Messing around with old Tascam 424

[BuddyC1]

Hello everyone. I have an old Tascam 424mkII I just picked up at a Goodwill for $10. I also have Reason downloaded and will start exploring that in the near future, but for now I'm just getting my feet wet on the analog 4 track. Does anyone know where I can get a hard copy of the manual and do you have any well known tips or do/don'ts for this machine? Also, can anyone tell me if the counter reset button on it this unit is supposed to reset to zero anytime it is pushed , or does it depend on something else? When I push the RTZ button, the counter returns to zero but not when I just push the counter reset button itself. Could this be a problem or am I not doing something right? I believe I read in the online manual that the counter reset button is important to creating reference points so I'm concerned it may be a problem if it does not work.

 

[A Reel Person]

....

The Counter Reset button should set the counter to "0".
RTZ should FF/RW to the "0" point.
Pressing RTZ and Play will FF/RW to "0" and commence playing from there.
Memo+ Loc1 sets memory point 1.
Memo+ Loc 2 sets memory point 2.
Pressing either Loc 1 or Loc 2 by itself causes it to FF/RW & seek to that memory location.
After setting Loc 1 & 2, pressing Repeat causes it to RW at Loc 2 and Play at Loc 1, thus being a playback loop.
There is an Autopunch operation you can setup further that uses Loc1/Loc2 and some of the automated functions.
A good reading of the manual describes more, unfortunately I don't have a lead on the 424mkII manual for DL.
You may call Tascam Parts for the manual, alt find one on eBay.
The 424mkIII manual is nearly as close as it gets to the mkII in many respects, which is a free DL.
http://tascam.com/content/downloads/products/318/Porta_424mkIII_manual.pdf
There is nothing else particular about the 424mkII, other than to say it can make very good recordings.
Some people prefer the MkII over the MkIII due to the top mounted connectors, vs. down on the back.
It's one of my favorite machines.
Check my signature for my SC page that has large numbers of 424mkII recordings.
This is representational of the sound quality I've gotten out of it: http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=3094751&q=hi&newref=1
$10 for a 424mkII that works is a huge steal!
Beats my record of $25 for a 414mkII/in box I got at GW for $25!
Sweet!
YMMV!

 

[BuddyC1]

Hey thanks for that great, clear info. The counter reset button on this one does not seem to reset the counter to zero on it's own... does that mean there is definitely a problem with it and if so, is this a common problem with a common fix?

 

[A Reel Person]

...

I can't remember exactly what kind of button switches they use, but it's possible it's dirty & can be cleaned internally. However, this would require a teardown of the unit to get to the button panel and inspect.

If it's a self contained hardware button switch, you may be out of luck. If it's the type of button that's printed onto a circuit card & has a conductive button depress onto to complete the connector traces, (such as on many small and handheld devices), then cleaning the contacts could do the trick.

I don't have the service manual nor the 424mkII hardware open in front of me, so I can't say for sure ATM.

The Counter Reset is fairly important to keep track of the zero points (beginning) of your songs. To me, it's an often used feature. I don't think failure of this button is necessarily common, but you have what you have for $10, a minor inconvenience.