Last night, I discovered a problem with my 22-2. About halfway through a reel, a squealing noise begins to emanate from the left-hand reel while recording. As the tape advances, the squealing gets gradually louder, and a minute or two down the line, it starts printing to the recording (I’m mixing down from my computer), and in direct proportion to the severity of the squeal, the fidelity of the recording degrades to lifeless and filled with crackling textures... Any clues as to what this means, and whether it's an "invest in" or "chuck to the curb" problem?
Tascam 22-2 problems
- Thread starter wedge
- Start date
The Ghost of FM
Banned
This sounds like a classic case of "sticky Shed Syndrome"
Please read this FAQ on the subject as it will explain the problem and discuss solutions with additional links from it.
TASCAM Analog FAQ
Cheers!
Please read this FAQ on the subject as it will explain the problem and discuss solutions with additional links from it.
TASCAM Analog FAQ
Cheers!
B
Beck
Guest
Yep,
Try a brand new tape before you go any further. By the way what kind of tape are you using, Ampex 456/457 or something else?
Try a brand new tape before you go any further. By the way what kind of tape are you using, Ampex 456/457 or something else?
The Ghost of FM
Banned
Whats the date code on the tape's box?wedge said:
If it says "Ampex" on the box, it's more then a year old for sure as they sold the company to Quantegy back in the late 90's.
What's the date?
Cheers!
The Ghost of FM
Banned
Re-read the FAQ I linked too in my previous post as it talks about the correct tape to use for your deck and all TASCAM open reel decks as well as the issues of sticky shed.
Cheers!
Cheers!
B
Beck
Guest
If the tape boxes that you have look like either of the following then the tape is too old (as a rule).
http://www.tonbandwelt.de/texte/band/ampex/457_01.jpg
http://www.atomiq.org/images/33/12_ampex.jpg
http://www.tonbandwelt.de/texte/band/ampex/457_01.jpg
http://www.atomiq.org/images/33/12_ampex.jpg
Thanks, guys... I'm feeling a little silly at the moment. For some reason, I thought that the Ampex tape I was using was purchased only a year or so ago, but I rifled through my tapes and found some Quantegy that's definitely the new stock that I'd purchased then. The Ampex could be 10 years old for all I know. In either case, I inspected the tape path on the 22-2 and was shocked by how dirty it was with buildup. It took me almost an hour and twenty Q-tips to clean the thing. Needless to say, it's now working like a charm. The heads seem to be worn -- that's the shape they were in when I bought it -- so I'm looking into buying a new headstack in better shape. I seem to be missing some of the high end. Thanks again for your help!
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B
Beck
Guest
Headwear will definitely hurt your high-end frequency response. You'll want to have the azimuth adjusted to compensate for the wear, unless it's to the point of needing a relap.
A magnetized tape path will also cause you to lose highs. The magnetic field will erase some of the high-end as soon as it's created, and each pass during playback will cause further deterioration.
In addition to the good cleaning you gave your machine get a degausser if you don't already have one and treat the heads and other metal parts in the tape path.
A magnetized tape path will also cause you to lose highs. The magnetic field will erase some of the high-end as soon as it's created, and each pass during playback will cause further deterioration.
In addition to the good cleaning you gave your machine get a degausser if you don't already have one and treat the heads and other metal parts in the tape path.
Beck said:
How can I determine this? *Can* I determine this? Or do I need a pro to figure it out?
I found someone who has a headstack for the 22-2 in excellent condition. If I install it myself, will I have to have it professionally adjusted?
Also, the guides that push the tape away from the heads when it's rewinding have been worn a bit flat. That's where a lot of the gunk had collected. Should I have those replaced, as well, or can they be "rounded" again?
The Ghost of FM
Banned
If your tape lifters have flat spots you should either replace them or see if they can be turned and thus rotated to a clean spot on the post which has it's original smooth shape. Partial dis-assembly is required to get at the set screws that hold them in place.
As for simply swapping out the head stack with another one in good or better shape; odds are that you will still have to do a mechanical alignment/calibration because of the lesser mount design paradigm on the 22-2 which is an overhead, hi-fi styled mount with springs and set-screws that can drift more quickly then the bottom mount, solid base-plate designs of the higher end two track decks.
As for simply swapping out the head stack with another one in good or better shape; odds are that you will still have to do a mechanical alignment/calibration because of the lesser mount design paradigm on the 22-2 which is an overhead, hi-fi styled mount with springs and set-screws that can drift more quickly then the bottom mount, solid base-plate designs of the higher end two track decks.