My Old 80's Tascam M-520 Analog Mixing Desk

DrNomis · Post by **DrNomis** » 07 Jul 2021, 12:39

Hey Everyone,

Earlier this week, one of my best friends dropped-off for me at my place an old 80's Tascam M-520 20 Ch Analog studio mixing desk, plus the power supply, this is going to be a fun restoration project for myself because I'm planning on using it in my studio hopefully with my Focusrite Saffire Pro 40, assuming I can get them to play nicely with each other.

Here's a pic of the mixing desk set-up in my little studio room:

karul · Post by **karul** » 07 Jul 2021, 13:22

nice. keep us updated.

http://www.torridheatstudios.com/ftp/sh ... am%20M520/

DrNomis · Post by **DrNomis** » 08 Jul 2021, 06:40

Cheers karul,

Will do, some of the channel-strip panels have a bit of rust/corrosion on them, I was wondering where I could get a set of replacements in reasonable condition, I just need a set of metal panels, I think the circuit-boards are probably okay.

bmxguitarsbmx · Post by **bmxguitarsbmx** » 08 Jul 2021, 20:59

Thats cool man. I'm in the process of rebuilding an old mixer for recording. So far two channels are sounding nice and clean, with a little vibe. So far I am pleased. Good luck and have fun!

DrNomis · Post by **DrNomis** » 09 Jul 2021, 04:44

bmxguitarsbmx wrote: ↑08 Jul 2021, 20:59 Thats cool man. I'm in the process of rebuilding an old mixer for recording. So far two channels are sounding nice and clean, with a little vibe. So far I am pleased. Good luck and have fun!

Cheers, some of the restoration work that needs to be done on my Tascam M-520, is to get rid of the rust/corrosion on some of the metal parts, I need to replace all 5 of the channel strip sheet-metal panels cause they look a bit corroded, I also need to order a replacement knob for one of the channel's eqs, currently, I don't know if any of the circuitry in the desk is working because the power cable that connects the power supply module to the desk is missing, I like a challenge so I'm determined to get the desk restored to a fully-working condition.

DrNomis · Post by **DrNomis** » 09 Jul 2021, 04:48

Check out this youtube video (skip to about the 5:00 mark), I think this is a pretty good example of what a Tascam M-520 in good working condition sounds like, I like the fat, warm analog sound he's getting, sounds pleasant to listen to: