Tascam DA-P1 User Manual

"HAiSOAIVI

TEAC Professional Division

DA-P1

Digital Audio Tape Recorder

c	’S MANUAL )	D00174100B

Important Safety Precautions

AI CAUTION lA

RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK

DO NOT OPEN

CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK). NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.

A	The lightning		flash with	arrowhead symbol,		within equilateral triangle, is		intended to	alert
	the user to the presence			of uninsulated "dangerous voltage" within the product's enclosure
	that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to person.
A	The exclamation point within an equilateral					triangle is intended to alert the user			to	the
	presence	of	important	operating	and	maintenance	(servicing)	instructions	in	the
	literature accompanying the appliance.

This appliance has a serial number located on the rear panel. Please record the model number and serial number and retain them for your records.

Model number________________________

Serial number-------------------------------------

WARNING: TO PRIVENT FIRE OR SHOCK HAZARD, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.

IMPORTANT (for U.K. Customers)

DO NOT cut off the mains plug from this equipment. If the plug fitted is not suitable for the power points in your home or the cable is too short to reach a power point, then obtain an appropriate safety approved extension lead or consult your dealer.

If	nonetheless the mains plue is cut			off, remove
the	fuse	and dispose of	the P1U2	immediately,
to	avoid	a possible shock	hazard by	inadvertent

connection to the mains supply.

If this product is not provided with a mains plug, or one has to be fitted, then follow the instructions given below:

IMPORTANT. DO NOT make any connection to the larger terminal which is marked with the letter E or by the safety earth symbol or coloured GREEN or GREEN-and-YELLOW.

The wires in the mains lead on this product are coloured in accordance with the following code:

BLUE: NEUTRAL

BROWN: LIVE

The wire which is coloured BROWN must be connected to the terminal which is marked with the letter L or coloured RED.

When replacing the fuse only a correctly rated approved type should be used and be sure to re-fit the fuse cover.

IF IN DOUBT — CONSULT A COMPETENT ELECTRICIAN.

As these colours may not correspond with the coloured markings identifying the terminals in your plug proceed as follows:

The wire which is coloured BLUE must be connected to the terminal which is marked with the letter N or coloured BLACK.

Safety Instructions

CAUTION:

•Read all of these Instructions.

•Save these Instructions for later use.

•Follow all Warnings and Instructions marked on the audio equipment.

1)Read instructions — All the safety and operating instructions should be read before the product is operated.

2)Retain instructions — The safety and operating instructions

should be retained for future reference.

3)Heed Warnings — All warnings on the product and in the operating instructions should be adhered to.

4)Follow instructions — All operating and use instructions shoud be followed.

5)Cleaning — Unplug this product from the wall outlet before

cleaning. Do not use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for cleaning.

6)Attachments — Do not use attachments not recommended by the product manufacturer as they may cause hazards.

7)Water and Moisture — Do not use this product near water - for

example, near a bath tub, wash bowl, kitchen sink, or laundry tub; in a wet basement; or near a swimming pool; and the like.

8)Accessories — Do not place this product on an unstable cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table. The product may fall, causing serious injury to a child or adult, and serious damage to the product. Use only with a cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table recommended by the manufacturer, or sold with the product. Any mounting of the product should follow the manufacturer’s instructions, and should use a mounting accessory recoitunended by the manufacturer.

9)A product and cart combination should be moved with care. Quick stops, excessive force, and uneven surfaces may cause the product and cart combination to overturn.

10)Ventilation — Slots and openings in the cabinet are provided for ventilation and to ensure reliable operation of the product and to protect it from overheating, and these openings must not be blocked or covered. The openings should never be blocked by placing the product on a bed, sofa, rug, or other similar surface. This product should not be placed in a built-in installation such as a bookcase or rack unless proper ventilation is provided or the manufacturer’s instructions have been adhered to.

11)Power Sources — This product should be operated only from

the type of power source indicated on the marking label. If you are not sure of the type of power supply to your home, consult your product dealer or local power company. For products intended to operate Ifom battery power, or other sources, refer to the operating instructions.

12) Grounding or Polarization — This procuct may be equipped with a polarized alternating-current line plug (a plug having one blade wider than the other). This plug will fit into the power outlet only one way. This is a safety feature. If you are unable to insert the plug fully into the outlet, try reversing the plug. If the plug should still fail to fit, contact your electrician to replace your obsolete outlet. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized plug.

13)Power-Cord Protection — Power-supply cords shoud be routed so that they are not likely to be walked on or pinched by items placed upon or against them, paying particular attention to cords at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the product.

14)Outdoor Antenna Grounding — if an outside anteima or cable

system is connected to the product, be sure the antenna or cable system is grounded so as to provide some protection against voltage surges and built-up static charges. Article 810 of the National Electrical Code, ANSl/NFPA 70, provides information with regard to proper grounding of the mast and supporting structure, grounding of the lead-in wire to an antenna discharge unit, size of grounding conductors, location of antenna-discharge unit, connection to grounding electrodes, and requirements for the grounding electrode.

"Note to CATV system installer:

This reminder is provided to call the CATV system installer’s attention to 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 grounding system of the building, as close to the point of cable entry as practical.

Example of Antenna Grounding as per

National Electricai Code, ANSI/NFPA 70

15)Lightning — For added protection for this product during a lightning storm, or when it is left unattended and unused for long periods of time, unplug it from the wall outlet and disconnect the antenna or cable system. This will prevent damage to the product due to lighming and power-line surges.

16)Power Lines — An outside antenna system should not be located

in the vicinity of overhead power lines or other electric light or power circuits, or where it can fall into such power lines or circuits. When installing an outside antenna system, extreme care should be taken to keep from touching such power lines or circuits as contact with them might be fatal.

17)Overloading — Do not overload wall outlets, extension cords, or integral convenience receptacles as this can result in risk of fire or electric shock.

18)Object and Liquid Entry — Never push objects of any kind into

this product through openings as they may touch dangerous voltage points or short-out parts that could result in a fire or electric shock. Never spill liquid of any kind on the product.

19)Servicing — Do not attempt to service this product yourself as opening or removing covers may expose you to dangerous voltage or other hazards. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.

20)Damage Requiring Service — Unplug this product from the

wall outlet and refer servicing to qualified service personnel under the following conditions:

a)when the power-supply cord or plug is damaged.

b)if liquid has been spilled, or objects have fallen into the product.

c)if the product has been exposed to rain or water.

d)if the product does not operate normally by following the operating instructions. Adjust only those controls that are covered by the operating instructions as an improper adjustment of other controls may result in damage and will often require extensive work by a qualified technician to restore the product to its normal operation.

e)if the product has been dropped or damaged in any way.

f)when the product exhibits a distinct change in performance - this

indicates a need for service.

21) Replacement Parts — When replacement parts are required, be sure the service technician has used replacement parts specified by the manufacturer or have the same characteristics as the original part. Unauthorized substitutions may result in fire, electric shock, or other hazards.

22)Safety Check — Upon completion of any service or repairs to this product, ask the service technician to perform safety checks to determine that the product is in proper operating condition.

23)Wall or Celling Mouting — The product shoud be mounted to a

wall or ceiling only as recommended by the manufacturer.

24) Heat — The product should be situated away from heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other products (including amplifiers) that produce heat.

Introduction

Your new TASCAM deck is a heavy-duty, portable R- DAT recorder/reproducer designed for outdoor recording needs in various fields from sound reinforcement through broadcast production. Facilities include operation using battery or AC current, backlit LCD display, protection against accidental operations, settings for two sampling rates when recording via the analog inputs, S/PDIF I/O port, ID editing modes, and others, as discussed later in this manual.

Table of Contents
Important Safety Precautions......................................	2
Safety Instructions.......................................................	3
Introduction.................................................................	4
Precautions and Recommendations.............................	4
Structure of DAT Cassettes.........................................	5
Subcodes.....................................................................	5
Using the Battery.........................................................	6
Hookup........................................................................	6
Recording....................................................................	7
Playback......................................................................	11
Editing Start and Skip ID Marks.................................	12
Features and Controls..................................................	14
Specifications..............................................................	20
Problems and Solutions...............................................	21
Block Diagram.............................................................	22
Optional Accessories...................................................	23

Precautions and Recommendations

Environmental Conditions

This deck may be used in most areas, but to maintain top performance and prolong operating life, observe the following environmental limitations :

1)Nominal temperature should be 5 to 35 degrees Celsius (41 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit).

2)Relative humidity should be 30 to 90% (non­ condensing).

3)Strong magnetic fields should not exist nearby.

Beware of Condensation

When the deck is moved from a cold to a warm place or used after a sudden temperature change, there is the danger of condensation ; water vapor in the air could condense on the internal mechanism, making proper operation impossible. To prevent this, or if this occurs (as confirmed by the indicator blinking in the LCD display window), leave the deck for 1 or 2 hours with the power turned on, then turn the power off before turning it on again.

How to Load a DAT Cassette

The hinged edge of the cassette must go in first, clear window up. The cassette holder can open before powerup or while in STOP (the CHARGE/OPERATE switch must, however, be set to OPERATE).

o* When removing cassettes, don't pull on the cassette's slider to insure against possible damage to the naked tape.

Structure of DAT Cassette

Bottom View

[—Cassette identification hole(1-4)-

Vi/rite protect hole-

Positioning hole-

Sliding cover lock

sliding cover

	Identification Hole			Signified
	1	2	3
	X	X	X	Metal coating or equivalent/13 urn
				tape thickness
	X	O	X	Metal coating or equivalent/ Thin tape
	X	X	o	1.5 time track pitch/13 pm tape
				thickness
	X	O	O	1.5 time track pitch/ Thin tape
	o	—	—	(Reserved for auxiliary tape type
				definitions)

Where: " O " = Open '' x " = Closed

• Hole #4 shows "prerecorded" (Open) or not (Closed).

Top View

Loading grip

•Dimensions: 73 X 54 X 10.5 mm (W X D X H)

•Tape width: 3.81 mm

Notes:

Cassette shells are designed to prevent touching the tape directly by hand.

DAT cassettes record and play in one direction only. Do not load DAT cassettes upside down.

DAT cassettes have a tape protection lid on the front edge to protect the tape. Do not open this lid forcibly, and do not pull the tape out from the cassette or touch it with your fingers.

Be sure to replace DAT cassettes in their plastic case for storage.

Do not place DAT cassettes on a television, speaker or near equipment which could generate a magnetic field.

The tape used in 180-min cassettes is extremely thin and can cause winding problems, crimping, wrinkling, and other damage to the tape which will destroy your work. Don't use 180-min cassettes in this deck.

Subcodes

The following subcodes are available.

	Subcode		Identifies:	Length and Location	Recorded Automatically
				of Data Recording	or Manually
		Start ID	Beginning of each program	9 seconds at the beginning	Auto and Manual
				of each program
		Skip ID	Point from where tape is made	1 second at the desired	Manual only
Index			to fast wind to the next Start ID	point
Data
		End ID	End of the existing audio	9 seconds at the end of the	Manual only
			recordings	last recording
		Program	How many programs from the	9 seconds at the beginning	Auto only
		Number	beginning of the tape is the	of each program
		(PNO)	current one
		Absolute	Elapsed time from the begin­	Full length of the audio	Auto only
		Time	ning of the tape	recordings
Time		(ABS)
Data
		Program	Elapsed time from the begin­	9 seconds at the beginning	Auto only
		Time	ning of each program	of each program

Note: If play starts from an intermediate point beyond the program-time recorded section, the display does not show the elapsed time from the begining of the program.

Using the Battery

The supplied battery (and also the optional BP-Dl battery) has been charged to 60 % of its full power at factory. When the power drops to a point where the battery needs to be recharged, the battery warning indicator'!— jJ flashes in the LCD display.

o A slide knob is attached on the side of the battery. This knob is used to show whether the battery is "exhausted" or "charged". Therefore, the knob does not have any direct effect on the battery performance.

CAUTION

Recharge the battery only when the battery warning FLASHES or its service life is shortened.

How to Load the Battery

Insert the battery, terminal side down, as illustrated.

Hookup

WARNING

Make all connections with power off.

How to Recharge the Battery

Set the CHARGE/OPERATE switch to the CHARGE position to start charging the battery. A full charge is achieved in about 2.5 hours.

When the battery is being charged, an LED lights red on the PS-Dl adaptor/charger for the first 2 hours, then turns green to indicate that you can stop charging after about 30 minutes by removing the battery pack from the deck. Remember, the LED does not automatically turn off.

Insert the charged battery into the deck only when you operate the deck using the battery. Don't leave the battery inside the deck when operating under AC power for long periods.

Auto Power Off When Using the Battery

The Auto Power Off feature turns off the deck if you leave it in STOP for 6 minutes.

If you want to override this feature or prevent it from functioning, hold down STOP and slide POWER to the right.

Recording

rNPUT

ANALOG > ■ DIGITAL

MARGIN RESET

CD

NOTE

Check to see that the write prohibit switch on the cassette you intend to record on is NOT open.

1.If you haven't done so yet, connect your recording source to the correct inputs of the deck and make all other necessary connections by referring to the diagram on page 6.

2.Locate the select switch on the left side of the deck and set it to OPERATE.

3.Turn the system on.

4.Press the EJECT button. The cassette holder will open.

5.Insert the cassette into the holder.

6.Depending on whether your recording source is analog or digital, proceed as follows:

Analog Source Recording

(1)Make the following switch settings :

INPUT switch to ANALOG ;

ANALOG INPUT switch to MIC, PAD 20 dB or LINE depending on source (both the XLR and RCA inputs are active at the same time regardless of settings of the ANALOG INPUT switch);

PHANTOM switch to ON if phantom powered mics are in use (the phantom power remains switched off if the ANALOG INPUT switch is set to LINE);

Fs to 48 kHz for standard DAT recording or 44.1 kHz if the recording will be used as a digital CD master recording.

(2)Press the MARGIN RESET button to see the instantaneous peak level of the current signal. The maximum level will read "0" in the MARGIN display, meaning that you have recorded to the maximum level allowable and there is no headroom left. If you exceed the maximum level, the "0" will blink.

(3)Put the deck into "Input Monitor" mode by pressing RECORD (the transport must be in STOP when you press RECORD). Then, adjust the INPUT L and R level controls so that peaks from the source unit don't reach the OVER area in the peak level meters.

Set the LIMITER switch (on the right side panel) to ON if the source is a mic and is expected to have such dynamic range that you may want to decrease the input amplifier gain.

INPUT

ANALOG > ■ DIGITAL

©

Digital Source Recording

Set the INPUT select switch to DIGITAL. The deck configures itself for the sampling rate of the incoming digital signal. The settings of the Fs switch are overridden. 48, 44.1, and 32 will light in turn and 'DIGITAL IN" will flash in the LCD display if a suitable digital signal is not found.

Suggestion : If you intend to make a digital copy from a DAT recorder, you can copy subcode data (Start and Skip IDs) together with sound data by putting the deck into AUTO ID mode. Selecting this mode is explained on the next page.

o Recording digital sources does not require any input level adjustment.

7.If you are using a new blank tape :

Press REW (regardless of the current tape position). The tape will be located to a point 100 mm ahead of the end of the leader tape. If you don't perform this step, or record from the middle of a blank tape, ABS time will not be recorded in the subcode area for later reference, and the ABS display will be blank.

If you are using a tape containing some programs previously recorded:

Locate, if necessary, the blank portion of the tape by pressing F FWD. The tape will automatically stop either at the point beyond which there is nothing recorded so far or at an End ID mark if available. If the tape finds an End ID mark, " t'c " shows in the left of the LCD display and "END" in the upper right. Otherwise

c noshows in the center.

Avoid discontinuity in the ABS time by moving the tape back the length of 2 seconds or so. This allows the deck, when going into record mode, to read the ABS time from the previous recording and continue to record the ABS time without a break.

8.Hold down RECORD and press PAUSE.

Automatic "Lead-in" Feature : If you are using a new blank tape, you will notice that i- u'rnt (format) shows in the LCD display window and the RECORD LED lights for about 10 seconds, during which a lead-in mark is automatically laid down on the tape. While Format is displayed, do not change settings of the INPUT or Fs select switches. Format goes out and the RECORD LED starts blinking when the lead-in mark is fully recorded and the transport enters normal record ready mode.

As a result of automatic lead-in recording, tape playback can begin at the lead-in mark rather than at the very beginning of the audio recording, so there is no risk of clipping first notes.

Directly entering record mode by holding RECORD and pressing PLAY (without passing through RECORD PAUSE mode) will also automatically record the lead-in mark before actually starting normal audio recording. But, be aware of the following:

Suggestion : While Format is displayed to show the lead-in mark is being recorded, no audio can be recorded. To follow a tight audio start, first record the lead-in mark in RECORD PAUSE instead of directly going into record mode.

Before performing step 9 (page 10), consider the following optional possibilities :