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distracted by volume differences.)
At a peak
level
of
-
10
dB the sound should be
clear,
open, and
detailed,
but the background of tape hiss may be
bothersome.
At peak levels of
+
4 or
+
6 dB you probably will
begin to hear the effects of tape saturation
:
boomier bass,
mushy
midrange,
or dull
treble.
Also,
tape saturation will
reduce the peak levels: a signal that was recorded at
+
4 dB may play back at only
0
or
+
2
dB.
The optimum recording level is the highest level that you
can use
(In
order to minimize audible hiss in playback), but
wIthout encountering audible symptoms of tape saturation. As
a general
rule,
you can use higher recording levels for brief
transient sounds (such as drumbeats) than for continuous,
sustained tones (e.g
.,
the singing voice). And you can use
higher recording levels for sounds whose energy is concen-
trated at midrange frequencies (e.g., spoken voice) than for
sounds having a great deal of energy at very high frequencies
(cymbals,
bells,
harpsichord) or at very low frequencies (pipe
organ,
bass
drum).
With the
latter,
the peak
level
usually
should be set no higher than about
-
2
dB.
When in doubt it usually is best to err on the conservative
side, sacrificing a bit of potential signal-to-noise ratio in favor
of a little extra undistorted headroom for musical
peaks.
With
Dolby C noise reduction to minimize any audible tape
hiss,
you can afford to under-record
slightly;
and this practice will
help to ensure that you preserve all of the
air,
brilliance,
and
detail in the original sound
.
You may find
that,
in order to achieve peak recording
levels near
0
dB,
you have to set the RECORD LEVEL
control
to a different position for recording FM broadcasts than when
recording from phonograph
records.
This is normal.
15,
MIC. The microphone socket will accept a signal from
any conventional microphone whose cable terminates in a
%"
(6mm) phone plug. If your microphone terminates in another
type of connector, plug adapters can be used to convert to
the standard phone
plug.
Any type of microphone, with any
Impedance,
may be used; but a low or medium impedance
mike is recommended
.
The microphone signal is recorded equally in both chan-
nels, as a monophonic signal in the center of the stereo slage.
If you wish to make stereo recordings with two (or more)
microphones,
connect the mikes to a microphone
preamp!
mixer and then connect the output of the mixer to the
LINE IN jacks.
When a microphone plug is inserted into the MIC
socket,
the input
signal
from the LINE IN jacks is automatically dis-
connected.
(If a loud signal is present at the LINE IN jacks, a
faint trace of it may still leak into the microphone
input.
So if
you are making a critical recording with a microphone, the
Signal cables should be disconnected from the LINE IN jacks
when the mike is used.
In order to resume recording from a tuner or amplifier via
the LINE
inputs,
the microphone plug must be removed from
the MIC socket.
When recording a spoken
voice,
the most natural voice
quality will usually be obtained by placing the microphone at
a distance of
15
to
30
cm (6 to
12
inches) from the
mouth.
Holding the mike very close to the
mouth,
in the manner of
rock
singers,
will produce poor sound with many microphones.
CAUTION: When the Model
6125
is in the RECORD
mode,
the signal being recorded also appears at the LINE
OUT jacks and so is fed to your amplifier for monitoring. If
you record with a microphone in the same room
,
its signal will
then be amplified and reproduced by your loudspeakers. The
resulting
"feedback"
howl could damage the
speakers.
To
prevent this
possibility,
whenever you record with a
micro-
phone you should turn off your amplifier or switch it so
that
the tape recorder'S output cannot be
amplified.
6
OPERATING PROCEDURES AND HINTS
To Play Recorded Tapes
1.
Before inserting a cassette, check it to be sure that the
tape is straight and taut where it is exposed at the thick edge
of the cassette. If
necessary,
insert a pencil into either tape
spool and manually wind the tape until any slack is taken
up.
2.
Press the EJECT button to open the door. Insert the
cassette with the thick edge down and with the fu
ll
spool of
tape at the left
side.
Push the door
closed.
3.
If the tape has been in storage for several months,
it
may be necessary to loosen the tape pack by fast-winding the
tape. (Press FAST FORWARD to wind the tape through its
entire length
,
then REWIND to return to the beginning .) If the
tape sticks and will not fast-wind
,
hold the cassette in the palm
of your hand and slap it face-down on a
tabletop.
CAUTION: Strike only the flal face of the cassette against
the
table.
If you strike the edge of the cassette against a hard
surface, you could break it.
4. Set the TAPE SELECTOR to match the type of tape
being played. For pre-recorded music cassettes this is usually
NORMAL. In the case of chromium dioxide tapes, examine the
package
:
if
"120
microsecond" equalization is
specified,
use
NORMAL;
if not, set the switch to Cr02'
5.
Set the Dolby NR switch to match the noise-reduction
system that was used to record the
tape.
If
the tape was
recorded on the NAD
6125
using Dolby C (or on another tape
deck equipped with Dolby C)
,
set the Dolby NR switch to C for
playback. If the tape was recorded on a machine equipped
only with Dolby
B,
or is a commercially pre-recorded music
cassette made with Dolby B encoding, set the Dolby NR
switch to
B.
If the tape was recorded with no nOise-reduction
,
switch
the Dolby OFF. Also, some older pre-recorded music cas-
settes made with Dolby B may have been so poorly processed
that they sound dull with normal Dolby B playback
decoding.
In such cases you may obtain better sound by switching the
Dolby OFF during playback and then using your amplifier's
tone controls to obtain the most realistic tonal balance.
If the tape was recorded with DBX noise reduction
,
switch
the Dolby OFF and connect the tape deck to an external
DBX
If
noise-reduction decoder for playback.
Remember to switch the Dolby NR back to B or C when
recording your own
tapes.
6. Switch OFF the MPX filter (button out) to obtain the
most extended high-frequency response during
playback.
(But
remember to switch the filter back on when making recordings
with Dolby B.)
7. Press PLAY.
To Make a Recording
1.
Before inserting a
cassette,
check it to be sure that the
tape is straight and taut where it is exposed at the thick edge
of the
cassette.
If
it is
not,
manually wind the tape to take up
the
slack.
2.
Press the EJECT button to open the door. Insert a
blank cassette with the thick edge down and with side 1 (or A)
faCing you. Through the window in the cassette you should
see a full spool of tape on the left
side.
3
.
If
the tape is new and has just been unwrapped for the
fi rst time, the tape pack may have developed some friction
during the period of storage since it left the
factory.
To loosen
the tape
pack,
press FAST FORWARD to wind the tape
through its entire
length,
then press REWIND to return to
the
beginning.
4. Set the turns counter to
000.
Then,
as you make the
recording
,
you can take note of the counter reading
corre-
sponding to each recorded selection.
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