How to fix a noisy output on the Tascam Porta02 MKii

In this video I'll walk you through the basics of opening, cleaning, and repairing a noisy output on the Tascam Porta02 mkii. This is a very common problem with the Tascam Porta series and a simple fix.
The Tascam Porta02 is a lovely little 4 track recorder that is coming back in fashion and being used with endless loop tapes for ambient and experimental music.
I'd like to recognize KZbin User RedMeansRecording for the inspiration in adding self-deprecating and informative titles to the video. check him out here / jjbbllkk
Track index:
00:12 intro/ overview
01:48 organization practices
02:32 cleaning tips
04:00 taking off the knobs
05:15 removing the bottom cover
07:52 disconnecting ribbon cables
09:05 cleaning the heads and capistan roller
11:37 causes of worbly belts
12:35 removing the controller circuit board
15:10 cleaning the controller circuit board
16:20 how to clean the noisy potentiometer
18:07 cleaning the noisy potentiometer
21:27 assembly
25:39 testing the repair and final thoughts
// let's connect
instagram: / user.173
// suggested links from this video:
www.vintage-el...
/ amuletsmusic
/ hainbach101
/ @lookmumnocomputer
//gear I used in this video:
Tascam Porta02 Mkii
Zoom H6
Sony cybershot rx100

[@davidmcmillan7518]

thanks! it blows my mind that someone has taken the time to be so generous to strangers . very easy to follow and nice loop at the end

[@User173]

YW, I just want to show people how to do it because so many people are getting in to these things and a lot of them are broken, but not beyond fixing :D

[@nowvisiting]

Had me cracking up constantly with those captions 😂 Thank you for the informative video!

[@User173]

rad, super helpful to know some people get along with my humor :D cheers and thanks for the sub!

[@adam_turk]

Thanks for this video. I am digitalising my 40+ hours of music I've recorded on my Tascam Porta 02, during the early to mid-2000s. Need to stop the gremlin noises in my Tascam Porta 02.

[@vgarc7]

I just bought a porta 02 for $50. Glad there are videos out there in case I have to fix this thing at some point. I had one that quit working and I wish I would’ve kept it and attempted to fix it. Oh, well. Thanks for this!!

[@User173]

that's great! you got it for a steal m'man. I'm happy I could help. I tried to find topics to cover that I couldn't find anywhere else. so I'm happy you found me. I'll keep doing more.

[@rhinomechanics8423]

ya had me @ the 60's opening .. wow what a flash back.

[@stellationrecordings]

Thank you. Made my experience with an MKII a lot easier.

[@chrisnunley114]

This is a great video! I have a Porta 03 with the same problem, but now I feel more confident in trying to fix it myself. Subbed!

[@User173]

lovely! the Porta 03 is NOTORIOUS for this problem. you can fix it for sure. if you need help, gimme a shout.

[@chrisnunley114]

Thanks!

[@hearpatplay]

I have one of these that worked when I bought it, but now is mostly non-functional. I think the belts are worn but I'm sure would benefit from general maintenance as well. These videos are really thorough and informative. Thanks for making them!

[@User173]

You're totally welcome. did you get yours up and running?

[@hearpatplay]

@@User173 Not yet. I started again today, got the old belts off and measured them. What belt kit did you order? I don't see this model listed specifically on the vintage-electronics website. Is it the same as the 414?

[@logix7]

​@@hearpatplayjust replaced the belts on mine since the ffwd and rwd wouldn't work anymore. works flawlessly now

[@tristanpolliandersen3524]

This is a really really great video. Best cassette video iv'e ever seen. Thanks for the great video. Keep up the great work. Tristan

[@User173]

thank you so much!!!

[@rocky93ization]

Thank you for the detailed video. It was really helpful and fun fixing mine. Your video helped a lot

[@shawnlennon1947]

I have a porta3 that not only crackles but both headphone and rca outputs hum, and the the hum is almost as visible of a wave as the music recorded when I put it into Ableton. this is the first machine ive ever gotten that actually records on all 4 tracks and I really dont wanna have to send it back if there's a simple fix. thanks for your time!

[@Hershizzle]

I have a very large Tascam portastudio 424 mkII.. I got it for a good deal.. but I had to solder a new record button onto the board, as the entire button assembly, plastic and mechanical were missing! After opening it up, a residue revealed there was some kind of.. spilled cola incident! But, this was no excuse for all of the screws being replaced with large spiraled WOOD SCREWS!! Everyone, just save your original screws!! Still a great deal for 30 bucks, lol

[@PatchMonger]

Hey thank you so much for your video. I have got a 414 with some noise pots so this will be perfect. I am going to buy the same product that you recommended.

[@User173]

yeah! NP. It might take one or two spray throughs to get it right, but it will come clean :D

[@alexmusic2024]

Great instruction! Thank you 😊

[@nielshulgard3722]

Brillant video! I've got one of these I havent used dor 10 years. Found it but there is 'white dust' in and around the line in jacks. I assume this is oxidization? Can I clean it with rubbing alcohol and or do I need some deoxit like what you use for the potentiometers? Many thanks!

[@User173]

just rubbing alcohol the jacks, then fire it up and take a listen. if none of the pots are crackling or screeching in your ear, then you are good! if they are, then de-oxit!

[@nielshulgard3722]

@@User173 Beautiful, thanks a brunch for the swift response. Time to make some loop tapes!

[@rbwduece1]

It seems the rca outputs on my Porta02 are not sending audio, forcing my to use the headphone jack. Any thoughts of the cause and potential fix?

[@hrrld]

That DeoxIT worked way better than it had any right to, thank you for this video. Bought a unit that had _insane_ crackles on the headphone volume pot and this procedure cleared it right up. Stay rad. Question, in case you're reading these. When I make a recording of a metronome (say 112bpm) it plays back faster, maybe 113-115 bpm. Any experience with this? It's making keeping different tracks/layers in sync challenging.

[@User173]

I'm not sure.... are you saying that your DAW recognizes it as a higher bpm? That's interesting. I've not tried the metronome thing.

[@hrrld]

@@User173 Yeah, I just get slightly different speeds every time I record. (: I've been multitracking a synth being controlled by a sequencer and the different layers do not stay in time. It's an interesting kind of dreamy effect. I wonder if there are any other cleanups/tuning I can do to the Porta02 to make it operate more precisely?

[@on1ytheb3st]

What about electrolytics, they’ve got to be over 30 years at this point. I find that when I have headphones in there is a lot of noise floor is quite high, would replacing filter caps dampen some of that? Sounded like yours had the same issue in the demo at the end of the video but not as noticeable. Might it have to do with the jack inputs as well?

[@Ilikethatmusic_typebeats]

Do you do repairs? I have wine that I purchase which comes on I can get sound through but it will not play sound plus I hear static from the main line out ..

[@conormaloney126]

Hello! You obviously know your way around these machines, thanks for all the videos! My Tascam Porta2 makes this really loud squealing noise when I try to record on it -- it's quiet through playback, but when I hit record and select a track, it squeals, a different noise for each track. Do you happen to know what the problem might be? It's only audible through the headphones, there's no audible mechanical noise like that coming from the machine.

[@User173]

hmm, that's an interesting one! I've not heard of that one before. Some mechanical noise must be being recorded on to the record head. I'd open it up and see if you can check all the solder connections to the play head and make sure you don't have some weird grounding issue or some cold solder joint. First step is a very thorough visual inspection.

[@conormaloney126]

@@User173 ok, thanks so much! Also, have you ever heard of one track recording at a lower volume than the rest?

[@bicyclops]

I'm having exactly the same issue with mine but oddly enough it only happens about 25% of the time. Were you able to fix it? Like you said, it's only audible through the headphones (not the line outs) and it doesn't actually get recorded to the tape. My suspicion is that it has something to do with the headphone amp, but I have no idea how to start troubleshooting that.

[@conormaloney126]

@@bicyclops damn I can't even remember now -- if I recall correctly, I was messing it up by using tinfoil over the tape head for sound on sound recording. Try cleaning it and making sure nothing is stuck anywhere

[@conormaloney126]

@@bicyclops damn I can't even remember now -- if I recall correctly, I was messing it up by using tinfoil over the tape head for sound on sound recording. Try cleaning it and making sure nothing is stuck anywhere

[@bloodmoneyperez]

Just ordered one of these and the channels crackle and short out and if I hold them just right the audio plays. I’m not experienced at deconstructing electronics. You think just pulling the knobs off and spring the compressed air in to clear out dust will work or do I really need to unscrew it all and try?

[@daneguitarist1]

hey great vid man! I cant wait to dive into this loop tape thing, ive made a couple but i cant wait to use it with my soon to be 4track that i got off ebay that... may or may not be broken haha (guy said he couldnt test it, and some knobs were broken off, but it didnt seem like. broken broken and i can fix some things.... i hope haha)

[@User173]

oh dang. sounds like you will need some extreme luck there my friend. I hope all is well. it's usually a bad sign when they say "can't test". but, you may be lucky!!! let me know if you have problems or need help.

[@serdark8035]

There's still very loud hiss after trying this on my porta03 mkii :( Granted, it did seem to help, and the recording is now discernable, but the hiss is still very distressing. Any advice?

[@Eddie71883]

Great my tascam always makes noise

[@User173]

it's a generally easy fix my friend!

[@merlevans7128]

So I got a porta 02 the other week and it worked great the first session. Has not been able to receive power since I turned it off after that one and only session. It isnt the power source because it works with other 9v consoles and its not the wall outlet. Do you have any idea what is going on?

[@merlevans7128]

Its also not the LED because record and playback functions arent working either

[@ivolouro9725]

this is awesome! Thank you so much. A question: I have one Porta02 just like this that was left in the closet for maybe 10 years. I don't have problems with the pots, but my unit generates significant self noise (just white noise). Any recommendation? All the best!

[@User173]

Shoot, sorry for the late reply. But I think that noise is pretty normal. these are fairly noisy little boxes. I'd have to hear to know if it's more than normal. but there is a usual hiss and noise with these.

[@easy2186]

Thanks for the brilliant tutorial (so far!) One quick question. On seeing how nice your tutorial is, I got really excited to do the whole DIY process with you (pitch and speed stuff too) and have just taken apart an old Porta 02 I happened upon. However, it's a mark i, not ii, which I only realised 13 minutes in because the exterior circuit board screw is not present on mine. All I'm wanting to know, or rather confirm, is -- will all your advice and information be applicable to my mark i? Obviously, some screws are in different spots etc, but everything else should be very similarly laid out and thus modified, right?

[@User173]

Totally! the only thing you are doing is either a) adding a pot in line with the power to the motor to slow the motor, or b) replacing the single speed motor with a variable speed motor and adding a pot to control the speed/ pitch. I have not done it to a mk 1, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.

[@PenelopeIsles]

Thanks for the video!!! I just got one of these bad boys.. and I think ive just broken it!!! I think i might of pumped phantom power into the line out on the back when I was trying to record a tune! I wanted to record it into my audio interface and I had phantom power on by accident and I'm not sure it the Tascam liked it! It plays back but the sound is pulsating and there's a pretty bad humming going on! Do you know if I can fix this at all!?? Thanks for your video. Rad tape loop at the end too! Jack

[@User173]

you can fix it. but you'll have to find the capacitor you blew.

[@els1f]

With those comments! Lol 😂 btw,those magnetic parts trays have changed my life🙂✌️

[@User173]

stoked to be able to make you laugh and to be able to help!

[@davidreidy5750]

"Ain't nobody got time for dat!!lol🤖📡

[@erichimes3062]

😂17:16 “work that shaft”

[@User173]

hehe

[@Aufek]

Ever have experience with playback dropping out when you try to play over it? Can't seem to figure out how to fix that.

[@User173]

no, I've not heard of that. so you are overdubbing and playback going into it drops so you cannot hear it?

[@Aufek]

@@User173 yes

[@michaelcurtis5532]

Thanks for this video. I have a constant hiss coming from the output and headphones jack. Should I open and replace these? Also, when I'm trying to record, the volume of whats recorded to the tape is super low, the manual says to clean the heads, you think this will work? Thanks in advance

[@User173]

Can't hurt to clean the heads. The hiss sounds like noisy pre-amps. Perhaps a good clean will help a bit, but noisy pre-amps will sound like a steady hiss. there is some present in general on these old tape machines, but usually it's a feature, not a bug. Remember, listening to these on headphones will present a fair amount of hiss, but it shouldn't be annoying. That's kind of the "creaminess" of tape.

[@michaelcurtis5532]

@@User173 hey sorry I missed your reply. Just as an update, I cleaned the heads and that worked perfectly though. Still got that hiss but it can be managed, thanks for the reply

[@deathxcountry]

what would you suggest if there is noise coming from the headphones while playing an instrument while using a 4 track? ive tried micing an amp and running direct, bought new headphones and adapter, but am still hearing noise/crackling/distortion, prior to recording. any help would be much appreciated!!

[@User173]

what are you running in to it? if you're using Eurorack modular, it might be coming in too hot?

[@lines374]

Hey is it normal that u can hear a little sound even when Faden is down?

[@lines374]

I mean a recorded sound

[@User173]

no you shouldn't. that's odd. sounds like the pot isn't shutting off all the way.

[@lines374]

@@User173 can i fix this?

[@fostexfan160]

Just googled that detoxit spray.......between £20 and £30 a can here in the UK.....thats more than I paid for the Tascam!!! LOL........worlds gone mad

[@chainslap]

I have 1 that has that problem and plays the tape back too fast. Can I send it to you for repair?

[@User173]

Unfortunately I'm not taking commissions at this time, but I'll happily help you fix it! we can chat online or even zoom meet if you need help.

[@vinniecanoy1469]

Will this work if I'm getting static from both my rca and headphone outputs or would this be another problem cause it sounds like that same kind of static coming out from both outputs.

[@vinniecanoy1469]

This didnt work for me

[@User173]

if all your ouyputs are noisy, it's a ground issue or capacitor issue.

[@tomislavgrzunov6560]

Hi! I've been using porta 02 for some time but input no2 seems to dead. Sounds are barely audible when I turn both slider and pot all the way up. Any advice?

[@User173]

you have made sure that the porta 2 is set to line and not safe or anything else? if so, then likely a bad jack. Easy enough to replace. you can search ebay for new replacement jacks and then solder a new one in. it's not hard :D

[@tomislavgrzunov6560]

@@User173 unfortunately that must be the case then. Thank you for your quick reply! Great work! Last couple of days I've been watching your vids with Lyra 8.

[@User173]

@@tomislavgrzunov6560 awesome, more videos to come. I've just moved across state and still unboxing everything. Plus USA holiday season. Anyway, the 1/4 inch jacks are cheap. Would be an easy fix if it's just that. My first suggestion is to open it up, take a look at the jack and see if there is something faulty, like a bad solder joint, and then all you have to do is just resolder it and buy nothing!

[@tomislavgrzunov6560]

@@User173 i looked it, seems fine. Yeah, can't wait to see more! Looks and sounds amazing! Tomorrow I'll give it another look to see what exact type of 1/4 jack is it.

[@xoxb2]

Great, useful vid. I have one of these, same model, with a large amount of white noise. This is present as soon as I turn on, and is not dependent on any specific knob. In other words, even with trims set to line, faders to zero, and headphones to zero, with no tape in there, it makes a hiss far worse than I've encountered on other equipment (including a noisy o/d channel on my guitar amp). Do you have any thoughts on which part I might look at to replace or resolder? Btw, I've had it from new, it just sat under the bed for 20 yrs due to my indolence. Many tanks for any help! Many thanks as well, to go with the tanks.

[@User173]

hmm, that's possibly a few things. It could be a loose ground on the headphone jack too? Maybe start there, open it up and make sure the line output you're using is fully soldered properly.

[@xoxb2]

Ah, good point - thank you, I'll open it up and try that.

[@M4ST_]

I have a 414 with the same issue. Thanks for the ground trace tip. Is there a good way to find cold solder joints?

[@vesselstomotherland]

@@User173 if it’s not a loose ground on the headphone jack, what else could it be? mine looks fine (same problem with the constant white noise from the moment it’s ON) thanks SO much for the amazing video btw!! i did slow it down 0.5X towards the end and i’m glad i did 😂

[@hououinkyouma702]

Track 2 isn't recording on mine... anyone have experience with that? Can it be fixed? Love the video and love the recorder very much!

[@User173]

could be a couple things. Perhaps the switch is broken, or maybe the record wire from the head is detached or a cold solder joint. It could also be that the connector that seats the record wire for that track is not properly seated on the "motherboard". Have you opened it up yet and took a look around?

[@hououinkyouma702]

@@User173 no sir not yet! That info is exactly what I was look for. I felt like I wouldn't even know what I was looking for and those starting points will do the trick. I'm super new in the fixing cassette things world... my first solder was neigh but a month ago haha thanks!

[@User173]

@@hououinkyouma702 Not a problem. Crack her open and have a look around. Familiarize yourself with how it's all connected and how it all works before you do anything to it. Notice how the record and play heads have wires that go off to a little connector on the main board. Make sure that the connectors are not loose and that none of the wires are pulled loose or have a cold solder joint. then you might take it apart further and inspect the switch as well, though I doubt it's the switch. give me a message if you need more help!

[@hououinkyouma702]

@@User173 will do! very cool of you to take your time with a rando! My contribution back will hopefully be good music :)

[@User173]

@@hououinkyouma702 I'm sure it will! I do it for this very reason, I just love helping people and giving out free information. I'm an old school Star Trek Nerd and I wish the world was more like that.

[@stonetunnelrecords588]

Hi I have one of these unit portastudio 424. I hear too much noise during playback, hums, etc., What do I do?

[@User173]

uhhh, well do you get crackles when moving the volume pots? is it happening all the time? does it come out of every output, or just one? I need a lot more info. but I would start by isolating where the problem is coming from. it's most likely a loose ground or dirty POT.

[@slacktoryrecords4193]

User 173 I’m having the same or a similar problem with my 424 mk3. Desperate to fix it. It’s a popping sound-like a vinyl record but more like electrical popping as opposed to static- on playback but it usually doesn’t start until about 20 seconds into the playback of recording. Sometimes it does start right at the beginning of the song, oddly. But usually it comes in after ~20 seconds. It’s on most (all?) of the 4 recorded tracks but I think it’s louder on the 1st and 2nd. Anyway, the pops don’t happen in the exact same spot in the recording every time-it varies by a few seconds every time. What’s weird is I got it to stop popping after cleaning the heads and capstan, long enough to bounce my stereo mix onto my Denon stereo cassette deck (loss in sound quality though-boo!), but when I tried it again a day later (to bounce a fresh mix of the same song onto my digital recorder), the static popping was back and bad as ever. I cleaned it twice and still can’t it to stop. Please help!

[@User173]

@@slacktoryrecords4193 that's a tough one without being able to diagnose it myself. You may have a cold solder joint or a bad capacitor. It's so hard to tell from a youtube comment. However the fact that cleaning it got it to go away is a great indication that something is wrong on the play head perhaps. I'm not sure if it needs to be demagnitized or not. Sometimes these old tape machines build up a huge magnetic field and it can cause some popping and glitchy playback. See if you can't get another deep clean going, open the whole thing up and clean the board too, while you are doing that inspect as best you can all the solder connections. be sure to isolate for me which tracks are doing it. you said maybe all, but please try and isolate if it's a specific track, or if it's all of them, then it's likely something in the output. It could also be a magnetic build up, and so trying to find a demagnetizer could help. I hope you are using the right cassette types as well. Check out the owners manual online and make sure you're using the correct cassette tapes. also try out multiple kinds and make sure you aren't just having a problem on the one. get back to me and let me know how it goes. If you are still haveing problems you could either send me the unit or we could set up a zoom meeting and I'll try and trouble shoot with you online :D

[@slacktoryrecords4193]

User 173 Thank you for the thoughtful response! It seems that it’s *mostly* this one tape that’s affected. While the pops don’t occur at the exact same spots on the tape every playback, they do occur at *roughly* the same points. Which is odd, no? Sometimes there are lot of pops in the first 20 seconds when I RTZ and press play quickly, but usually not. I tried a bunch of other tapes (these are all type II TDK Pro 30s), and only one of them seemed to have a bunch of pops on it (and I didn’t remember it having them before). But I cleaned the pinch roller, capstan, etc. properly, and I was able to get through another playback (to bounce my stereo mix onto my digital 8-track) without more than one pop. Then I went through 6 other recent recordings, and only one of them had one pop at the start and one at the end of the song. I have a feeling I could get that one to play without any pops if I tried again. For reference, here is what it sounds like. This isn’t my recording, but it’s exactly the same pops: m.soundcloud.com/faraz-h/tascam-414-pops-and-clicks

[@User173]

@@slacktoryrecords4193 I'm glad it's just mostly on one tape. Might be something messed up on that tape with the magnetization. and as I said, if your machine needs to be de-magnetized that's super important.