A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
There's an adjustment for e'thing!!
Welcome to the board!!...........
Welcome to the board!!...........
S
srenity_sam
New member
Jimmy at Teac told me...
I'm up too late in this hemisphere, but hafta ask...do U know an answer to my question? PS: I'm new to forum chat/post etc.
..but at 20 years I should replace ALL belts, Idler something, and have a "torque-tape check" to make sure the clutch is working such that tapes are NOT streched by that being worn or out of adjustment. I may do this before launching upon the hours of planned use to transfer all to digital puter multitrack. Hope this helps someone...God knows this forum has helped ME !!! 
I'm up too late in this hemisphere, but hafta ask...do U know an answer to my question? PS: I'm new to forum chat/post etc.
EDIT
Jimmy says yes, it's normal ..but at 20 years I should replace ALL belts, Idler something, and have a "torque-tape check" to make sure the clutch is working such that tapes are NOT streched by that being worn or out of adjustment. I may do this before launching upon the hours of planned use to transfer all to digital puter multitrack. Hope this helps someone...God knows this forum has helped ME !!!
Last edited:
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
It's one of those mysteries that may only be answered...
by taking it apart and having a look.
Also, just for fun, I'll take a quick peek at the 246 Service Manual, to see if there's anything that jumps out at me.
Keep in mind, that if your main belt is going bad, your FF/RW is also driven by a set of rubber "tires" in the mechanism. A problem with FF/RW could indicated that the little tires are also going bad. Nonetheless, there is an analog adjusment for takeup torque, and any analog adjustment may drift out of spec. That's off the cuff & without checking the 246 Service Manual, which I'll do in a while.
Just woke up. Time for coffee.
Cheers
by taking it apart and having a look.
Also, just for fun, I'll take a quick peek at the 246 Service Manual, to see if there's anything that jumps out at me.
Keep in mind, that if your main belt is going bad, your FF/RW is also driven by a set of rubber "tires" in the mechanism. A problem with FF/RW could indicated that the little tires are also going bad. Nonetheless, there is an analog adjusment for takeup torque, and any analog adjustment may drift out of spec. That's off the cuff & without checking the 246 Service Manual, which I'll do in a while.
Just woke up. Time for coffee.
Cheers
S
srenity_sam
New member
YOU ARE THE MAN....uh, man !!!
Thank U - SS
Thank U - SS
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
From the 246 Service Manual: [QUOTE]...
4-4-5 Take-Up Torque
Take-up Torque For Playback & Recording
Load a cassette torque meter instead of a cassette tape in the cassete holder, and run the deck in PLAY mode. Take-up torque of the right reel table should be about 40-50g. If not, adjust the trim pad R549 (Fig. 4-4-2) to read 45 g-cm. After completion of the adjustment repeat the STOP and PLAY mode operations 2 or 3 times, and then make sure the torque reading is within the limits. Back tension torque (left reel table) should be 2 to 4 g-cm. If the torque is still out of the limits, adjust the torque adjusting ring provided on the right reel table. The torque can be adjusted in three values as shown in Fig. 4-4-5. Turn the torque adjusting ring with the tab A pulling slighlity upward and place the tab on one of the three stepped portions having pawls to fix the tab.
=====================
There you go. Not only is there an analog adjustment for Take-Up Torque, but there's also a physical adjustment of the "ring and tab" that affects BACK-TENSION torque,... (one must assume that the ring/tab is a spring damping mechanism). Obviously, these two adjustments work together/against each other.
=====================
That's the word, right from TASCAM's mouth, but the proof in the pudding is still achieved by taking it apart for inspection and servicing.
/DA
4-4-5 Take-Up Torque
Take-up Torque For Playback & Recording
Load a cassette torque meter instead of a cassette tape in the cassete holder, and run the deck in PLAY mode. Take-up torque of the right reel table should be about 40-50g. If not, adjust the trim pad R549 (Fig. 4-4-2) to read 45 g-cm. After completion of the adjustment repeat the STOP and PLAY mode operations 2 or 3 times, and then make sure the torque reading is within the limits. Back tension torque (left reel table) should be 2 to 4 g-cm. If the torque is still out of the limits, adjust the torque adjusting ring provided on the right reel table. The torque can be adjusted in three values as shown in Fig. 4-4-5. Turn the torque adjusting ring with the tab A pulling slighlity upward and place the tab on one of the three stepped portions having pawls to fix the tab.
=====================
There you go. Not only is there an analog adjustment for Take-Up Torque, but there's also a physical adjustment of the "ring and tab" that affects BACK-TENSION torque,... (one must assume that the ring/tab is a spring damping mechanism). Obviously, these two adjustments work together/against each other.
=====================
That's the word, right from TASCAM's mouth, but the proof in the pudding is still achieved by taking it apart for inspection and servicing.
/DA
T
thebrontosaurus
New member
i had to pick the 488 because it was my first machine, and i still love it dearly.
not as portable or as quick as the 424 mkII though. that was a really nice machine as well. Perfect for local live shows, basment quickes and such.
-noah
not as portable or as quick as the 424 mkII though. that was a really nice machine as well. Perfect for local live shows, basment quickes and such.
-noah
iqi616
Yet another Mike
Tascam 244. Peed on my buddy's Fostex M80 (no offence Rob!) for sound quality and lack of crosstalk. Pumping of the dbx on bass guitar was the only negative and dialling in some pre-emphasis and de-emphasis with the EQ kept that under control. I'm still surprised at the quality of my old recordings when I bring them in to remix them in digital (if only I'd known how to use EQ!!!).
cjacek
Analogue Enthusiast
I love my 244 as well. Sounds better than a cassette format has any right to. Very clean, dynamic and robust recordings.
As for pumping ... were you pushing the meters into the red much ? dbx hates that. I usually stay well under 0db for all instruments and never had problems.
As for pumping ... were you pushing the meters into the red much ? dbx hates that. I usually stay well under 0db for all instruments and never had problems.
M
MCI2424
New member
Scully or MCI
iqi616
Yet another Mike
Boy was I pushing the meters into the red!!cjacek said:As for pumping ... were you pushing the meters into the red much ? dbx hates that. I usually stay well under 0db for all instruments and never had problems.
I used to record hot because it suited the sound of our band. Later I started doing acoustic stuff and I backed off then for a clean sound.
cjacek
Analogue Enthusiast
iqi616 said:Boy was I pushing the meters into the red!!
Hehe
Yeah, that was the reason for the dbx artifacts. It wasn't decoding the signal correctly at those high levels. This is the way it is with dbx, especially the type II on cassette portas. Plus, the way dbx works, you won't really attain any "saturation" effects by pushing like crazy into the red. One really needs to stay, at the very most, at around 0db but only for peaks, when dbx is engaged. Otherwise one should stay below that value.
iqi616
Yet another Mike
I guess you don't like to abuse your gear
I liked the sound I got by pushing it. I knew what I was doing - I wasn't blindly hammering the thing. I was deliberately messing with the dbx to make it behave asymmetrically and I liked the way it responded to the abuse. As I said, a bit of DIY pre-emphasis and de-emphasis dealt with the (expected) pumping on the bass guitar.
Some people didn't like dbx but I had no problem with it. When you behave, it works nicely. When I switched to the acoustic stuff I did behave myself but didn't have as much fun!
The only thing I'd do differently now is the EQ. I really didn't understand it 20 years ago and when I get nostalgic and dig out another relic to remix, most of the time is spent trying to rescue the EQ of the bounced-down tracks.
I liked the sound I got by pushing it. I knew what I was doing - I wasn't blindly hammering the thing. I was deliberately messing with the dbx to make it behave asymmetrically and I liked the way it responded to the abuse. As I said, a bit of DIY pre-emphasis and de-emphasis dealt with the (expected) pumping on the bass guitar.
Some people didn't like dbx but I had no problem with it. When you behave, it works nicely. When I switched to the acoustic stuff I did behave myself but didn't have as much fun!
The only thing I'd do differently now is the EQ. I really didn't understand it 20 years ago and when I get nostalgic and dig out another relic to remix, most of the time is spent trying to rescue the EQ of the bounced-down tracks.
cjacek
Analogue Enthusiast
Oh yeah, it definitely adds "color" to the mix when pushed. No doubt!
Still, as you said, when you behave on the levels, dbx does sound rather transparent, at least to my ear. I like it too.
Still, as you said, when you behave on the levels, dbx does sound rather transparent, at least to my ear. I like it too.
krhall
New member
My Favourite 4 track is the Tandberg series 15 machines
And my Favourite 2 track is the Broadcast quality Revox tape recorders
Keith
And my Favourite 2 track is the Broadcast quality Revox tape recorders
Keith
M
mrmoe
New member
I never accepted the restricted quality of a 4 track cassette.....my favorite 4 track is a Teac 3340S reel to reel.....I still use it to get a nice analog sound on guitar tracks and then transfer them to digital.....
Sexy Heather
TG Girl
I voted for the 424mkII. I love mine!
P
pehjott
Member
464!!!
I've had a 424 mkII and a 488 mkII but to me the 464 sounds the best, that could be due to better handling of the prior owner though. or does anybody know whether the specs of 464 are better than those of the tascam 424 II ??? i know that the 424 has better specs than the 488...
I've had a 424 mkII and a 488 mkII but to me the 464 sounds the best, that could be due to better handling of the prior owner though. or does anybody know whether the specs of 464 are better than those of the tascam 424 II ??? i know that the 424 has better specs than the 488...
L
lukas88
New member
I picked up a Tascam 424 MKII a few weeks ago and so far I'm loving it! I've done various home recordings for a few years but mostly multitracking digitally (had a fostex digital 8 track previously). But the 424 has got a great sound and you can't beat it for the price these days! and theres definitely something to be said for the convenience/versatility of tapes.
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
...
The 424mkII was originally $499 retail, then went down to $479 and subsequently $429, which I thought was a real deal when I bought mine!
Yeah,... it's a great little unit!
The 424mkII was originally $499 retail, then went down to $479 and subsequently $429, which I thought was a real deal when I bought mine!
Yeah,... it's a great little unit!
L
lukas88
New member
i got mine for under $200 CDN including shipping, which is alright considering its a relatively bulky piece of gear to mail. its in mint shape, plus it came with a box of 10 new tapes !
!
