December 5, 2018
Saturday, August 25, 2018, "SHAKIN' THE HOUSE".
The Faith Mass Choir Gospel Concert" was held at Namba Hatch. TASCAM's DA-6400DP 64-channel Digital Multitrack Recorder and IF-MA64/EX MADI interface card were used for this concert, along with over 30 microphones and up to 62 channels that were connected between the stage and the PA desk, leading to an outstanding gospel performance with rock and ballad music.
TASCAM had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Sasaki, the producer of the project, and his staff at Pasti Menang Co. Mr. Sasaki has a great deal of experience in multitrack recording, and he talked to us about the past and current state of multitrack recording.
TASCAM: Please tell us about what prompted you to use the DA-6400 this time.
Sasaki: I wanted to do digital multitrack recording, and I knew about hardware recording units like TASCAM DA-88 and ALESIS HD24 since I had used them in the past. I had known about the DA-6400 for some time, but after learning that Chicken George had installed a DA-6400, I asked Masaki at Chicken George about it and decided to give it a try.
TASCAM: What was your impression of a 1U-size multi-track recorder like the DA-6400?
Sasaki: We're a provisional/rental PA business, so the portability was really great! When we used the TASCAM DA-88, we had to carry it in a 20U rack, and we also had to change all the tapes every 30 minutes or so. But with the DA-6400, we can just be recording all the time.
Ohnishi (FOH engineer): We talked about the DA-6400 soon after it was launched.
Sasaki: Oh yeah, Ohnishi was the one who told me about the unit.
Ohnishi: I told him "if it's that easy to record, why don't you give it a try".
Sasaki: Yes, and I responded "Yeah, why not" but after I saw the price we joked around telling Ohnishi to buy the DA-6400 so I could be the one borrowing it from him. I often work with live recordings with a relatively large number of channels, and I wish I could edit them later. I can save channels by grouping them, but I can't always adjust the balance later, so I need the multitrack recording function.
TASCAM: Let's talk about the live recording scene in Japan. Do you think multitrack recordings are increasing in live performance?
Sasaki: Increasing...it's rather that we would like for it to increase, actually. I mean, Pro Tools is very easy to get nowadays.
TASCAM: Yes, nowadays it's very easy to get DAWs like Pro Tools, isn't it? But what about having a hardware unit? What did you find interesting in the DA-6400?
Sasaki: That it's very compact for sure! It also can handle multiple channels and the fact that transmission of recorded data is fast too.
Ohnishi: With Pro Tools, it depends on the condition of the PC, so dedicated hardware is more reliable and reassuring in that case.
Sasaki: Exactly.
Ohnishi: It's safe and easy to handle, and a good thing is that you can just press the REC and START buttons to record, which is simple enough.
Sasaki: Although the clock can shift when recording with two or more recorders at the same time.
TASCAM: Cascade operation with two or more units is now supported with firmware version 2.10.
Sasaki: I would like to try that. This time we recorded at 48 kHz, but most recordings use over 32 channels, so we would like to try recording at 96 kHz. Although depending on the venue, we may decide to use 32 channels.
TASCAM: With the included SSD 240GB, recording 64 channels at 48kHz/24-bit will take approximately 7 hours. What do you think about this recording time?
Sasaki: With around 7 hours, I think it's fine. Unless it's not a festival, for a concert like the one we did I think that's enough. Any longer than that and it's going to be hard to listen to the recorded data.
Ohnishi: We sometimes have to work all day long when it comes to festivals.
Sasaki: Yes, that's right. Certainly, for festivals sometimes we run for 7 or 8 hours, but there are always breaks between performances, so the recording media can be replaced during those breaks. Also, the recording is mostly done with two recording units with the recording start time staggered. The recording media is replaced once the data is full in one device, while the other one continues recording.
TASCAM: In that case, you may also want to consider having the SSD 480GB.
TASCAM: In addition to MADI cards, we also offer a selection of multi-track standard cards, so you can choose the one that best suits your connection.
Sasaki: Both MADI and Dante are supported, and recording can be done at the touch of a button...this is pretty amazing.
Ohnishi: When I first learned about the DA-6400, I think it was written somewhere that it was born to serve as a backup for Pro Tools, but I feel that the DA-6400 can now be used as the main system for recording.
TASCAM: Thank you.
Shimizu (foldback engineer): Do I have to download the recorded data with a special editor or something?
TASCAM: No. If you connect the SSD case (TASCAM AK-CC25) to your Mac/Windows or other PC with the included USB cable, you can transfer the data as WAV data.
Shimizu: That seems very easy.
Sasaki: To be honest we haven't done it yet, but I feel like I can do it just hearing about it now.
Ohnishi: Oh, I think you can do it quite enough.
* Files recorded with the DA-6400 are BWF compatible, so they can be imported into Pro Tools at the time position they were recorded, and USB 3.0 compatibility enables high-speed data transfer.
From left Misaki (stage assistant), Shimizu, Sasaki, Ohnishi, and Ohmori (stage assistant)
Hayato Sasaki
Pasti Menang Corporation CEO
Trained as a sound engineer at BANANA HALL in Umeda, Osaka from 1986,
In1989, Sasaki Joined Z Sound Inc. and worked as a monitor engineer for "THE BOOM" and house operation for "ZELDA".
In 1995 he founded Pasti Menang and worked as a monitor operator for Toshinori Yonekura, Nokko, Toshio Kadomatsu, etc. He also began stage management and concert production for Jiro Sugita, Hirofumi Bamba, and others.
Sasaki established PASTIMNAN Inc. in 2010.
Hiromasa Ohnishi
FOH engineer
Ohnishi started his career in 1982 as the PA engineer at Candy Hall, Umeda.
In 1986, sound management at live houses in Umeda, Shinsaibashi, Sakai, etc.
He joined Z Sound Inc. in 1991 and worked as a house engineer for the Wolframs and as the monitor engineer for Akiko Wada.
Ohnishi turned into a freelance engineer in 1999, working as a sound consultant for live music houses, gospel concerts, flamenco performances, concert tours, etc.
Hiromitsu Shimizu
Foldback Engineer
DVD
JPY 4,000+tax now on sale
Purchase the DVD via The Faith Mass Choir Official Website
HP：https://faith-gospel.com/
