Blackface ADAT Problems

[Velvet Elvis]

Sonusman,

Last night I was trying to lay down some tracks on my ADAT's, but for some reason one of them will not put anything to tape. It plays fine... it engages into record mode... it switches the auto input from tape to the input... but nothing shows up on tape. In fact it doesn't even erase what was previously there, it just simply acts like its recording but doesn't. I routed the channel from my board to another ADAT and it worked fine, so I know its nothing in my board. Did I blow out the AD converter or something?

HELP!?!?!

 

[sonusman]

You don't happen to have the Digital I/O on do you?

Ed

 

[Velvet Elvis]

Nope... That was one of the first things I checked. As I mentioned the signal is actually coming through the unit... its lighting up the meters and I can hear it on the tape loop, but it just doesn't go to tape. The whole rack is controlled by a BRC, and the tracks worked fine on another ADAT... the D I/O light is off on the front, so unless something internally is bypassing that, I don't think that's the cause. I tried a complete reinitialize of the unit and it didn't help.

 

[sonusman]

You have more then one ADAT sync'ed together?

If so, are they achieving sync?

No record until all decks are in sync.

Also, you are not in All Input mode are you?

Have you tried playing another tape that has a track recorded on it on the same track? Could you hear it?

Ed

 

[Velvet Elvis]

Ed,

Yep... all three decks are achieving sync without any problem. The record and play lights go into solid mode (instead of blinking) and the auto input switches to the board input (this doesn't happen until sync is achieved)

I am not in all input mode... but I am in auto input mode.

Yes, I can hear the material on the track I am recording to... Its a part that I am redoing so I can hear what was on the tape originally... and when I go into record mode I can hear what is coming in the inputs... it just doesn't go to tape. In fact it LEAVES the orginal still on the tape.

 

[sonusman]

Hmmmmmmmmm...never heard of that happening. Better take it in to have it looked at.

That is the darndest, weirdest problem I have ever heard of on an ADAT (except for a buddy who had two headstacks replaced on one of three XT-20 decks he bought, and both the other two had to have the headstacks replaced after about 100 head hours....A big mess for him... ) and the mysterious case I still have from time to time where a deck I took in for some repair (Alesis authorized shop of course) now Fast Forwards every once in a while when I have Loop on the BRC set for the beginning and end of the song. Really, instead of going back to the beginning, the damn thing Fast Forwards! Of course it started to happen AFTER the warrenty period from the shop ended.... Oh well, it is not that big of a deal, but it is annoying to have to look back and make sure the decks are all REWINDING when in Loop mode.

Ed

 

[Velvet Elvis]

Ed,

Thanks for trying. I spoke with Stan at SMC and he suggested that maybe the cable going from the main board to the write amplifier was bad or loose. He also suggested that the write heads could be clogged. I wonder if perhaps the write head isn't damaged or even broken off. Its very strange that it worked one minute and not the next. I will let you know what I find as I plan as spending some disassembly time on it tonight.

I know this will probably get some garbage sent to me, but has anyone ever replaced an ADAT head with a non-Alesis head? I was talking with a technician friend of mine and he said something about remembering that the blackface used standard panasonic heads... and that they could be purchase new much cheaper than Alesis' replacement heads.

Thanks again.
V.E.

 

[sonusman]

Oooooooooo...I wouldn't go messing with the head stack. Replacing the A/D/A chips is a modification I have been considering, but the head stacks are a very tricky issue. Even if they are using a "standard" head stack, you never really know if maybe there isn't something just a little bit different that makes them work on the ADAT.

Think of the fact that Kingston makes RAM for a lot of different manufactures. They tailor the RAM to the type of motherboard specific to the manufacture, and while it may work in another brand of computer, it won't work as well because it is not optimized for the hardware. Just a thought.

But seriously, the headstacks are something only a very qualified person should deal with. It may look like a VCR in there, but it isn't... But maybe your friend is on to something....Let me know....

Ed