Tascam 244 dbx

  • Thread starter Thread starter Findlay
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Findlay

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I just thought I'd post a fairly trivial but interesting thing about the dbx on the 244.

A long time ago I modified my machine so I could switch the dbx out on track 1 to use it for tape sync - the dbx made it unreliable I found. A few days ago I found I could no longer record on track 1 (playback was ok) and found out that some of the connections I had made to the dbx board from my switch had come loose. I managed to fix it but this reminded me that when you bypass dbx the record level drops by 20dB. In other words, at a record level of 0dB with dbx bypassed the playback level (again dbx bypassed) is -20 dB. It seems the dbx processor adds this amount of gain - which seems a bit strange. A long time ago I boosted the record level by this amount to on track 1 to get a reasonable idea of what the machine sounded like when recording bass without dbx (I got annoyed by the occasional breathing effect on bass) but found the hiss even more annoying!.
 
the signal is attenuated by -20dB, companded, then boosted by +20dB when making the trip through the dbx circuit. The dbx VCAs that do the companding work can't reliably track the audio at the nominal level so the circuit reduces the level for reliable processing and then boosts it back up on the back end.

What I suggest you are experiencing is wherever you inserted your modifications is after the attenuator, and excludes the booster.
 
I read something about this a while back on an old thread where someone was bypassing the dbx on their 244. I never used it when I was using 4-tracks primarily back in the day because I turned it on once after recording something and hated what I heard (I didn't realize you had to record with it first) so I was new to it when I started using tape again. I like how it sounds on the 244, kind of fuzzy at the end. I also like the Dolby C on my Fostex Model 80 but find myself rarely using it. Is the 244 the only 4-track w/ undefeatable dbx built in? I've never heard of another one.
 
I honestly don't know if it is or not. I've only had the 234 and 424mkII as far as 4-track cassette and it was switchable on those.
 
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