Degaussing Wand do-not-have

[onevszero]

I almost posted this in the Tascam thread, but then I thought maybe it was slightly more universally relevant to 4-tracks in general, so here's what I wrote (the reason it didn't go through in the first place was because I wasn't logged in, hah):

Hi, everyone, I'm new to this forum, although I guess it's been around for a long time.

I have a Tascam 414 MKII, ten years old now.

I've searched this forum for this question BTW, and I have not seen anything specifically addressing this, so I'm starting a thread about it.

I've been wanting to transfer some old tape recordings to the computer, and as I started using it again, I found that the hiss is really bad, whether I use DBX or not, and I've never used a degaussing wand on it, as illustrated in the instructions, and I don't plan on getting one because they seem rather difficult to get, and I don't have the money to buy one right now. Also, I would end up using it all of once, quite possibly. First of all, is it guaranteed that over time these machines will have the tape head's magnetic field become diminished, or is it only in certain cases, and also, what can I do to best prepare the machine to make a recording sound as best as possible without a degaussing wand? Is there another way to degauss it, and is it necessary? Also, I plan to turn possibly turn off DBX when transferring, even on the recordings I used it on, because it just sounds so damn bad. I think even with the tinniness, the DBX recordings sound better with it turned off, although that may be a product of the tape's age, and the machine itself.

So is degaussing really necessary, and is there anything else I can do to help the sound quality coming from the Tascam? I've used Isopropyl alcohol to clean the tape head and rubber conditioner (not alcohol) to clean the pinch roller, and it really didn't seem to help much. [Last sentence edited for clarification.] I guess I'm just wondering if anyone has any advice about this.

And is it just me, or does the DBX on the 414 suck? It's always sounded kind of disagreeable to me, even when I first got it. Maybe it's my particular machine.

Thanks for any help! And sorry that was kind of long.

 

[Mr Fruit]

I have a fostex R8 that says you should de guass it every now and again.

I bought a de guassing wand, (brand new)and I have not used it yet, as it presents more problems than its worth.

1. It has a 2 pin plug, so ive had to get an adapter.
2. it has no on or off switch.
3. it has no light to tell you its on.
4. when you plug it in, it makes no noise, heat, vibration or any visiable sign that its actually working.
5. the instructions sticker is in german, and makes no sense whatsoever, even with an internet translation.

considering it says in the fostex manual, that you can do more damage thatn good if you use it incorectly, i have chosen not to use it at all, until i either get a more obviously working wand, or some advice that this is normal for a wand.

 

[grimtraveller]

Yeah, this is normal for the wand. Basically, press the little button about 2 feet away from your heads and bring it in towards them very slowly. Once you are close to the heads, you'll feel the wand start to vibrate. Use it to degauss the heads, taking care to avoid touching the actual head if you can. Just kind of move it about, as close (1 mm) as you can.
In truth, I don't know what degaussing does but I've been at it for more than 15 years and notably, I've never had heads trouble since I began using one.

 

[sweetbeats]

is it guaranteed that over time these machines will have the tape head's magnetic field become diminished

This is important: tape heads are not magnetized in and of themselves; quite the opposite, okay? Unless the tape deck is recording, the heads are, in the ideal world, producing absolutely no magnetic field at all. The record amplifier creates a signal that creates a magnetic field between the poles of the individual heads and that orients the oxide partcles in a certain way on the tape through inductance. That's how the signal is "saved" for later reproduction, and that's the only time a tape head is producing an magnetism (this goes for the erase head too when it is erasing just ahead of the record head during recording only and when inducing bias signal onto the tape). The reverse happens when you playback...the oxide particles magnetically induce a field that is picked up by the poles of the playback heads which, now in the form of an electrical signal proceeds to the playback amp electronics. Any magnetism of the head poles or the rest of the "head" (guard bands, block assembly, etc.) only serves to detract from what the heads are either trying to put on tape or pick up off the tape. So the demag unit does not restore a head's magnetic properties, rather it serves to restore the head to an ideal non-magnetic state.

A magnetized head will result in performance symptoms that you mention...increased noise and decreased spectral performance that can throw off the dbx encoding and decoding process.

Measurable guass or "magnetism" of the heads effects high frequency response first, and in extreme cases results in distorted playback and recording and poor erasure.

I don't care what anybody says, I think it is a shame to not own a good demag unit if you own an analog tape machine, period.

Gauss on the heads can and does develop in measurable amounts even after a short time.

It is as important to have a good demag unit and know how to use and use it as it is to have head cleaner and swabs or pads to clean the tape path.

My 2p.

1. It has a 2 pin plug, so ive had to get an adapter.
2. it has no on or off switch.
3. it has no light to tell you its on.
4. when you plug it in, it makes no noise, heat, vibration or any visiable sign that its actually working.
5. the instructions sticker is in german, and makes no sense whatsoever, even with an internet translation.

The lack of an on/off switch is a safety feature so you can't accidentally switch it off in close proximity to your heads which would potentially leave your heads permanently magnetized for which there is no cure.

What demag unit do you have?

My Han-D-Mag has no light, and maybe I can feel a slight humming when its plugged in but you can feel it pulling when it gets close to ferrous metal objects...really strong when you get it in close to a chunk like a 1/2" 8-track head.

Rule of thumb is to be at least 3' away from the heads when you plug it in.

Point of clarification on the whole "don't touch it to the heads" deal: that is to keep your heads from getting scratched. Heads are typically made out of a relatively soft metal and can get damaged easily. Most demag units' probes are covered by non-marring plastic which is good because, honestly, with a unit like the Han-D-Mag it is just about nigh impossible to keep it from touching the heads as it pulls like a tractor beam once you get in close.

I know about using alcohol and water on the capstan rollers, and I've done that

Just to make sure: you are talking about using water on the rubber and alcohol on the metal parts right?? It should not be the other way around, and the alcohol should be the isopropyl type in at least 91% strength.

And is it just me, or does the DBX on the 414 suck? It's always sounded kind of disagreeable to me, even when I first got it. Maybe it's my particular machine.

The dbx on your 414 is no different than the dbx in every other cassette based system. So if it isn't working right its not the design of the system and I'd bet properly degaussing your tape path would be a great start. No sense in batting around suppositions until you do the basic things Tascam says to do to keep the unit in shape.

What kind of tape are you using?

considering it says in the fostex manual, that you can do more damage thatn good if you use it incorectly, i have chosen not to use it at all, until i either get a more obviously working wand, or some advice that this is normal for a wand.

Hey, if somebody really believes that there is no reason to use a demag unit routinely on their deck, or at all, more power to them and let me get out of the way, but I'll make sure to not let them be responsible for maintaining my decks then. Again, degaussing is a necessary and important routine and basic step to keeping your analog tape deck working right. I consider it to be non-optional.

 

[onevszero]

Hey, guys, thanks for the helpful replies. I'd appreciate anyone else's insight as well. I think I basically got my question answered, which is that using a degaussing wand is important, and that I probably should use it to get the most accurate reproduction of the original sound, but I simply don't want to buy one, and also on top of that just use it once. I guess my more specific question was "what's the way to best prepare the machine for the most accurate transfer of tape recordings to my computer SANS a degaussing wand/degausser".

I guess this is going to sound stupid to some more knowledgeable people, but I wonder why tape recorders can't have some sort of built-in degausser, like how TV's used to do that buzzing thing when you would turn them off, degaussing it every time you turned it on.

 

[dodgeaspen]

sweetbeats is right you need a demag if you have an analog deck.