Tascam 464 recording on Direct

[colhol63]

Hi I am a Tascam 424mk111 user, but have just acquired a lovely near mint Tascam 464......every thing works great , but I am having trouble [I think] setting it on Direct.......I have no manual ,so I don't know the correct procedure to set it on DIRECT record....I press the direct button , but nothing seems to come up on the display? I have pressed it along with the channel buttons but it still wont set to DIRECT? is it something I am not doing correctly when switching to Direct? any help would be greatly appreciated thanks .

PS anyone got a manual for a 464 ....they are as rare as a completely rare thing ...I have looked everywhere with no luck, If anyone has one I could possibly borrow, , I would willingly scan or photocopy it my self and send it straight back . with a Fiver attached !! there are so many people after the manual for the 464 , it would be great to put all on this forum out of their misery!!

 

[A Reel Person]

464...

Direct Mode should select (activate) on the track when you push the button. Nothing complicated. Just a push button vs. a slider switch. Same basic operation as the 424mkIII. It makes me think there might be a dirty or non-functioning button, or if it affects all the tracks' Direct Mode, I'd look elsewhere for a common point of failure.

The 464 manual won't reveal anything startling about the machine. You press Direct and it should activate the track and bounce the meter to the input on the corresponding channel. If you're a 424mkIII user you'd have operation of the 464 wired.

Don't have the machine or manual in front of me, but looking at the top panel it appears you'd have to depress "Direct" button simultaneously with a "Track #" button, kind of like using the "Direct" button as a 'shift' key.

If no tracks will set to Direct Mode, the Direct button itself would be suspect.

 

[colhol63]

Thanks again I think the button/contact may be faulty, its a shame because the machine is mint otherwise .and great sounding .

 

[A Reel Person]

...

I'm not sure about the button contacts in there.

Some Portastudio buttons may be self contained hardware button switches. If one of those goes bad, tough luck, but you replace it, solder-out/solder-in.

Other buttons may be the momentary contact switches where the traces are printed on the circuit board, and the switch is made by a conductive rubber boot that you depress and completes the contacts. If this is the case, a nice cleaning of the traces (& maybe clean the rubber contact) usually fixes this. You find this type of button in many small and portable/handheld devices. Not sure about the Portastudio, ATM.

However, you don't really know what you have until you disassemble the unit to look at the button panel. (Or maybe looking @ the service manual). You probably won't get this function back until you deal with that button.

I'm not sure if I have a 464 service manual, but I will look a little later.