L/R and 5.1 surround matrices
• Dedicated headphone output
• Four MIDI inputs, four MIDI outputs
• Word Clock in and out jacks
• Assignable footswitch jack
• Up to 18 simultaneous inputs
• Compatible with a wide variety of popular DAW applications
• Operates as a standalone 18x2 line mixer without a computer
• FE-8 (eight-channel sidecar) expands FW-1884 with eight additional channel control strips up to 128 channels (15 FE-8s)
• SoftLCD application simulates a "scribble strip" by displaying what each channel is controlling
• Includes Cubase LE 48-track/96kHz recording and mixing software
• Includes GigaStudio 3 LE 64-voice streaming sampler software
• Compatible with MOTU Digital Performer, Apple Logic, Steinberg Cubase and Nuendo, and Cakewalk Sonar. Control surface compatible with Digidesign Pro Tools
• Dimensions: 22.9 W x 5.4 H x 18.9 inches D
• Weight: 22.7 lbs
• Compatible with the latest Intel Macs
• The Tascam FW1884 is supported under Windows XP and Windows 2000, and MacOS X 10.2.8 (Jaguar) or later. In addition, your computer must be fitted with a 6-pin IEEE.1394 (FireWire) interface