Tascam MS-16 - couple of problem

Oscar Sunqvist

New member
Hi all, i’ve sourced a lot of my education from these forums to which now i am a member. I am starting my own studio and have some questions i’d like to specifically address as i haven’t shored them up by research.

i have a Tascam MS-16, one inch sixteen track tape machine that I need to perform some work on. I will be doing a Skype session with Chris Mara from Mara machines for doing my first alignment and calibration of the deck.

My first problem i believe to be occuring is my reel table azimuth is off on both supply and take up. It’s never ruined a session or even presented a problem, but it makes that scrape sound every turn of the reel and that alone is worth fixing. I looked into the owners manual and i forget exactly what it said, but if i’m recalling correctly it referenced a tool i could not locate. Does anyone have any DIY ways to perform this adjustment?

Second, while tracking i’m watching the VU meters on the front panel of the deck, and while my needle might not go past -10 the peak light will come on, even running through a compressor. Would this be because the needle is representing RMS reading? The reading is consistant for both recording and playback.

If there is anyone who has any ideas, advice, or experience with these decks I’d love some input. If video would be helpful to any of these scenarios please let me know and i will obtain it.

Also, I have a tone generator on my console and one on my half track. Is there any calibration i can perform on the MS-16 using either of those tone generators before i get my MRL tape, just because i’m an impatient type.

When demagnetizing a tape machine and tape path, how far away should other tape machines be to remain safe? Same with tape and anything that needs to be protected from the demagnetizer. If possible should I remove the unit i’m demagnetizing to another room without these potential casulties, or is that over-kill for a process such as this? Can it affect speakers/monitors?

Thanks to any and all for help!
 
I'm sure Chris Mara will give you some of the best help you can find....but in the meantime....

Where is the "scrape" happening...are you referring to the tape scraping as it spools in the reels?
I think you might check that closely. The reel table is usually pretty rock solid and flat, and you might have only a height issue. I don't think it's skewed itself on any angle. It's most likely the reel flanges. I get that on some reels, and I have simple adjustment...I gently bend the flange ever so slightly. :)
Also...I use the same left-side empty reel (I always load tape from the right side), which is a slightly thicker gauge...so the table on the left is set for that reel height, and is slightly different than the right side. On my deck, I loosen and remove the hub off the spindle, and there's a thin washer(s) there that controls the height.
Not sure how it is on the MS-16.

The meters are registering fast transient peaks that are too fast for the meter needle, but still show on the LED.
Perfectly normal.

About the most you can do with a tone generator is set the basic input/output levels relative to your tone generator reference level.
You really need the MRL to set that and other things properly.

If you keep the demag 2'-3' from anything that it might affect...that's good enough.
Usually you need to be within a few inches of something for the field to interact with it.
Don't go crazy with the demag...do it when you get the deck aligned and calibrated, and then only once in awhile.
 
The tape scrapping once every rotation is either a bent reel or you need to set the "reel table height". VU- Volume Unit- meters read average levels.What you are recording-drums or stuff with sharp attack transients-could make the peak LED light.Incorrect settings/attack setting on a compressor would also do it,or the peak meter cal.is off..Analog tape is pretty accepting of peaks.About the only thing you can do with a console osc. is set the input levels.Feed your MS-16 a 1KHZ 0VU signal from your buss outs as shown on your buss meters,use the tape return meter monitoring on your console while adjusting the ch input pot on the R/P cards.Tweek the ch input adjustment until you see 0VU on your tape return meter monitoring,then adjust the meter cal.on the R/P to read 0VU.This gives you "0" everywhere-buss send levels,meters on the MS-16,and tape return metering all match.
 
Like others have said, the meters are averaging, the LEDs are peak indicators, so the two measure different things. The manual has instructions for calibrating the meters as well as the peak indicators.

Tape rubbing in reel flange...three possible reasons, and tease them out in this order: 1. improper reel table height, 2. tweaked reel flange, and 3. bent reel motor shaft. There is no “azimuth” adjustment on the MS16 reel motor mounting...no zenith adjust for that matter either...the motors should be in correct alignment when mounted to the deck plate. To check the reel table height wind some tape on a reel and look down between the flanges to see if the tape is centered on the hub. This is a pain on 1/4” reels, but pretty easy on 1”. Tape cantered? Good. Not centered? On the MS16 there are two socket-head cap screws (sometimes Philips Head screws) at 90 degrees to each other on the reel table hub underneath the reel table. You use an Allen wrench or screwdriver to loosen them. You access them by removing the upper dress panel from the machine and there are holes in the top of the machine through which you can access each screw, loosen, rotate 90 degrees, loosen, adjust height, tighten, rotate back 90 degrees, tighten, check tape on hub, rinse and repeat as necessary. This is all in the manual. If the tape is centered, then don’t adjust the reel table height...if the tape is centered on the hub but rubbing a flange the problem is likely a bent flange, or a flange that just needs tweaked (not all that uncommon)...in rare cases the motor shaft is bent. If the machine is new to you it’s not a bad idea to check this if you are having problems with tape rub, or if the reel table height checks out okay but you just keep chasing your tail tweaking the flange with no effective results. With the machine on and tension arms pushed all the toward the sides of the machine (i.e. supply tension arm to the left, takeup tension arm to the right) put it in EDIT mode (to release the brakes) and slowly spin the reel table...look to see if you can see *any* wobble. Better yet if you have dial indicator check the reel table wobble that way. It should be very small to immeasurable.

HTH
 
Just to add to what Sweetbeats said, check section 7-5-12 in the service manual 'Tape path fine adjustment'. There are good diagrams on the reel table height adjustment as well as the tension roller azimuth procedure.
I should also add that, in my opinion, the most important thing in the whole manual is the diagram fig. 7.6-3 "correct tape travel" on page 7-21--you can end up chasing so many problems if you don't get the tape path adjustment right. I had to shim one of the capstan screws to get my ms-16 tape path in order.
 
Hello,

Sorry to revive this old thread but I've felt that it would be useful, for anyone experiencing scraping against the reel and looking up this thread, to add my own personal experience of the same problem. (even though post #4 is extremely thorough)

So, I had tape scraping against one of the reels at one point at every turn. I thought it would be the reel that was bent but it looked very flat so I ruled that out. I adjusted the corresponding tension arm height and managed to minimize the problem but not get it rid of it entirely. The rest of the tape travel path looked totally fine. So I let it at that for while, thinking it might be the motor shaft bent or the reel table misaligned (I was using the machine very occasionally so I didn't feel that it really warranted to take it to servicing and I didn't feel up to doing it myself at that point).

After having dismantled and restored quite a few smaller tape recorders, and experiencing other problems with the MS16, I felt that I would finally take proper care of this baby. Taking the cover off I realized that the reel table did not wobble but stayed absolutely flat while turning (at least to the naked eye). Switching reels, I realized the problem was indeed the reel itself.

So anyways, if anyone if actually experiencing this problem, I would advise to first switch left and right reel to see if the problem follows the reel or stays where it was. A very fast and easy way to check if the problem is with the reel or with the table or shaft.
 
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