Tascam M-216 mixer mods

Abominable ID

New member
Hey all,

Just got one of these boards and it seems to be in pretty good shape. I intend to use it with my Tascam 38. I had read about recapping the power supply, changing the op amps on the channels, and also some of the resistors? I would basically like to spruce it up and perform any modifications that are not out of my league. Any info on this point would be greatly appreciated. I must admit I don't know much about such modifications, but if I can improve the performance of this equipment I would really like to try. Thanks in advance:)

-Ash
 
So, have you used it yet? If so, what kinds of issues are you running into that you are wanting to address with modifications? If not, use it first. Get to know it awhile before tearing into it and putting you and it at risk.
 
So, have you used it yet? If so, what kinds of issues are you running into that you are wanting to address with modifications? If not, use it first. Get to know it awhile before tearing into it and putting you and it at risk.

Could not agree more . The supply caps could be over 30 years old and MAYBE in need of replacement but electrolytic capacitor life is set by usage time and temperature. Turned on for 6 hours twice a week in a cold old church, still good as new.

I would advise caution. The 4560 chips are not of bad performance, more than adequate slew rate and drive capability. Appear to be about 6dB noisier than a 5532 but that will only be noticed in the mic amps (no phantom power I see) in any case, be careful of ad hoc chip swapping. Check how the current draw compares with the incumbent and sometimes you can run into stability issues.

Think VERY carefully about modding unless you have the knowledge and equipment to check the specification and IF you did you might find it all ready up to snuff!

Dave.
 
I bought a Tascam M216 new when they came out, was running it with a TSR8 8 track. I found that the mixer was OK but nothing special and limited on features, limited sends being one problem. Replaced it with a new M2524 a year later, the M2524 was much better. Then bought a new M3700 to replace the M2524, moved into a different league.

What I am trying to say here is spending money on a M216, would you be better off buying a newer modern mixer that sounds better already and has more features, some new stuff now is way cheaper than the days when the M216 was made. Seeing you have it now I would use it as is until you can afford a better mixer.

Alan.
 
Very grateful for the replies and suggestions. I read these forums for weeks regarding this board and was under the impression that at a bare minimum the power supply caps would need replacing. You guys are right about jumping into massive tasks like that, but there does seem to be quite a large amount of hiss within the monitor section with headphones, and I think its even picking up the capstan motor of the 38, which is plugged into the same outlet. People on this forum made it sound like replacing the ps caps would remedy this. Also, Im not sure if its just me or not, but there seems to be a lacking in highs all around, like a non-crispy round muffledness, and I thought op amp swapping might change this, or give me different options to play with.

I also know that I will not be buying a different board down the line, or deck for that matter. I chose those two components (for better of worse), after months of study. Don't laugh but "look and feel" were one of the major factors in my decision. I love the way the m-200 series looks and feels, although it certainly is a little strange in some respects. I wanted to incorporate those two pieces into my album making process, and I know I wont be changing or upgrading either one of them ever. I also thought that the 38 was the only deck in my grasp that I could repair and find parts for for several years down the line.

Anyways, I've run into a much bigger problem with recorded tracks not playing back from certain channels so I won't be doing any mixer mods for a while! From what I understand I have to pull the cards and spray de-oxit on the relays, but I should probably start another thread. I still don't understand the purpose of REPRO and SYNC. Is one just for recording, and one just for playback?

Sorry for the confused ramblings of a beginner, and thanks for all the helpful advice. I have learned so much from this forum!:)

-Ash
 
I doubt Ash that the pickup of capstan hash (if indeed that is happening) is due to dried out PSU caps, you would get 120Hz ripple as well/instead. No, extraneous noise is most likely an earth, aka ground loop problem.

Do you own a decent Digital Multi-Meter? If not get one. Pay as much as you can for a good unit, Fluke are excellent and IF possible get one with an AC specification that goes past 20kHz. Most DMMs don't and many start to run out of accuracy as low as 2kHz! Even better would be an AC analogue scaled milli-voltmeter but you still need some sort of DMM for basic testing.

Thus armed you can use a computer to check the frequency response of the mixer. If you don't already know, Audacity is a free recording* program that can also generate sine waves and white and pink noise and at precise levels (though this is dependant on the soundcard and you will need to be a bit creative about getting the tones out in a way they can be useful, we can go into that later if you like.

*Strictly speaking it is an "audio editor" but can be used for basic recording.

I am sure Mr Sweetbeats will have words to say about the TR issues!

Dave.
 
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