5 Troubleshooting
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track tape in the Porta02. The left and
right stereo tracks of the mastering
recorder can be used as tracks 1 and 2 of
the Porta02, leaving tracks 3 and 4 ready
for recording.
There are a few points to remember:
•
Although you can repeat this process
of mixing 4 tracks to 2 and then add-
ing 2 more, as you repeat the mix pro-
cess, noise and hiss will build up to a
point where the quality becomes unac-
ceptable.
•
The mastering recorder must have its
noise reduction turned off when mix-
ing the Porta02 tracks to the mastering
machine, as the Porta02 does not use
noise reduction. Of course, on the
final stereo mix, you can use noise
reduction on the mastering machine.
•
Once you have mixed the four tracks
to two, you cannot adjust their levels
or pan positions again on the new
tape. Think ahead to what tracks you
will record on the new tape, and mix
accordingly.
•
When using this technique, always use
the same type of tape in the Porta02
and mastering machine. Differences in
tape type may affect the sound.
5 – Troubleshooting
Tracing faults in a recording setup is
often a mixture of logical deduction and
patience. Very often, the problem is
caused by something simple; a cable
which hasn’t been plugged in properly, or
a faulty cable. If you discover a faulty
cable, replace it with a new one–it’s not
worth hanging onto bad cables!
The Porta02’s POWER light does
not come on
Is the PS-P2 adaptor plugged into the power supply?
Is the PS-P2 adaptor plugged into the Porta02?
Is the switch on the Porta02 set to ON?
The tape does not move when
PLAY is pressed
Is the tape properly inserted in the Porta02?
Is the tape at the end of the tape?
Some tracks have been recorded
on the tape, but nothing can be
heard when playing back
If you’ve just put in a tape you recorded in another session, make
sure that it’s the right way round.
Make sure the
OUTPUT LEVEL
controls are set to monitor the
tape tracks (not at 0). Set the
REC FUNCTION
switches to
SAFE
and look at the meters.
Try monitoring through headphones and adjust the
PHONES
LEVEL
. If you can hear something through the headphones, check
the
LINE OUT
connections.
Make sure the amplifier is set to the correct input source.
Nothing appears on the meter
indicators when a source is
played
Is the source (microphone, guitar, etc.) switched on and volume
control turned up? If it uses batteries, does it need new batteries?
Is the
TRIM
control of the channel set correctly?
Cannot press the RECORD key
Is the tape properly inserted in the Porta02?
Is the tape record-protected?
The RECORD key is pressed, the
tape moves, but nothing is
recorded, or the level is very low
Is the
REC FUNCTION
set to
SAFE
?
Check the
OUTPUT LEVEL
control for the track.
Is the
TRIM
level set correctly (a microphone feeding a channel set
to
LINE
will sound very faint).
