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The Value of Outboard Gear vs. the Components in a 24-Channel Tascam Mixer
When it comes to professional audio recording, the debate between outboard gear and integrated mixer components is ongoing. While vintage and modern Tascam 24-channel recording mixers have been workhorses for many studios, the reality is that their individual components (preamps, EQs, compressors, etc.) hold far less value than dedicated outboard gear. This article explores why outboard processors often surpass the built-in features of a Tascam mixer in terms of sound quality, flexibility, and resale value.
1. The “Jack of All Trades” vs. Specialized Performance
A 24-channel Tascam mixer is designed to handle multiple recording and mixing tasks in a single unit. However, this means that each component—whether it’s a preamplifier, equalizer, or bus compressor—is a compromise rather than a high-end solution. In contrast, outboard gear is dedicated to a single function, allowing manufacturers to fine-tune circuits for optimal sonic performance.
Example Comparison:
- Tascam Mixer Preamp – Functional but often clean, flat, and uninspiring.
- Standalone Mic Preamp (e.g., Neve 1073, API 512c) – Offers color, warmth, and dynamic depth that built-in mixer preamps rarely achieve.
The same applies to EQs and compressors: a Tascam’s onboard EQ may provide broad adjustments, but a Pultec-style EQ or an SSL channel strip will deliver musical, high-quality sculpting that vastly outperforms a mixer’s built-in section.
2. Build Quality & Circuitry: Cost-Cutting in Mixers
To keep costs down, mass-produced recording mixers like Tascam use:
- Lower-cost op-amps and capacitors
- Simplified circuit designs
- Shared power supplies for multiple channels
Outboard gear, especially high-end analog units, features:
- Higher-grade components (e.g., hand-wired transformers, discrete Class A circuits)
- Independent power supplies for better signal integrity
- Precision engineering for detailed sound shaping
For instance, an outboard tube compressor like a Teletronix LA-2A will provide a level of warmth and harmonic richness that an onboard Tascam mixer compressor simply cannot match.
3. Resale Value: Outboard Gear Holds Its Worth
One of the biggest reasons outboard gear is a better long-term investment than a mixer’s built-in components is resale value.
Resale Trends:
- Tascam Mixers: Lose significant value over time because they are mass-produced and eventually become obsolete due to technological advancements.
- High-End Outboard Gear: Retains value—and sometimes even appreciates—because analog hardware remains desirable in studios worldwide.
For example:
- A Tascam M-2600 MKII mixer that once retailed for $2,000+ might only sell for $500 today.
- A Universal Audio 1176 compressor, purchased for $1,200, may still be worth $1,000+ years later, as its value is tied to sound quality, not technological obsolescence.
4. Workflow Flexibility & Upgradability
Outboard gear allows you to customize and upgrade your recording chain over time. Instead of being stuck with one set of built-in components, you can:
- Swap out preamps for different tonal flavors
- Use multiple EQ types for varied frequency shaping
- Add high-end compressors and effects without replacing an entire console
A Tascam mixer, on the other hand, is fixed—you’re stuck with the internal preamps, EQs, and compressors. While it can serve as a solid front-end for recording, it doesn’t provide the same modular approach as outboard gear.
Conclusion: Outboard Gear Wins in Value & Performance
While a Tascam 24-channel mixer is a useful tool for routing, summing, and basic mixing, its individual components don’t compare to the sound quality, flexibility, and resale value of dedicated outboard gear. If you’re serious about professional-grade recordings, investing in high-quality outboard preamps, EQs, and compressors will yield better long-term results than relying on a mixer’s built-in features.
For budget-conscious studios, a hybrid approach—using a mixer for routing and integrating key outboard gear for critical signal processing—is often the best of both worlds. However, if you’re after true high-end analog sound, outboard gear is the clear winner.
Interview with Michael D
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: I love analog. Outboard analog equipment is desirable. However, there is very good digital software out today that gets some of this. Digital is finally filling in the missing ingredients, and if you understand the recording and mixing process and the signal chain, you can achieve an analog desirable sound. A hybrid of analog and digital is what everybody is doing.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What’s your answer?
A: How long will it take? When will it be done? Those are 2 common questions. My answer is always the same. I will always have an estimation based on what the job details are for the first full mix. After listening and discussing the first full mix, we can then work on revisions and ideas so that the final product meets our artistic goals.
Q: What’s the biggest misconception about what you do?
A: I’m not a DJ.
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: What albums would you like to use as a reference to the sound you desire? What style are you going for? What genre are you marketing to? What message are you trying to convey?
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Ready. Here goes. Pen, Notebook, Acoustic guitar, tuner, and a pick
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Again, this is exactly where getting the job done right matters. Every band or artist is different. Depending on the idea and what they want to achieve will determine that style. Sometimes, clean, silky, and punchy works, and other times more lo-fi, warm, and dirty works. It’s all about the style, genre, and message. I will leave it there.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Wow, that’s a great question. My favorite bands of all time are Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Doors, and Kiss. They are the core four. Then there’s an extensive list of bands right behind them, such as The Beatles, Metallica, The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, SoundGarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains, and many others. I’ve also found a whole new community of bands under The Stoner Rock/Doom umbrella that I love. There are alot of bands in the Stoner Rock/Desert Rock/and Grunge genres currently that I would love to work with.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: A static mix will be static and boring…Make it interesting all the way through. I’m not here to make demos.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I enjoy working with all genres of rock music, acoustic music, pop-rock, and metal.
Q: What’s your strongest skill?
A: My strongest skill is seeing a project all the way through, done the right way. From idea to final product, you should have a song or album that fits the artist perfectly, in terms of style, genre, character, and the message.
Q: What’s your typical work process?
A: I like to see what the song has first. If all the recording is really done and how the session looks. Pre-production of a song is so important. Next, getting everything organized is crucial to workflow. It’s important for the musicians to send songs that are organized. Once the mundane work is out of the way, then getting a rough mix together and a plan for the direction of the song is in order. That is important for the genre, the style, and the idea you want to convey. When those things are checked off, I like to move swiftly getting a great mix together.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: Well, first and foremost, I’ve put time into acoustically treating my studio and tightening up it’s sound. Tightening up the low end of your studio for recording and mixing is essential. I use Pro Tools with a mix of high end outboard gear and all the latest and best sounding software. I love microphones so I have a nice collection of them, and I am a guitar player, so you will see some marshalls, gibsons, and other guitars and amps around here.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: My biggest musical influences come from classic rock, metal, and the stoner rock/desert rock/grunge scene. I also have a long history of listening to what is on the radio. Perhaps you could say I have more listening hours on the radio then to my collection of music. Although my collection of music is large and played most often, I’ve spent more hours traveling by car and listening to the radio.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: Well, mixing engineers are responsible for blending and balancing individual tracks of a song to create a cohesive and polished final mix. With that being said, The goal of a mixing engineer is to enhance the overall sonic quality of a recording and to bring out the best in each individual element, creating a professional and engaging listening experience for the audience. The specific tasks may vary depending on the genre, style, and client preferences.
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I am extremely proud of all of my work. I find great value in all the projects I work on. My latest project was released on September 26, 2023, so naturally, that is the work I am most proud of today.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I just finished an album that was released in September 2023. I am currently working on recording and mixing another album.
Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?
A: I am not aware of anybody that i know on SoundBetter at the present time.
Q: What’s your ‘promise’ to your clients?
A: Satisfaction is guaranteed
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: It is my passion, so that’s what I like most.
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: Make sure there is great communication skills and that there is an easy process to meet artistic visions.
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I was formerly a telecommunications engineer for 20 years and have decided to pursue a life long dream. I’ve studied and have been doing audio production for 20 years.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I write music, play guitar, and have produced and engineered albums. I am always very involved with the music industry side of things. That includes the legal music business side and the marketing side, staying involved with public relations and being involved with the communities. Having a large collection of music and spending alot of time listening to the radio is useful too.