Portastudio 144 - repair or replace dilemma

[doylekm]

I have a Teac 144 Portastudio that I have had from new (1980?). It was repaired a few years ago after all the amplifier circuitry died. Having brought it out of storage again recently to try to offload some old recordings I find that there is a lot of noise on certain output channels. In remix mode, but without any tape running, if I push up the faders on each of the tracks (1-4) in turn, I hear a little noise on tracks 1 and 3 when the fader nears its maximum, but on tracks 2 and 4 it sounds like a day by the seaside in comparison with a constant background white noise level (across all frequencies).

Considering the likely cost of repairs (I'm assuming its something seriously wrong with the amplification) I'm wondering whether a better bet would be to find another second-hand Teac that would play the same tapes (I'm only really concerned about playback not recording.

I think the vital requirements are a 4-track mechanism, playing at 3.75 ips, pitch control +-15% (as some of my recordings need to be played back at a non-standard pitch), and Dolby B noise reduction.

I have seen quite a number of more recent models for sale via eBay (eg, 414, 424, 644) and I think Teac still sell some very cheap models but are there any that would meet these requirements?

 

[Beck]

The TEAC 144 was my first multi-track, but that was many years ago. I only had it apart once to rig a punch-in/out foot switch jack, which the first portastudio didn't have.

I would have it repaired if I were you, especially if it's in nice condition otherwise. It is the first cassette portastudio ever -- I wish I still had mine.

The problem with compatibility is noise reduction related. As you know, the 144 uses Dolby B and everything after that went DBX.

Maybe I'm having a brain cramp, but I can't think of any portastudio or 4-track cassette, such as the 234 that uses Dolby B. I'm pretty sure as far as Tascam goes it's all DBX. And Fostex and others used Dolby C. Maybe someone else can remember some obscure 4-track cassette from back in the day – there were a lot of them by various companies.

There are some things to try. One is buying or borrowing an outboard Dolby B module (like a TEAC AN-80 or Nakamichi NR-200) and connecting between a newer portastudio with the DBX switch off. You would then use the outboard Dolby unit to decode the Dolby B info on your original tape while making a copy of it.

I didn’t pay much attention to the plastic toy-like portastudios after the 144/244/246 series, so there may be something I’ve missed.

There may also be some other brands that use Dolby B – in fact I vaguely remember some Vesta-Fire something or other with Dolby B, but I think it ran at normal cassette speed instead of 3.75 ips.

I will scan through some back issues and update this thread in the next couple days if I find anything helpful.

Regards,
Tim

 

[jpmorris]

I have heard rumours of software implementations of Dolby and DBX noise reduction. If you have to get another deck with different NR, you might be able to turn off the noise reduction and decode the Dolby B in software. (Assuming you can find a package that will do this).

 

[A Reel Person]

Hi,...

You gotta be commended for sticking with the original 144 since inception. However, you've been left out on a very small branch of Porta-evolution.

The Tascam Porta's or other that run Dolby B would be the 144, the Porta 03, and the rare and seldom seen 134 Syncaset.

The 234 Syncaset runs dbx, like the bulk of the other Porta's you'll find.

Considering you need your 4-tracker in Dolby B NR, you're probably best off repairing the 144 or sourcing another one, used and in reasonable condition. I'd stay away from the Porta 03, as the mixer facility is not enough to compare to the 144, and it would probably not be adequate for your needs. IF you can find a 134 Syncaset in good condition, then I'd get that one, although an outboard mixer will be required.

The choices for Dolby B in Tascams is very limited. There may be another one I"ve not mentioned, but I doubt it.

 

[doylekm]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions above. Looks like repair might be the only complete option.

In the meantime I have been experimenting with a temporary workaround which is to play back the two tracks whose output channels are working fine and record these (into a PC via an audio card), then switch the tape over and play back, again through the two good channels which gives me the other two tracks but backwards. Then I reverse the last two tracks in the PC and I have four tracks without added noise. Apart from syncronising the two recordings, the challenge I've found is that minor variations in tape playback speeds means I have to do some software manipulation to alter the lengths of certain sections to keep them in step. Doing it in pieces no longer than a minute seems to give reasonable results but it is a time-consuming process.

 

[A Reel Person]

Oops, scratch that.

The Porta 03 runs at single speed, so scratch that one off your list!

So, given your requirements it's either the 144 or 134. They're both High speed units, (w/the 134 beight Hi/Low speed, switchable).

As mentioned above, Fostex has porta-format units with Dolby C, so that might be worth a try if you absolutely can't find a replacement Tascam.

Yamaha's porta's were dbx. Ross & Vesta were dbx NR units.

There was an old Marantz porta-clone unit that I believe was Dolby B. (A very rare unit).

Another thing to watch out for is possible differences in the heads or electronics of various mfr's porta's. I believe that Tascam reversed the polarity of heads 1/2/3/4, respectively, to reduce crosstalk. If this was the case, then transferring your 144 tapes to a non-Tascam unit might be further complicated. I remember my Tascam tapes did not sound too great in the Yamaha unit I tested, and vice versa.

Anyway,... a nice 134 would be killer.

 

[MCI2424]

I have a Teac 144 Portastudio that I have had from new (1980?). It was repaired a few years ago after all the amplifier circuitry died. Having brought it out of storage again recently to try to offload some old recordings I find that there is a lot of noise on certain output channels. In remix mode, but without any tape running, if I push up the faders on each of the tracks (1-4) in turn, I hear a little noise on tracks 1 and 3 when the fader nears its maximum, but on tracks 2 and 4 it sounds like a day by the seaside in comparison with a constant background white noise level (across all frequencies).

Considering the likely cost of repairs (I'm assuming its something seriously wrong with the amplification) I'm wondering whether a better bet would be to find another second-hand Teac that would play the same tapes (I'm only really concerned about playback not recording.

I think the vital requirements are a 4-track mechanism, playing at 3.75 ips, pitch control +-15% (as some of my recordings need to be played back at a non-standard pitch), and Dolby B noise reduction.

I have seen quite a number of more recent models for sale via eBay (eg, 414, 424, 644) and I think Teac still sell some very cheap models but are there any that would meet these requirements?

Unless you want to re-cap it, then toss it. The thing is 25 years old and the electro's are dried up. Funny hiss noises in an otherwise sound machine that was stored for a long time is the first sign of bad caps in the power supply and the analog paths.