Tascam TSR-8 & M320B help I'm new

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physicaljerk

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I'm very new to analog recording and am in need of some help/advice.
I have recently acquired a Tascam TSR-8 & a M320B mixer. Here's how I have it set up, please correct me where needed: I'm going direct out of channels 1-8 to the input channels 1-8 of the tape machine. Outs of the tape machine back into the board via line in channels 9-16 for monitoring. Here's my problem, I can't get the tape machine to actually record to tape. The signal registers on the tape machine's meter, but when I try and play it back there's nothing, and the track was armed. Any help would be much appreciated, thanks in advance!
 
I would connect the tape machine inputs to the two sets of buss outs, and if you need to record more than 4 tracks at a time then patch those tracks to direct outs.

I would have the tape machine outputs connected to the 8 TAPE IN jacks above the buss out jacks.

Do you have the TSR-8 set to repro mode when playing back?

Are the TSR-8's meters active when you are playing back and you just can't hear anything, or are the meters inactive and also no sound?

Do you have manuals with these gems of gear?
 
Sounds like either the TSR-8's monitor button is set to INPUT instead of SYNC

Or that the tape was threaded backwards onto the machine and you've been recording on the backing side of the tape instead of the oxide side.

The wiring set up you documented also wouldn't easily allow you to bounce any internal tracks as your dedicated monitoring channels on the mixer have no way of feeding their signals back to the tape so using the buss outs, as Sweetbeats suggested, would be a more flexible but more complex way to go. Why it's more complex is because when you use the buss system you have more faders and assignment buttons in play which need to be set to successfully get the signals where they need to go.

Out of curiosity, was the TSR-8 known to be 100% functional before you took ownership of it? I ask so that we can rule out any catastrophic service issues that may have been undisclosed to you by the previous owner.

Cheers! :)
 
I would just like to second Sweetbeat's and Ghost's routing recommendations and questions.... especially about the meters. I know when I first came up on an M-520 it took me a while to wrap my head around the different ways to monitor my sources or tape inputs.
Let us know!
 
Which lights are active on the control panel of the TSR-8? Make sure 'ALL INPUT' is not selected as that will bypass the playback.

Have you made sure that heads are clean? The record head should be shiny and you should be able to see the individual elements. The erase head should not be shiny, but it should have 4 pairs of elements on each side of it.

If they are entirely matt black or brown, the machine has been used to play some dodgy tape and the heads are clogged up. I have purchased a machine in this condition (though I thought to check first) and I know of at least one other person who has done this and assumed the machine was broken.
 
jpmorris said:
Which lights are active on the control panel of the TSR-8? Make sure 'ALL INPUT' is not selected as that will bypass the playback.

Have you made sure that heads are clean? The record head should be shiny and you should be able to see the individual elements. The erase head should not be shiny, but it should have 4 pairs of elements on each side of it.

If they are entirely matt black or brown, the machine has been used to play some dodgy tape and the heads are clogged up. I have purchased a machine in this condition (though I thought to check first) and I know of at least one other person who has done this and assumed the machine was broken.
Click to expand...

I think it's gonna be the tape head being dirty. I looked and it does look a little dirty, but I can still see all the individual elements. I just tried to record on a different track and it worked. So what should I use to clean the head, alcohol?
Thanks to everyone that responded, I'm gonna toy around with the different ways yall said to set up the board. Thanks again!
 
The highest % of alcohol and makeup remover pads work the best. Cjack mentioned it to me in another thread and I'm telling ya it works awesome. Q-tips can not get it clean enough.
 
dodgeaspen said:
The highest % of alcohol and makeup remover pads work the best. Cjack mentioned it to me in another thread and I'm telling ya it works awesome. Q-tips can not get it clean enough.
Click to expand...

Aren't make-up pads a bit linty though? I tried using them on my 4-track (cassette), and they would leave bits on there that I had to get off.
 
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