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Teac Tascam Portastudio 424 MkIII Owner's Manual

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OWNER'S MANUAL
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  • Page 1 All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com 424@$ OWNER’S MANUAL 3D0023100A...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Bouncing Tracks (Ping-Pong) 33-34 Ping-pong procedure "© Copyright 1998, TEAC Corporation" All rights reserved under international and Pan American copyright conventions. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by mimeograph or any other means, without permission.

  • Page 3: Safety Instructions

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Safety Instructions CAUTION: "Note to CATV system installer: • Read all of these Instructions. This reminder is provided to call the CATV system installer’s attention to • Save these Instructions for later use. Section 820-40 of the NEC which provides guidelines for proper grounding and, in particular, specifies that the cable ground shall be connected to the •...

  • Page 4: Introduction

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Introduction The PORTASTUDIO 424 MKIII is... Using this manual : To get the most out of your 424 MKIII, please take the time to read through The PORTASTUDIO 424 MKIII is a 4-track this manual.

  • Page 5: The Recording System

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com The Recording System The PORTASTUDIO 424 MKIII is a complete audio To complete the recording system, you'll production facility in a single box. It is divided additionally need these: Input devices into two major sections: a full-function mixer and (microphones, instruments), Output devices an 4-channel, multitrack cassette recorder.

  • Page 6: Understanding The Mixer

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Understanding the Mixer Signal Flow in the 424 MKIII Mixer The illustration below shows how input signals jacks. This is the most important signal route in pass through the 424 MKIII Mixer section. After the mixer and is called "Main Mix".

  • Page 7: Tape Cue Monitor System

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Tape Cue Monitor System The 4 TAPE CUE controls act like a separate 4x1 mixer, dedicated solely to enabling you to hear The TAPE CUE mix and MONITOR switches are playback from the multitrack recorder in your also crucial for successful multitrack recording, headphones.

  • Page 8: Multitrack Cassette Recorder

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Multitrack Cassette Recorder ∑ A three-point autolocator (MEMO/LOC 1 and 2 The 424 MKIII records on readily available standard (Philips) Compact Cassette tape, high and RTZ) lets the tape STOP at, or PLAY from bias Type II.

  • Page 9: Track Format And Tape Recommendations

    The Portastudio 424 MKIII uses a HIGH speed of It also employs a discrete 4-channel format head 9.5 cm/sec. (3-3/4 inches per second) which is two developed especially by TEAC for TASCAM times (2X) the normal speed of a standard audio multitrack cassette recorders. Here is a cassette.
  • Page 10 All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Accidental Erase/Record Protection To protect a finished master tape, it is necessary to punch out both record protect tabs. Even though you are recording in only one direction, the 424 MKIII uses the entire width of the tape, as mentioned above.

  • Page 11: Portastudio 424 Mkiii Brief Guide

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com For detailed information on each feature, see "Features PORTASTUDIO 424 MKIII Brief Guide and Controls", pp. 39-45 of the supplied manual. Input Selection and Adjustment Ch.1-4 Ch.5-6 MIC/LINE INPUTS: These are the input jacks for 1/4”...
  • Page 12 All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com PORTASTUDIO 424 MKIII Brief Guide Recorder Controls Rear Panel Connections REHEARSAL : Lets you program a punch-in/out RECORD FUNCTION 1-4 : These control EFFECT 2 SEND/TAPE CUE OUT: The signal available at this jack comes from either post channel fader for connection to an additional effects device, or from the tape for sequence to be used for rehearsals and for which track(s) will be recorded when the...

  • Page 13: Step-By-Step Operations Guide

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Step-By-Step-Operations Guide Let’s try the 424 MKIII mixer To learn how the mixer works, first you need to plug a signal source into one of the 1-8 jacks located at upper top of the unit, in your easy reach.

  • Page 14: How To Record On Track 1

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Panning 6. Turn the channel 1 PAN control all the way to the left. Channel level 7. Raise the channel fader to "7" on the scale. Master level 8. Raise the MASTER fader to "7". Monitor selection 9.
  • Page 15 All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Resetting the counter 4. Press the COUNTER RESET switch, so you can use the RTZ (Return-To-Zero) function to get back to this point. Selecting tracks 5. Set the RECORD FUNCTION switch for TRK 1 to its BUSS L position.

  • Page 16: Track 1 Playback Through Tape Cue

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Track 1 playback through TAPE CUE Switching TAPE CUE on Set the EFFECT 2/TAPE CUE selection switch located below the LEVEL control to the right/TAPE CUE position. Monitor selection Slide the MONITOR SELECT LINE OUT switch to the center MONO position.

  • Page 17: How To Make An Overdub On Track 2

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com How to make an overdub on track 2 Overdubbing entails recording one or more additional tracks on the same tape, while listening to previously recorded tracks using TAPE CUE. Leave the microphone connected to the channel 1 input. There is no need to repatch it to channel 2 to record on track 2.

  • Page 18: How To Record Tracks 3 And 4

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com 9. Hold RECORD and press PLAY to initiate recording. The REC "2" Begin to record indicator that was blinking will turn on solid, indicating track 2 is now being recorded. 10. You will hear track 1 play, together with the new signal going to Monitoring input/tape track 2, in the headphones.

  • Page 19: How To Record A Mix Onto Two Tracks Simultaneously

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Set the PAN control of each channel to the same setting, for œ example : In this example, all instruments plugged into channels 1-4 will be recorded onto Track 1 or 3. Lower the MASTER fader to make overall level adjustments once œ...

  • Page 20: Recording On More Than Two Tracks Simultaneously : Direct

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com ∑ Set the MONITOR SELECT LINE OUT switch to L-R or MONO, and set the EFFECT 2/TAPE CUE switch to TAPE CUE if you need to hear tape tracks or MIDI virtual tracks. Recording is the same procedure as for one track.

  • Page 21: How To Mix Down

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com How to mix down When the 4 tracks are all recorded, the final step is mixing them into a standard stereo format. This procedure is known as Remixing or Mixing down. During this procedure the tracks are blended together and balanced to create the desired sound.
  • Page 22 All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Review 8. When the signal balance, level, and tonality sound right, rewind the tape, and press PLAY again to check the result. 9. Rewind the multitrack tape again. Put a blank tape in the mixdown deck and let it play for 5 seconds, then stop it and reset the mixdown deck's counter to zero.

  • Page 23: Using Memory Location Points

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Using Memory Location Points Loading MEMO points Two autolocation points can be established in the 424 MKIII's memory system. MEMO 1 At the desired moment, hold the MEMO IN key and press the LOC 1 key.

  • Page 24: Locating The Tape

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Locating the tape To zero Press the RTZ key to fast wind the tape to the counter zero point. If you press COUNTER RESET during the RTZ process, the tape counter is reset to 0000 and the tape stops. To MEMO 1 Hit the LOC 1 key to fast wind the tape to the MEMO 1 point.

  • Page 25: Repeat Play

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Repeat Play The REPEAT function provides a "Playback Loop" or "Block Repeat" between the two programmed MEMO points. The 424 MKIII understands the lower MEMO point as the start point of the loop, and the higher point as the end.

  • Page 26: Punch-In Or Insert Recording

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com PUNCH-IN or INSERT Recording "Punching in" or "insert recording" is recording over a small section of previously recorded track to correct or improve a performance, while keeping the rest of the track intact. The mixer settings should be exactly the same as they were during the original recording.

  • Page 27: Rehearsal And Auto In/Out Procedures

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Rehearsal and Auto In/Out Procedures Rehearsing Punch-in You can rehearse your punch-in as many times needed without (Insert) recording affecting the existing recording. During rehearsal, what you hear in the monitor mix and read on the level meters will be the same as during recording, but signal won't be recorded on tape.
  • Page 28 All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com When the tape reaches the preset punch-out point, you will be able to hear the old material existing on track 2, letting you check that the new material is smoothly followed by the old one. The RECORD LED will turn off, indicating that the "dry-run"...

  • Page 29: Manual Punch-In

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com 8. Press the AUTO PUNCH switch. "RHSL" will turn off and "AUTO" will start blinking in the display. 9. Press PLAY. What you have anticipated in REHEARSAL will automatically occur in sequence: preroll, punch in, punch out, postroll, rewind, and stop.
  • Page 30 All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Using the remote If you are recording alone and are too busy playing an instrument to footswitch (RC-30P) push the switches, the optional remote footswitch really comes in handy. Plug the RC-30P into the REMOTE PUNCH IN/OUT jack on the rear panel of the 424 MKIII.

  • Page 31: Bouncing Tracks (Ping-Pong)

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Bouncing Tracks (Ping-Pong) The recording capability of the PORTASTUDIO 424 MKIII is not limited to four tracks. You can "bounce" or combine tracks you have recorded to an empty track, and then replace the original tracks with new material.
  • Page 32 All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com 6. Use channel faders 1 through 3 to make any necessary level adjustments. You may want to repeat this step several times to get the balance correct. 7. When the balance is right and the level is peaking at no more than +6 on the track 4 meter, stop and rewind the tape to the beginning of the track.

  • Page 33: Using Effects With The Portastudio 424 Mkiii

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Using Effects With the PORTASTUDIO 424 MKIII Effects and signal processing are areas where Setting effect send levels you can really start to have fun customizing your sound, and develop your own unique recording style.

  • Page 34: How To Connect Your Effects Devices

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com How to Connect Your Effects Devices There is no absolute "right" or "wrong" way to do this—there are several ways, each with its own consequences. CHORUS LEFT RIGHT LEFT/MONO RIGHT INPUTS OUTPUT Mono returns: A special feature of the STEREO To record reverb onto a track : Switch the INPUT allows continuously variable control ASSIGN switch to L-R, and adjust the...

  • Page 35: Syncing Midi-Tape-Using The Tascam Mts-30

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Syncing MIDI-Tape Using the TASCAM MTS-30 Troubleshooting Problem Possible Cause MIDI clocks are themselves a computer type digital language and cannot be recorded on analog tape; it is necessary to convert them to Playback sounds dull Dirty heads recordable FSK (Frequency Shift Keying) signals using an appropriate...

  • Page 36: Features And Controls

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Features and Controls 424 MKIII MIXER INPUT select switches: (channels 1-4) POWER switch (on the rear panel): Turns the This is used to control what the source of the 424 MKIII on and off. channel is: Power connector: Connect the power adaptor The left position (MIC/LINE) is used when...

  • Page 37: Stereo Input Section

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com 11. EFFECT 1 send controls: These controls get Monitor Section their signal from a point just after the channel fader (i.e., "post fader send") and 18. MONITOR SELECT switches: These switches route the corresponding channel signal to determine what you will hear when the EFFECT 1 SEND jack.

  • Page 38: 424 Mkiii Recorder

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com 424 MKIII RECORDER 24. EFFECT 1 SEND jack : The signal available at this jack comes from post-fader, for connection to effects devices. Nominal level Cassette Loading and dbx System is –10 dBV (0.3 V). 29.

  • Page 39: Transport Controls

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com This can be used to save slightly out-of-tune Transport Controls parts, or to create sound effects such as flanging. Note that if you record with the dial 31. REW key: Winds tape at high speed in at its maximum or minimum setting, you will reverse direction.

  • Page 40: Track Controls

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com 41. Monitor level meters: These show the level Track Controls in the monitor mix selected by the MONITOR switches (#18). The meters are "Pre" (before) 38. RECORD FUNCTION switches 1-4: These the rotary MONITOR LEVEL control, so this switches put the respective tracks into Record control does not affect the meter readings.
  • Page 41 All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com 49. CLEAR key: Turns off the REHEARSAL and AUTO PUNCH IN/OUT functions (pp.30-31). 50. COUNTER RESET switch: This resets the COUNTER to "0000" so you can assign any point on the tape as a starting location. Pressing RTZ (#44) gets you back to that location.

  • Page 42: Optional Accessories

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Care and Maintenance Optional Accessories Even though the heads used in your 424 MKIII Cleaning the Heads and Tape Guides RC-30P Remote Footswitch MIDI-Tape Synchronizer have high wear resistance and are rigidly constructed, performance degradation or electro- All heads and metal parts in the tape path must mechanical failure can be prevented if be cleaned after every 6 hours of operation, or...

  • Page 43: How The Dbx Works

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com How the dbx Works Cleaning the Pinch Roller The dbx is a wide-band compression-expansion system which provides a net noise reduction 1. Press a cotton swab that has been moistened (broadband, not just hiss) of a little more than with rubber cleaner to the pinch roller on the 30 dB.

  • Page 44: Specifications

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Specifications Mechanical Characteristics Tape: Compact Cassette (C-30 to 90), High-Bias (CrO Track Format: 4-track/4-channel Head Configuration: 4-channel record/play (permalloy) x 1 4-channel erase (ferrite) x 1 Motor: DC servo motor x 1 Tape Speed: Switchable two speeds: 9.5 cm/sec.
  • Page 45 All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com EFFECT 2 SEND/TAPE CUE OUT (1/4" phone jack) Output Impedance: 100 ohms Nominal Output Level: –10 dBV (0.3 V) Minimum Load Impedance: 2k ohms TAPE OUTPUT (RCA jack x 4) Output Impedance: 100 ohms Nominal Output Level: –10 dBV (0.3 V) Minimum Load Impedance:...
  • Page 46 All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Others Power Requirements USA/CANADA: 120 V AC, 60 Hz U.K./EUROPE: 230 V AC, 50 Hz AUSTRALIA: 240 V AC, 50 Hz Power Consumption: 22 W In these specifications, 0 dBV is referenced to 1 Volt. Actual voltage levels are also given in parentheses (0.316 V for -10 dBV rounded off to 0.3 V).

  • Page 47: Block Diagram

    All manuals and user guides at all-guides.com Block Diagram...

  • Page 48: Level Diagram

    TEAC FRANCE S. A. 17 Rue Alexis-de-Tocqueville, CE 005 92182 Antony Cedex, France Phone: 01.42.37.01.02 TEAC BELGIUM NV/SA P.A. TEAC Nederland BV, Perkinsbaan 11a, 3439 ND Nieuwegein, Netherlands Phone: 0031-30-6048115 TEAC NEDERLAND BV Perkinsbaan 11a, 3439 ND Nieuwegein, Netherlands Phone: 030-6030229 TEAC AUSTRALIA PTY., LTD.

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