Tascam portastudio (cassette), Help pls?

Subject: Tascam portastudio (cassette), Help pls?
From: eleanor c
Date: 11 Feb 05 - 05:53 AM

Hi chaps can I pick yr brains?
Am the proud owner of a v humble 2nd hand tascam 4 track cassette recorder. When I put headphones in their socket & put them on me 'ead, with the power on, I hear a hisssss even when the mikes are not connected. Is this normal? Is it crummy headphones? (I only have cheap walkman ones as yet) Is it a faulty Tascam?

So given all the all singing all dancing digi gismos available why would I want to struggle around with this old kit? Reasons of budget sadly, but still I'd like to get all my oxfam & ebay bargains working.

Thanks!

Subject: RE: Tascam portastudio (cassette), Help pls?
From: Mitch the Bass
Date: 11 Feb 05 - 06:59 AM

Eleanor,

The hiss isn't caused by the headphones.
Are you listening to the playback i.e. are the mixer channels switched to tape or to the inputs i.e. switched to mic.

If the former, and the tape isn't running it sounds like you have noisy tape pre-amps, or the gain up high.

The major cause of hiss is the microphone preamps. Even when the mics themselves are not connected you will hear the hiss. Try turning the microphone gain controls down and see if it disappears.

Can you say what model of Tascam it is so that I can be more specific.

Mitch

Subject: RE: Tascam portastudio (cassette), Help pls?
From: Chris C
Date: 11 Feb 05 - 11:04 AM

Hi:
Tascams often have a small switch in the back to turn the noise reduction on or off; be sure noise reduction ("dbx") is ON.
Tascam also has real good support forums (at least they used to, I haven't checked in a while). I would try tascam.com & go to support/analog forums.
Good Luck! Some of the tape based Tascams can produce real nice recordings.
Regards,
C

Subject: RE: Tascam portastudio (cassette), Help pls?
From: eleanor c
Date: 11 Feb 05 - 01:10 PM

Thanks for helping guys it's a Porta 02, the most basic one they still do. Is there indeed a microphone preamp inside the portastudio? I have not even connected the thing to my reg'lar tape deck yet to mix any tracks down.
The hiss comes thru my powered monitor speakers too (running them off the phones socket)

Sorry about the ignorance
E

Subject: RE: Tascam portastudio (cassette), Help pls?
From: Mitch the Bass
Date: 11 Feb 05 - 02:51 PM

I've had a look at the porta 02 manual.

A couple of questions - is the hiss there when you're listening to a tape playing or when you're recording (or monitoring the inputs without actually recording).

If it's when you're playing a tape, does it stop when you stop the tape?

If it's on record, does it reduce when you turn the trim controls to the left, away from mic toward line.

If you connect the powered monitor to the line out, is the hiss still there?

Sorry for the detailed questions. I'm sure this will get to the bottom of the problem.

(The inputs are dual purpose mic/line inputs suitable for high impedance microphones (50Kohm input impedance) or instruments.


Mitch

Subject: RE: Tascam portastudio (cassette), Help pls?
From: eleanor c
Date: 12 Feb 05 - 06:48 PM

Hi Mitch,

to address your Q's in order:
Hisses when recording, or just monitoring ,or playing back, even when nothing's happening
Does not stop when the tape does
Hisses thru the powered monitor speakers too, but I don't have a cable to connect them to Line out, only to Phones socket ( actually they are Laptop speakers)

Does this help?

Many thanks for your detailed detective work,
Eleanor

Subject: RE: Tascam portastudio (cassette), Help pls?
From: eleanor c
Date: 14 Feb 05 - 06:31 PM

Refresh

Subject: RE: Tascam portastudio (cassette), Help pls?
From: Mitch the Bass
Date: 14 Feb 05 - 06:41 PM

Hmm. Hiss normally comes from early on in the amplifying chain i.e the recording or playback pre-amps but I wonder if in this case it's from the headphone amp. The headphone output is meant for just that, not really for connecting to speakers, powered or not. It may be that you're having to turn the gain way up high and therefore hearing the hiss. I'd recommend trying to connect to the line outs.

Not sure I can suggest much more.

Where are you? Long shot but if you're in the East Midlands I could take a look/listen at it.

Mitch

Subject: RE: Tascam portastudio (cassette), Help pls?
From: eleanor c
Date: 14 Feb 05 - 06:51 PM

Hi Mitch ,
Very kind of you to offer, sadly I'm down near London. I'm about to have another session fiddling with the set up , but I agree it seems to be the headphone bit that's offending. I'll let you know if I get any the wiser!

Thanks again for your help,
Eleanor

Subject: RE: Tascam portastudio (cassette), Help pls?
From: PennyBlack
Date: 14 Feb 05 - 06:57 PM

headphone amp / mis-matched headphones.

I reckon.




PB

Subject: RE: Tascam portastudio (cassette), Help pls?
From: Paco Rabanne
Date: 25 Feb 05 - 11:57 AM

What news? As the owner of an unused Tascam Portastudio II, I am interested in the results. ( I was given it, but it looks like bloody hard work to me)

Subject: RE: Tascam portastudio (cassette), Help pls?
From: GUEST,Jeff in STL
Date: 26 Feb 05 - 04:36 PM

Subject: RE: Tascam portastudio (cassette), Help pls?
From: GUEST,Jeff in Stl
Date: 26 Feb 05 - 04:39 PM

Sorry for the previous errors. I have a Tascam MF-P01. Cannot hear any track recorded through the headphones. I know the headphones work because I can hear the drum machine while recording. I know the recording works because an outside tape deck will play the recording. If I put a commercial tape into the Tascam and push play, nothing is heard in the headphones. Repair shops want $70 just to look at it. Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks,
Jeff

Subject: RE: Tascam portastudio (cassette), Help pls?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 26 Feb 05 - 08:55 PM

1) do the headphones work in anything else?

2) can you hear anything when other headphones, etc are plugged in?

Subject: RE: Tascam portastudio (cassette), Help pls?
From: M.Ted
Date: 26 Feb 05 - 09:50 PM

Just ditch the one you have an buy a new one--only about $95 bucks--and it will have a warranty--

Subject: RE: Tascam portastudio (cassette), Help pls?
From: PennyBlack
Date: 26 Feb 05 - 10:37 PM

go digital there so much better and getting cheaper all the time


PB

Subject: RE: Tascam portastudio (cassette), Help pls?
From: Mitch the Bass
Date: 27 Feb 05 - 06:26 AM

Jeff,

Taking your comments:

"Cannot hear any track recorded through the headphones."
"I know the headphones work..."
"I know the recording works..."

Either there is a fault in the playback amplifier or you have a routing switch in the wrong postion. I just had a look at the manual on the Tascam site....do you have any "record ready" buttons on when you try to play back. Also are both level and master controls turned up (obvious but you never know).

Mitch