Quiet Recording on old TEAC reel to reel

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HI,

 

My bro has just bought a TEAC reel to reel 4 track for home recording. It looks great, and is simple to use, but the recording is so faint, and input is registering as low on the VU needles. Do you need to connect an amplifier between the instrument and the TEAC or can you plug straight into it, as we are? Could there be another problem? PLayback is fine, and the monitors produce a lovely warm sound,

 

thanks!

[Lee Flier]

Yes you need a preamp of some sort. If you have a mixer, you can use the preamps in that.

[Paully]

I'm not sure which model you have, but didn't the old Teacs have 'Mic' inputs with volume controls as well as line ins? That'd be the place to pick up some gain.

 

Best, Paul

[BrainChild]

 

I'm not sure which model you have, but didn't the old Teacs have 'Mic' inputs with volume controls as well as line ins? That'd be the place to pick up some gain. Best, Paul

 

 

I think my 3340 did but they were 1/4" and high impedence I believe. There were also level controls. If you run a line signal in from a CD player will at least let you know if the problem is the preamp or something else like a bad record head.

[Paully]

Or a dirty record head. These things need a thorough cleaning and de-gaussing regularly. Some high grade isopropol alcohol and some Q-tips on all heads is a must. However, a low signal on all channels probably means improper gain staging as suspected.

 

Best, Paul

[blue2blue]

Do not use typical 70% isopropyl alcohol if you can avoid it. It leaves too much residue.

 

With TASCAM four track RTRs, there's only so much regular maintenance you can do on a regular basis. Clean, lube, demagnetize. I managed to kind of align the electronics on one or two of my four tracks a couple times but it was a pretty collosal pain standing on my head and using mirrors and flashlights and tweezers to get at tiny slotted stem pots TASCAM clearly never intended humans to get into on a regular basis.