Tascam DA30MkII

[vinyldavid]

Hey tapeheads,

I have encountered some DAT tapes in a massive tape transfer project that I am doing, and, to put it mildly, it is the most finicky piece of gear I have encountered.

I have to put tension on every tape manually, before I start the transfer, and even then it sometimes takes 5-6 tried to lock up and play. Sounds wonderful, though.


Is there anyone that has used this deck, and could possibly give me some hints and tips on what to expect, or maintenance that I should do? I'd like to get this working smoother.


edit:

This is my 999th post. Occoured on 9/9/09!

[Nakdoc]

I wonder if the tapes were recorded on a Panasonic?
Back tension is a critical setting on all helical scan decks, including DAT. By adding pressure you are increasing the holdback tension and the tape rides closer to the heads. Too much tension will clog the heads quickly. You might check your local Tascam servicer to see if they still work on DATs.

[Skywavebe]

It also depends on the amount of hours on the heads as the penetration could be lacking. I sent my studio Dat machines to Russ in New Jersey at
New Jersey Factory Service.

[vinyldavid]

It also depends on the amount of hours on the heads as the penetration could be lacking. I sent my studio Dat machines to Russ in New Jersey at
New Jersey Factory Service.

I think that this one was almost never used, according to the music director at my school, and I believe him.

[Dubmart]

I never experienced those sort of problems with my DA30 MKII, it was totally reliable for more than ten years then the tray started to play up so I picked up a DA20 MKII cheap, my Aiwa having died. My DA30 got plenty of use as I used to do the tape transfers for a record label, so it was fed tapes recorded on pretty much every make of deck, Sony, Casio, Aiwa, Fostex, Panasonic Tascam, etc., I also used it for editing, creating production masters, backup copies and even live dates, it was a very reliable machine.