Tascam FM22-4 Series

[Stewart Adam]

Hello

I am looking at a Tascam FM22-4 deck for purchase.  I don't know much about this deck and can't find much info on line.  Is it a slow speed data recorder?  I need a deck that runs at 1 7/8" ips.  Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

Stewart Adam
www.creativeaudioworks.com

[email protected]

[ironbut]

I don't believe that Tascam made a data recorder. This model appears to be the type of machine that was designed for security monitoring etc. (I could see this machine in a white van full of G men drinking coffee and eating,... well you get the idea).It's a discrete 4 channel machine. I see that you do archiving. What format are the tapes recorded in? 2 track mono was pretty popular for slow speed recordings and while this machine would probably do the job, I think you could find something that would be gentler on the tapes and fit the format better. Unless they're large reels, a Uher 4000 series goes all the way down to 15/16 ips. There are also slow speed models of Revox's.
If you're looking for an instrumentation recorder for playback of research data or something of that nature, that's a whole different animal. Something like a Racal Store or a B&K is what you might need. If so, the low speed on many of these was actually 1 1/2 ips.

Considering the fact that all of these machines will take a little elbow grease to get working properly, some are worth the trouble and others are not. They could probably all be had for very little money though.

[Stewart Adam]

Hi

I have many (over 100) 1 7/8" 4 track audio tapes recorded in 1965 that need to be transfered.  We have been looking at possibly modifying a Tascam 34B to to the job. But we don't know much about the internal transport.  I have been working with www.precisionmotorworks.com to try and figure out the best solution.  Is the capstan direct drive or belt driven, and how is the motor receive its sync, etc?  If you have any input or suggestions it would be greatly appreciated

Thank you

Stewart Adam

www.creativeaudioworks.com

[Brian]

If by "transferred" you mean to digital - had you considered doing the speed correction via software?  You could save the money you would have to spend modifying your tape deck (and use it to buy another Tape Project release ;-) and the higher speed of the tape deck should result in significantly less wow/flutter and other velocity related artifacts.  Diamond Cut, the company that makes the software that the FBI uses for its audio forensics, makes a much less expensive but still extremely versatile version for under $100 which has the same very precise and easy to use speed correction/pitch change feature.  They offer a free full-featured demo at :

http://www.tracertek.com/dc-seven-audio-restoration-software

There are other freeware programs that offer the same correction feature but most of these offer only around 10% correction.  The DC7 feature was designed for the wider range your speed correction would require.  They also have excellent, live, US based technical support.   (I don't work for or make any money from them but have used their products for about 10 years and am a big fan). 

Good luck with your project.

Brian

[steveidosound]

Hi

I have many (over 100) 1 7/8" 4 track audio tapes recorded in 1965 that need to be transfered.  We have been looking at possibly modifying a Tascam 34B to to the job. But we don't know much about the internal transport.  I have been working with www.precisionmotorworks.com to try and figure out the best solution.  Is the capstan direct drive or belt driven, and how is the motor receive its sync, etc?  If you have any input or suggestions it would be greatly appreciated

Thank you

Stewart Adam

www.creativeaudioworks.com

What is the exact format of your tapes? It seems odd that a machine would exist from that era that would record 4 tracks in one direction at that speed. Much more common for that speed and era would have been "4 track mono" which could have been recorded on any stereo deck that ran at that speed. This is recording the left channel with one program and the right with another on both sides of the tape, thus 4 separate tracks, 2 each direction. While it is true you could transfer such a tape at 15 inches per second with a 4 channel 4 track deck like any of the Tascam/Teac project studio machines and do it quickly, all 4 tracks at once, you would have to slow it down again and reverse the audio on 2 of the tracks to play forwards rather than backwards. This could be done with digital audio editing. To play such original tapes in real time would only require any 1/4 track consumer R2R machine that had the 1 7/8 speed. The typical sequence used was to record the left channel, flip the tape, record the left channel again on side 2, flip the tape, record the right channel on side 1, flip the tape and record the right channel again on side 2.

[Tim]

Judging by the model number, my guess is that it records and plays using FM modulation: frequency modulating a high frequency carrier (say 10kHz) on the tape.  This allows flat response down to near zero Hz.  This was used by the Dept of Energy.  Maybe used as a seismic recorder? Any type vibrational analysis would need a recorder like this .  Anyway, if my guess is correct, it won't play back conventional audio tapes at all.   

Tim