Tascam FW-1884 Brochure

FW-1884

Applications Guide

FW-1884 FireWire Control Surface and Audio/MIDI Interface

06/30/03

Page 1 of 6

˘ Up to 18 simultaneous inputs

˘ Comprehensive mixing, automa-

tion, editing and navigation tools
for DAWs

˘ Eight 100mm motorized touch-

sensitive channel faders, one
master fader

˘ Dedicated controls for pan, solo,

mute and select functions on each
channel; tactile control for four
bands of parametric EQ

˘ Shortcut keys for various popular

audio software applications

˘ Eight balanced XLR analog mic/

line inputs with high quality mic
preamps

˘ Phantom power and inserts on

every channel

˘ 24-bit/96kHz A/D and D/A

converters; full 96kHz operation
on all analog I/O channels with
compatible DAW software

o-designed by TASCAM and
Frontier Design Group, the

C

FW-1884 is a professional DAW
control surface and audio/MIDI
interface that uses the FireWire
high-speed data transfer protocol.

With FireWire’s high-bandwidth
capabilities, the FW-1884 provides 18
audio inputs and outputs and 4-port
MIDI interfacing to computer work­station applications. It offers control
of DAW parameters via eight 100mm

8 balanced XLR analog mic/line inputs
with high quality mic preamps, phan­tom power and inserts on every channel.
Using 24-bit/96kHz A/D and D/A
converters, the FW-1884 offers full
96kHz operation on all analog I/O chan­nels with compatible DAW software.
The FW-1884 also gives users eight
channels of ADAT lightpipe as well as
stereo S/PDIF inputs and outputs.

Perfectly suited to multi-channel

surround production as well as stan-

˘ Eight channels of ADAT lightpipe,

stereo S/PDIF inputs and outputs

˘ Eight analog outputs, allowing

connection of L/R and 5.1 surround
matrices

˘ 4 MIDI inputs, 4 MIDI outputs

˘ Dedicated headphone output

˘ Word Clock in and out jacks

˘ Assignable footswitch jack

˘ Compatible with a wide variety

of popular DAW applications

˘ Also available: FE-8 (eight-channel

sidecar) expands FW-1884 with up to
15 additional channel control strips

˘ Dimensions: 136mm(H) x

582mm(W) x 481mm(D)

˘ Weight: 10.3kg

motorized touch-sensitive channel
faders, one master fader, and controls
for pan, solo, mute and select func­tions on each channel. Tactile control
for four bands of parametric EQ, a jog
wheel and a variety of shortcut keys
for various popular software applica­tions are also included.

As a DAW controller, the FW-1884
is compatible with a wide variety of
popular applications including MOTU
Digital Performer™, Steinberg Cubase™,
Steinberg Nuendo™, Cakewalk Sonar™,
and more.

In addition to its surface control
capabilities, the FW-1884 provides

dard stereo mixing, the FW-1884
provides eight analog outputs for up
to 7.1 surround monitoring.

For people who require simultane­ous control of more audio channels, the
FE-8 expands the FW-1884 with eight
additional channel control strips
(100mm motorized faders and dedi­cated control buttons). Multiple FE-8’s
may be added to an FW-1884 system
as needed for big console functional­ity with any DAW system.

FW-1884

Applications Guide

06/30/03

Page 2 of 6

Computer

FireWire

Monitor Out L and R

Optical Output

Monitor

Mic Input 1

Line Output 8

Line Input 8

S/PDIF Output

S/PDIF Input

Microphone

Compressor

Reverb

CD Recorder

Controlling a Digital Audio Workstation

n this setup, the FW-1884 is controlling a Digital Audio

I

Workstation such as Pro Tools LE™ or Nuendo™.

The FW-1884 can be used as your input/output de­vice, adding up to 18 inputs and 18 outputs. Use the eight
microphone preamps to record into your DAW with zero
latency, or transfer audio from digital recorders and
GigaStudio through the ADAT inputs. The Control Room
section allows you to connect your DAW to your monitors
with an easy-access level control. You can control any
monitor system from Stereo up to 7.1, even simultaneous

5.1 and stereo mixes.

Use the nine 100mm moving faders to set up your
mix, and take advantage of the pan, EQ, aux send and
transport control on the front panel. You can even fl ip
the control surface to set up a cue mix from the faders.
More shortcuts on the front panel include edit com-

mands, nudging, in/out point editing with the weighted
jog wheel, and the all-important save and undo keys.
The FW-1884 is directly supported by most DAW systems,
and HUI™ emulation and Mackie Control™ emulation
ensures compatibility with the rest. Once you’ve freed
yourself from the mouse, you’ll wonder how you ever
worked without a fader controller.

One of the things that simple MIDI Fader Controllers
don’t address is that you’ve spent years collecting a rack
full of reverbs, compressors, and other signal processors.
Even though your DAW may have the latest plug-ins,
sometimes there’s no substitute for the real thing. The
FW-1884 allows you to insert your favorite gear into
your DAW mix via the analog, S/PDIF and ADAT I/O.
When you’ve fi nished your mix, you can record it back
into the computer or to an external device like a DAT
machine or CD recorder.