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Author Topic: Dbx cassette masters ?  (Read 4398 times)

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Offline hotdog

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Dbx cassette masters ?
« on: October 30, 2017, 05:56:58 PM »
How does one decode a cassette master that was recorded on a tascam cassette deck with dbx  ? If a tascam cassette deck is needed which model ? And the best place to find one and thank ahead of time
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Offline bombdiggity

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Re: Dbx cassette masters ?
« Reply #1 on: October 30, 2017, 09:35:16 PM »
There were home units made with DBX as well.  I assume it's always best to use the same model for playback where systems like that were used (though not sure that holds for playing back from portable decks).  I probably have something in the basement that had DBX (though I never used that). 
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Offline hotdog

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Re: Dbx cassette masters ?
« Reply #2 on: October 31, 2017, 11:02:58 AM »
Thank you , does your deck work still ? Lol trying to find a tascam cassette deck is not easy lol
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Offline splumer

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Re: Dbx cassette masters ?
« Reply #3 on: October 31, 2017, 01:46:23 PM »
I have a Tascam CD-A700 (I think) which is a pro cassette/CD combo deck. Did you have something you needed transferred?
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Offline ccage

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Re: Dbx cassette masters ?
« Reply #4 on: October 31, 2017, 03:03:08 PM »
I have a Marantz PMD 430 portable deck w/ DBX ...have not used it in years.
Will clean it up and check functionality - will send to you to test if you want Hotdog.
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Offline hotdog

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Re: Dbx cassette masters ?
« Reply #5 on: October 31, 2017, 07:38:27 PM »
Thanks let me get a hold of the masters will any deck with dbx play or does it have to be the same brand it was recorded on ?
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Offline hotdog

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Re: Dbx cassette masters ?
« Reply #6 on: October 31, 2017, 08:07:50 PM »
I have a Tascam CD-A700 (I think) which is a pro cassette/CD combo deck. Did you have something you needed transferred?

Yes I do not sure how many but some where recorded with a portable tascam deck with dbx on they will play in any deck but will not sound correct , what I'm trying to figure out can any deck that has the dbx will play them or does it have to be a tascam ?
lol I remember when everyone had cassette decks  :headphones:
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Offline Charlie Miller

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Re: Dbx cassette masters ?
« Reply #7 on: October 31, 2017, 08:20:44 PM »
I have a Tascam CD-A700 (I think) which is a pro cassette/CD combo deck. Did you have something you needed transferred?


I didn't know that had dbx.

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Offline MattH

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Re: Dbx cassette masters ?
« Reply #8 on: October 31, 2017, 08:57:21 PM »
I used DBX in recording and playback many times back in the 80's and had the Marantz 430 field recorder for a while and a very high end Teac home unit that both had DBX. Unfortunately the DBX encoded recordings only sounded good on whichever deck it was recorded on. I think accurate azimuth adjustment is critical to the DBX process. Tascam and Teac are closely related so they may be fairly compatible. I still have the Teac working well if you want me to transfer for you.
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Offline Charlie Miller

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Re: Dbx cassette masters ?
« Reply #9 on: October 31, 2017, 09:03:58 PM »
I used DBX in recording and playback many times back in the 80's and had the Marantz 430 field recorder for a while and a very high end Teac home unit that both had DBX. Unfortunately the DBX encoded recordings only sounded good on whichever deck it was recorded on. I think accurate azimuth adjustment is critical to the DBX process. Tascam and Teac are closely related so they may be fairly compatible. I still have the Teac working well if you want me to transfer for you.

If you have a working teac with dbx, that is the way to go. And I agree with one addition, correct azimuth is always priority.
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Offline chicofishhead

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Re: Dbx cassette masters ?
« Reply #10 on: November 01, 2017, 08:19:42 PM »
You can get a 224 or 224x unit to run the recordings through to decode them.  Having to play them back on the same deck is news to me.  We always recorded in dbx on a D5 and played the tapes back on a Nak.

Unfortunately, for some reason the old dbx units sometimes lose their ability to decode well.  The one I have, which has been used a lot, doesn't decode tapes nearly as nicely as my friend's, so if I ever digitize an old dbx tape, I borrow his.

Offline Charlie Miller

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Re: Dbx cassette masters ?
« Reply #11 on: November 01, 2017, 09:14:31 PM »
You can get a 224 or 224x unit to run the recordings through to decode them.  Having to play them back on the same deck is news to me.  We always recorded in dbx on a D5 and played the tapes back on a Nak.

Unfortunately, for some reason the old dbx units sometimes lose their ability to decode well.  The one I have, which has been used a lot, doesn't decode tapes nearly as nicely as my friend's, so if I ever digitize an old dbx tape, I borrow his.

The dbx222 I have was a recent find at the swap meet. Got it for $10 last month, looks barely used. I was shocked to find it. 
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Offline rocksuitcase

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Re: Dbx cassette masters ?
« Reply #12 on: November 02, 2017, 10:52:40 AM »
You can get a 224 or 224x unit to run the recordings through to decode them.  Having to play them back on the same deck is news to me.  We always recorded in dbx on a D5 and played the tapes back on a Nak.

Unfortunately, for some reason the old dbx units sometimes lose their ability to decode well.  The one I have, which has been used a lot, doesn't decode tapes nearly as nicely as my friend's, so if I ever digitize an old dbx tape, I borrow his.
I knew a taper from Chico back in the day. He also used dbx live with the D5 a few times and certainly on  some 1st or 2nd gen trades. SO, I bought a 224 in order to decode them; I have 2 GD masters where I patched a spare deck into those Cali guys and about 4-5 non GD masters. Still have the dbx224, not certain if it works, but would offer to try to decode the tape for you. OTH, I am betting the discussion about the onboard dbx in the TASCAM if it was made that way originally would be the best way to decode it using the same deck or a similar one with onboard dbx. My memory *thinks* we decided back then that the 224 was a somewhat different dbx circuit than the ones used onboard cassette decks. I could be incorrect about that; what do the other dbx users think/know about this?
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Offline DSatz

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Re: Dbx cassette masters ?
« Reply #13 on: November 13, 2017, 09:16:03 PM »
dbx had two general "families" of processors: pro and consumer. The two were based on similar principles, but the implementations were incompatible with one another (different bandpass filtering, frequency weighting and response time for the level sensing circuits). The consumer units were designed to be a little more tolerant of typical frequency response errors in playback, and a little less likely to cause severe tape saturation when used with slow-speed tape recorders (3-3/4 ips open reel, or cassette).

In theory, any consumer dbx decoder should have been able to decode any recording made with any consumer dbx encoder, and likewise for the pro units. But they kept changing the circuit parameters between models, such that any given recording might really not sound right unless it was played back through the same model processor that had been used to make the recording in the first place. It got so bad that some engineers would send their dbx processors along with their master tapes when LPs were going to be cut from them.
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