Tascam 688 Sounds Good one minute the Distortion the next Please help ASAP

[crazyplaya]

Here's tha deal. I mixed down my song and it sounded fine. Moved the unit to my PC, and recored the final mix into my PC. After that I ate dinner then poped the next tape in to mixdown next song and it sounded like the whole mix was going through a distortion pedal. You could hear the sound but it was really "fuzzy"! I need help! I tried to record on a blank tape just me saying "check check" and it was even wores when I played that back it was more like pop pop. I have no clue whats wrong with it now. Please help ASAP

Thanks,
Jason

[The Ghost of FM]

If you're monitoring the 688 through the computer's sound-card and speakers, you may have the level too high and you are producing digital distortion overload in your computer's digital sound processing.

With headphones plugged into the 688 directly, are you getting distortion?

If the sound is clean on the headphones, it's in the computer's end.

Lower the output level feeding the computer by lowering the master fader a bit and all should be well again.

Cheers!

[crazyplaya]

When I moniter it I use the headphones and a stereo. It is distorted in both. Now when I record It only records pops when I say something. I have cleaned it. When I playback with the DBX switches int the out mode it is clear but has taape noise and when I turn it on or to"in" it is distored again. Please help

Thanks,
Jason

[The Ghost of FM]

Jason,

I am not quite sure what to suggest at this point other then some basic things.

When recording with dbx, you must be careful not to bury the meters as this will induce very heavy tape overload and dbx overload that might produce the sound you are describing.

Try another recording of say a store bought CD directly onto to tape and be careful to keep the recording levels so that the loudest peaks are around -3db on the meters.

If this test recording is successful, it means your original recording levels were too hot.

If the problem still persists, it might be a more serious internal electronic problem that will require you to take it to a service shop and get an estimate on what is wrong with the unit.

Did you ever make a clean recording on the Portastudio since you have owned it? If so, were the levels in line with what I mentioned above or were they very hot, ( past 0db on the meters) too?

Cheers!

[crazyplaya]

OK I think the DBX it working on the 5-8 section but not the 1-4 section. But now when I try to record in any channel it comes back as pops and fuzzy noises everytime I know I said somthing. Is there somthing wrong with the recording head?
Where can you by parts or have it serviced? I live in Oklahoma City so there should be somwhere I just dont know here to look.

Please help.

Thanks,
Jason

[The Ghost of FM]

I'm not sure how close this place is to you but, they are an authorized TASCAM service center and should be able to get to the bottom of it.

Repair Facility Type: GENERAL REPAIR
Business Name: ALL-PRO AUDIO & TV SVC.
Address: 9 E. 34TH
City: SAND SPGS.
State: OK
Zip: 74063
Phone: 918-241-2290

For what it's worth, I don't think it's the heads as they gradually go. They don't just die on the spot and not just a group of channels.

More likely, it's somewhere else and not as expensive a part as the heads.

Let us know what they tell you.

Cheers! & good luck.

[TeyshaBlue]

You've got a dirty pot or fader somewhere. Clean your pots and faders and I'll bet this problem goes away.
Try moving your faders, input switches, pan pots, trim pots etc. one at a time. You'll find one of those is the culprit.

BTW...the bus assign buttons are pretty vulnerable on these and the 488 as well. I'd start there.
Good Luck.

[golygi]

Hey, Jason, I have a 688 and an ass-kicking computer that I inherited from a band breakup. I want to use the 688 as the interface. did you find a lot of sound cards that were compatible? Which one do you use?

I guess more importantly, did you get your whole system up and running to your satisfaction? I hope so, for both of our sakes.