tascam 22-2 Very Quiet Recording

stevlav

New member
Hi, I have a Tsacam 22-2 reel to reel I'm testing and I can't seem to get it to record.

Everything looks good, the sound level meters look right, I can hear the input sound no problem on both channels but when I play back the recording it is very very quiet and hasnt wiped the previous recording either.

Any ideas, what I'm doing wrong or is the machine faulty ?

Thanks
Stephen
 
Also the tape rubs against the outside edge of the right hand reel, can I move the reel mounting out ?

Thanks
 
Do you have the manual? It should have instructions regarding the reel table height adjustment (to address the rubbing reel).

Do you have any tapes you know have recordings with good signal on them you can try playing back to see if that works? That will narrow down if your issue is related to the recording stage or the playback stage.

Also, does it make any difference if you playback your recording from the sync head vs the repro head?
 
Check the tape has not twisted and you are recording on the wrong side. But the fact that it does not erase points to a bias oscillator problem. Very technical to fix.

Dave.
 
Hi, thanks for your replies.

It plays old tapes no problem, but new recordings are no good.

I have tried the obvious things, cleaning the heads, trying a different tape, turning the input volume right up.

But yes new recordings are v v quiet, and if there is something already on the tape it doesn't wipe it and on playback you can hear the old recording much louder than the new one.

Sounds like it could be terminal then if its the ' bias oscillator ' (wahetever that is!). Shame as its a lovely machine in great condition.

Thanks
Stephen
 
erm not sure what a sync head or repro head is, might not have them on this machine, theres no button to change heads
 
erm not sure what a sync head or repro head is, might not have them on this machine, theres no button to change heads

Pretty sure this is a three-head deck. Those three heads are erase, record and playback (repro). Traditionally the playback head is best at playback, and the record head is best at recording. But if you're overdubbing, e.g. if you have 4 tracks and you're going back to rerecord something on track 3, listening to the playback will mean that the other tracks are out of sync with the one you're recording since it's an inch to the right.
The fix for that is that you can make the record head either record -or- play back, so in the above example you'd be playing back tracks 1,2 and 4, and recording track 3 all on one head. So the record head is sometimes called the 'sync' head, especially if it's being used for playback. Some decks use the record head for both record and playback, which makes them cheaper, but it makes them harder to calibrate (and you can't do echo because that needs separate record and playback heads).

On 3-head decks you often have a way to switch the output on playback, i.e. what you're hearing. This can either be 'input' (i.e. the signal coming into the deck is passed straight through), 'sync' (playback from the record head) or 'repro' (playback from the play head). I think the '22 can do that... what's being asked is whether the playback is equally quiet when it's coming from the playback head, or the sync/record head.
 
Hi, thanks for your replies.

It plays old tapes no problem, but new recordings are no good.

I have tried the obvious things, cleaning the heads, trying a different tape, turning the input volume right up.

But yes new recordings are v v quiet, and if there is something already on the tape it doesn't wipe it and on playback you can hear the old recording much louder than the new one.

Sounds like it could be terminal then if its the ' bias oscillator ' (wahetever that is!). Shame as its a lovely machine in great condition.

Thanks
Stephen
The Bias Oscillator generates an RF signal of typically 50 to 120kHz and is used to povide an erase signal in the erase head. It also supplies "bias" current to the record head which increases the sensitivity of the recording process massivley.

Fixing the B O section COULD be an expensive job but could just be a failed transistor. Any competent "radio/tv" tech should be able to sort it. Your best course of action now is to see if you can download a full workshop manual for the machine, even if it costs you a $ or ten.

Knowing your location would help a lot!

Dave.
 
Hi again,

I've kept on messing with it and surprisingly the recordings have gradually become louder and louder and it now wipes the old recordings too. I think its pretty much as it should be now.

No idea what was wrong with, its been stored for a very long time.

Nice to know what the three heads do. And your right although it only has 2 tracks not 4 you can choose to listen to either track and choose to record on either track and if you were listening to one track and trying to record something on the other track it would not be in sync with it due to the record and play heads being in a different place so it will be no good for that.

Just need to lubricate the reel motors as they get pretty hot.

I'd like to keep it as its such a nice thing but realistically it would take sooo long to copy my music to tape and then I'd have 100 s of reels of tape to store !
Listening to an ipod seems soulless in comparison but practically you cant argue with the convenience ..

Thanks for the help
Stephen
 
Hi, I see what your saying JPMORRISS when your recording it actually plays back from the record head rather than the play head so the recordings will be in sync to the track your hearing.

Thanks for that
 
The fact that the record function is returning is not unusual. Back in the day, cassette machines were often only used in play mode for months, even a year or two. The contacts on the REC/PLAY switch tarnished and when record was tried it did not work or the machine went instable. A few REC/PLAY cycles usually cured the problem.

Re the motors? DO NOT lubricate them BEFORE checking a full manual.

Dave.
 
I agree Dave...the rub in this case is that the manual includes nothing regarding the maintenance of the reel motors. It indicates to leave any lubrication up to the qualified service technicians at Teac...nothing in the operation or maintenance sections of the manual and I haven’t looked at the schematics yet to verify, but it looks as though the reel motors might be AC torque vs DC servo?

Anyway, to the OP it’s normal for the motors to get warm or even hot to the touch, and regardless no amount of lubrication will change that. I wouldn’t worry about it.
 
I agree Dave...the rub in this case is that the manual includes nothing regarding the maintenance of the reel motors. It indicates to leave any lubrication up to the qualified service technicians at Teac...nothing in the operation or maintenance sections of the manual and I haven’t looked at the schematics yet to verify, but it looks as though the reel motors might be AC torque vs DC servo?

Anyway, to the OP it’s normal for the motors to get warm or even hot to the touch, and regardless no amount of lubrication will change that. I wouldn’t worry about it.

I thought that might be the case. Things were designed back then without regard to "green" issues so you want a 15-20watt motor? You got it!

In any case I always cringe when peeps put "lubrication" and "tape machine" in the same sentence! Much that moves tape relies on friction.


Just a thought Mr S, is there a good "tape machines and the art of zod" type book about that covers recorder servicing? Could not go into a lot of detail but could give some basic does&don'ts?

Dave.
 
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