Tascam 32: Troubleshooting and Testing Open-Reel Tape Recorder, Review

Checking out a TASCAM 32 for a client

[@nonyobiz-records]

awesome video. I just wish all repair YT vids were like this, methodological & to the point. All the best!

[@nonyobiz-records]

sticky tape and misalignments.. whodda thunk? Not me I'd spend way too much time on this troubleshooting, so I'm grateful knowing all this stuff and starting work on a model 32 rn

[@BorderRebels]

This is excellent; thank you! I’m working on my Tascam 32 at present & your video really brings the service manual to life. 👏🙂

[@wado1942]

Thanks, I really appreciate the feedback!

[@user-vu7sx7bm6p]

Really nice video.

[@TheRealNewBlackMusic]

Omg much respect🤗

[@MrMuppetbaby]

What a fun video, I’m thinking about getting one of these. Who sells the best of the best low time low wear, no moisture, yada yada I wonder? Also this guys wife must be a saint to let him use the kitchen table. Tod in Vegas

[@wado1942]

I can't really answer the first part but the paint in that room was so hideous (I just repainted it this year) we didn't actually eat in there. :p

[@Lesliestevens92.1fm]

I have a question for you I have the same recorder and on the left side and the right side after I take the cover off of it get to the inside of it looking straight on there’s a sprain and a piece of rope or twine that goes around the real I can’t figure out where the other end of it goes it does something with the spring it would be possible for me to send you a picture and you can take a look and tell me what you think since I can’t find a manual on it? Please

[@JohnLeaf]

theres too tension guides on tascam 32 and in my one of those is higher than the other, how to fix that?

[@wado1942]

Do you mean it is mechanically stuck? You will have to take off the cover and see if there's some kind of obstruction or broken part.

[@rocknreplay]

Great video. I have a Tascam 38 that I replaced the belt and tire on and when I playback a 1khz tone at 0db that has been recorded to the tap, it warbles.

[@wado1942]

You might have some gunk/debris left on the drive wheels. Otherwise, there might be an issue with the capstan driver.

[@pansiesofficial7967]

Great video which mrl tape did you use for that unit? I have the same deck and want to buy the mrl

[@wado1942]

I used an IEC MRL tape because it's what I had. If you're in North America, you'll want a 243-043-482-107. That's a standard 4-minute, 15 In/S NAB 4-tone tape at 250nW/M.

[@tough213]

I had found one of these at a house sale for 30 dollars and bought it and I was told it dod not fast forward or rewind and one of the 2 amp 250 volt fuses that work with the motors and ampand pre amp when I hit play the solenoids all work and the capstan motor work find the pitch does not work and slows the motor to a stop . there is no sound in the head phone output but I hear the hiss when I turn up the head phone volume and the output volume please any help would be great and thank you for posting this video

[@wado1942]

It would be extremely difficult to troubleshoot a tape deck without having it in my possession. If you are handy with electronics, I suggest getting a hold of the service manual and start by looking for shorts or bad solder joints.

[@floridiannights]

I have a Dokorder 7010 and i was just wondering If you knew why i cannot get it to play? ff and rewind work find put i press operate and it just spins fast. do i need to have tape to test that?

[@wado1942]

Hello; you'll need a tape in-place to test the playback. I suggest grabbing a junker tape to test but make sure it hasn't gone sticky.

[@angvader]

Hi Wado1942! thanks for your videos!! i have a tascam BR-20 and a Br-20t from my dad, i set them up everythig seems ok, but when pushing the play button doesnt start (sounds like a lock) if i active edit mode and scroll manually i get sound any advice on whero to start? btw thanks in advance Angel Palacios

[@wado1942]

I have two questions for you: 1 does the pinch roller engage? 2, does the capstan spin?

[@2574mcu]

My first thought was sticky tape. I have a Tascam 32 and I have a problem with the right channel keeps going out.

[@atw4321]

Do you have any ideas on where to check tascam 34 no ch 1 but i did have last time i used it now it does not

[@wado1942]

You'd have to look at the manual to see where to access the adjustment pots. It's probably a dirty pot or lose wire, so you can rock the pot back & forth with a trimmer to see if the sound comes back. It could also be a bad capacitor, dirty/bad switch or relay or any other number of issues. You can clean all the switches, pots & relays with DeOxit for a start.

[@fostexfan160]

Brilliant video! Very informative. Have you worked on the Fostex E16? I have issues with mine

[@wado1942]

Thank you! Sorry, I haven't worked on any Fostex machines. I can say I've mastered a few songs that were recorded on E16s, I've even remixed an album that was recorded on one, but never got into the guts of it. :D If you don't mind my asking, what are your issues?

[@fostexfan160]

@@wado1942 Thank you for the reply....My problem lies with the tape transport.(Or so I thought) I load a reel and press play and it sometimes plays and sometimes doesn't until I give the right tension arm a little nudge. Similarly the fast forward works then comes to a stop after approx 4 mins. Pressing rewind nothing happens until I lift up the tension arm that then assists the rewind process. I then test the transport with no tape by holding the said buttons and lifting the tension arm and everything appears in order. Good speeds in FF and Rewind. Just read about old tape and sticky shred syndrome so now I am thinking this might be the problem? The tape is the one I got with the machine. (5 in total) 1990's Ampex 456. Had to clean quite a bit of gunk from the transport chrome after the tests. Bake or bin? Can I assume the tests with no tape show the transport in good order? Purchase of new tape and test will reveal! Thanks again

[@wado1942]

@@fostexfan160 Oh yeah, SSS was the first thing that came to mind when you mentioned the tape doesn't move unless you give it a nudge. 456 is NOTORIOUS for SSS. I would never use old tape except to digitize the material on said tape. In short, if you don't need to copy anything off the 456 reels you have, throw away the tape and keep the reels. I recommend SM468 for most low-end studio machines.

[@fostexfan160]

@@wado1942 Many thanks for the help and advice. Long may you continue in your skills and art. Great stuff. Thumbs up!

[@wado1942]

@@fostexfan160 Thank you, I appreciate it and same back to you!

[@liamkramer-white4228]

is it a 1.5mm hex key to remove those screws on the big front knobs?

[@wado1942]

I actually don't remember 😬. It would be in the service manual though.

[@stevenhoelderich9490]

Hi, it's rewind plug.

[@petascalecomputing]

May I ask what program you use for frequency analysis. Thanks so much Scotty!

[@wado1942]

Cool Edit 2.1, which later became Adobe Audition. I keep an old Windows XP machine alive for utilitarian audio purposes.

[@petascalecomputing]

Thank You So Much!

[@snodigsykkel3527]

Hi and thanks for your video! I just bought one of these, and there are a few issues I would love to get some advice on. Can I get in touch with you somehow? Q#1: Does the belt need to be installed for the LEDs on the transport controller to light up (rec + pause)? Q#2: Are the mechanical issues with rewind and play typically related to the transport panel? Q#3: Will I be able to fix my machine if I get correct parts and have patience ? :)

[@wado1942]

Hello; it's extremely difficult to help trouble-shoot something without being there, but you can get a hold of me through my website, gcmstudio.com A#1: The transport controls on the lower-end TASCAMs are extremely simple. They don't know if the belt is installed or not so the LEDs should still light unless there's another issue. A#2: I'm not sure I understand the question. Mechanical issues are mechanical while the panel is truly electronic. What kind of issue are you having? A#3: Most machines can be repaired, depending on how much work/money you are willing to put into it. You can still get many parts through TEAC, who unlike TASCAM (...I know) has very good customer service and are reasonably priced. Sometimes, however, one must hire a professional. IMO, that's especially true if you have failed electronic components.

[@snodigsykkel3527]

Thanks heaps for replying. Just put it in the Tascam hospital now, hoping all will be good in the end! Got hold of a new belt and a pinch roller on eBay, so hopefully have all I need now to get it fixed. Best, Erlend #iNeedPlentyOfAlcohol

[@wado1942]

Good luck to you Sir!

[@tripjet999]

What about replacing the bulb in the left VU meter?

[@wado1942]

The owner didn't care, therefore I didn't.

[@harpoolmusic]

On a tascam 22-2, If I'm getting no sound from my mixer when monitor is switched to source, then what could possibly be wrong with the tape player? Bad preamp? bad transistors? bad capacitors? Just curious if you know what the most likely cause is.

[@wado1942]

Hello! First thing, does the machine play tape? Can you record to it and play back audio? If yes to all of those things, the function relays might not be switching. That would at least narrow down the issue to the logic/relay section of the machine.

[@harpoolmusic]

@@wado1942 it plays tape but it wont record because the input isnt coming through at all unfortunately

[@wado1942]

@@harpoolmusic That's a bit more difficult. It could still be logic switching/relays but it could also be an issue with the input electronics. It sounds like neither input is passing signal so I suspect the relays are the culprit, as they're most prone for failure. You'll want to get a service manual, which you should be able to get from TEAC (don't contact TASCM, they don't know anything and are rather rude). I think you can also get a service manual for a 22-4 from HiFi Engine, which is almost the same machine.

[@harpoolmusic]

do you recommend replacing all the relays or starting with replacing certain ones? if so, which relays should I start with replacing? thank you so much for the help!@@wado1942

[@user-vu7sx7bm6p]

I am fixing an issue with a BR-20 and I am having the supply reel doing FF when I press RW button. Any idea on why this is happening?

[@wado1942]

I'd say either the idle tension is too high so it ACTS like it's going into FF or the logic isn't switching properly. The best thing to do would be to get a hold of a service manual, either online or from TEAC (don't contact TASCAM, they're completely useless and often times rude).

[@user-vu7sx7bm6p]

@@wado1942 Thank you very much.

[@cesardavidfernandezgrueso7948]

I have a problem. The letf channel sounds lower than right channel why?

[@wado1942]

Most likely, it's a calibration issue. It could also be a head alignment issue, specifically zenith. If you have the manual, it will detail how to fix both but you need a calibration tape if you don't already have one. There's also a chance there's something actually wrong but 90% of the time, it's just calibration.

[@dineshbhatnagar2126]

Can you help me to purchase a spool tape recorder. I am interested to purchase spool tape recorder

[@wado1942]

Do you mean open-reel tape recorder? What I suggest depends on your budget and how serious you want to get. Are you looking to do multi-track recording or just stereo mixes etc?

[@eniofigueiredo597]

It’s accept 1/4 “ tape or just 1” tape?

[@wado1942]

It's 1/4" NAB.

[@andriealinsangao613]

Question: does MRL ship their test tapes to Asia? I'm looking to buy a reel to reel recorder in the near future. Greetings from the Philippines!

[@wado1942]

I'm sorry I don't know the answer to that. Have you contacted MRL about it?

[@andriealinsangao613]

@@wado1942 Not yet, but I'm not in a rush to buy a reel to reel machine anytime soon.

[@wado1942]

@@andriealinsangao613 Ah, OK. If I may give some advice, be sure to have patience and get the right one for you. Most people look to TASCAM and Fostex etc. because they're common and compact but better machines can often be had for almost the same price, like Otari (I prefer the MX55 for the less expensive ones) or AMPEX AG-440s.

[@andriealinsangao613]

@@wado1942 Wow, man, Techmoan wasn't kidding when he said you gotta have a good bank account to buy a reel to reel machine! But, ehh, it's nothing I can't handle when I'm 30!

[@andriealinsangao613]

@@wado1942 But, I need your honest opinion: what reel to reel machine would you recommend for someone like me who's new to analog recording? Because I don't wanna buy an expensive machine only to find out it's not my money's worth... Or it's jam-packed with features I wouldn't really need.

[@nagiribeirosanches420]

Amigos, estou precisando encontrar todas as correias e rolo de borracha desta maquina TASCAM 32. Alguém pode ajudar fornecendo um endereço no Brasil ?

[@wado1942]

I'm afraid I don't have a good answer for you. I ordered my belts off of E-bay.

[@miss.wright3035]

Any technician that works with a clean dress shirt is a 007 Fixer !

[@sampalermo123]

You do not set speed with audio level alignment tapes as they are not meant to be accurate in that area. Like most You Tube videos this is full of errors.

[@wado1942]

Funny, 1KHz comes out at precisely 1KHz on my other decks (MRL does good work) so I don't know why that would be wrong as a rule of thumb. If my video is full of errors, make your own and send me a link.

[@kdsf12]

I don't buy used tape anymore. If I buy it for the reel, the tape goes straight to the garbage.

[@MrMuppetbaby]

Was that JR Magnetics? You spoke so fast I couldn’t tell.

[@wado1942]

JRF Magnetics, yeah I speak pretty quickly sometimes. 😬

[@stonecatss]

wado1942 trying to contact you by phone RE 34b .. have scope and schematics. On facebook there are private communications.. dont see private msg here any more