sweetbeats
Reel deep thoughts...
Any update?
Otari smoking (literally....)
- Thread starter Blue Jinn
- Start date
Blue Jinn
Rider of the ARPocalypse
Well,
It does get weirder. I didn't have time to run some more tone (there is this place I spend most of my day called "work") but I play a bit of a Heart album i'd recorded on my 3300SX. (1/4 track) So switch to the 1/4 track playback head. This is 641, so no sticky shed problem.
Can't really tell (not that good...) but it sounded pitch correct, ok, and the weird thing is that it played back more or less even on both channels with SRL (?) Can't remember the abbreviation -- switch that bypasses the output level pot and sets level based on operating level) engaged, with slightly higher output using the pot. Now, I'm thinking that may just be record level, because I wasn't able to actually monitor off tape for some reason as I laid down tone. VU is set with tone audible from "source" not "tape" got to check the manual to see how to adjust record level. So, back to testing the speed issue. . .
It does get weirder. I didn't have time to run some more tone (there is this place I spend most of my day called "work") but I play a bit of a Heart album i'd recorded on my 3300SX. (1/4 track) So switch to the 1/4 track playback head. This is 641, so no sticky shed problem.
Can't really tell (not that good...) but it sounded pitch correct, ok, and the weird thing is that it played back more or less even on both channels with SRL (?) Can't remember the abbreviation -- switch that bypasses the output level pot and sets level based on operating level) engaged, with slightly higher output using the pot. Now, I'm thinking that may just be record level, because I wasn't able to actually monitor off tape for some reason as I laid down tone. VU is set with tone audible from "source" not "tape" got to check the manual to see how to adjust record level. So, back to testing the speed issue. . .
Blue Jinn
Rider of the ARPocalypse
quick update:
Well the speed issue didn't come back (at least as far as referenced against itself.) No explanation. Counter was counting in the right direction, so I don't think I misthreaded the tape....(Did that once before....)
I haven't tried to go back and forth between machines to see if the speed is more or less accurate. (Assuming the osc on each machine are stable...)
However, I ran some tone, monitored fine on "tape" and at SRL even tone on playback and maybe a slight drop in level (close enough to 0VU though.) Yay everything is cool!!! Ooops, realized I hadn't switched from the 4 track playback head back to the 2 track head. So switched. Drop in signal on right channel, and can't monitor off tape while recording. (Which doesn't make sense as this is a four head machine....)
So, this weekend will have some time for more troubleshooting. Will clean heads/paths again, start at point zero. I can't find my demagnatizer though....
Well the speed issue didn't come back (at least as far as referenced against itself.) No explanation. Counter was counting in the right direction, so I don't think I misthreaded the tape....(Did that once before....)
I haven't tried to go back and forth between machines to see if the speed is more or less accurate. (Assuming the osc on each machine are stable...)
However, I ran some tone, monitored fine on "tape" and at SRL even tone on playback and maybe a slight drop in level (close enough to 0VU though.) Yay everything is cool!!! Ooops, realized I hadn't switched from the 4 track playback head back to the 2 track head. So switched. Drop in signal on right channel, and can't monitor off tape while recording. (Which doesn't make sense as this is a four head machine....)
So, this weekend will have some time for more troubleshooting. Will clean heads/paths again, start at point zero. I can't find my demagnatizer though....
sweetbeats
Reel deep thoughts...
Look for the degausser wherever you find missing socks.
Glad its working better but those "problems" that are strange and go away NEVER leave me feeling too good...
Glad its working better but those "problems" that are strange and go away NEVER leave me feeling too good...
Blue Jinn
Rider of the ARPocalypse
Which head goes where again....
Well,
I went to go clean the heads, and started to look at them and then bounce that against the placement of heads in the manual. Mmmh, didn't look right, isn't the one with the skinnier lines the 4 track???? so I looked at my other machine, and sure enough the two track and four track heads for some unknown reason have switched places on this machine. So the monitor problem isn't a problem, because you can't monitor off the 4 track head in record.
The switch is wrong naturally, so all this time most of the problems I've had have been associated w/ that.
The machine still likely needs an O/L calibration, and I'm going to compare the oscillators on the two machines, but wow, what a strange thing that was. The heads have some wear on them, so I have no idea why they'd have been swapped....
Well,
I went to go clean the heads, and started to look at them and then bounce that against the placement of heads in the manual. Mmmh, didn't look right, isn't the one with the skinnier lines the 4 track???? so I looked at my other machine, and sure enough the two track and four track heads for some unknown reason have switched places on this machine. So the monitor problem isn't a problem, because you can't monitor off the 4 track head in record.
The switch is wrong naturally, so all this time most of the problems I've had have been associated w/ that.
The machine still likely needs an O/L calibration, and I'm going to compare the oscillators on the two machines, but wow, what a strange thing that was. The heads have some wear on them, so I have no idea why they'd have been swapped....
Last edited: