Tascam 688?

[Riker]

Does anyone know how to use this unit? I downloaded the whole manual and it never makes enough sense, and possibly some engrish as well.

My biggest problem is that I haven't figured out how to mix other tracks while recording. That basically makes it useless, I mean, ever other recorder on the market of today and yesterday wont do that. I mean, can you record an instrument track while not hearing yourself, or not hearing the track that you're working on while the other tracks are all up at the same level?

I just want to do a pre-mixdown while recording. The level sliders don't function unless set for final mixdown, which I cannot record in that mode. There is a ton of MIDI and other features on this board that I'll never use, this thing is a beast. Please help me out or point me in the right direction.

I like the way it sounds and don't want to invest in some other equipment just because I haven't mastered using it. The singer is gonna need to hear himself, and that wont be possible during recording unless I can turn down those darn guitar tracks.