Help with recording on TEAC reel to reel

Al Gibbs

New Member
Has anyone any knowledge on troubleshooting recording on a reel to reel player? I have a teac x200r that I cannot get to record properly?
 
I assume you mean X-2000R since I don’t believe Teac made a model called the X-200R. If you haven’t already done so you may want to download and review the instruction/owners manual from HiFi Engine especially the section on recording to make sure that you are setting the deck up properly to do this. The download is free after registering which is also free.

https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/teac/x-2000r.shtml
 
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I have my x2000 here in front of me 'on the bench'... Stay in touch !!


Thanks! So if I can ask a question. When recording and the sound level is very low, what could be causing it? The vu meters reacts like the sound is coming in correctly, but the replay is very low. Also do you have a idea of a supplier for blank 10 inch reels?
 
you could try recording with higher levels to rule out meters set wrong which would be unlikely ..
better checking you are using a good tape and machine is set up for that tape .
do you have any tapes that were recorded on a different machine ?
 
detailed reply later... off for Ms Pac-Man date < ......
Tape available from Splicit.com recordingthemasters.com atrtape.com
 
What kind of tape are you trying to record onto? Make sure you are matching the decks "tape type" switches to the tape you are using. If the deck hasn't been used in a long time, your controls may need cleaning. Lots of things to go wrong with that deck. Welcome to the forum.
 
When recording and the sound level is very low, what could be causing it? The vu meters reacts like the sound is coming in correctly, but the replay is very low.
Is the output level control set to the CAL (3 o’clock) position as suggested on page 10 of the instruction/owners manual?
 
First clean the heads. Next make sure the shiny side of the tape is facing AWAY from the heads.
 
Could the tape itself be bad?
That’s possible but what brand and type of tape are you using? Several questions have asked and suggestions made to try to identify possible causes for your problem. It would be helpful if you would answer the questions and let us know if you have made the suggested checks.
 
When I had the tape repaired the gentleman repairing it said that it plays fine. He cleaned the rollers and all of the other pertinent mechanisms.
 
That’s possible but what brand and type of tape are you using? Several questions have asked and suggestions made to try to identify possible causes for your problem. It would be helpful if you would answer the questions and let us know if you have made the suggested checks.
I don’t know if the tape is bad. How can you check?
 
First clean the heads. Next make sure the shiny side of the tape is facing AWAY from the heads.

Is the output level control set to the CAL (3 o’clock) position as suggested on page 10 of the instruction/owners manual?

Make sure you are matching the decks "tape type" switches to the tape you are using. If the deck hasn't been used in a long time, your controls may need cleaning. Lots of things to go wrong with that deck.

you could try recording with higher levels to rule out meters set wrong which would be unlikely ..
better checking you are using a good tape and machine is set up for that tape .
do you have any tapes that were recorded on a different machine ?

Have you checked and/or done each of the items listed above?

You indicated that the tape you are using is “TDKq”. There are certain types of TDK tape that are known to have problems. Do you know what type of TDK tape you have?
 
Have you checked and/or done each of the items listed above?

You indicated that the tape you are using is “TDKq”. There are certain types of TDK tape that are known to have problems. Do you know what type of TDK tape you have?
No I don’t. I had the machine repaired and the playback is great. That’s why i think this is a tape issue.
 
I had the machine repaired and the playback is great. That’s why i think this is a tape issue.

It may or may not be a tape issue. Since you believe it is a tape issue but can not identify the type of tape you are using to record, I would suggest trying a different tape. In post #6 eddisc suggested a source for tape that would be of known good quality. If you try recording on a known good tape and get the same result, that indicates that the problem you are having is caused by something other than the tape. Your comment that “playback is great” indicates that you have other tapes available which are apparently pre-recorded ones since the tapes that you record do not playback properly. The fact that the pre-recorded tapes playback properly does not necessarily mean that the tape you are using to record is bad. This could be because the record head has deposits on it which are preventing the tape from making good contact with that head which is required in order to record properly as dr*audio (Warren) intimated in post #10.

PS - If the things suggested here do not solve the problem, you might want to check back with the gentleman who repaired the deck and ask him to help you fix whatever is wrong. It is possible that something may have happened in the process of transporting the deck from his shop to you that is causing the problem.
 
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First, what is your output knob set at? It should be on CAL for nominal output.

It may be recording just fine but you have the output set too low?
 
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