oldenough Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 A few months ago after reading the tape exchange thread i decided to pull my Teac X-2000r out of the closet. After a little cleaning and lubing i loaded up a tape of 70's popular music, one of 15, 10" scotch 175 on metal spools that had been given to me with the machine, To my suprise everything worked fine, even more suprising when you think this had sat for more than 6 years since i got it from an uncle who had bought it new, and had also not used it for sometime. Over this period i have really enjoyed listening to these tapes but not wanting to record over this great collection of 70s and 80s music i did'nt try the record function. So, saturday i picked up a couple of tapes at a garage sale and decided to try recording......Nothing! Pulled out the users manual..Ok..i've done all the right moves, try again, after a while i have discovered the only way i can get any results at all is by cranking the record levels to their max. The result is not anything you would want to listen to, but there is now some of the higher passages breaking through, sorry but this is the best way i can explain it, crackly, distorted, painful ! Now i realize the obvious solution is to get it to an expert for a much deserved physical, but living where i do that would mean at least a two hour drive to Vancouver, and i am certainly not trusting the postal service with 50 pounds of fragile electronics. So here i am again looking for advice, am i missing something? Is there maybe a maintenence issue that i could possibly resolve? Thanks in advance for any input. By the way when playing this Teac sounds incredible, i'm looking forward to using this to put together my favourite classical pieces on a few tapes, and maybe i can also get on the tape exchange. John.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Just as a check point....you have the right type of tape and have set the unit to record that type? Also, I can re-create your problem on a functional machine if I load tape backwards.....it's not backwards right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarheel Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 I was about to log off when I saw your thread. First thing would be to rule out a dirty record head. If you haven't already done so...get a Q-tip and some head cleaner or alcohol...but not rubbing alcohol... that contains a skin conditioner...usually lanolin. Clean the heads thoroughly changing Q-tips if really dirty. If this doesn't solve the problem maybe someone out there such as forum member DWI Lawyer can help. Good luck. BTW...that a nice deck you have. Chuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldenough Posted February 5, 2007 Author Share Posted February 5, 2007 Speakerfritz, Thanks, I can't be sure that the machine is set up to record on Scotch 175, but it is the tapes he gave me with the machine. Yes i do have the tape the right way around. John... Tarheel.. Yes i have thoroughly cleaned the tape path in the same manner as you suggested. Thanks..John.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldenough Posted February 5, 2007 Author Share Posted February 5, 2007 Duh, i just realized the tape i tried to record with is Scotch, but it may not be the same type. Would this make so much of a difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuned4life Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 I have (2) x-2000R's and love them. with low hours, with playback working fine and machine having low hours it is unlikely there is a problem with the machine. it is probably an incorrect setting, bad tape. most likely you didnt have the line level high enough during recording. This is how I set my settings when recording. 1) Timer=out, speed= high or low, auto spacer= 12oclk, auto reverse= center position, pitch= pull out and adjust to 120clk and push back in, bias 12oclk, tape=normal, record right/left=in, monitor right/left=in,( make sure you push monitor and record back to out for playbaxk), mic= all the way counter clockwise, line= adjust to 12 oclk or higher as needed,. output=12oclk (for playback, should have no effect on record mode). My guess is that you didnt have your line adjusted high enough during recording. Try recording from a CD and make sure your cable in out conections are right. It may be as simple as having bad tape. check to see if record heads are clean. IMHO the teac x 2000R is the stand alone best consumer machine ever built. I am a big believer in maxell XL 35-180B tape. I wouldnt trust the post office with it either. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldenough Posted February 5, 2007 Author Share Posted February 5, 2007 Tuned4life, Check for all the above. I'll give it another try this evening and double check. thanks..John.. P.s I had the line levels maxed out thats the only way i could get any sound (read noise) to record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted February 6, 2007 Moderators Share Posted February 6, 2007 How did round two go with those latest suggestions? Any changes? Travis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldenough Posted February 6, 2007 Author Share Posted February 6, 2007 Hi Travis, no, same outcome, could it actually be tape choice? Seems pretty extreme. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wardsweb Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 You may have an issue with bad tape or it may be oxidized contactsin your level control. If you want to try some better tape, shoot meyour address in a PM and I'll send you some. If it's dirty controls,buy a can of Deoxit and clean them all while your at it. <> By the way, I love Teac reel to reels. I've owned many over the years and presently have two in house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted February 6, 2007 Moderators Share Posted February 6, 2007 Old, You either have bad tape (this is extreamly rare to have tape that will not take a recording, but it can happen) or you are getting no bias to the record heads You can tell real quick, if you have an blank space at the end of the good tapes you were listening to, even if it is just a few seconds, you can try recording a few secondsat the end to see how that sounds. However, there are a lot of things that are confusing about what you are saying. The VU meters,what were they reading when you were recording? What do you have your output levels set to? I assume you are at about the same output levels that you were at when you were playing the tapes that sounded good? When you made the tape were you listening through the source or the tape monitor? I am not sure what John meant about the tape being on backwards, other then it being twisted so that the shiney side in on the inside rather then the outside. He is dead on correct about trying to record with the tape on the wrong side out, it will sound exactly as you say. Ifyou cannot get a good rcording even on the tapes that played good, then you need to take Luther (wardsweb) o his offer to take you through cleaning up the controls. He recently went all through his Teac top to bottom and he would be a good resource. Travis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldenough Posted February 6, 2007 Author Share Posted February 6, 2007 Wardsweb,.. thankyou for the kind offer, i have now tried a number of other tapes and the same problem occurs. I will try to clean the controls, but it does seem that they are working as the VU meters do respond to their adjustment. One other symptom has shown itself, while trying to record over existing music on a tape.....it seems the existing music is not being erased or not erased fully. I am very sure that i am following proper procedure as regard to levels and which switches and controls are where.. Again the only way i can get any results at all is to max out the record levels to the point where the Vu meters are showing total saturation. Travis... I took your advice and used blank parts of known good tapes. Yes i took John's comment to mean twisted, rest assured the tape was'nt. Man this is frustrating. Thanks for your patience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted February 6, 2007 Moderators Share Posted February 6, 2007 If you are listening through the tape monitor, and can only get some sound out with the input levels maxed, and the vu meters reading +6 or more (way in the red), you have a bias problem. I am not sure of the circuit in the teac, whether the bias and erase are through the same circuit or not, but if you hit record with the record levels at zero (meaning only the erase head is coming into play) and you rewind and can still hear the music, even at diminished levels, it is not eraseing properly. It sounds like that is part of the same problem as the lack of saturation of the tape. I think you are going to be looking at having to replace some components. That is rare for that machine at this point. Travis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted February 6, 2007 Moderators Share Posted February 6, 2007 Where are you located? Travis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldenough Posted February 6, 2007 Author Share Posted February 6, 2007 Hi Travis, i'm in Hope BC, about 100 miles east of Vancouver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted February 6, 2007 Moderators Share Posted February 6, 2007 Hi Travis, i'm in Hope BC, about 100 miles east of Vancouver. Luther, Old lives in one of the most beautiful places in North America, let's load up a bunch of parts, test equipment, etc. and fly up there and fix that thing, then hang out for a couple of days checking out all the sights and some sking at Whistler. Travis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldenough Posted February 6, 2007 Author Share Posted February 6, 2007 Give me a few hours to get the beds made up, then i'll need to do some grocery shopping. P.s do'nt forget the parts and test equipment... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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