tascam 388

[wildflower soul]

i got a tascam 388 today,

could anyone help me i don't know how to load a tape. heh i know i'm probably stupid.

and is any brand of reels really recomended for the tascam 388?

[regebro]

You load the tape by taking the free end of the tape, nd carefully threading it through the tape path, which SHOULD be kinda obvious how that goes. Then you try to stick it to the takeup reel. This takes some technique, and I can only recommend you to practice.

That is it, really, it's quite easy.

Then of course, there are details, such as 'Tail Out' winding, which is recommended in most situations. There you put the take up reel on the feeding hub (the left), and put the feeding reel on the take up hub (the right). Then, the first thing you do is rewind the whole tape so that you get to the start. When you have finished recording, you do NOT fast forward it to the reel, you PLAY it to the reel.

The benefits with this is twofold:
1. With tails out, any print through will be masked by reverbs, because the print through appears after the original, and secondly, since you don't rewind of fast forward the tape when you are finished, but you play it to the end, it is wound neatly and evenly, which is good for the tape, and ensures that you donät get print through between tracks.

[A Reel Person]

If the tape path was "obvious" to a new analog user, then he wouldn't have asked.

Okay.

- Place the full reel of tape on the left [supply] hub, & fasten.
- Tape should be unwinding off LEFT edge of LEFT reel, as reel spins CCW.

- Thread tape; FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
- UNDER LEFT TENSION ROLLER
- OVER RIGHT IDLER ROLLER
- UNDER THE ENTIRE TAPE HEAD STACK, incl UNDER TAPE LIFTER
- BETWEEN CAPSTAN & PINCH ROLLER
- OVER RIGHT IDLER, [serves as counter/tach roller]
- UNDER RIGHT TENSION ROLLER
- UP to RIGHT SIDE of RIGHT [takeup] REEL
- WIND tape onto takeup reel, CCW, while holding tape on reel with finger.

When that all seems secure, press PLAY & wind about 30 seconds of blank tape onto the takeup reel as leader. STOP & press RESET, to zero the tape counter. 30 seconds of leader tape is PLENTY, since the 388 can stop on a dime! You may want to record onto the leader a 0VU A/440Hz reference tone off a keyboard, or a 1KHz tone from a signal generator, if available.

The recommended tape is Ampex/Quantegy 457, which is an 1800' equivalent of 456, which only comes in 1200' reels. Both 456/457 tapes are suitable and recommended for the 388, but you'll need the 457/1800' length if you want to use the 388's LOAD function.

The manual is a recommended purchase.

WTG on getting the 388. It's so feature packed, that it was never equalled in the industry! Ever!

[triple]

way to go buddy...i picked one up in february of this year...a great machine...worth the money...great sound...you're gonna have a whole lotte fun...
if you ever get a chance check out East River Pipe...all those albums are done by one guy in his apartment using tascam 388

[regebro]

Originally posted by A Reel Person
If the tape path was "obvious" to a new analog user, then he wouldn't have asked.

Maybe not. But then again there are loads of things that are less obvious.

[A Reel Person]

a genius.

[A Reel Person]

Beyond that, it sounds like you may have lost the RH-motor drive transistor or servo. If you're technically inclined, you may want to pop the top cover off the 388-guts, and reseat the Reel/Servo board, back onto the motherboard, in case it's been jostled loose by shipping.

E- me offboard, & I might be able to fabricate a tape loading diagram, or maybe scan a couple pages out of the manual.

However, the reel/servo portion of the 388 is a technical wonder, and it requires a bit of know-how and t/e-tinkering to get it adjusted right.

Still, I would not recommend adjusting or tinkering, until you've made absolutely sure you are threading the tape correctly. Sight unseen, it's hard to nail this one down technically, on a bbs. If you live in the Los Angeles area, I'd offer to come in person and scope it out for'ya. I have lots of experience troubleshooting and repairing the 388, and this type of problem.

Pls e- me off this board to give me your email, so I can maybe send you a few details or manual-scans.

[A Reel Person]

that there are several 'syndromes' like this that would reflect back to a faulty fuse in the fuse section. The fuses are also beneath the 388's top cover. If you venture into this area, make sure the unit is UNPLUGGED, or you may accidentally light yourself up! HIGH VOLTAGE PRESENT, SHOCK HAZARD, when cover's removed.

[wildflower soul]

my email is andy@fourdegrees.org

thanks

[A Reel Person]

after I run some non-computer errands!

Thanx!

[A Reel Person]

By chance, do you have a webcam? If so, maybe we could set up a 2-way web-chat on PALTALK, or Yahoo Messenger. When you say 'suck up onto the left reel and is stuck', it makes me wonder, because I can't picture that happening, or the type of tangle you're experiencing.

Anyway, just a webcam-Paltalk-Yahoo suggestion. Some of this problem description escapes me, & I'd like to have a direct image of it, if possible.

I'll follow shortly with some diagrams from the manual, & e- you soon. Otherwise, maybe take a stab at describing the problem further. I'll be online, off & on, all day. I have the 388 right here, to run a full-functioned comparison, if necessary. My 388 works.

[wildflower soul]

i have a webcam and yahoo but the recorder is upstairs... and we all know how heavy it is to move

like the reel everything from it went into the takeup reel and it didnt stop it all came out.... i had to take it all out of the takeup reel by hand... it took like 40 minutes


my yahoo is "noiserockguitarswing"

[A Reel Person]

Ha.

Okay, I've read your latest post, and I'm still having trouble picturing the mess you got on the reel, but it sounds pretty bad. Any time you're winding reel tape by hand, that's bad, by definition. I'll follow shortly with some scans, & pick up this issue further, in a minute or so. I'll be working on scanning pages for about the next 15 minutes, & report back after.

Thanx!

[wildflower soul]

oh and another thing when i DID load it

then pressed play like you said the counter went backwards... and then the tape would come out of the takeup reel

[A Reel Person]

because that's the only thing that would cause the counter to count backwards.

Standby.