Teac MMR-8 User Manual v3.0
TASCAM
TEAC Professional Division
D00000000A
MMR-8
Modular Multitrack Recorder
MMP-16
Modular Multitrack Player
MMR-8/MMP-16 Version 3.0
OWNER’S MANUAL UPDATE
73236 Rev B
TASCAM MMR-8/MMP-16 Version 3.0
Table of Contents
MMR-8 / MMP-16 VERSION 3.0 UPDATE ............................................................................................. 4
INSTALLING THE MMR/MMP SOFTWARE UPDATE................................................................................. 4
OVERVIEW OF CHANGES IN VERSION 3.0................................................................................................ 5
AKAI DD-8 SUPPORT ............................................................................................................................ 7
Playback.......................................................................................................................................... 7
Export ............................................................................................................................................. 7
ZAXCOM DEVA BROADCAST WAVE FILE SUPPORT................................................................................ 7
EDITING AKAI AND DEVA FILES........................................................................................................... 7
FILE COMPATIBILITY CHART ................................................................................................................. 8
MIDI MACHINE CONTROL .................................................................................................................... 9
MMR/MMP MIDI MACHINE CONTROL PROTOCOL............................................................................... 9
MMC Information Fields............................................................................................................... 10
MMR-8 MMC Signature................................................................................................................ 11
MMP-16 MMC Signature .............................................................................................................. 11
MIDI INQUIRY MESSAGE .................................................................................................................... 11
EXPORT AS......................................................................................................................................... 12
RENAME............................................................................................................................................. 12
SERIAL TRANSPORT............................................................................................................................. 13
DAILIES MODE.................................................................................................................................... 13
VARISPEED ......................................................................................................................................... 14
AUDIO FILE TIME STAMP SUPPORT....................................................................................................... 14
NEW SCSI DRIVER ............................................................................................................................. 14
No need to restart after low format................................................................................................ 14
Mount volumes not present at startup ............................................................................................ 15
No performance loss after spin down/spin up................................................................................. 15
Performance improvements............................................................................................................ 15
CHANGE IN WAVEFRAME UFN GENERATION ....................................................................................... 15
PUNCH IN/OUT PERFORMANCE ............................................................................................................ 15
TAPEMODE PROJECT LENGTH ............................................................................................................. 16
RECORD PUNCH CHANGE .................................................................................................................... 16
IN/OUT RECALCULATION CHANGE....................................................................................................... 16
SET SCSI RECORD VOLUME................................................................................................................ 17
SHOW PROJECT FORMAT ..................................................................................................................... 17
SHOW TRACK FORMAT, DRIVE ID........................................................................................................ 17
DELETE AND DISK CLEANUP FOR MACINTOSH VOLUMES ...................................................................... 18
SHOW MOUNTED SCSI DEVICES.......................................................................................................... 18
CLIP LED DISPLAY OPTION................................................................................................................. 18
PRO TOOLS PERFORMANCE.................................................................................................................. 18
PROJECT ATTRIBUTES NOT CHANGED IN TAPEMODE............................................................................ 19
COMMIT TRACK SLIP........................................................................................................................... 19
METER INTERFACE.............................................................................................................................. 19
EXTERNAL RESOLVE CHANGES............................................................................................................ 19
IMPROVE LOCK SPEED TO EXTERNAL CLOCKS...................................................................................... 20
ONLINE FUNCTION CHANGE.............................................................................................................. 20
SERIAL EDITOR PORT CHANGES........................................................................................................... 20
Record Ready Tallies..................................................................................................................... 20
TASCAM MMR-8/MMP-16 Version 3.0 Owners Manual Update2
Sony P2 Chase and Offset Commands............................................................................................ 20
Serial Editor Port Active When Not ONLINE................................................................................. 20
Automatic ONLINE........................................................................................................................ 20
Local Machine Response to Serial Record Commands................................................................... 21
Program Speed Play...................................................................................................................... 21
Editor Mode Operation Without Video Reference.......................................................................... 21
Hybrid Protocol on Serial Editor Port........................................................................................... 21
PARALLEL I/O CHANGES..................................................................................................................... 21
Dedicated Record/Rehearse ON/OFF pins..................................................................................... 21
Lock Tally Out ............................................................................................................................... 22
Record Punch to Local Only.......................................................................................................... 22
BUG FIXES:......................................................................................................................................... 22
Slip In/Out in Feet/Frame.............................................................................................................. 22
Store Slip In/Out amount ............................................................................................................... 22
All Safe for MMR Bus Slave .......................................................................................................... 22
Fix “Busy” Exit............................................................................................................................. 22
MMR-8 SETUP MENUS FOR VERSION 3.0............................................................................................. 23
MMP-16 SETUP MENUS FOR VERSION 3.0 ........................................................................................... 28
TECHNICAL NOTES.............................................................................................................................. 31
SCSI Setup..................................................................................................................................... 31
MMR Bus Procedures.................................................................................................................... 31
PARALLEL TRACKS AND PARALLEL TRANSPORT CONNECTOR PINOUT.................................................... 32
TASCAM MMR-8/MMP-16 Version 3.0 Owners Manual Update 3
MMR-8 / MMP-16 Version 3.0 Update
This document details changes and new features in software Version 3.0 for the TASCAM MMR8 and MMP-16 Modular Multitrack units and the MM-RC remote. This document only explains
features and enhancements that have been made to the MMR/MMP since release Version 2.09, the
last official release software version prior to Version 3.0. The reason for the jump from 2.09 to 3.0
in numbering this software version is due to the inclusion of a large number of major new features.
This documentation presumes familiarity with basic operation of the MMR-8 and MMP-16.
Installing The MMR/MMP Software Update
To install software in an MMR-8 or MMP-16, first make sure the unit to be updated already has
Version 1.2 or higher software installed (software installed from the Rescue Boot Disk is also
acceptable). The most recent software update may always be downloaded from the TASCAM web
site at http://www.tascam.com. The Version 3.0 software fits on a single floppy disk. To install the
software update, insert the floppy disk into the front panel floppy drive while the unit is booted and
operating normally. Access Menu 995 (Load Software) and press STO. The system will ask “Are
you sure?” Make sure the floppy is properly inserted and press STO again to confirm. The system
will access the floppy drive for a few moments to copy the files to the internal drive. During this
time, the green LED on the floppy disk drive is the only indication provided by the system that
software is being copied from the Floppy disk to the system’s internal disk drive. After the
software update has been copied from the floppy, the system will display a message that says
“Reboot required for new software”. This verifies that the software has been successfully copied to
the system drive.
To reboot the system after the software update, remove the floppy disk and recycle the power on
the unit. The first time the system boots after the update, it will go through a longer boot procedure
and will update various internal processors. The LCD will indicate the update procedure status as
these processors are re-programmed. After all these internal updates are finished, the LCD will
briefly show the message “New Software Loaded”, then mount all available SCSI volumes and
show the normal display. The unit is now ready for operation.
If an MM-RC remote unit is attached to the MMR/MMP when the software update is performed,
the system will update the MM-RC after the reboot. A progress display will be shown on the MMRC LCD during the update. The MMR/MMP will show the message “Programming Remote”
while the MM-RC software is updated. Warning: If the system is connected to another
MMR/MMP unit with an MMR Bus sync cable, an error message that reads “MMR RCV
Overrun Error” may occur. This is normal – just ignore the error message (note that pressing CLR
will cancel the error message) and proceed with the system reboot.
Special Version 3.0 Reboot Warning: Version 3.0 uses a new SCSI driver, and needs to be
rebooted twice after the Version 3.0 software update is loaded. The first time is immediately after
loading the software as outlined above. After rebooting, the system will uncompress the new
software files, update all EPROMs and will try (but fail) to mount SCSI volumes. This is because
the new SCSI driver is not yet operative until the system is booted one more time. After the system
stops at the “Mounting Volumes” display, simply cycle the power. After the second reboot, the
system will act normally and will automatically mount all available SCSI volumes.
TASCAM MMR-8/MMP-16 Version 3.0 Owners Manual Update4
Overview of Changes in Version 3.0
The following functional changes have been made to the MMR-8/MMP-16 software in Version
3.0. These changes are explained in detail in this document:
• AKAI DD-8 Playback Support Playback 16 and 24 bit files from AKAI DD-8/DD-1500
• MIDI Machine Control Respond to complete MMC protocol via MIDI in port
• Export As Adds a modifiable name field to the Export menu to allow
creating a different name when exporting.
• Rename New Backup Menu to rename WF, PT, OMF projects
• Dailies Mode Special mode for recording “dailies” which keeps MMR
in record whenever it is locked to incoming TC or Biphase.
• Serial Transport Implements P2 out (Serial Tran mode). When ONLINE, the
front panel keys will control an external deck, typically a
VTR, which the MMR will then chase using serial time code.
• Varispeed Allows Varispeed playback by % (88.5% to 104.3%)
• DEVA/Broadcast Wave Support Adds support for Broadcast Wave files created by Zaxcom’s
DEVA disk recorder on DOS formatted drives.
• Time Stamp support Adds support for record Time Stamp in all format audio files
• New SCSI driver New SCSI driver – makes these improvements:
§ Mount volumes not present at startup
§ No need to restart after low format
§ Performance improvement
§ No performance loss after spin down/spin up
• TapeMode Project Length Adds a setup menu to constrain length of TapeMode project
• ONLINE function change Adds SHIFT + ONLINE command to return machine to
previously established sync point when in Biphase chase
mode. The ONLINE button alone resets sync interlock point.
• Set system record volume New setup menu to choose default record drive volume
• Change UFN generation Takes Unit Serial # into account as part of Unique ID
for WaveFrame files, uses same UFN for sound files when
making a WaveFrame Project Backup
• Punch in/out Performance Improve speed of record punch in/out
• Improve Lock to External Clocks Use MMR Bus clock PLL to improve lock to External
sample or AES/EBU inputs
• In/Out Recalculation Change Recalculate in/out points (time code<->sample
conversions) on rate changes
• Show Project drive ID and format Appends drive format information to end of Project
name and SCSI ID# plus format to end of Track name
• Commit track slip Will commit any track slips as edits in the EDL
TASCAM MMR-8/MMP-16 Version 3.0 Owners Manual Update 5
Version 3.0 Software Update Overview - continued
• Pro Tools Performance Improved performance of Pro Tools support – Mounts
Mac volumes and loads Pro Tools Session files faster
• Meter Interface Adds support for MMU-16 meter bridge. New menu
to select Local or MMR Bus for meters source
• Serial Editor Mode improvements These enhancements added to Serial Editor Mode support:
§ Record ready tallies Front panel record tallies now output to Serial port
§ P2 Chase and Offset Commands Implemented with new menu to specify chase source
§ ONLINE change Unit will follow P2 even when not ONLINE
§ Automatic ONLINE ONLINE state automatic when in P2 chase
§ Program Speed Play Implementation and status improvements
§ Punch Commands Directed to local machine only
§ Editor mode w/out video ref Allows Editor mode to work without video reference
§ Hybrid Protocol on Serial port Enables remote control implementation for Sound Master
and other external control devices.
• MMR Bus Slave improvements MMR Slave units will respond locally to record
commands regardless of bus Master record status
• Record punch change Punch during chase modes now waits for locked status
(time code / biphase chase plus video resolve).
• Bug Fixes:
§ Slip In/Out in Feet/Frame Allows Slip In/Out to work properly in Feet Frames
display mode when there is a “local 0” offset
§ Store nudge amount Allows storing Slip In/Out amount from the front
panel
(previously worked only on remote)
§ All Safe fix All Safe on MMR Bus slave not overridden by master
§ Fix “Busy” exit Fix potential sync loss in biphase chase if system is
“Busy” while the biphase master is moving. This
typically occurred while slipping tracks.
• Clipping display option New option to inhibit audio clipping display (light “Clip”
LED) while leaving it enabled during recording.
• External Resolve changes Permits various combinations of External word clock
(or AES/EBU) with external frame references
(Video/Lynx/TC/Biph). Video resolve is now supported while
the sample clock is locked to the external sample source.
Causes "EXT RSLV" LED to illuminate, indicating that
external resolve is required to guarantee stable sync.
• Parallel I/O Changes
§ Dedicated Record/Rehearse ON/OFF pins
§ Lock tally out on pin # 28
§ Punch commands directed to local machine only (including when MMR Bus master)
• Show Mounted SCSI Devices New Setup menu provides list of all mounted SCSI drives
• Cleanup for Macintosh Volumes Implemented Project delete and Disk Cleanup for Mac
• TapeMode Project/Session Attributes Don’t change if sample/frame rate change
TASCAM MMR-8/MMP-16 Version 3.0 Owners Manual Update6
Akai DD-8 Support
Version 3.0 adds support for the Akai DD-8 digital dubber and other Akai products which use the
identical disk file systems and audio formats. These include the Akai DR-8, DR-16, and DD-1500.
Support is limited to playback of Akai files and export of Akai files to WaveFrame, Pro Tools, and
OMF/SDII formats. Support does not include recording in the Akai format on the MMR-8. To
identify files in the Akai format, the MMR/MMP will show [AK] at the end of any Akai Project or
Track name when these names are displayed in the LCD.
Playback
Playback of Projects created on the Akai DD-8 digital disk recorder is now supported on the
MMR-8 and MMP-16. This includes audio and projects created on the original DD-8 format as
well as the newer DD-Plus format using either 16-bit or 24-bit audio files. All files recorded on an
Akai DD-8 will play on the MMR/MMP, with the following exceptions:
1) The Akai DD-8 20-bit recording mode is not supported on the MMR/MMP.
2) The MMR/MMP do not support playback of audio files recorded at 96kHz sample rate.
Export
Akai DD-8 format projects can be exported to WaveFrame, Pro Tools, and OMF/SDII formats on
the MMR-8 and MMP-16. To Export an Akai file to one of these other formats, first press LOAD
TRACK and scroll through the display until it shows the name of the desired Akai file (the end of
the file name will show [AK] when an Akai file is recognized). Then press SHIFT+SLIP (Backup)
to show the Backup Menus. Scroll through the menus and choose either WaveFrame Export, Pro
Tools Export, or OMF Export and use the normal export procedure. The Project file (EDL) and
audio files will be copied to the designated SCSI target device in the format specified. Files can not
be exported from any other format into the Akai format because the MMR/MMP do not currently
support writing the Akai format.
Zaxcom DEVA Broadcast Wave File Support
Version 3.0 supports playback of Projects and audio files created on the Zaxcom DEVA hard disk
recorder. This is a field recorder which records digital audio to an internal hard drive and can
immediately mirror recordings to an external SCSI device such as an Iomega Jaz disk. The
MMR/MMP can read DEVA files which have been recorded as mono sound files in the Broadcast
Wave format to an external SCSI drive formatted as a DOS volume. Only DEVA files recorded in
precisely this way can be read by the MMR/MMP. Polyphonic sound files (stereo or more tracks
interleaved) can not be read, nor can Sound Designer II files recorded to a DOS disk. Projects and
Track Names of files recorded on a DEVA unit will show the designation [DV] at the end of the
name when it is displayed in the MMR/MMP LCD window. Support is also provided for Export of
DEVA files to the WaveFrame, Pro Tools, and OMF/SDII formats.
Editing Akai and DEVA Files
Akai DD-8 and DEVA files can be edited on the MMR/MMP, but all edits are held in RAM
memory only and not written back to the disk. This is because the MMR-8 and MMP-16 do not
write the Akai or DEVA formats. Edits in these formats will not be retained in the Project EDL.
TASCAM MMR-8/MMP-16 Version 3.0 Owners Manual Update 7
File Compatibility Chart
One of the most powerful features of the MMR-8 and MMP-16 units is their support for multiple
Digital Audio Workstation formats. The following chart shows the Matrix of formats supported
and the various Backup, Export, and TapeMode Conversion operations available in Version 3.0
of the MMR and MMP.
File
Compatibility
Chart
T
WaveFrame WaveFrame
O
FROM
WaveFrame
WaveFrame
TapeMode
OMF / SDII Export
Pro Tools Not permitted
Pro Tools
TapeMode
AKAI DD-8 Export
DEVA Export
Backup
[Change
Record Mode
Setting]
Not permitted
OMF /
TapeMode
Convert to
TapeMode
Backup Export Export
Convert to
TapeMode
Not
permitted
Not
permitted
Convert to
TapeMode
Convert to
TapeMode
SDII
Export Export
Backup Export
Export Backup
Export
Export Export
Export Export
Pro Tools Pro Tools
[Change
Record Mode
Setting]
TapeMode
Convert to
TapeMode
Convert to
TapeMode
Convert to
TapeMode
Convert to
TapeMode
Backup*
Convert to
TapeMode
Convert to
TapeMode
Table of Backup, TapeModeConversion, and Export Paths
Any file format that can be played on the MMR/MMP can also be written (exported) to any
written format supported by the MMR. Written formats are WaveFrame, Pro Tools, and
OMF/SDII. The sole exception is that Digidesign Pro Tools files may be written as OMF files, but
not as WaveFrame files (shown as Not Permitted in the chart above). To convert Pro Tools to
WaveFrame, first export Pro Tools to OMF on the same disk, then use that OMF file for export to
WaveFrame (one extra step).
*This is true only if the Mac HFS disk being copied to is formatted identically (same block size),
otherwise Backup to a Mac volume with a different block size will yield a non-destructive project.
In this case, use Convert to Tape Mode to insure the project remains a TapeMode project after
being copied to the new disk.
TASCAM MMR-8/MMP-16 Version 3.0 Owners Manual Update8
MIDI Machine Control
The MMR/MMP responds to MIDI Machine Control (MMC) messages received on the unit’s
MIDI In port. To set the MMC address, go to Setup Menu 420, press Trim and set the appropriate
MIDI Device ID number for as required by the device transmitting the MMC messages to which
the MMR/MMP will respond. The range of available MIDI device ID’s is 1 to 127, with the
system default being 74.
01234567890123456789 20 position LCD character positions
420 MIDI Device Id Top: (Menu Item)
* 74 Bottom: (Encoding Type)
Supported MIDI Machine control messages are described in the next section of the documentation.
MMR/MMP MIDI Machine Control Protocol
All numerical values are hexadecimal, unless otherwise noted. For descriptions of the following
commands and responses, please refer to the MIDI Machine Control 1.0 specification, subtitled
MIDI 1.0 Recommended Practice RP-13, January 1992.
MMC Commands: Comments
01 STOP
02 PLAY
03 DEFERRED PLAY
04 FAST FORWARD
05 REWIND
06 RECORD STROBE ( RECORDER ONLY )
07 RECORD EXIT ( RECORDER ONLY )
09 PAUSE
0B CHASE ( requires time code input)
0D MMC RESET
40 WRITE
41 MASKED WRITE ( RECORDER ONLY )
42 READ
44 LOCATE
45 VARIABLE PLAY ( defaults to shuttle )
46 SEARCH ( defaults to shuttle )
47 SHUTTLE
4C MOVE
52 GROUP
54 DEFERRED VARIABLE PLAY
Note: In all velocity commands and information fields, the MMR-8 and MMP-16 support
multiples of play speed from +/- 20 with 1/1024 fractional resolution.
TASCAM MMR-8/MMP-16 Version 3.0 Owners Manual Update 9
MMC Information Fields
Hex Field Read / Read Write
01 SELECTED TIME CODE r
02 SELECTED MASTER CODE r
03 REQUESTED OFFSET RW
04 ACTUAL OFFSET r
05 LOCK DEVIATION r
08 GP0/LOCATE POINT RW
09 GP1 RW
0A GP2 RW
0B GP3 RW
0C GP4 RW
0D GP5 RW
0E GP6 RW
0F GP7 RW
21 short SELECTED TIME CODE r
22 Short SELECTED MASTER CODE r
23 Short REQUESTED OFFSET r
24 short ACTUAL OFFSET r
25 short LOCK DEVIATION r
26 short GENERATOR TIME CODE r
28 Short GP0/LOCATE POINT r
29 Short GP1 r
2A Short GP2 r
2B Short GP3 r
2C Short GP4 r
2D Short GP5 r
2E Short GP6 r
2F Short GP7 r
45 TIME STANDARD RW
48 MOTION CONTROL TALLY r
49 VELOCITY TALLY r
4C RECORD MODE RW ( RECORDER ONLY )
4D RECORD STATUS r ( RECORDER ONLY )
4E TRACK RECORD STATUS r ( RECORDER ONLY )
4F TRACK RECORD READY RW ( RECORDER ONLY )
50 GLOBAL MONITOR RW ( RECORDER ONLY )
51 RECORD MONITOR RW ( RECORDER ONLY )
53 TRACK INPUT MONITOR RW ( RECORDER ONLY )
58 CONTROL DISABLE RW
5A CHASE MODE r
RW - indicates read / write r - indicates read only
TASCAM MMR-8/MMP-16 Version 3.0 Owners Manual Update10
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