Tascam M520 Story...

ausrock,
Yes. I have an original full operation/service manual. It would take a little doing to get the schematic scanned, but it can certainly be done. If you are interested in seeing it, I'm interested in scanning it! :)

No mate, I don't have need of it, I happened to remember someone out my way selling an M520 a while back and if you'd been missing that info I would have contacted them to see if they could supply a copy.

Chris :cool:
 
Sweetbeats,
Thanks for the compliments on It Aint Love ! The Fostex M80 was a 1/4 inch 8 track :) As I remember these players were excellent (they eventually got a small time record deal and put out a couple of albums under the name of Prophet) and that really makes the difference. The bass was recorded direct using a Tom Scholtz bass rockman. Guitars were Marshall cabinets mic'd with 57's and buried in packing blankets :) Drums (kick, snare and toms mic'd with 57's) overheads were a pair of Audio Technica small condensers (atm-11's?). I believe I also triggered the kick and fed some of that (using a ALesis hr-16) back into the mix. Back then I had some kind of Roland trigger box. Drummer used my maple shell Slingerlands. Bass on one track, kick on a track, rest of the drums across two tracks, rhythm guitars on two tracks, ld vocal on a track and ld guitar dubs and backing voc's shared a track if I remember correctly. All the instruments were recorded at my studio then the band mailed the multitrack tape out to a singer they new in California. He had access to a M80 and recorded all the vocals out there. He mailed the tape back and we mixed it. The only processors I had back then were an Alesis midiverb we used on the instruments and a Yamaha Rev7 the band had access to was on vocals. I had a stereo yamaha comp back then that I probably used during tracking on bass and kick. We mixed down to a teac 3340 I had at the time. That being a four track we probably used all 4 tracks (2left & 2right) for the stereo mix ? What will suprise you though is when I made those mp3's it was like 15 years later and I no longer had the 3340 or the master tapes. All I had was a cassette copy I had kept. So that cassette was dubbed to my Alesis Masterlink and the resulting audio cd was ripped to mp3 at one step lower then cd quality using musicmatch jukebox software that came with my old Dell computer. I used less then cd quality trying to reduce file sizes as this was in the old days when most folks were still on dial up :) So thats the story on those sessions :) Again good luck with the 520. Regards, Dave
 
......wow.

That's impressive. Really.

I'm shocked at the fidelity.

Really.

Was the Yamaha comps one of the 2020 variants?

Thank you for not only sharing the piece but the story behind.

I have no excuse...the results of my recordings truly are limited by me, not my equipment. 1/4" 8-track mastered to 1/4" 4-track...limited effects...mp3 ripped from...cassette...copy.... . . . .

I have, relatively speaking, a whole freaking arsenal at my disposal...I need to quit dickering and start making some music.

Thanks for the motivation, Dave.
 
Sweetbeats,
Thanks very much and your very welcome. I didn't want to bore anyone with all the details but I'm glad you enjoyed it. Hey I'm in the same boat. I have much better equipment now then I had then but still we're never happy :) I listen to some of my really old 4 track stuff and some of those drums sounds I got with that 3340 really kick. Yes it's all about making music and having fun. I think the passion you put into it is what really shines through. If you think about it that's really true with most things in life :)
Yes I think your right about that Yamaha comp model number. That was a pretty good comp, probably should have kept it. I probably sold it because someone said comp xyz was better :) Go figure right ? Take Care ! I hope you get that 520 running. I think you'll be pleasantly suprised. Regards, Dave
 
I got a message back from Patrick Hol to call me. He's going to look for one. I also sent a reminder voicemail to the accountant who had the M520 in between the original radio station, and the gentleman I bought it from. The accountant was going to be doing some Spring cleaning and had told the radio station manager he'd "keep his eye out for [the PS520]". I left a voicemail diplomatically and politely suggesting he keep two big eyes out for it...:eek:

I didn't want to bore anyone with all the details but I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Dave, I'm NEVER bored reading about how somebody did a recording. When you match that up with the end result it is a GREAT education. It can be humbling, inspiring and perspective shifting all at the same time. Really great. Thanks again.

Hey, those Yamaha GC2020's (B, BII, C) go for pretty cheap on eBay! :p

Ahhh...the 3340...I can still hear what that thing did to my e-bass so many years ago. I haven't heard anything like it since. Hoping my 58-OB will capture the same life. :)

Ahh, pay no mind. They're just playa haters!

Thanks. I needed that. :o

No mate, I don't have need of it, I happened to remember someone out my way selling an M520 a while back and if you'd been missing that info I would have contacted them to see if they could supply a copy.

Goodness, Chris. That was really cool of you. Thanks for looking out for me! :cool:
 
Talked to Patrick Hol up in Canada...

He doesn't have any leads on a PS520. He has a Soundcraft PS that he thinks might work though. He wants me to fax him the schematic which I will do later today.

Then of course he said he could build one at a cost of...$1000. :eek::eek::eek:

Gettin' scared...:(
 
Talked to Patrick Hol up in Canada...

He doesn't have any leads on a PS520. He has a Soundcraft PS that he thinks might work though. He wants me to fax him the schematic which I will do later today.

Then of course he said he could build one at a cost of...$1000. :eek::eek::eek:

Gettin' scared...:(


I was kinda thinking thats what it would cost to build one. You might have to bite the bullet though.

Danny
 
S/craft power supplies aren't cheap to buy new so that figure may not be all that ridiculous. It's not unusual to see (S/craft) power supplies on Ebay, if you know exactly what voltages you need it shouldn't be too hard to find out which supplies may do the job.

:cool:
 
The M520 will become an unilluminated fixture if it is going to cost $1000 to build a PS. Don't/won't have that kind of money...:(
 
-15V (Pins 14, 15)
0V (C) (Pins 8, 9)
+15V (Pins 1, 2)
GND (Pins 12, 13, chassis)
+48V (Pin 16)
0V (D) (Pins 10, 11)
+6V (Pins 3, 4)
11V AC (Pin 17)
11V AC (Pin 18)
-18V (Pins 19, 20)
GND (same as above)
+18V (Pins 6, 7)
[Current ratings are not specified]
 
Bloody hell, that's 5 different voltages to worry about:eek:...makes me glad my S/craft Studio only has two. It also kinda explains why the quote of $1000, anyways, I'll fish around on the remote chance that I can make some usefull suggestions :)


Where's pin 5 ?:D


Chris :cool:
 
Cory, I'd personally wait and follow any leads for the original PS. It'll come sooner or later. They always do.

On the other hand, Ethan is just around the corner so one way or another you can't lose. You're covered either way. ;)

---
 
i'm sure you'll eventually score a power supply. my next door neighbour also has an m520. i'm sure they're are plenty of em out there.
in the meantime have you, or any other tascam users here, ever looked into upgrading the op-amps on a few channels? I seem to recall someone talking about that on another message board. There were some concerns about overtaxing the PS if you go too far.
I wonder what would be a good choice for an op amp if i wanted to upgrade the mic pres on 4 channels?
 
ethyrvalve,

If this tangent goes anywhere, I'd LOVE to see a new thread in the DIY section. If there are easy upgrades that would be sweet. Something I could execute but know pretty much nothing about component selection or identifying which component upgrades would be beneficial etc. Too bad Somnium7 doesn't have an M520! :D:D:D
 
If you get stuck I'll buy it off you....

Ethan, that's awesome! :)

If I ever get to that point I'll be checking in with you for sure, but I think I'm just whining...too impatient. Sorry folks! :o

I'm ready to hold out for quite some time for the right unit to come along, but hey, Ethan, if you want to come over to my studio and bleed off some M520-envy you're welcome any time, as long as I can come over to your studio and bleed off some m312withREALLYnicehardwoodsidesthatpowersup-envy! :D
 
You could have made $100 !

Ethan, that's awesome! :)

If I ever get to that point I'll be checking in with you for sure, but I think I'm just whining...too impatient. Sorry folks! :o

I'm ready to hold out for quite some time for the right unit to come along, but hey, Ethan, if you want to come over to my studio and bleed off some M520-envy you're welcome any time, as long as I can come over to your studio and bleed off some m312withREALLYnicehardwoodsidesthatpowersup-envy! :D

Cory, I knew that it was just the feeling of the moment and that you would get over it. But, It was a real offer too if you decide that you are not making the progress you want....You could double your money!

We'll have to do a site visit sometime....
 
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