punching on an MX5050-8, also dropouts??

[Hi_Flyer]

been putting this deck through its paces, mainly tracking drums and guitar (live) as front end for a DAW.

a couple of times, I have wanted to punch in and fix guitar parts, but i have haven't been able to get a clean punch out. I can get in clean, but you always here the overdub getting punched out. am I doing something wrong? I am simply arming the appropriate tracks, rolling the tape, hitting record to get in, and then hitting record again to punch out. can't imagine I am missing something but I guess I am?? or is just hard to do on this deck?

also, I am noticing the occasional dropout on track eight, is this normal for an outer edge track? should I just avoid putting things like guitar on this track? I have been keeping the tape path very clean so I don't think that is the problem...

[FALKEN]

I have the same problem on my otari-8. u can't punch out or there is a gap. it sucks!!!

really really sucks!

I think maybe if I replaced some of the older parts this might improve but theres really no way to tell that I can think of.

as far as track 8, do your heads show exceptionally more wear on that track? I suspect that your heads are not aligned to your tape path.

[Hi_Flyer]

hmm... no, the heads don't look too bad to me, the wear looks even. They were re-lapped by JRF at some point before I got the machine, dunno exactly how long ago that was though. the outer tracks are a bit more wobbly, especially the high end. once you get up around a 10k test tone, I start to get the intermitttent needle wobble, like maybe half a dB or less. Kinda thought it was normal though?? maybe the tape too as I tend to re-use tapes...

I guess I can try to check the head alignment, gotta try to figure out how to do that with a freeware oscilloscope...

[A Reel Person]

you're dealing with is the inherent gap between the sync head and erase head. The gap on punch-out is built into the functionality of this type of recorder. Faster tape speeds minimize it, but never eliminate it. Given the distance is appx 1-inch, at 15 ips that's 1/15th second gap, which is quite noticeable. Punch-out on analog is far from seamless. For gapless/seamless punch outs, you must have digital.

Often times you have to place your punch out in a reasonable pause in the phrasing of the musical line, if at all.

Other times the track would dictate you need to play from the punch in point thru to the end of the song.

Some tracks or styles of playing don't lend themselves well to punch-ins, at all.

It comes with the territory, but you just deal with it.

[Hi_Flyer]

I guess that makes sense. thanks.

[jpmorris]

Originally Posted by A Reel Person

you're dealing with is the inherent gap between the sync head and erase head. The gap on punch-out is built into the functionality of this type of recorder. Faster tape speeds minimize it, but never eliminate it. Given the distance is appx 1-inch, at 15 ips that's 1/15th second gap, which is quite noticeable. Punch-out on analog is far from seamless. For gapless/seamless punch outs, you must have digital.

Does the Otari support automatic punch-ins? The TSR-8 seems to be able to compensate for this in auto mode, because it knows beforehand when the punchout will be.

[FALKEN]

how hard would it have been for them to build it to keep recording for 1/15th of a second after the punch out?

Just a heads up - you could get a similar problem on punch in... whereby you will have 1/15th of a second of doubled up sound.

[FALKEN]

ok before you said it was "the occasional dropout on track eight" and now it is "the outer tracks are a bit more wobbly, especially the high end".

Those are two completelly different symptoms.

[Hi_Flyer]

well the dropouts are a noticeable problem, an occasional half dB swing/wobble when I playback the 12kHz test tone is not such a big deal. I guess I wouldn't mind getting all these little bugs fixed though... what do you think a little wobble on the VU meters on the outer tracks is caused by?

[FALKEN]

wobbly 10 khz on the edge tracks can be caused by lots of stuff -

slightly mis-aligned heads or guides, improper tension, worn pinch roller...

dropout is usually dirty heads or path. might need to de-mag. also could just be a bad cable!