Did you mess with the MTR/USB send settings? Page 45:
Yep, those are on the inputs coming in and don’t affect the PC sound coming back through.
I need some advice!!
So I just bought a Model 16 thinking I preferred the all-analog signal path and higher track count, but now I’m having second thoughts because it lacks Midi DIN sync.
Workflow wise: I like to record single sources at a time so I can focus on modulating one synth or drum machine per take. Using Ableton to do this was a pain, because with midi jitter, every single take would have different latency and drift - I’d spend hours warping takes.
For a band or jam, all good, but for solo work where I only have 2 hands and all the gear is clocked, my multiple takes recording strategy doesn’t work on the 16. I’d either have to route tempo through USB and the computer back to hardware (and be back to square one with clock jitter), or record everything in one take to the SD card. No going back and recording or overdubbing new tracks in sync.
Model 12 users - how often do you use hardware midi sync? How big of a gamechanger is this for you when recording?
I do however have a Midronome and could try using the desktop app to generate an audio sync file, load it onto the Model 16 on an unused channel routed solely to an AUX out to the audio input on the Midronome. Then when I press play or rec on the Model 16, it’d theoretically start the Midronome and pass clock to the rest of my gear…
Also considering sending the thing back and buying a 1010 bluebox and all the accessories needed. I guess it’d come to about the same price:P
I use it all the time. MIDI clock plus the ability to swap tracks is what keeps me on the Model 12.
But a few things. First, the model 12 doesn’t do DIN sync, just MIDI clock and MTC. Second, if your timing requirements are such that triggering recordings with Live as host was introducing too much variance, I don’t know that the Model 12 would be any better.
It’s possible that, seeing as the Model 12 is only doing time stuff over MIDI, there’s less contention on the line and therefore less jitter… but as I understand it we’re talking about the time it takes a single message going down the line to trigger playback at the start of recording. There shouldn’t be any real difference between the two there.
I haven’t ever had trouble with this with the Model 12 or any other gear that I can hear. But for those that have generally, it’s not uncommon for them to “solve” the problem by avoiding MIDI all together and literally just getting good at pressing play on some cue. The lack of MIDI is not a hindrance then, obviously 
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Feel a bit dumb asking this…
Specs say it’s a 12-in / 10-out USB interface, but there aren’t 10 output jacks on the back. Am I missing something?
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It’s 10-out via USB — that is, 10 “out” ports show up in your DAW. The destination of those 10 outs are the 8 channel strips of the mixer (1–6 mono, 7/8, 9/10 stereo), which are then mixed by the unit as per usual and end up on your main- or sub-bus or whatever.
Also worth nothing there aren’t 12 “in” ports. Only 10 (ports 1–6 for the mono channels, then L and R ports for 7/8, 9/10). The 11th and 12th inputs are the master mix.
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Ah OK, so it’s out from computer to mixer not out from computer to world via mixer. That’s a bit disappointing but I think it still works for me with the sub outs. Thanks for clarifying.
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Yeah, wherever you get them from, the Model 12 only lets you route inputs to:
- Main out (stereo)
- Sub out (stereo)
- Aux1 (mono)
- Aux 2 (mono)
Depending on how you count them, I guess you could throw the (mono) inserts on strips 1 and 2 onto the list as well? And you could probably get creative/abusive and get the just solo bus out over the monitor (phones) outs, too?
But regardless, the Model 12 has at best “just enough” routing options. It’s really meant to mix down from 10→2 with monitoring, not act as a patch bay or matrix mixer.
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Cool, a bit of creative marketing there I guess.
For my purposes I just need four outs so I guess I can use the master bus, sub bus and some hard panning to make it work.
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Yup! Not sure if you have one, so worth calling out that the main L & R are XLR and the sub L & R are (balanced) TRS. So plan your cables accordingly.
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Dr. Jemmons, wondering if I can ask you about this comment you made a while back — is it really a bad idea to be turning the Model 12 on/off by plugging or unplugging the cable (and ignoring the switch entirely)?
I started using the plug because the switch became unreliable as a way to turn it on, but I don’t want to damage the mixer. It’s probably an easy/cheap fix if that’s a smarter route to go.
Appreciate any insights you have about this stuff!
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It kind of depends on what you mean by “bad idea” 
If you do a lot of recording to the SD card (and care about whether or not it gets corrupted — there are valid scenarios where you may not), then yes. I would say it’s a bad idea to just unplug the machine. Any time you interrupt storage in the middle of a write, you run the risk of fscking up that media. Letting a machine turn itself off rather than forcing it to do so is always going to be safer.
That said, the manual only says:
Do not disconnect the power cord when the unit is operating (including recording, playing back, or writing data to an SD card). Doing so could cause proper recording to fail, recorded data to be lost, and sudden loud noises from monitoring equipment, which might damage the equipment, harm hearing or cause other trouble.
So as long as your transport is stopped and you’ve pulled down your levels first, TASCAM thinks you’re fine.
EDIT: I’ve been under the impression (and now I can’t find what made me originally think this) that the power switch on the Model 12 was a soft-switch. That is, it didn’t actually break the electrical circuit itself, but rather sent a signal to the machine telling it to shut itself down. Hence my call to “let a machine turn itself off.”
But after (rather belatedly) watching the teardown linked by @TelePet, this certainly looks like an old-fashioned “connect the circuit” kind of power switch. So flipping it shouldn’t be different from plugging/unplugging power in any way.
So follow TASCAM’s advice, make sure your transport is stopped, etc. But then plug/unplug the cable to your heart’s content!
I regret the misinformation. Apologies!
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Okay great, all this context is super helpful. Thank you!
(Is this when I should confess that I don’t have an SD card in my Model 12 and have never tried using the onboard recorder…)
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I was experiencing a similar issue perhaps. Unit would power on only intermittently. This video walked through how to replace the power switch, as well as a link to the replacement part. This video also walks through the process but with more zoomed in video.
I was able to repair my unit and now it’s powering on alright.
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I’ve done this from time to time when I run out of aux outs. Usually for sidechainining purposes.
Typical example: Sampler on 7&8 routed thru Sub bus to compressor, which gets recorded on 9&10.
Aux 1 & 2 are usually taken up by delay or OD, etc. so I use the solo/headphone out as an extra fx out or to go HP2–>EQ–> Comp sidechain.
A patchbay makes this easier but I started doing it before I got the patchbay.
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Dumb question, but I’ve been interested in the model 12 for a while and my main interest is in its midi capabilities. Is it possible to overdub and have midi start and stop signals sent to an external sequencer to add layers that are in sync via midi clock?
Has anyone ever had issues getting no sound from the sub output? I have the sub buttons pushed in, volume up etc. But zero output
Two thoughts…
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Are the faders for those tracks up? Unlike the “Solo” channels, the Sub bus is post-fader. So if the fader for the track is down, you won’t hear it in the Sub bus.
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Did you try hitting the “Main” button the Sub bus to see if you hear anything routing it through the main outs?
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Is the track muted? If the track is muted, it’ll also be muted in the Sub bus, too.
If you want something to go to only Sub and not Main, unclick the “Main” button on that channel, DON’T use the “Mute” button or it’ll get muted everywhere (except for Solo, maybe? can’t remember…).
Those might seem pretty basic but it’s all I can think of at the moment.
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Also check to see if anything is solo’d. There are a lot of ways to configure PFL/AFL that can have a lot of different results on routing, so if something unexpected is happening I always make sure to un-click those.
Check the gain at the very top of the strip? Oh and depending on what the input switch on the top of the strip is set to, you may have to arm the track before it will pass through external sources. So see if arming helps.
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Thanks to you both. Yes, that’s all pretty basic and I’ve tried it. I have had this for 4 or so years but just changed my setup, so I’m using the sub out in the new setup. Before that I had never tested it. I hope I don’t have a defective unit because I’m way out of warranty at this point. I am running it through a patchbay, so I’m going to go back to the simplest of set up, see if it works and add everything back in. Thanks for the suggestions!