Slowly I Turn...

[billroper]

The cable that I needed to connect the 8-track reel-to-reel recorder (a Tascam TSR-8) having arrived yesterday, I went down to the studio today and wired up the recorder to the Octopre, found a couple of BNC to RCA adapters and hooked up the word clock to the Octopre so that I could sync it to the rest of the digital gear (because not doing so is a recipe for getting clicks and pops), connected the Octopre to the ADAT patchbay, powered up everything, and was ready to go to work transferring The Grim Roper.

I went to the cabinet and grabbed the tapes. But where was the take up reel? After a fifteen minute ransacking of the area, I found it on top of the filing cabinet where the 8-track unit had been sitting.

Ok, mount the reels and let's rewind the tape, which had been carefully stored tail out. And after a short time, the rewinding function slowed down. That's not good. I found that I could pick up the speed by lifting the right tension arm by hand. Ok, that'll work for the moment.

Tape rewound. Channels enabled in Cubase. Hit play on the recorder.

And it sits there.

Apparently, there's something wrong with the transport mechanism, which would explain the trouble with rewinding.

Thud, thud, thud.

Update: I've opened up the front panel and the capstan belt has definitely gone bad, so I've ordered a new one off of eBay that should get here some time next week. Installing the new belt looks like an adventure. I think I have to partially remove the head stack.

On the other hand, having the machine opened up this way allowed me to clear some remarkable crud off of the metal parts around the heads, so...

The heads themselves were clean. And easier to reach. :)

Comments

[catsittingstill.livejournal.com]

Headdesk.

Oh, arg.

[billroper]

It's being like that.

Aren't you glad that you're using modern technology? :)

[tollermom]

Ow.

Here, have a pillow for between your head and the desk.

[billroper]

Thanks! It makes it ever so much more comfortable.

It looks like I need to replace the capstan belt. I've ordered one...

[thnidu.livejournal.com]

O capstan! My capstan! Our fearful trip is done...
There on the deck my capstan lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

(Well, I hope not.)

[dave-ifversen.livejournal.com]

When was the last time you used the reel-to-reel? The belts on the transport will tend to go rotten if left sitting too long.

[billroper]

This is actually the first time that I've fired it up since I got it, because I haven't needed it until now. What I'm seeing on line suggests that I probably need to get and install a new capstan belt.

Right now, I'm studying how to remove the front panel. :)

userpic says it all

[thnidu.livejournal.com]

 

Re: userpic says it all

[billroper]

Yeah, pretty much.

[hms42]

At least you got it figured out before it destroyed a non replaceable master tape. May you find something extra on the end of the tape that you didn't know was there.