"It's ONKYO TA6511, sorry for the typo."
Hy,
Before I start boring everyone with the back story:
I have problems with sound, some female vocals have "robotic voice", here is the 3khz test tone recorded from computer and played back with the player (recorded with phone mic tho, as I don't have line in on pc):
3khz recorded and played back
Can this be caused by wow & flutter issue?
Any other possible reasons?
-While recording the sound is ok.
-I cleaned heads and capstan with 99% alcohol, pinch roller with mild soapy water.
-I have 3 bought sealed Maxell SQ Position High 90 cassetes and it is the same on all of them.
-I did FF/RWD prior to recording.
-I had tryed with auto bias calibration & without.
-dB meters are just hitting 0dB.
-Dolby off.
-I have only one song that I had recorded with my old AKAI before it died and it plays that one good, but this doesn't tell anything as I can only hear the error on some female vocals.
More on the sound:
On some songs where there are strong female vocals and words are singed long... like for example "I can't leaveeeeeeeee" that "leaveeeeeeee" sounds robotic, almost like a light computer lag or as producer would apply beat cut with light intensity over vocals.
PEOPLE WITH PRODUCING / MIXING KNOWLEDGE WILL UNDERSTAND THIS PART:
On one song, when female vocals starts, it sounds like vocals are sidechained to the instrumental limiter with way too much sensitivity... Instrumental gets too quiet and after some time the mix just falls apart... kinda like one would listen to mix that went bad, like it would be mixed by a rookie. Like a muddy mix, where instruments fight with each other for space in spectrum and music is not flowing / breathing as it should.
The Tape deck:
I had bought it 2 days ago, other than that problem it works awsome, at first I couldn't tell the difference between the tape and digital source.
It is in good condition inside and out, no signs of moisture, I can't see any leaky caps, not too much dust inside.
Will order new belt, current one is looking used, but not bad.
I really hope it is the belt, but I'm not holding my breath over it.
Any suggestions?
Thank you
Hy,
Before I start boring everyone with the back story:
I have problems with sound, some female vocals have "robotic voice", here is the 3khz test tone recorded from computer and played back with the player (recorded with phone mic tho, as I don't have line in on pc):
3khz recorded and played back
Can this be caused by wow & flutter issue?
Any other possible reasons?
-While recording the sound is ok.
-I cleaned heads and capstan with 99% alcohol, pinch roller with mild soapy water.
-I have 3 bought sealed Maxell SQ Position High 90 cassetes and it is the same on all of them.
-I did FF/RWD prior to recording.
-I had tryed with auto bias calibration & without.
-dB meters are just hitting 0dB.
-Dolby off.
-I have only one song that I had recorded with my old AKAI before it died and it plays that one good, but this doesn't tell anything as I can only hear the error on some female vocals.
More on the sound:
On some songs where there are strong female vocals and words are singed long... like for example "I can't leaveeeeeeeee" that "leaveeeeeeee" sounds robotic, almost like a light computer lag or as producer would apply beat cut with light intensity over vocals.
PEOPLE WITH PRODUCING / MIXING KNOWLEDGE WILL UNDERSTAND THIS PART:
On one song, when female vocals starts, it sounds like vocals are sidechained to the instrumental limiter with way too much sensitivity... Instrumental gets too quiet and after some time the mix just falls apart... kinda like one would listen to mix that went bad, like it would be mixed by a rookie. Like a muddy mix, where instruments fight with each other for space in spectrum and music is not flowing / breathing as it should.
The Tape deck:
I had bought it 2 days ago, other than that problem it works awsome, at first I couldn't tell the difference between the tape and digital source.
It is in good condition inside and out, no signs of moisture, I can't see any leaky caps, not too much dust inside.
Will order new belt, current one is looking used, but not bad.
I really hope it is the belt, but I'm not holding my breath over it.
Any suggestions?
Thank you
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It is difficult to tell from that single clip. It certainly does not sound pure and a quick look at the spectrum shows a large amount of low frequency noise with peaks at 50, 150 and curiously 228 Hz. 50 and 150 are all mains frequency related but 228Hz? The 3kHz tone is well resolved. There could be something mechanical going on such as back tension issues or take up torque problems... it would all need much more detailed testing really.
Hy @Mooly , thank you for quick response.
I bought this tape deck in hope that it will serve me well at least some time.
So I'm ready to do some troubleshooting & servicing.
I will bypass defective rec switch on my old Akai, so I can try to record with it and playback on the Onkio.
I will find a way to record back to pc directly, so we can get good recordings...
I don't have any test tapes, best I can do right now is to record from pc.
I have cheap chinesse o-scope.
With above being said, are there any tests that I can do?
This could also be releated to pinch roller I think?
Would you reccomend to wait for new belt first? Also a pinch roller?
Should buy/try more cassettes as the 3 I have were from the same stock?
Once I get line in recording, should I record anything else, I just figured 3khz would show the problem as it is in the spectrum of the female vocal...
I bought this tape deck in hope that it will serve me well at least some time.
So I'm ready to do some troubleshooting & servicing.
I will bypass defective rec switch on my old Akai, so I can try to record with it and playback on the Onkio.
I will find a way to record back to pc directly, so we can get good recordings...
I don't have any test tapes, best I can do right now is to record from pc.
I have cheap chinesse o-scope.
With above being said, are there any tests that I can do?
This could also be releated to pinch roller I think?
Would you reccomend to wait for new belt first? Also a pinch roller?
Should buy/try more cassettes as the 3 I have were from the same stock?
Once I get line in recording, should I record anything else, I just figured 3khz would show the problem as it is in the spectrum of the female vocal...
I hacked my old Akai to the state I can rec and play....
Onkyo's capstan is too slow. What I recorded with Onkyo plays way too fast on Akai and vice versa.
This poor thing has outlived my dad, been used by him on gigs back in 80s, been abused alot by me when I was a kid, been trown around, has moisture damage, jumpers instead of play/rec switch, it doesn't rewind or fastforward due to bad electro magnet and still manages to outpreform the Onkyo.
I hope that new belt wil solve the issue.
Onkyo's capstan is too slow. What I recorded with Onkyo plays way too fast on Akai and vice versa.
This poor thing has outlived my dad, been used by him on gigs back in 80s, been abused alot by me when I was a kid, been trown around, has moisture damage, jumpers instead of play/rec switch, it doesn't rewind or fastforward due to bad electro magnet and still manages to outpreform the Onkyo.
I hope that new belt wil solve the issue.
That needs looking into because it could also be part of other issues. You would have to look what type of capstan motor is fitted, all have some kind of electronic speed control but how that is achieved varies. Some use an FG (frequency generator) pickup and set the speed with comparison to a an accurate internally generated reference. More common are motors that use back EMF sensing. All this motors normally have a speed adjustment trimmer accessible via a hole in the back of the motor. Less common are unique motor designs applicable only to that recorder perhaps using brushless Hall Effect type motors.
You need to check things like the supply brakes are coming off correctly and that the back tension is correct (not easy without the correct jigs/cassettes).
Not at this point.
There is probably a preset for speed setting behind that hole... be careful not to use a metal bladed driver as you can easily short that to the case... or at least be careful if you do use a small metal one. I think that motor might be one with an internal FG speed control rather than back emf sensing, it just has that look to it.
Try and put it in play mode with no tape in the slot and then feel the spinning take up spool and make sure the torque feels smooth and not 'grabby'. Also spin the supply spool and try and see if the back tension feels 'smooth'. Its not easy to tell but obvious issues would show.
Wow, I'm sorry, it's TA6511, I hadn't noticed the typo.
I am working to get the line in.
Once you get to that point then you need to take it step by step - first fix all mechanical issues (belts, speeds etc) and only then address potential electronical problems (if any remain).