Ta@#$% 320B

[Roy]

I've just been offered a Ta@#$% 320B in good condition for $200. Has anyone had much to do with these consoles? Would it be worth the $200?

[mylesgm]

Well I reckon if it fits your workflow its worth $200. They sound decent, have loads of i/o options (phono pre's, DI inputs, channel/sub/master inserts, direct outs, tape returns, and more off the top of my head), the 'b' means it has phantom power and more balanced connections than the model without the 'b', they are pretty reliable, built like tanks and if you are super keen you can upgrade the opamps etc. You can use the mic pre's, you can use it to sum your DAW, or use it to keep all your outboard patched or well the sorts of things you use consoles for. I sold a 308b to a friend for about 200 I think a year ago or so. He liked it but wanted something a little more portable (they are heavy) and so he put it on ebay. Went for nearly 900 which I thought was a bit extreme but... Its no MCI, Neve, harrison etc but certainly built and sound better than be!@#$%^&/mackie stuff. It all comes down to wether it suits your workflow though because if you use it it will become the centre of your studio (and its big).

m

[Roy]

Cheers, Myles! Nice to know.

[audioio]

Well I reckon if it fits your workflow its worth $200.

Agreed.

They sound decent, have loads of i/o options (phono pre's, DI inputs, channel/sub/master inserts, direct outs, tape returns, and more off the top of my head)

Incidentally, Myles, we have one at work which was rescued from the TV area and it's OK. Some of the switches are starting to go but they may be fixable. Our Melbourne Ta@#$% repair guy seems to be able to get any part so I wouldn't be surprised if they were still available.

Like all Ta@#$% stuff of that era, they're a bit noisy, but quite useable because, as Myles suggests, the routing is quite flexible. There is a potential gotcha involving the tape returns where, the latter are routed into the first eight channels' line inputs unless you actually plug in a line-level source on the back panel. (Going from memory here so I may be wrong but it's something like that; a patchbay won't work around.) That may not bother you if you only use the (split) monitor section while tracking. In this respect the M520 was better, but that thing didn't have a dedicated stereo bus, so you were limited to the 12 or 20 channels on mixdown.

Anyway, I wouldn't pay much more than that--because of the sound quality alone.

Incidentally, did anyone see the dude on evil bay recently claiming a Ta@#$% PE40 EQ was the greatest thing since Neve? Almost more fodder for the recent humorous threads.

It all comes down to wether it suits your workflow though because if you use it it will become the centre of your studio (and its big).

Not as big as it might be, given the number of channels. If you like I can measure the thing, although if you've seen the item you've been offered, you'll know what it's like.

Cheers

[mylesgm]

That guy on ebay is ridiculous. I've had dealings with him and he is definitely a 'steer very far away from' guy.

[Roy]

Well I ended up getting it. It appears to be looked after. The VUs and everything seems to work fine. You're right it's heavy, Myles! I was putting it down on the bench and it pinched my finger- and it drew blood! Hahaha.

Forgive me if this is a stupid question but how do you meter input level on a channel? I push the PFL button and turn the gain up expecting one of the VUs to give me an indication but I get nothing. I can meter the outputs of the stereo-LR, mono, auxes, etc fine. But just can't meter the channel input. Am I missing something?

[Kurt]

I must be the same kind of stupid ... I had a different model Ta@#$% desk and had the same issue with it, couldn't find a solo meter anywhere.

Well I ended up getting it. It appears to be looked after. The VUs and everything seems to work fine. You're right it's heavy, Myles! I was putting it down on the bench and it pinched my finger- and it drew blood! Hahaha.

Forgive me if this is a stupid question but how do you meter input level on a channel? I push the PFL button and turn the gain up expecting one of the VUs to give me an indication but I get nothing. I can meter the outputs of the stereo-LR, mono, auxes, etc fine. But just can't meter the channel input. Am I missing something?

[Roy]

It seems to be a matter of turning it up until the OL LED lights up and then backing it off a bit. Hmmm.

[Kurt]

Live sound 101

It seems to be a matter of turning it up until the OL LED lights up and then backing it off a bit. Hmmm.