Topic: DAT transfer noise..but only occasionally

[pjdavep]

For a couple months now, I will occasionally get noise on my DAT>computer transfers.  Everytime I think I have it figured out, the next transfer I do seems to negate the previous theory.  The noise can be described as static, almost like the recording is overloaded, but it's a constant light static and occurs more in the left (upper) channel.

My setup for transfers is Sony M1 > Sony 7-pin, optical I/O cable > optical input of a AOpen Cobra sound card > Cool Edit Pro 2.0

The first time I got this 'static', I thought it was the heads on my deck going back, tape shedding on the heads, or a cable problem.  I thought this was strange since I use my M1 2-3 times a month and it had just got a clean bill of health from Pro-Digital just before this problem started.  I wasn't till I taped over a 'bad' static filled tape of Mason Jennings that I realized this static issue was not on the master DATs and is happening during the transfer.

I have checked the optical cable connection and made sure there are no bends in the cable.  I also air blasted the optical plug on the soundcard to make sure there was no dust preventing the signal from getting in.  This problem occurs from using the wall wart, or using just batteries in the M1, so I don't think it's a power issue.

So now I'm down to:
1) It's something wrong with the 7-pin optical cable.  I may try to borrow a 7-pin coax cable to see if that helps.
2) The soundcard is on the fritz.  It is a cheap card, but it has worked fine for a long time.
3) There really is something wrong with my M1, and it only acts up occasionally for DAT xfers.

Any ideas?  Has anyone had a similar issue before?

Thanks,
    pjdavep

[morst]

sounds like it's out of alignment just slightly.  If you just got it back from pro-digital, don't they have a 90-day warranty on repairs?  I would send it back, or call them and ask what they think.

[pjdavep]

sounds like it's out of alignment just slightly.  If you just got it back from pro-digital, don't they have a 90-day warranty on repairs?  I would send it back, or call them and ask what they think.

Well, I've never had the heads worked on, but have just had the drive gears replaced.  That was at least 8 months ago, so it wouldn't be under warranty.  I don't want to send it in unless I'm *sure* it's the M1.

The last show I taped, I attempted to transfer the tape later that night - it resulted in noise.  The next day I transferred it, and it transferred fine.  I don't think I even took the DAT out of the recorder - just rewound and tried again!

Later,
  pjdavep

[morst]

Well, I've never had the heads worked on, but have just had the drive gears replaced.  That was at least 8 months ago, so it wouldn't be under warranty.  I don't want to send it in unless I'm *sure* it's the M1.

The last show I taped, I attempted to transfer the tape later that night - it resulted in noise.  The next day I transferred it, and it transferred fine.  I don't think I even took the DAT out of the recorder - just rewound and tried again!

Later,
  pjdavep

I have a D100 which I got used, which had never been serviced, and the way I knew it needed to be tuned up was first that some transfers did not come out error-free, but I could not duplicate the errors- that is, I could usually get them to work a second or third time through.  Eventually, I could not play back tapes without noise, and I was worried that the tapes I was making were bunk.  When I finally broke was when the deck broke completely- in the middle of taping a set, it shut off and I noticed and restarted it- but when I got home, the whole tape was apparantly blank, with ABS time for the first portion, then nothing. I sent the deck to be repaired, and when it came back, it still played the tape back as blank, and would not even play the last couple tapes I made with it before it went out.  good thing I transcribed them as I made them!

upshot- if it's glitching a little now, and it's intermittant, get it tuned up soon, but I would transfer all your recent recordings with it first, in case it's so far out of alignment that they will not play back later when it's fixed.  I was not happy to miss a show I tried to record, save yourself the grief and get it looked at.  I doubt it needs a head, probably just alignment and cleaning, unless it was dropped without you knowing it! 

[OOK]

sounds like it's out of alignment just slightly.  If you just got it back from pro-digital, don't they have a 90-day warranty on repairs?  I would send it back, or call them and ask what they think.

Bingo we have a winner.....I have the same problem currently with my M1..I will be taking mine back too.......

[twatts (pants are so over-rated...)]

I just got my DAT back from Pro-Digi.  First few tpaes I played had problems, and I relate them to being recorded on a bad portable deck.  I'm planning on going through and trnaferring again, but it really does matter:  the recording deck vs. the playback deck...  Much more than I thought it would...

DAT is sweet, but too tempermental.

Terry

[CQBert]

If the heads are good... how 'bout the cables... 

Even though RS is a solid vendor....they do make mistakes.. 

Please under all duress give it a try on at least one other transfer option... before sending the deck back...

CQBert