Tascam MF-P01 Problems

[Reace]

Hey there.

I've just registered on this forum because I bought a Tascam MF-P01 yesterday and it seems to have some problems, and I was hoping you could help me with them.

First off is the insane noise/hiss that I get. True, I bought a tape recorder to get that analog sound, but not this sound.
Wait a second, I just turned my recorder on again and the noise is gone... Could it be because I turned it off and on? Or could it be the tape? (I'm using Maxell UR 60's)

Well, that's weird. Glad it's gone though.

Anyway, I still have another problem; whenever I try to record track 2, tracks 1 and 3 get really quiet. However, track 4 just keeps on going as it should. Also, when I have the overall Record button pressed and I depress the Record button from track 2, tracks 1 and 3 suddenly pop up at the correct level. Is this something internal that needs to be fixed? It's kind of an annoying problem. Of course, I could just start with track 2 and put the others around it, but it's still a pain in the arse, and I just want everything to work.

So far for my ranting, I really hope that you've got some suggestions on what to do here.
Thanks in advance,
Reace.

 

[A Reel Person]

Ok!

The UR60 is a Normal bias tape, which is not correct. It will effect fidelity and the hiss problem.

The MF-P01 is setup for High Bias, Type II tape. It will work and sound much better with Type II.

Not sure about your "getting quiet" problem, but the MF-P01 was designed to record only 1 track at a time. When you press record on one track, the others should pop up. I've tried it, and you may successfully press 2 buttons simultaneously, and they will engage, but there is only 1 input and it will record that 1 input in mono to both tracks simultaneously. However, the manual says NOT to do this, and I'm not sure why, but perhaps it might set up an improper impedance situation,... and that's pure speculation.

The MF-P01 has no noise reduction, but the hiss should not be overwhelming. I did a single MF-P01 demo a while back, and I think it turned out ok. Sounded better than I thought it would, considering the technology.

Chant 2009 http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=7877752&q=hihttp://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=7877752&q=hi - Recorded sometime in Jan/Feb 09 & mixed on 07/25/09. Tascam MF-P01 cassette 4-track. TEAC ME-20 mic.