Tascam's New DM-4800 Digital Console Is Perfect for the Computer-Based Professional Studio

Tascam's new DM-4800 ($5,999 US) digital mixing console, launched this week at the AES convention in San Francisco, is designed to integrate with a computer-based DAW.

The DM-4800 provides 48 channels and 16 returns for a total of 64 inputs. Also onboard are 24 analog mic/line inputs with phantom power for condenser mics and analog inserts. Users can add mic preamps by using expansion cards with external preamps. Four expansion card slots support optional FireWire, ADAT, AES/EBU, Analog, TDIF and Surround Monitoring cards.

Tascam says that the DM-4800 feature list offers mixing specs that equal or surpass digital consoles over twice its price. The company positions the DM-4800 as a digital console for professional users who demand a flexible, 64-channel mix platform that can be configured to fit their needs, especially in a computer-based environment.

A "fat channel" strip in the center of the board provides instant access to 4-band parametric EQ, dynamics and auxiliary controls available for the first 48 channels. Twenty-four studio-grade mic preamps provide enough inputs for a live event, and more can be added using expansion cards with external preamps. The standard compliment of analog and digital I/O is more than you'll find on consoles costing three times as much, and a completely configurable 24-buss routing system allows you to re-patch the board at the flick of a switch.

TASCAM's DM-4800 fits seamlessly into the modern recording environment based around a computer DAW. With a single button press, the Remote layer provides a 24-fader control surface for control of premiere workstations such as Pro Tools, Logic, SONAR, DP, Cubase and Nuendo.

Options available for the DM-4800 digital mixer include the IF-FW/DMmkII FireWire interface card, which provides 32 channels to and from a computer at up to 96kHz over a single FireWire cable; and a surround monitoring card that provides down-mixing, bass management and level control for mixing in up to 6.1 surround.

More features:

- 48 channels and 16 returns for 64 total inputs
- 24 busses
- 12 Aux Sends
- 24 mic/line inputs with analog inserts and phantom power for condenser mics
- 24 channels of TDIF and 8 channels of ADAT built in
- 4 expansion card slots support optional FireWire, ADAT, AES/EBU, Analog, TDIF and Surround Monitoring cards
- Dedicated cascade port -supports cascade of two DM-4800s
- Channel Strip section for EQ, Dynamics and Aux control of selected channel
- Per channel LED ring encoders for pan, aux sends and EQ
- Built-in DAW control layer compatible with Pro Tools®, Logic Pro™, SONAR™, Cubase™, Nuendo™, and Digital Performer™
- Transport buttons control DAW software or RS-422 devices
- Powerful automation with touch-sensitive motorized faders
- 4-band EQ, compression and gating on each channel
- Compression for each aux, buss and main output
- Two built-in effects processors, each able to run TC Reverb programs
- Flexible routing allows any input to be routed to any channel or output
- Offload data to convenient Compact Flash media using built-in CF slot
- Optional MU-1000 meter bridge
- Stylish, professional design with rear panel I/O connections

Tascam Website (International)