Tascam Digital Portastudio 2488 User Guide

							8 – MIDI
 TASCAM 2488 User’s Guide 79
Time signature
In order to accurately display bars and beats, the 
2488 needs to know the time signature of the music 
being played.
Most pop and rock is in 4/4 time, but there are some 
famous exceptions, and many music outside these 
fields is in other time signatures. 
Music may also change time signature part of the 
way through.
1With the transport stopped, from the SYNC/MIDI 
screen, select 
TIME SIGNATURE, and press ENTER.
2This is very similar to the tempo map. Use the 
INSERT and DELETE keys to insert and delete 
entries and the cursor keys to scroll through 
the list.
Use the cursor keys and wheel to select and 
change the 
BAR in which the time signature 
changes (obviously, a time signature cannot 
change halfway through a bar!) and the time 
signature (
TIME SIG.) itself.
3Press ENTER when done.
Metronome
The metronome is an important tool to keep you in 
time while you play. The 2488’s metronome can be a 
MIDI note output to an external tone generator, or it 
can be an audio click.
1With the transport stopped, from the SYNC/MIDI 
screen, select 
METRONOME, and press ENTER.
2You can select the MODE of the metronome 
(when it will play) as either 
REC (the metro-
nome plays through the monitoring system 
only when recording) or 
REC&PLAY (the metro-
nome sounds both when playing back and 
recording).
3The other parameter allows you to set up 
whether the metronome is an internal audio 
click (
INTERNAL) or a MIDI note sent from the 
MIDI OUT terminal (MIDI) or off (OFF). In the 
case of the 
INTERNAL setting, the level can be set 
between 0 and 127.
4If MIDI is chosen, the following parameters 
can be set:
Select the MIDI channel (
MIDI Ch 10 is usually 
reserved for drums and percussion), and the 
Note and Velocity used for the Accent (the first note 
of each bar) and 
Normal beats.
Use the 
CLICK key above the transport keys can be 
used to turn the metronome click on and off easily 
(whether 
INTERNAL or MIDI is selected). 
The indicator lights orange while waiting, and while 
the click is output, flashes red to mark the start of a 
bar, and green for other beats. 
						

							8 – MIDI
80 TASCAM 2488 User’s Guide
Patterns
In addition to being able to play SMF pieces, the 
2488 can also play backing patterns (drums and per-
cussion only).
Select 
PATTERN as the player mode to enable this fea-
ture (“Internal module mode” on page 76).
When the pattern mode is selected, pressing the 
MIDI 
PLAYER
 key brings up the PATTERN ARRANGE screen:
To select a “global” playback style from this screen, 
press 
ENTER. The PRESET STYLE LIBRARY screen is 
shown:
Use the wheel to select from the range of styles, clas-
sified as rock, pop, etc.), and the 
ENTER key to con-
firm (the 
EXIT key cancels a selection) a style for the 
whole song, which is loaded along with its drum kit 
and its default tempo (the selected style replaces any 
previously-selected style throughout the whole song 
and the sections and lengths will change).
You can then use the cursor keys and wheel to select 
and edit (

BAR at which the pattern starts

TEMPO (in bpm)

STYLE (set the individual section’s style from here)

SECTION (this is the section of a song in the selected 
style, such as verse, fill, intro, etc.) The time signa-ture of the selected section is shown at the bottom 
of the display.

LENGTH (if you choose a length different to the 
default length of the selected section, the number 
of bars (measures) shows an asterisk 
* following 
it).
NOTE
Do not use ENTER to confirm your settings, as this will 
bring up the style library screen).
The tempos set here override any settings made using 
the tempo map (“Tempo map” on page 78). 
All the settings made here become a part of the cur-
rent song and are saved with it.
Deleting a section To delete a section from the 
arrangement, move the cursor to the section to be 
deleted, and use the 
DELETE key (locate section) to 
delete it.
Inserting a section To insert a section into the 
arrangement, move the cursor to the section above 
which the new part will be inserted, and use the 
INSERT key (locate section) to insert a new section 
which can then be edited.
Copying sections You may want to copy a num-
ber of sections that occur frequently in your song, 
such as verse+chorus+fill (which you can represent 
by different verse and fill variations). Here’s how you 
do it.
1Move the cursor to the start of the block that 
you want to copy. 
2Press the COPY TO key (shifted TRIM key). 
The selected line is highlighted.
3Use the wheel or cursor keys to move to the 
final section of the block that you want to 
copy. 
						

							8 – MIDI
 TASCAM 2488 User’s Guide 81
4Press ENTER.5Move the “line” cursor to the point to where 
the block will be copied and press 
ENTER once 
again. The block is copied.
NOTE
If you select the bars and beats display (“Markers” on 
page 42), this reflects the settings made here.
Selecting the drum kit
The 2488’s tone generator includes a number of dif-
ferent drum kits, which you can use to give a differ-
ent sound to your songs.
When a preset style is loaded, a suitable drum kit is 
also loaded along with the pattern type. The same 
drum kit is retained for the whole song.
With the 
PATTERN ARRANGE screen displayed, press 
SHIFT and ENTER.Twenty different kits are available for use, including 
Latin sets, famous drum machine sounds, and so on.
Use the cursor keys or wheel to select a different 
drum kit for your song. Press 
ENTER when done (or 
EXIT to leave the kit as it is). The PATTERN ARRANGE 
screen is then shown.
MTC, MIDI clock, etc.
The 2488 can synchronize to external MIDI Time 
Code (MTC) or can generate MTC in order to syn-
chronize other MIDI devices.
Other devices may be sequencers or DAWs which are 
enabled for MTC.In addition it is capable of generating MIDI Clock 
commands which are typically used by drum and 
rhythm machines, as well as by some sequencers. 
						

							8 – MIDI
82 TASCAM 2488 User’s Guide
MIDI Time Code
With the transport stopped, from the SYNC/MIDI menu, 
select the 
SYNC option and press ENTER:

SOURCE can be INTERNAL (the 2488 acts as the master 
unit) or 
EXTERNAL (the 2488 takes its synchroniza-
tion from another unit).
FRAME TYPE refers to the format of the MTC sent 
and received by the 2488. This can be either 
24 
(film), 
25 (EBU TV), 29D (29 fps drop-frame, used 
with NTSC color), 
29ND (29fps non-drop, also used 
with NTSC color), or 
30 (NTSTC monochrome and 
often used for audio-only work)

OFFSET allows you to select the offset of the 2488 
relative to the incoming timecode (outgoing time-
code is always the same as the absolute position). 
For example, your song always starts at the “all 
zeroes” position, but if you are dubbing it onto 
video at 30 minutes into the video, you should have 
an offset of 30 minutes set here. 
						

							8 – MIDI
 TASCAM 2488 User’s Guide 83
GENERATOR can be OFF, MTC or CLOCK. OFF and MTC 
explain themselves. See below for an explanation 
of the 
CLOCK setting.
NOTE
Timecode (including MTC) does not include any infor-
mation about bars and beats or tempo. MIDI Clock does 
not contain any information about the absolute time at 
which events take place.
MIDI clock
MIDI Clock and associated MIDI commands (Start/
Stop, Song Position Pointer etc.) can be transmitted 
from the 2488 when it is in 
INTERNAL mode and the 
GENERATOR parameter is set to CLOCK. In this setting, 
the 2488 can be used to control an external sequenc-
ers, drum machines, etc. whose audio outputs are fed 
to the 2488.
NOTE
Remember that there is no absolute time information 
contained in this MIDI Clock data. Any external devices 
synchronized to the 2488 which need timing informa-
tion should either be synchronized using MTC, or have 
their own tempo maps.
Remote
From the SYNC/MIDI menu, this REMOTE option allows 
the setting of a number of parameters connected with 
remote control of the 2488.

MIDI IN MODE allows you to specify what will happen 
when MIDI messages are received. The choices 
are: 
OFF (incoming MIDI messages are ignored), TG 
(incoming MIDI messages control the tone genera-
tor) and 
REMOTE (incoming MIDI messages control scene changes (“Scene memories” on page 29) and 
mixer parameters.
 MMC (MIDI Machine Control) The 2488 can act 
in MASTER or a SLAVE MODE, either control-
ling or being controlled by other devices in the sys-
tem. Each device in such a setup must have an ID 
assigned to it. The settings here are from 1 to 127, 
or ALL (the last setting means that the 2488 will 
respond to all MMC commands received, not just 
those specifically addressed to it).
NOTE
It is possible for a device to act as an MMC master, and a 
timecode slave, or the other way around. MMC and 
timecode are independent of each other.
REMOTE CONTROL settings. You can enable or disable 
Program Change messages for the following: 
SCENE 
and 
EFF (effect change). In addition you can turn 
CONTROL CHANGE messages on or off (for individual 
mixer parameters). 
						

							84 TASCAM 2488 User’s Guide
9 – General preferences
There are four sets of general preferences that you 
can make in order to customize the 2488 to your 
working style.Access all of these through the PREFERENCES menu.
Global preferences
These all affect the overall operation of the 2488
Key sense time  Some of the keys on the unit 
have two different functions, spending on whether 
they are pressed and released in a short space of time, 
or whether they are pressed and held down for a 
longer period.
The pitch control is a good example of this. If the 
PITCH/SSA key is pressed and released briefly, the 
pitch control is turned on. If it is pressed and held for 
the time set here, a screen appears allowing you to 
make the settings for the pitch and the slow speed 
audition functions.
The setting for the key sense time is from 0.3 to 2.0 
seconds, in 0.1 second steps.
Meter peak hold time The meters shown on 
the home display and other pages can be configured 
to hold the peak value.This parameter can take the following values: 
OFF, 
where the meters do not hold the peak value at all, 
ON; the peak meters hold the value for a second or so 
and then drop back, or
 KEEP, where the peak value is 
always shown on screen until this value is changed. 
You can also use 
SHIFT + HOME to clear these held 
peak values.
Use the cursor keys to highlight the parameter, and 
the wheel to change it
TIP
\The KEEP setting is useful if you want a permanent 
record of the highest value, but you cannot keep your 
eyes on the meters during the whole take or rehearsal.
Meter release time  The meter “drop-back” 
time can be configured to be from 3
0ms to 100ms in 
10ms steps using the cursor keys to highlight the 
parameter, and the dial to change it.
Note that the meters are always peak meters, and the 
rise time is fixed.
Shift key behavior The SHIFT key can be used 
in one of three ways, as set by this parameter: 
AUTO 
SAFE
, in which the SHIFT key can be pressed and 
released, and remain active for about a second; and 
UNLOCK, in which the key is non-latching; that is, you 
must press and hold the 
SHIFT key while pressing 
the other key to be shifted. The 
HOLD setting latches 
the 
SHIFT key on until another key is pressed.
Mixer preferences
As the name says, these affect mixer items:Fader matching The option affects the way in 
which the physical and the virtual faders interact (see 
“Faders” on page 24). There are three options here: 

REAL: if the internal fader level is changed using a 
scene change or a MIDI Control Change, this is 
ignored. The actual physical fader is the only way 
in which the fader level is set.

JUMP: the internal fader level jumps to the level set 
by the physical fader as soon as the physical fader 
is moved. Since this can result in sudden changes 
in volume, resulting in possible damage to hearing 
and monitoring equipment, this option should be 
used with caution. 
						

							9 – General preferences
 TASCAM 2488 User’s Guide 85
CATCH: the fader level remains the same initially. 
However, if you then move the physical fader so 
that the physical level becomes the internal level 
(the faders “catch” the internal level), the physical 
level changes at that point. This ensures that there 
are no sudden leaps in volume due to a difference 
between the physical fader and the internal setting.
NOTENOTE
Note that the setting made for this option will apply to 
the current song, and any songs loaded afterwards, 
until the setting is changed.
Digital input The digital input can be assigned to 
any pair of inputs (
A/B, C/D, E/F, G/H). These inputs may 
then be assigned to channels in the usual way.
Press the 
ENTER key to confirm the assignment. 
This assignment is not made until the 
ENTER key is 
pressed, with the digital source connected, and is not 
stored as part of the song information.
The 2488 can accept digital audio from 44.1 kHz 
sources.
Recorder
These preferences affect the recorder operation: There are only two parameters here, used to change 
the pre roll and post roll times of the auto punch 
operation (see “Auto punch operations” on page 46).
User word
When titling, you can use preset words or phrases in 
your location points.The 2488 comes with many standard useful phrases, 
but if you are playing a style of music not catered for 
by these words, you can use this preference screen to 
add your own words (up to 12 characters long), for 
example 
BANJO SOLO.
Select the word to be edited and then press 
TITLE 
(shifted 
MENU) to edit it, as described in “Titling” on 
page 12. Press 
ENTER when you have finished edit-
ing the word. 
						

							86 TASCAM 2488 User’s Guide
10 – Specifications, etc.
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							10 – Specifications, etc.
 TASCAM 2488 User’s Guide 87
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							10 – Specifications, etc.
88 TASCAM 2488 User’s Guide
Dimensional drawing
Specifications
Audio connections
MIC/LINE inputs (A to D) Combined XLR-1/4 TRS connector
XLR Input impedance: 2 k
Ω
Input level: –57 dBu (MIC) to –10 dBu (LINE)
Nominal input level: –10 dBu
Maximum input level: +6 dBu
1/4” TRS Input impedance: 8 k
Ω
Input level: –43 dBu (MIC) to +4 dBu (LINE)
Nominal input level: +4 dBu
Maximum input level: +20 dBu
MIC/LINE inputs (E to H) 1/4 TRS connectors (input H also has a GUITAR front panel unbalanced 1/4” jack—see below)
Input impedance: 4 k
Ω
Input level: –43 dBu (MIC) to +4 dBu (LINE)
Nominal input level: +4 dBu
Maximum input level: +20 dBu
Input H (GUITAR) Input impedance: 1 M
Ω
Input level: –55 dBu to –8 dBu
STEREO L/R outputs  2 x unbalanced RCA jacks
Output impedance: 100 
Ω
Nominal output level: –10 dBV
Maximum output level: +6 dBV
EFFECT SENDS 1 and 2 1 x unbalanced 1/4 jack per send
Output impedance: 100 
Ω
Nominal output level: –10 dBV
Maximum output level: +6 dBV
355 mm (14)
545 mm (21.5)
94 (3.7) 145 (5.7)
113 (4.5)