Topic: DAT decks on the fritz

[keytohwy]

Not sure if this is the right forum, as my question is multi-pronged.

I have several DAT decks, and a couple perform flawlessly.  I also have a pair of consumer Sony decks (one is a 670, the other, I forget), that exhibit the same problem.  No matter what type or length of tape, they randomly stop playing.  Sometimes they will play fine for an hour, sometimes 5 minutes.  I can just press play again and they are fine, again, for a random period of time.  They exhibit no audible dropouts, the tapes play fine in other decks, and there are no warning lights that flash (like DEW or cleaning, or whatever the deck features).

So, two questions:

1)  Is there a quick fix?  I sent to Sony under their flat rate plan, but they didn't have parts and returned the decks to me un-repaired.  The cost of fixing at an independent shop is far more than sourcing another deck.

2)  I was transferring a tape to computer and when it stopped, I simply rewound a bit and hit play again.  Upon completion, I chopped it up and ran it through a synchronization process in FCPX.  That worked well, and looked to be sample perfect (you can zoom in on the multiple tracks), but it has proved to be inconsistent with other tape captures, specifically when longer batches of music are included.

Where I'm going with #2...is there an application that is designed to reassemble/synchronize pieces like this?  Like I said, I have other decks that work, but being able to roll multiple tapes a time would certainly be helpful as I work through a collection of tapes.

Thanks for any input.

[willndmb]

2 - can't you just export the file and then edit it in whatever program you use for normal audio work?
Should work even though its an extra step

[H₂O]

Maybe dust on the sensors that are used to determine EOT

[keytohwy]

2 - can't you just export the file and then edit it in whatever program you use for normal audio work?
Should work even though its an extra step

Looking for something automated, within a program, that would find the matching bits and "stitch" them back together.

[keytohwy]

Maybe dust on the sensors that are used to determine EOT

Hmmm....Sounds good to me.  Any idea where those sensors are?

[F.O.Bean]

I ran DAT from 1997>2003, and at the time, I LOVED it! It was the ONLY HQ option in recording back then. Looking back 16 years tho, I am SOOOOO glad that DAT decks are no longer made. Unless you transferred the tapes almost immediately, then there were almost certainly problems playing back the DAT tapes . I am SOOOOO happy that we now have SD/HDD based recording devices. No DAT heads to go bad. And you dont need to transfer tapes. Just load into your DAW and go mfrom there. BUT, without DAT, we may have never found SD/HDD based recording devices And not having to "transfer" in real time is a godsend

Best of luck with your problems bro. I know exactly how frustrating DAT decks can be