Tascam IF-FW/DM MKII - 32 Channel 24-Bit / 96kHz FireWire Interface Card for the DM-3200 and DM-4800 Digital Mixing Consoles

Comments about Tascam IF-FW/DM MKII - FireWire Interface Card:

Pro Tools recording

Comments about Tascam IF-FW/DM MKII - FireWire Interface Card:

Since I started my project studio 10 years ago, I have always looked for products that offer great value, exceptional quality, and ease of use. There are precious few systems that can compete with the MKII card.

As a drummer, I use a high channel count. I use the IF-FW/DM MKII card to connect my Tascam DM4800 to my iMac, providing 32 channels of i/o with just one firewire cable at bit rates and sampling rates beyond CD standard. The MKII is the best deal around. It represents a significant improvement in both sound quality and flexibility to my existing Presonus system, and I avoided having to spend THOUSANDS more on outboard converters, PCIe cards, and special cabling.

It took a small screw driver and about a minute to physically install the card into Slot 1 of my DM4800. It took another two or three minutes to install the drivers and get the card up and running with Logic Pro 9. I have recorded 18 channels simultaneously without any problems - the mkII card works as it should!

The only potential drawback that I can find with the mkII card itself is the lack of a locking connector for the firewire cable. I would enjoy the peace of mind knowing that the cable can't accidentally be pulled out during a busy recording session. This hasn't happened yet, but I do intend on being careful around the cable!

Comments about Tascam IF-FW/DM MKII - FireWire Interface Card:

Great item...AAA+++ Thank you

Comments about Tascam IF-FW/DM MKII - FireWire Interface Card:

First off let me say that I am no expert when it comes to multi track recording. I've been doing mostly live sound for 4 of 5 years now and probably 3 years with the Tascam DM4800. Have been wanting to get into multi track digital recording, so purchased the IF_FW/DM MKII firewire card from B&H. Install was very straight forward, and I since I am recording to a Mac with OSX 10.7 Lion I had to get the beta driver software from Tascam. So with the card installed and the drivers installed the Mac and the board recognized each other right away. You will need to understand the internal routing of the Tascam DM series, and on the Mac side you need to do some configuration in the Audio-Midi system preference window. Once that was out of the way I opened GarageBand for my first test and could see all 32 channels just fine. I still have a ways to go on the recording learning curve, but now I have the hardware to support that. The IF_FW/DM MKII firewire card is a great addition to the Tascam DM4800!

Comments about Tascam IF-FW/DM MKII - FireWire Interface Card:

The card was recognized by my DM3200 right away but you will need to check the firmware and run all updates at the suggested order. I did all updates and
then restarted my MacPro to find I then had to double check my routing on the DM3200 for the return playback into the DM3200. My one comment would be if all of this was stated in a leaflet out lining "getting started" for those who are not computer techs ( I am a network tech). Though all said and done you would by this unit only if you had the know how on trouble shooting.

Comments about Tascam IF-FW/DM MKII - FireWire Interface Card:

I bought this product to use with a Tascam DM-4800 mixing board. The physical installation was seemless. The board and computer recognize the IF-FW/DM MKII purchased, and all seems well on screen, however we are still working after a couple of weeks to achieve actual output through the 4800 board. We know that it is an awesome product, but we are frustrated with the lack of vital information needed to make it work with the board.. Help would be great if we could get through to Tascam tech support before our phone batteries go dead. Sorry this became a "Vent" comment. I feel confident this will become a very reliable product, if we are ever able to get it to work correctly. Beware! routing and outputs settings are a challenging at best and instruction that came with the unit are sparse.

Comments about Tascam IF-FW/DM MKII - FireWire Interface Card:

Having the DM3200 mixer for recording and mixdown purposes, I absolutely needed this card. It proves to be what it was supposed to be: An incredibly well thought out mixer becomes a great tool together with the DAW (Cubase) that I use. Installing it was a breeze, and the mixer immediately recognized it. Also, a firewire cable was included, which was a nice surprise.

One thing that I found disappointing, was that the firmware of the brand new card was on version 1.02. The latest available from Tascam is 1.10, but the updater software does not work from Windows 7, nor from Win XP-SP3. Basically I'm stuck now with 1.02, but according to other users it shouldn't be a problem.. Something to think of, though, when ordering any firmware-needing hardware.

Comments about Tascam IF-FW/DM MKII - FireWire Interface Card:

Be sure to go to the tascam pages and update ALL firmware and drivers: the console, the software drivers for your computer, then the firmware for the nterface card. After that, all works great!

Comments about Tascam IF-FW/DM MKII - FireWire Interface Card:

I use it in my Tascam DM3200 mixer, in a home recording studio...
I found it very easy to install and get every thing up and running, had no problem at all.
I used to have the MK1 card (discontinued) and now felt it was time to make the move to the mk2! and Im glad I did! I now have 32 ch IO running 96k 24 bit and it just works! a must for all Tascam DM users!