388 Tascam Reproduce Volume Problem

  • Thread starter Thread starter lbeall@sc.rr.co
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lbeall@sc.rr.co

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Howdy Folks.
I Realize There Are Some Heavy Cats On This Forum 'cause I Just Finished Reading Every Post On Tascam 388 Problems. And I Sure Hope You Feel Like Jumping In On This Because I Can't Figure Out The Next Move.

My Problem Is That (after Really Doing Every Tweek In The Manual That Seemed To Be Connected), My Playback Level Is Way Way Below What It Should Be.
It Is Common To All Tracks.
I Have Some Various Extra Cards And A Second 388 That Might Provide What I Need. I Just Can't Figure Out What Card...? Or Even If That Is The Right Approach...?

I Am In Lexington, Sc And As Far As I Have Been Able To Find Out There Is No Tape Tech Anywhere Closer Then Atlanta And Then It's 6 Weeks Wait And $80 An Hour And That Ain't Gonna Happen.

I've Bought A Good Two Channel Meter , An Oscillator And A Scope So I'm Sure I Can Really Screw Things Up Given Half A Chance. (i Fried The Bias Cards On My Old 388 And I Swear I Followed Directions. The Bias Tuning1-5-3 Very First One. It Sure Didn't Like Step#2...little Smoke, Little Stink, Didn't Work After That. Very Confusing).

I'll Be Checking For Any Replies All Day. This Is A Good Rig With Really Peppy Motors And Looks Beutiful And Yet It Just Won't Get Rockin'
Thanks
 
lbeall@sc.rr.co said:
Howdy Folks.
I Realize There Are Some Heavy Cats On This Forum 'cause I Just Finished Reading Every Post On Tascam 388 Problems. And I Sure Hope You Feel Like Jumping In On This Because I Can't Figure Out The Next Move.

My Problem Is That (after Really Doing Every Tweek In The Manual That Seemed To Be Connected), My Playback Level Is Way Way Below What It Should Be.
It Is Common To All Tracks.
I Have Some Various Extra Cards And A Second 388 That Might Provide What I Need. I Just Can't Figure Out What Card...? Or Even If That Is The Right Approach...?

I Am In Lexington, Sc And As Far As I Have Been Able To Find Out There Is No Tape Tech Anywhere Closer Then Atlanta And Then It's 6 Weeks Wait And $80 An Hour And That Ain't Gonna Happen.

I've Bought A Good Two Channel Meter , An Oscillator And A Scope So I'm Sure I Can Really Screw Things Up Given Half A Chance. (i Fried The Bias Cards On My Old 388 And I Swear I Followed Directions. The Bias Tuning1-5-3 Very First One. It Sure Didn't Like Step#2...little Smoke, Little Stink, Didn't Work After That. Very Confusing).

I'll Be Checking For Any Replies All Day. This Is A Good Rig With Really Peppy Motors And Looks Beutiful And Yet It Just Won't Get Rockin'
Thanks
Click to expand...

You need a proper test tape before doing anything.
 
Test Tape

I Have A Test Tape But It Is Ikhz And 10khz ( Doesn't Have 400hz)
 
I don't wanna backtrack too much, but...

There have been some simple things gone wrong occassionally that were causing problems once or twice for me in the past.

There's a way to accidentally mount the tape with a twist just before the takeup reel, which in effect will spool all the tape onto the reel upside down. When this occurs, you're then recording and playing on the backing side of the tape, which will take a slight signal print, but it will be way down in the mud and affecting all tracks. Check that the tape media is wound and threaded properly and the oxide is facing the recording head.

Sounds stupid, I know, but you had to be there.

I take for granted you've cleaned the heads properly, but that should never go without mentioning. A stubborn piece of oxide on the head from a shedding tape will diminish recording response down to zero in certain cases.

I have nothing profound to say. Those are the easiest and common things to cover before going in deep. How many db is it off, anyway?

Myself being an experienced user, I've seen those two problems at least once. Not to insult your intelligence, though. As with any troubleshooting, you must cover the basics thoroughly before proceeding onward.

I'd also expect a few db of dropoff if it's a machine with it's original setup that perhaps hasn't been calibrated it's whole life. 5-10db dropoff of levels would be normal in that case, which would clean up alright with a calibration.:eek:;)
 
I've Started To Thread Tape Thataway But Caught It In Time. The Tape Heads Are Very Clean (and It Took A Bit Of Doing).

During My Recalibration Efforts I Have Been Bewildered By The Apparent Inability To Adjust The "recording Bias Adjustment" (manual Page 1-23). I Could Not Get Trim Pot C103 To Vary At All Over Its Adjustment Range. I Don't Quite Get How That Pot Works....it Seems More Like A Connector Of Some Sort Then A Pot. ??

Btw, What Are You Using To Clean Your Heads. I Ran Out Of The Tascam Head Cleaner And Went With Isoprophl Alchohall But I Did Notice The Film It Leaves (not On The Heads, Couldn't See It There But On The Surrounding Area Where I Snagged Some Dust).

I Appreciate All The Suggestions, Thanks!
 
I like your tone and attitude, and hopefully we can help diagonse
your problem here, but any chance you could stop
using Capitals For Every Word In Your Sentences?
thanks
 
The bias issue...my advice is to slow down and take it one step at a time according to how Tascam laid it out in the manual. If you are having problems it is not a good idea to start tweakering with stuff.

I've been following the thread but I've been hesistant to post because I'm afraid of contributing advice and having something else get fried. :o Sorry. Nothing personal...you clearly have the gumption, and spares to boot, but with what's going on if it were me I'd be starting fresh and doing a full mechanical and electronic alignment and cleaning connections along the way. That's my M.O., which hasn't always worked for even me so YMMV.

Do you have a test tape?

BTW, the bias pot is indeed a potentiometer. If you aren't seeing any change in response levels when utrning it then there is something else going on, but you have to record HF tone, turn the bias level pot to find the peak level and then turn it more so that the level drops whatever amount is spec'ed in the manual, and because the 388 is a two-head deck it is a bit of a hassle because you can't monitor your adjustments while recording...you have to record, and then REW and hit PLAY to see what the level of the HF tone is, then REC again and tweak the pot and then REW and PLAY again and so on. The bias pot isn't going to do anything in PLAY mode, and you won't see the changes in REC mode.

Use at least 91% isopropyl alcohol, "anhydrous" if you can find it (means "no water" in it...look in the inactive ingredients to see if there is water). Good quality denatured alcohol is also a good option and even preferred by some.
 
Ya know what's weird, is that I had the caps lock on but when it appeared on the post...just the first letter of each word was capitalized. Very harsh reading I agree.
 
I think it gets converted...I've tried creating post titles in all caps and they get changed...all caps on a forum = shouting and nobody likes that. :D
 
sweetbeats said:
The bias issue...my advice is to slow down and take it one step at a time according to how Tascam laid it out in the manual. If you are having problems it is not a good idea to start tweakering with stuff.

I've been following the thread but I've been hesistant to post because I'm afraid of contributing advice and having something else get fried. :o Sorry. Nothing personal...you clearly have the gumption, and spares to boot, but with what's going on if it were me I'd be starting fresh and doing a full mechanical and electronic alignment and cleaning connections along the way. That's my M.O., which hasn't always worked for even me so YMMV.

Do you have a test tape?

BTW, the bias pot is indeed a potentiometer. If you aren't seeing any change in response levels when utrning it then there is something else going on, but you have to record HF tone, turn the bias level pot to find the peak level and then turn it more so that the level drops whatever amount is spec'ed in the manual, and because the 388 is a two-head deck it is a bit of a hassle because you can't monitor your adjustments while recording...you have to record, and then REW and hit PLAY to see what the level of the HF tone is, then REC again and tweak the pot and then REW and PLAY again and so on. The bias pot isn't going to do anything in PLAY mode, and you won't see the changes in REC mode.

Use at least 91% isopropyl alcohol, "anhydrous" if you can find it (means "no water" in it...look in the inactive ingredients to see if there is water). Good quality denatured alcohol is also a good option and even preferred by some.
Click to expand...

By " tweek" I meant as the "urban dictionary " states (right after the definition about crystal meth) as follows: 1. Tweak- to touch something up, fiddle with the finishing touches or make tiny little changes. In other words,I've been trying to bring it up to spec by doing as the manual says. I figured out the pcb I burned up was the apparent result of having not noticed the manual had speced using a dc voltmeter and not the ac meter that I used....

Thanks very much for the clarification about the bias adjustment. I will try that out when I finish typing this post.

Yes I have a test tape. I'm having to replace it as it is shedding although it's only a month old. However, The new replacement will have 3 tones (500hz, 1k and 10k and will be on 1 mil tape instead of the 1.5mil, two tone tape I have now. Which seems to me might make a big difference in reproduce results....and consequently how I adjust the reproduce levels etc. (500hz because they don't do 400hz)
 
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