sweetbeats
Reel deep thoughts...
Yes. You would just need the special cabling to go between the ES-50 and each machine.
L
lambshain
New member
I ve 2 atr 60-8 an es50 and 2 special cables (Master / slave) with the accessory connectors on the other end for the msr16/tsr8. So i need to modify the cables to fit the atr s accessory ... i read somewere that u ve a plan for that . is it possible to simple - sync the 2 atr s without striping ? the idea is to have a 16 track as i like to record without daw... a manual for the es50 would be nice. thanks !
sweetbeats
Reel deep thoughts...
Contact Tascam Parts in California, (323) 726-0303. They have it and for a very reasonable price. Or look on eBay or whatever. They’re around.
The cable schematics are attached. Each has instructions for application specific modifications you make to the cable, so follow the instructional notes for the ATR60 series.
“Simple sync”…I’ll answer your question with a question: if there’s no timecode on striped to the tape, what will be the synchronizer reference as to the position of the tape on each machine?
The timecode stripe is THE thing that allows the synchronizer to bring the two tape machines into synchronization and lock them together. No timecode, no sync. The synchronizer does rely on tach pulses from each machine during fast-wind operations as a rough guide to where the tape position is, but then as you approach the designated locate point or put the master machine into PLAY mode, the slave machine drops into PLAY and the synchronizer goes to work listening to the master and slave timecode to get the machines lined back up again and locked. The tach pulse is an approximation and not suitable for chase-lock. Without the timecode strip the slave machine will go into a runaway mode as the synchronizer tells it to go hunting for timecode. And if there is no master timecode the system won’t even try because it can’t find the master reference.
The cable schematics are attached. Each has instructions for application specific modifications you make to the cable, so follow the instructional notes for the ATR60 series.
“Simple sync”…I’ll answer your question with a question: if there’s no timecode on striped to the tape, what will be the synchronizer reference as to the position of the tape on each machine?
The timecode stripe is THE thing that allows the synchronizer to bring the two tape machines into synchronization and lock them together. No timecode, no sync. The synchronizer does rely on tach pulses from each machine during fast-wind operations as a rough guide to where the tape position is, but then as you approach the designated locate point or put the master machine into PLAY mode, the slave machine drops into PLAY and the synchronizer goes to work listening to the master and slave timecode to get the machines lined back up again and locked. The tach pulse is an approximation and not suitable for chase-lock. Without the timecode strip the slave machine will go into a runaway mode as the synchronizer tells it to go hunting for timecode. And if there is no master timecode the system won’t even try because it can’t find the master reference.
L
lambshain
New member
Ok, makes sense, so 14 channels left, thank u very much for ur instructions and time - blessing !
jpmorris
Tape Wolf
Keep in mind that sync makes mixdown a hassle. It may take 5-10 seconds for them to lock together.
Recording is easier because you can dub over a guide track on the second deck and use that to record the additional parts without both of them running (at least, until you want to record over the guide track), but for mixdown you will need to keep waiting for the machines to sync each time the mix breaks down and you have to try again. Occasionally (fortunately rarely) it would glitch and an otherwise perfect mix would be lost because one of them lost the plot and slowed down for a moment.
I made four albums like this and then bought a 24-track because it made everything so much easier. I still do use sync - the sequenced parts go straight to the 24-track, the other parts are done on my old TSR-8 since it has better auto-punchin, and it also heats up the room a lot less than the 24-track. So stuff like vocals and guitar work which takes more effort I'll do on the 8-track and then dub it across to the 2" machine once I'm happy with it (using the synchronizer).
Recording is easier because you can dub over a guide track on the second deck and use that to record the additional parts without both of them running (at least, until you want to record over the guide track), but for mixdown you will need to keep waiting for the machines to sync each time the mix breaks down and you have to try again. Occasionally (fortunately rarely) it would glitch and an otherwise perfect mix would be lost because one of them lost the plot and slowed down for a moment.
I made four albums like this and then bought a 24-track because it made everything so much easier. I still do use sync - the sequenced parts go straight to the 24-track, the other parts are done on my old TSR-8 since it has better auto-punchin, and it also heats up the room a lot less than the 24-track. So stuff like vocals and guitar work which takes more effort I'll do on the 8-track and then dub it across to the 2" machine once I'm happy with it (using the synchronizer).
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lambshain
New member
Good to know, i like the 1/2 " format as it s not so expensive, , my msr 16 is good for electronic beats, but for guitar i prefere the atr 60 s , as they sound cleaner . I was thinking about an atr 60-16 but it s really ! heavier, about 2k investment plus the 1" tapes , storage place etc - that s a bit too much ..... the 60-8 s are in super shape , one is almost new, spare heads are not so rare with the 38 s around
, really good workhorses, i ll give it a try to sync them, oherwise ill dub it on the fostex 2424. Do u know if the zeta three is more stable than the es50 ?
sweetbeats
Reel deep thoughts...
The ES-50 is a good synchronizer.
I don’t know if the Zeta 3 I’d more “stable.” Probably not. But does it really matter? The difference, if any, would be so minuscule, and you already have the ES-50 and cables you can modify. It is highly likely if you jump ship from that for something that’s probably not any better, you will likely be starting from scratch with the cables…so not worth it.
I don’t know if the Zeta 3 I’d more “stable.” Probably not. But does it really matter? The difference, if any, would be so minuscule, and you already have the ES-50 and cables you can modify. It is highly likely if you jump ship from that for something that’s probably not any better, you will likely be starting from scratch with the cables…so not worth it.
jpmorris
Tape Wolf
That's actually one reason I do the complex stuff on the TSR-8, because I have more parts for 1/2" 8-track machines so by doing this I can minimize the wear on the expensive deck.Good to know, i like the 1/2 " format as it s not so expensive, , my msr 16 is good for electronic beats, but for guitar i prefere the atr 60 s , as they sound cleaner . I was thinking about an atr 60-16 but it s really ! heavier, about 2k investment plus the 1" tapes , storage place etc - that s a bit too much ..... the 60-8 s are in super shape , one is almost new, spare heads are not so rare with the 38 s around
And yes, moving to 1" was a bit of a stretch at the time, the later upgrade to 2" was only really possible by inheriting some money. I'm using an ATS-500 because it can make the TSR-8 sync to other machines, so I don't have experience with either the ES50 or Zeta synchronizers, I'm afraid.
