What I’m Using Now: Tascam FW-1884 and FW-1082 Interface and Control Surfaces

Tascam FW-1884 and FW-1082 Interface and Control Surfaces

Albert Fox Composer/Sound Designer Mutato Muzika, Los Angeles

Favorite gear: Tascam’s FW-1884 and FW-1082 Interface and Control Surfaces

List: FW-1884 is $1,599 plus FE-8 Expanders ( $1,249ea); FW-1082 is $999

Why I love them: I have been using the Tascam FW-1884 and FW-1082 for a while now and I’m completely hooked. I can never go back. They go way beyond mouse mixing.

"At Mutato Muzika, I use the Tascam FW-1082. Although we do have a nice SSL setup in the main room, along with 10 Neve 1073 mic pre amplifiers (pres), I almost always use the 1082’s pres to track everything for commercials, movies, TV shows and video games. Unless we are tracking a string quartet or some large ensemble that I cannot physically hold in my room, the 1082 is the sound of my work at Mutato Muzika. I also have a home studio where I use the Tascam FW-1884. I decided against using the 1884 at Mutato because of the work setup and went for the smaller footprint and fewer mic pres of the 1082. But, I have to say that the compatibility between the two is never an issue. If I start something at Mutato on the 1082, I am guaranteed that it will work at home on my 1884 and vice versa.

At home, the 1884 is the center of my studio set up. I use it with 2 expanders for a total of 24 faders running Apple Logic and Reason (from Propellerhead) software. The 1884 makes the workflow easy with its dedicated DAW shortcut buttons (cut, copy, paste, delete, undo, save, etc). I love the 100 mm motorized faders—they remind me of the SSL we have at Mutato. The feel of the jog/shuttle wheel is great—nice and heavy for quick access to different sections of a piece I am working on or scrubbing for placement of musical hits or SFX. Best of all, the 1884 works—every button, every command—nicely and without hesitation. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a dedicated control surface/audio interface/midi interface. There is nothing that will give you this much power, that many mic pres and this much expandability for anywhere close to the same price point. And it sounds great!"