Tascam PORTA02 - Manuals

1 An introduction to the Porta02 5 and on A/V cue-equipped cassette record-ers. Notice that the stereo cassette arrange-ment allows you to use both sides of thecassette, by playing the tape in the otherdirection. The Porta02, however, uses thewhole width of the tape. Notice also that one pair of L a...

1 An introduction to the Porta02 6 audio equipment). If any liquid or any objects such as paperclips, guitar picks, etc. fall inside the Porta02, do not try to operate it. Return it to a TASCAM service center for repair. • If the case of the Porta02 becaomes dirty, clean it only with a damp (not wet...

1 An introduction to the Porta02 7 1.2.4 Cleaning the heads You should clean the tape heads of thePorta02 regularly to keep it workingproperly. Dirt and tape oxide buildup onthe heads will force the tape away fromthe tape head gaps that record and play-back. Head cleaner will remove the dirtand rest...

2 Parts of the Porta02 8 1.3 What you need to make recordings Apart from the Porta02 itself, you willneed: • Some kind of stereo mastering recorder to produce the stereo record-ings. This can be a cassette recorder such as the TASCAM 102Mk II or an MD recorder such as the TASCAM MD301. A recorder wh...

3 Making your first recording 13 3 – Making your first recording This section describes how to make a 4-track recording using thePorta02. For this, we will assume that you are making a recordingof your voice on two tracks (1 and 2), using a microphone, andrecording a part of a stereo CD or cassette ...

3 Making your first recording 14 3) Play the tape for about 10 seconds and then stop the tape. 4) Press the counter reset button. 3.3 Setting the level The aim of this section is to teach you to set the input level so thatthe average signals coming from the microphone will light the 0 meter indicato...

3 Making your first recording 15 3.4 Recording the first track 1) Set the REC FUNCTION switch of INPUT 1 to 1 . You are now ready to record on track 1. Make sure the REC FUNC- TION switch of INPUT 2 is set to SAFE , so you don’t record on it by accident. 2) Press the RECORD key (which will also pres...

3 Making your first recording 16 3.5 Recording the next track Since you plugged the microphone into MIC/LINE 1 / MONO , and didn’t plug anything into MIC/LINE 2 , the microphone signal is split as if it was plugged into both channels. 1) Take fader 1 to the 0 mark. 2) Set the level for input channel...

3 Making your first recording 17 3.6 Recording the stereo backing Now that tracks 1 and 2 are filled with spoken words, we’ll putsome backing music behind them. We’ll assume that you’re using aCD player here (of course, it may be an MD player or a cassetteplayer). 1) Make sure the volume on the ampl...

3 Making your first recording 18 3.7 Mixdown Make sure that your mastering recorder is connected to the monitor-ing system. 1) Set both REC FUNCTION switches to SAFE , and move both faders down to 0 . This will stop any extra unwanted noise from the inputs appearing in the final mix. 2) Make sure th...

3 Making your first recording 19 7) Mix the tracks, fading the backing music on tracks 3 and 4 to taste. 8) At the end, stop both machines. Rewind the mastering recorder. 9) Set the amplifier input source to the mastering recorder, and replay your mix. 10) If you are not happy with the mix, you can ...

4 Hints and advanced tips 20 4 – Hints and advanced tips This section gives a few hints and tipswhich may be useful to you when youmake recordings using the Porta02. 4.1 Recording techniques Learning how to record is an art, not ascience. One of the best teachers is expe-rience. However, there are a...

5 Troubleshooting 22 track tape in the Porta02. The left andright stereo tracks of the masteringrecorder can be used as tracks 1 and 2 ofthe Porta02, leaving tracks 3 and 4 readyfor recording. There are a few points to remember: • Although you can repeat this process of mixing 4 tracks to 2 and then...

6 Specifications 23 6 – Specifications The PAN controls don’t work If you’re listening through headphones, is the Porta02’s MONO switch pressed? If you’re listening through speakers, is there a MONO switch on the amplifier which has been pressed? Recorded sound is distorted when recording When monit...

6 Specifications 24 LINE outputs (2 x RCA jacks) Output level Output impedance –10dBV 10k Ω Headphone output (1/4" stereo jack) Output level Output impedance 60mW + 60mW 30 Ω Frequency response 50Hz – 12.5kHz ± 3dB Signal-to-noise ratio 43dB Total Harmonic Distortion Better than 3.0% (400Hz, –10...