My DAT sounds distort..

[tamtamstudio]

After 2 years of unuse it, my sony DAT 57 (consumer product) sounds terrible.
In the beginning i had thinked was a cleaning heads problems but after cleaned the heads, the problems doesn't disappear.
It's sounds like out of sync..zzzz...grrrr...buzzz...
S**T..always when i need it!
Have you any ideas if can i re-set this unit and how?

 

[peterc]

Sounds like it needs service & alignment.

Is it doing this on something that you originally recorded? Does it have the same problem if you record something on the machine & then play it back on that machine?

DAT transports have a very fine tolerance in the tape path. We have about 10 machines at work & all have been serviced by the same company & all are compatible.

We get a lot of DATs in from external sources & if there is a problem with one machine, invariably another will read the tape just fine. Funnily enough the machine that has the best "hit rate" (reads most tapes) is a Sony 690 domestic machine. No time code tho' so it doesnt get used much.

Peter

 

[tamtamstudio]

there's no way to try by myself?

 

[gyraf]

You will want to monitor the RF output from the heads on a scope to possibly determine what's wrong. The output signal should look a certain way - and how it looks will often tell what is wrong.

Search the net for images of how it should look - and possibly for oscilloscope pics of known error types.

Edit: Something like this:

http://www.interstage.dk/Sider/Produkter/Presse/Emner/DAT/DAT_PRE_FOTO.shtml#3a

Take care - DAT is a very fragile format - you can easily damage the deck permanently if you don't know exactly what you're doing.



Jakob E.

 

[StephenGiles]

It could be that you need a new record drum, and if you are you are looking at big bucks. Sony charged just under £300 for this in England 6 years ago on my D7. In fact it will no longer rewind so I have abandoned it. Minidisc is much more reliable, and my ears cannot tell the difference in quality.
Stephen

 

[gyraf]

Stephen,

Most D7 winding problems are due to the reel brake pads getting all sticky with age. These can be changed with moderate effort..

Jakob E.

 

[tamtamstudio]

:sad: I'm thinking is a capstan roller (or else mechanical parts) problem, maybe is degraded in these years..i'll try to clean it or i'll go to a lab for assistance next week.
:evil: i'll tell you how much is the repair costs..

 

[soundguy]

just a thought, are you sure its the deck and not glitches on an old DAT?

dave

 

[chrissugar]

Hi Tamtam,

Just throw away that DAT. I done that four or five years ago and mine was still working. I bought the Alesis Masterlink and since then I'm happy. If you can't afford to buy the Masterlink, go and buy a soundcard like the MAUDIO Audiophile 2496 [you have analog in/out and digital in/out] install it into the computer and use it as a recorder. AD and DA converters are decent, probably better than the DAT converters and it is much cheaper [ aprox 140$ ] than the reapair costs for the DTC57.

chrissugar

 

[tamtamstudio]

Ok, a friend of mine lend me a new one, thx again..
The tapes are ok and, after a wet cleaning of the rollers, also DAT recorder is resurrected..
I don't know if is the right cure but anyway i done the work, in the next days i'll contact the Sony service for an estimate.
If it will be not high, i'll do a complete check. I'll tell you, thank you again guys.
:thumb: