Hey,
I'm breaking down the whole process into little steps. I guess you already know most of this but maybe you'll find that one tiny piece that's missing.
Recoding
1. Connect your speakers to "Monitor out" not group out "1/L 2/R".
2. Connect the outputs of your device(s) to the channel inputs (Line B in your case) of the 688
3. Set up the routing
From what you've written I'd say you already did that correct. Set all main inputs to "Line" in the "Input" matrix. Assign each channel to a different group (input 1 -> group 1, input 2 -> group 2) in the "Assign Main" matrix.
4. Arm recording for each group. All "Recording Function" LED's should be on.
5. Change the "Monitor" to "Cue monitor". Not "Group 1-2". Not both. Just "Cue monitor".
6. Pull up the group master faders
7. Adjust recording and monitoring levels
Set all EQ's to 12 o'clock. Press play on your device. Use the channel faders to adjust the level for each channel so that they are slightly in the red (more in the red if you want more tape saturation, less in the red if you want more hiss). Adjust EQ if needed. With all channels at full blast your monitor mix will sound quite different to what you want your final mix to sound like. For that reason there is the "Cue monitor" section where you can adjust the level and panning for each group.
8. Put in a cassette, press "Record" and "Play", let it roll for a few seconds, press "Pause" and then "Reset".
9. Press "Play" on the 688, wait a second and then press play on your device.
10. When you've finished recording, press "Stop" then "RTZ". Press "Play" to listen to your recording.
11. If you are not satisfied with the results repeat from step 7
Mixdown
1. Switch to scene 12 (Main input 1-8 from tape, all channels assigned to group 1-2)
2. Change "Monitor" to "Group 1-2". Make sure "Cue Monitor" is off.
3. All EQ's to 12 o'clock
4. Press "Play"
5. Mix! (Adjust channel faders, EQ's and stuff)
6. Record your final mix.
Alnitak_Kid wrote:
and what's the difference between the normal tracks and the dual tracks besides the eq not affecting the dual tracks?
Dual tracks are just additional inputs you can use during recording or mix down. With the "Dual Link" buttons you can merge the signals of the main and dual input for recording. That way you have 20 inputs instead of 10.