Let’s say it right up front. After all, there’s nothing to be ashamed of: Everyone wants one of the hot new digital mixers! Problem is, not everyone has the big bucks required to own one of these amazing new units. Fortunately, TASCAM, one of the most widely recognized names in professional audio, introduced its all-new TM-D1000 Digital Recording Mixer at this year's NAB show in Las Vegas. With an unbelievable list price of just $1199 (that’s not a misprint), the TM-D1000 offers musicians just about every important feature except one: The high price tag.

Designed to integrate with all DTRS format recorders, the TM-D1000 re-defines studio functionality and can easily claim its position as the most versatile and affordable compact digital mixer available. Designed for home recording enthusiasts, project studios and off-line editing suites, the TM-D1000 is a 16-channel, full digital mixer that will soon be revolutionizing small studio operations everywhere. The best news? The TM-D1000 is available right now - we have them in stock here at Sweetwater in our giant warehouse, ready to ship right to your door. Get set to change the way you work. And be prepared for great sound quality and that incomparable TASCAM reliability.

So what can you expect from your new TM-D1000? Well, start off with four XLR microphone inputs with phantom power (+48V), eight channels of TDIF-1 digital I/O, dual XLR AES/EBU digital outputs and two RCA S/PDIF digital outputs. The unit also comes standard with a digital external input, analog TRS balanced and RCA unbalanced stereo outs and up to 128 scenes (which are combinations of EQ, Aux, Pan, Mute, and Effects setups) which can be memorized and instantly recalled from the front panel or via MIDI control.

Combined with the ability to run your recorders directly from the mixer via MIDI Machine Control (MMC) messages, this new mixer will make recording in your studio faster and simpler, meaning you spend less time hassling with equipment and more time creating music. That’s the point of having a project studio, isn’t it?

The mixer can also be expanded by adding two optional cards: The IF-TD1000 interface card adds eight channels of TDIF and four channels of AES/EBU or S/PDIF while the FX-1000 Effects Board adds four additional channels of dynamics processing and one stereo pair of reverb, chorus, delay, flange, etc. Along with the four XLR microphone inputs and eight 1/4-inch TRS inputs, the TM-D1000 provides the flexibility to accommodate a substantial number of analog inputs. The mixer communicates digitally with DTRS format recorders via the integral TDIF-1 port and can easily be expanded to a 16-track system just by adding the optional IF-TD1000 interface card. ADAT owners can easily interface via converters from Apogee and TASCAM.

Okay, we have great sound and all the connections, but what about some of the very cool extras you expect from a top digital mixer? The TM-D1000 has onboard dynamics processing and 10 stereo effects, enabling the engineer to tailor the audio program to his or her liking without the need to patch in external processors. When needed, adding outboard effects is easy: In Mix mode, the mixer's 4 bus architecture doubles as 4 effect sends.

For rapid recall of mixer settings, the TM-D1000 will respond to incoming MIDI messages to recreate up to 128 mixer scenes. This capability makes changing from one project to another an effortless task and adds greater consistency to the mixing process. For controlling transport and track arming features of connected recorders, the TM-D1000 also incorporates the ability to transmit MMC messages. Used in tandem, the external control capabilities of this new mixer are exceptional.

TASCAM's new TM-D1000 represents a substantial advance in affordable digital technology for the small studio operator. With its low list price, this outstanding digital recording console has to be considered a great investment for any studio. No, it doesn’t have every single bell and whistle, but it has what you need to get the job done and the ability to grow as a system. What more can you ask for?

To learn more about this mixer, its capabilities and all the options, just pick up the phone and dial up your friendly, knowledgeable Sweetwater Sales Engineer. They’ll be more than happy to give you a complete rundown of all the TM-D1000’s many features. They can