» OWNER'S MANUAL 9101411800 Table of Contents Important Safety Instructions .............3 1. An introduction to the Porta02 .......4 1.1 Multitrack recording ­ a brief introduction..................4 1.2 Some safety notes and precautions ..............................5 1.3 What you need to make recordings................................8 1.4 Connecting the Porta02 ..........8 2. Parts of the Porta02 ........................9 3. Making your first recording...........13 3.1 Setting up ..............................13 3.2 Getting ready .........................13 3.3 Setting the level.....................14 3.4 Recording the first track .......15 3.5 Recording the next track ......16 3.6 Recording the stereo backing ..................................17 3.7 Mixdown ................................18 4. Hints and advanced tips ...............20 4.1 Recording techniques ...........20 4.2 Mixdown ................................21 5. Troubleshooting.............................22 6. Specifications ................................23 Ü ÿ Y CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK). NO USER-SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL. The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated "dangerous voltage" within the product's enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons. The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature accompanying the appliance. This appliance has a serial number located on the rear panel. Please record the model number and serial number and retain them for your records. Model number Serial number WARNING: TO PREVENT FIRE OR SHOCK HAZARD, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE. 2 Important Safety Instructions CAUTION: · Read all of these Instructions. · Save these Instructions for later use. · Follow all Warnings and Instructions marked on the audio equipment. 1) Read Instructions -- All the safety and operating instructions should be read before the product is operated. 2) Retain Instructions -- The safety and operating instructions should be retained for future reference. 3) Heed Warnings -- All warnings on the product and in the operating instructions should be adhered to. 4) Follow Instructions -- All operating and use instructions should be followed. 5) Cleaning -- Unplug this product from the wall outlet before cleaning. Do not use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for cleaning. 6) Attachments -- Do not use attachments not recommended by the product manufacturer as they may cause hazards. 7) Water and Moisture -- Do not use this product near water _ for example, near a bath tub, wash bowl, kitchen sink, or laundry tub; in a wet basement; or near a swimming pool; and the like. 8) Accessories -- Do not place this product on an unstable cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table. The product may fall, causing serious injury to a child or adult, and serious damage to the product. Use only with a cart, stand, tripod, bracket, or table recommended by the manufacturer, or sold with the product. Any mounting of the product should follow the manufacturer's instructions, and should use a mounting accessory recommended by the manufacturer. 9) A product and cart combination should be moved with care. Quick stops, excessive force, and uneven surfaces may cause the product and cart combination to overturn. "Note to CATV system installer: This reminder is provided to call the CATV system installer's attention to Section 820-40 of the NEC which provides guidelines for proper grounding and, in particular, specifies that the cable ground shall be connected to the grounding system of the building, as close to the point of cable entry as practical. Example of Antenna Grounding as per National Electrical Code, ANSI/NFPA 70 ANTENNA LEAD IN WIRE GROUND CLAMP ANTENNA DISCHARGE UNIT (NEC SECTION 810-20) ELECTRIC SERVICE EQUIPMENT GROUNDING CONDUCTORS (NEC SECTION 810-21) GROUND CLAMPS POWER SERVICE GROUNDING ELECTRODE SYSTEM (NEC ART 250. PART H) NEC - NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE 10) Ventilation -- Slots and openings in the cabinet are provided for ventilation and to ensure reliable operation of the product and to protect it from overheating, and these openings must not be blocked or covered. The openings should never be blocked by placing the product on a bed, sofa, rug, or other similar surface. This product should not be placed in a built-in installation such as a bookcase or rack unless proper ventilation is provided or the manufacturer's instructions have been adhered to. 11) Power Sources -- This product should be operated only from the type of power source indicated on the marking label. If you are not sure of the type of power supply to your home, consult your product dealer or local power company. For products intended to operate from battery power, or other sources, refer to the operating instructions. 12) Grounding or Polarization -- This product may be equipped with a polarized alternating-current line plug (a plug having one blade wider than the other). This plug will fit into the power outlet only one way. This is a safety feature. If you are unable to insert the plug fully into the outlet, try reversing the plug. If the plug should still fail to fit, contact your electrician to replace your obsolete outlet. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the polarized plug. 13) Power-Cord Protection -- Power-supply cords should be routed so that they are not likely to be walked on or pinched by items placed upon or against them, paying particular attention to cords at plugs, convenience receptacles, and the point where they exit from the product. 14) Outdoor Antenna Grounding -- If an outside antenna or cable system is connected to the product, be sure the antenna or cable system is grounded so as to provide some protection against voltage surges and built-up static charges. Article 810 of the National Electrical Code, ANSI/NFPA 70, provides information with regard to proper grounding of the mast and supporting structure, grounding of the lead-in wire to an antenna discharge unit, size of grounding conductors, location of antenna-discharge unit, connection to grounding electrodes, and requirements for the grounding electrode. 15) Lightning -- For added protection for this product during a lightning storm, or when it is left unattended and unused for long periods of time, unplug it from the wall outlet and disconnect the antenna or cable system. This will prevent damage to the product due to lightning and power-line surges. 16) Power Lines -- An outside antenna system should not be located in the vicinity of overhead power lines or other electric light or power circuits, or where it can fall into such power lines or circuits. When installing an outside antenna system, extreme care should be taken to keep from touching such power lines or circuits as contact with them might be fatal. 17) Overloading -- Do not overload wall outlets, extension cords, or integral convenience receptacles as this can result in risk of fire or electric shock. 18) Object and Liquid Entry -- Never push objects of any kind into this product through openings as they may touch dangerous voltage points or short-out parts that could result in a fire or electric shock. Never spill liquid of any kind on the product. 19) Servicing -- Do not attempt to service this product yourself as opening or removing covers may expose you to dangerous voltage or other hazards. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel. 20) Damage Requiring Service -- Unplug this product from the wall outlet and refer servicing to qualified service personnel under the following conditions: a) when the power-supply cord or plug is damaged. b) if liquid has been spilled, or objects have fallen into the product. c) if the product has been exposed to rain or water. d) if the product does not operate normally by following the operating instructions. Adjust only those controls that are covered by the operating instructions as an improper adjustment of other controls may result in damage and will often require extensive work by a qualified technician to restore the product to its normal operation. e) if the product has been dropped or damaged in any way. f ) when the product exhibits a distinct change in performance _ this indicates a need for service. 21) Replacement Parts -- When replacement parts are required, be sure the service technician has used replacement parts specified by the manufacturer or have the same characteristics as the original part. Unauthorized substitutions may result in fire, electric shock, or other hazards. 22) Safety Check -- Upon completion of any service or repairs to this product, ask the service technician to perform safety checks to determine that the product is in proper operating condition. 23) Wall or Ceiling Mounting -- The product should be mounted to a wall or ceiling only as recommended by the manufacturer. 24) Heat -- The product should be situated away from heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other products (including amplifiers) that produce heat. 3 1 An introduction to the Porta02 1 ­ An introduction to the Porta02 The TASCAM Porta02 MiniStudio allows you to produce recordings which are not possible with an ordinary stereo cassette recorder. We suggest that you read at least this section 1 and also 3, "Making your first recording" before you start using the Porta02. Spending a little time reading now will save you a lot of time in the future. You can read the rest of the manual at any time. 1.1 Multitrack recording ­ a brief introduction to read through this section so that you understand the rest of the manual, which uses the terms explained here. This section gives you a brief introduction to some of the terms and techniques used in recording. If you are unfamiliar with these terms, you may find it useful 1.1.1 Multitrack recorders When you listen to a commercial recording (CD, cassette, etc.), it is quite probable that the different parts of the piece will have been recorded at different times. This is done by "multitracking"­taking the different sounds, feeding them through a mixer's inputs ("channels") and recording them on a special tape recorder which splits the tape into "stripes", each stripe being used for a different part of the music. These stripes are called "tracks", and the parts recorded on them may also be called "tracks". Since there are many tracks on a tape, the term "multitrack" is used to describe these tapes and recorders. The Porta02 allows you to record up to 4 tracks on inexpensive Type II (chrome) cassettes using the same principle as larger studios­taking inputs into a mixer's channels, feeding them into a recorder which can record tracks independently of each other, and building up the song by recording new tracks while listening to what has been recorded before ("monitoring"). The advantage of working with multitrack recording is that the whole group of musicians does not have to repeat the whole piece if one person makes a mistake. The illustration below shows you how tracks are arranged on an ordinary stereo cassette tape, as well as on the Porta02 4 1 An introduction to the Porta02 and on A/V cue-equipped cassette recorders. L R R R L IEC (Philips) stereo cassette 4 3 2 1 TASCAM 4Tr 4Ch (Porta02 format) CUE R L TASCAM 4Tr 3Ch (A/V cue format) Notice that the stereo cassette arrangement allows you to use both sides of the cassette, by playing the tape in the other direction. The Porta02, however, uses the whole width of the tape. Notice also that one pair of L and R tracks on the stereo cassette take up the same positions as tracks 1 and 2 on the Porta02. This can be important for your recording projects, as we will see later on. using the panpots, you can make the tracks appear to come from the left or the right speakers or anywhere in the middle. The technique of converting a multitrack recording to a stereo recording is called "mixing down" to a "stereo master" or "mastering" recorder. The Porta02 includes a mixdown section which allows you to mix to a stereo cassette or MD recorder. 1.1.2 Mixing down Another advantage of multitrack recording is that when you come to make the final version (on CD, cassette, etc.), you can adjust the level (volume) of each track, so that the piece sounds the way you want. As well as adjusting the track levels, you can also adjust the position of each track with regard to the left and right speakers. This is called "panning", and the controls used to do this are called "panpots". By 1.2 · Some safety notes and precautions Always use the PS-P2 power adaptor supplied with the Porta02. If you use any o ...