syncing a tascam msr24 or 16 to a daw or another digi recorder

[funkland]

hello all i wondering if anyone can help
im trying to sync my tascam msr24 tape recorder to my mackie hdr24 so i can control the tape via the mackie,
i can stripe track 24 to control a drum machine so it works that way, now iknow the striped track has no control over the tascam its self, so would i need a tascam midiizer mts1000 or is there another way to do this ??
thanks.

 

[witzendoz]

I used to sync a MSR16 and a tascam MX2424 (still do but no so often nowadays), I found it was best to use the MSR as the master and slave the MX, this is because if you sync the tape machine to the DAW, when you press play at a location you will have to wait for the tape to rewind to the correct location and then try to lock on, this could take 20 seconds or each time you press playback.
If the DAW is chasing the tape, you hit play on the tape and the DAW will lock in about 1 second.

Now I don't know that much about the mackie hdr24, but what sync options are available on it?

Alan.

 

[funkland]

Hello alan thanks for that,
on the mackie it has a clock card with bnc in and out with SMPTE jack in and out.
i dont mind waiting for the tape to lock its so i can edit on the mackie and have the tape in the right place, trying to fine edit on the mackie by finding it on the tape ( so the mackie chases) would be a pain
but if thats what i have to do then so be it, the other prob i have im using the mackie D8B mixer still ( i know... but i love the sound of it) and that is clocked to the mackie recorder, i want to use the transport buttons on the mixer to control the tape through the macke recorder, it does not matter to the mackie which one i make master ( either the d8b or the mackie recorder) they both still work the same

 

[witzendoz]

Hello alan thanks for that,
on the mackie it has a clock card with bnc in and out with SMPTE jack in and out.
i dont mind waiting for the tape to lock its so i can edit on the mackie and have the tape in the right place, trying to fine edit on the mackie by finding it on the tape ( so the mackie chases) would be a pain
but if thats what i have to do then so be it, the other prob i have im using the mackie D8B mixer still ( i know... but i love the sound of it) and that is clocked to the mackie recorder, i want to use the transport buttons on the mixer to control the tape through the macke recorder, it does not matter to the mackie which one i make master ( either the d8b or the mackie recorder) they both still work the same

If there is a smpte jack in on the Mackie, you would be able to lock the mackie to the MSR by just connecting a cable from the smpte track (24) of the MSR tot he smpte in jack. There will be a chase option and setup in the Mackie menu. Doing this the other way round is a lot more complicated. If you need to do a fine edit on the Mackie, just unlock the machines for a moment to do the edit.

If you really want to sync the MSR to the Mackie, I think you can do it with a TASCAM MTS-1000 MIDIIZER

Alan.

 

[funkland]

If there is a smpte jack in on the Mackie, you would be able to lock the mackie to the MSR by just connecting a cable from the smpte track (24) of the MSR tot he smpte in jack. There will be a chase option and setup in the Mackie menu. Doing this the other way round is a lot more complicated. If you need to do a fine edit on the Mackie, just unlock the machines for a moment to do the edit.
If you really want to sync the MSR to the Mackie, I think you can do it with a TASCAM MTS-1000 MIDIIZER
Alan.

Thanks again Alan after a scoot around the net the bit of kit seems indeed to be the mts 1000
which leads me then to two more questions.....
the mts 1000 has 2 x 15 pin serial ports, master and slave,
but the msr 16/24 has both series 15 pin and parallel 37 pin accessorys, so im assuming is it a straight series to series connection ? (with out the use of the 1U tascam's IF-1000 series to parallel converter)
sorry if that sounds obvious just, making sure.
and is the lead to connect the two a straight pin 1 to pin 1 etc connection and not crossed over anyway ?

 

[witzendoz]

I don't know enough about the mts1000, but I always believed that the serial ports matched up with the MSR series tape machines.

Alan.

 

[ausrock]

Now I'm coming in a bit late but I don't frequent the forum much these days............I synch a Tascam ATR-60 and Fostex D160 without any issues using a JL Cooper PPS-2. In simple terms it will allow you to stripe a synch code to tape (in my case trk 16) and then with a flick of a switch the tape becomes the master and the D160 chases it...........no issues or problems.

 

[funkland]

Now I'm coming in a bit late but I don't frequent the forum much these days............I synch a Tascam ATR-60 and Fostex D160 without any issues using a JL Cooper PPS-2. In simple terms it will allow you to stripe a synch code to tape (in my case trk 16) and then with a flick of a switch the tape becomes the master and the D160 chases it...........no issues or problems.

thanks aus,
iv checked that out, thanks, im looking for something that will do it the other way, ie control the tape using the DAW transport.

 

[ausrock]

Damn, I'd forgotten about this thread.

I get what you want to do but back when I decided to synch my units, all the advice I received was to use the R2R as the master, whether going the other way would have any major problems, I can't say.

 

[witzendoz]

The problem you have with having the daw as master is that the tape machine does not know the position of the track until you hit play on the daw, then the tape machine has to rewind/fast forward to the position and enter play, this could take a good 30 to 60 seconds or even more. Using the tape as master you hit play in any tape position and the daw lock on in less than a second.

I used to use a tape machine as a master and a daw synced and it is the way to do it.

In the days you synced 2 tape machines the slave know that the master was put into rewind or fast forward and then traveled in the same direction, so when you hit play the slave was close to the tape position, even then it often would take 15 to 20 seconds to lock.

Alan.

 

[funkland]

The problem you have with having the daw as master is that the tape machine does not know the position of the track until you hit play on the daw, then the tape machine has to rewind/fast forward to the position and enter play, this could take a good 30 to 60 seconds or even more. Using the tape as master you hit play in any tape position and the daw lock on in less than a second.
I used to use a tape machine as a master and a daw synced and it is the way to do it.

In the days you synced 2 tape machines the slave know that the master was put into rewind or fast forward and then traveled in the same direction, so when you hit play the slave was close to the tape position, even then it often would take 15 to 20 seconds to lock.

Alan.

Hi Alan,
Thanks for that, after trawling the seems that is the case,
i know of a chap doing it from a daw using a tascam Mts1000 but states the same in that
some times the tape would get confused and go into a sort of loop cycle alot of back and forth motions
before it locks.
i just thought someone might have found a way.
Thanks All once again.