From: tapas@esri.com (Tapas Das)
Subject: RE: Advice on DAT recorders
Organization: Environmental Systems Research Institute
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1992 21:37:29 GMT



In article
   
<Dec.17.19.30.15.1992.5902@ace.rutgers.edu> Michael Rosenstark writes:

>
There is one point that really needs to be made if either of these
DAT's are going to be used as mastering decks of anything analog:

the 3700 has no 'margin' readout.  The DA30, on the other hand, has an
excellent readout, with very precisely calibrated input level
adjustment knobs.  They are engraved with one dB markings, and they
aren't kidding--when you move the knob  four notches up, your signal
reads as peaking four dB higher.  This is invaluable for mastering, in
my opinion.  The remote on the DA30 is wired, by the way, which is
kind of a drawback.

Another point to be made--there are many more connectors on the back
of the DA30 for analog input and output, as well as a switch on the
front for toggling between them.  This allows you to repatch the DA30
from balanced to unbalanced feed without replugging any cables.  The
3700 only has balanced connectors.

I initially thought that the transport mechanism of the 3700 was
sturdier, but when I looked into this further, I realized that they
are nearly identical.

The rackmount kit for the 3700 must be assembled, whereas the DA30
just has rackears built right onto the thing.

The DA30 features individual input level controls for both channels.
I don't think the 3700 has this.  Finally, I don't think the 3700 has
a master output level control, whereas the DA30 does.

I had them both in my studio at different times, and I opted for the
DA30.  I think I paid around $975.  Remember, though, that you must
base your decision on what you will be using the machine for; I use
the DAT primarily for recording analog signals.  Therefore, the margin
readout is invaluable to me.

cheers,

mike
-- 
rosensta@ace.rutgers.edu
rosensta@silvertone.princeton.edu

> 

I just wish to express my thanks to Mike for posting this article.
He is right on target.  I could not agree more with him.  I wish we
had more reviewers like Mike.

I would also like to thank everybody else who posted or emailed me
their comments and suggestions on their favorite DAT.

I did a little survey of my own and asked all my musical buddies around.
It seems the Technics 3700 is a hot favorite in the professional environment, 
while the Tascam DA30 is very popular with home studio owners.

If you were to do live recording of vocals or sampling, locating exact
points are of paramount importance.  The jog/shuttle feature is a must.
You have no choice.  You *have* to buy the 3700 or much more pricey models.
The salesperson showed me how marvelous this feature is, and I agree.

However, the only purpose I was buying a DAT was to make a master tape
for my CD.  I do not use any microphones, or vocals, or record any acoustic 
instruments live.  Its all MIDI. 

Everything is camera ready to play back flawlessly through my sequencers.
I just make instrumental music with my MIDI keyboards and even the fade outs
are controlled via midi.  I will never be using the jog/shuttle dial.

Some studio owners pointed out that this jog/shuttle wheel, which is such
a useful feature, can also be abused and can cause frequent
breakdowns.  The 3700 had to be serviced from time to time.  This could
also be due to the fact that the 3700 is used more often.  DAT is 
a fragile medium.

People buy DAT to make excellent quality recordings.  So how do 
the 3700, DA30 and 2300 compare sonically?  

On casual listening, all three sounded superb.  They show a remarkable
improvement over cassette tape and sound at par or even better than 
standard 1 inch 30ips reel to reels.  Any one of them will do the job.
The sonic differences amongst the 3 were very negligible.

On critical listening to the same musical passage over and over again,
I felt (personal opinion alone) the 3700 had the finest resolution,
the DA30 lacked purity in the very low end, while the 2300 sounded
very smooth and musically appealing.  Once again I would like to 
add that these perceived differences were very minute, subjective,
and in most cases...meaningless.

Neither the 3700 or the 2300 had RCA unbalanced inputs/outputs.
On the 3700, you have a switch on the back panel to toggle between
+4db and -10db. The 2300 had a variable output to cover this range.
So yes, with a little modification to your AES/EBU connector,
you can connect these decks up to a consumer -10db home audio/video
receiver/amp.

But nothing beats the convinience of having dedicated -10db RCA ins/outs
and +4db AES/EBU professional ins/outs like the DA30.

One of the most important parameters you want to monitor while making
a DAT recording is the input dB level.  You do *not* want to go over 0 dB.
But you want to be as close as possible to capture the maximum dynamic
range. 24 segment LEDs are good, that hold the peak for a few seconds,
but what you want to find is how close the highest peak was to 0 dB
for the entire recording.   A margin indicator is what you need.

The margin indicator on the DA30 operates both while recording as well
as playback.  Lets say you feed an analog signal while you set the
input level to 6.0. You press the RECORD button to start sampling,
but do not press the PLAY button.  Lets say after sampling the entire
score, the margin indicator shows 2 dB.  Your goal is to
increase the input level buy a certain amount to reduce this margin
to 0 dB.  But by how much?  Here is where the DA30 shines.  No guess
work here.  Just increase the input knob by 2 counts...to 6.2.  

Press the PLAY button to start actual recording and replay your
sequence. Bingo.  You have made the best possible recording that
spans to the limits of 0 dB.  

I commend Mike for pointing out this feature.

Aesthetically the 2300 was the winner.  The DA30 looks like a piece
of brick in todays age of high tech styling.  The DA30 had the
best display.  You can read the absolute time and the margin level right
across the room.  The tiny red/green/amber LED lights for record/play/pause 
modes are very helpful.

I wish the DA30 had the option of a wired/wireless remote like the 2300.
I would have welcomed an error code indicator like the 3700.
I would have liked the capability to assign any id number to any song. 
You cannot do that.  When you press RENUMBER, it will rewind to the beginning
and renumber all your songs in acending order.

I dropped the 3700 as I did not need the jog/shuttle feature, and
am not that happy with Matsushitas service reputation.

Between the 2300 and DA30, I would have picked the 2300 *if* they were
priced alike.  I expected Sony, the inventors of DAT to beat or atleast
match Tascam in price. They havent.  The best prices I could get 
was around $1225 for the 3700, $1100 for the 2300 and $950 for the DA30.   

I shopped around for this package deal:

1. Tascam DA30
2. Remove jumpers to defeat copy protection.
3. 10 90min DAT tapes (Ampex, TDK, Denon, Panasonic or Sony)
4. Shipping and handling via UPS ground.

Sweetwater Sound gave me the best deal at $1060.
They sent me Panasonic tapes.  I would have preferred Ampex.
 
I have been recording/testing on the DA30 for the last two days. 
This is a great DAT.  I am a satisfied owner.

If you are an amateur musician like myself and do all your stuff via
MIDI and want to capture the dynamite sounds of todays synths to DAT,
the Tascam DA30 is what the doctor ordered.  Right price, great performance
and comes with the right set of features. This samples at 44.1 KHz and
makes a perfect mastering deck for CDs.


Tapas Das
tdas@esri.com