Argh - Tascam MSR16 has issues!

U

ultrajosh

New member
1) If I let the deck idle for a while before recording or playback, it starts to slow down.

2) It also seems to record at a much lower level than indicated on the meters. I recorded several instruments at once last night and the meters showed strong signals during the recording. On playback, however, only the loudest tracks even register on the meters. There is signal on the tape but it seems quiet.

The deck was working fine when I first got it a couple months ago.
 
Check the capstan belt, which probably needs to be changed. If FF and RW run at normal speed, but playback doesn't, the belt is most likely worn.

If the belt is worn, it's not going to run at full speed, which means it won't be able to put a full signal onto the tape.

-MD
 
Awesome, thanks. Are replacement belts hard to come by?

I also have a TEAC 4 track r-to-r - would this use the same capstan belt?
 
Are you using new tape or is it old ampex tape? I would first check to see if you are loading up the heads with sticky tape shed and clean the crap out of them along with the tape path.
I had the same symptom s on a fostex e 16 one time and thought it was the machine when actually it was the tape.
And if you need a new belt save yourself a lot of greif and just get a new one from tascam. They are like 15 to 16 bucks and worth not tearing another machine apart and finding out its the wrong one. spend the money for a new one!
 
The current tape in the machine is Ampex 456 that I got second hand (but never used, still sealed) and I've cleaned the tape heads regularly. Not much shedding as far as I can see. I also have a brand new reel that I could try out (bought new). I'll try cleaning the heads again and see if it helps. That would be nice if I don't have to do surgery.

Could old tape be the cause of the low signal even if it's not shedding a lot? Or is it the shedding gunk that causes the low level?
 
Yes it could be the old tape. It doesnt take long for it to funk up the tape path and slow things down. And that could exsplain why the signal got low.
If you have some new quantegy and not that old ampex stuff, Even if it is new in the box and never opened doesnt mean that it couldnt have gone bad.
Get some new tape!
 
I'm heading home now and I'll try the reel of Quantegy that I have. If it does the same thing then I'll move on to the belt replacement...
 
ditto on the old tape. clean the heads before you put the new tape on. clean the pinch roller too and the whole path.
 
Check the date code on the side of the Ampex box or on the metal reel. This one was manufactured in 1992 (92028). What date is yours?
 

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Yes, probably too old. Ampex 456 up to early 1994 is “Usually found in a state of sticky shed.”

The symptoms you describe are typical. The corrupted binder causes friction with the tape path, which slows down or stops the machine. The sticky shed build-up creates a barrier between the head and the tape, leading to low record/playback levels.

Clean the tape path really good with 99% alcohol or denatured alcohol before trying the Quantegy. All Quantegy branded 456 is good. All Ampex 1995 and newer is good.

Other than sticky shed with the old formula, sealed tape does not get old, not for decades anyway. I would just as happily use Ampex 456 made in 1995 as I would that made in 2005... and I do.

Other good tapes to look for are EMTEC/BASF SM 911 and EMTEC/BASF 468. No sticky shed with these.

Ampex 406, 407 and 457 have the same problem in the same years. Scotch/3M 206, 207, 226 and 227 are sometimes found in a sticky state, but not so much as Ampex.

- Tim
 
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