Tascam Portastudio 414mkII Owners Manual

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41 4 @#
OWNERS MANUAL
3D0028100A 
						

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Table Of Contents
Safety Instructions 3
The PORTASTUDIO 414 MKII is... 4
The Recording System 5
The Three Steps to Multitrack 5
Understanding the Mixer 6-7
Signal Flow in the 414 MKII Mixer 6
Tape Cue Monitor System 7
Multitrack Cassette Recorder 8
Track Format and Tape 
Recommendations 8-9
Optional Accessories 10
PORTASTUDIO 414 MKII Brief Guide 11-14
Step-By-Step Operation Guide 15-23
Lets Try the 414 MKII Mixer 15
How to Record on Track 1 16
Track 1 Playback through TAPE CUE 17
How to Make an Overdub on Track 2 18
How to Record Tracks 3 and 4 20
How to Record Many Sources onto a
Single Track 20
How to Record a Mix onto Two Tracks
Simultaneously 21
Recording on More than Two Tracks
Simultaneously : Direct Recording 22
How to Mix Down 22
PUNCH-IN or INSERT Recording 24-25
Preliminary 24
Punch-in Procedure 25
Bouncing Tracks  (Ping-Pong) 26
Ping-pong Procedure 26Using Effects with the 
PORTASTUDIO 414 MKII 27-28
Setting Effect Send Levels 27
Setting the Output Level of Effect 
Devices 27
Setting the Mix/Balance Control
on Effect Devices 28
How to Connect Your Effects Devices 28
Syncing MIDI-Tape—Using the 
TASCAM MTS-30 29
Troubleshooting 30
Features and Controls 31-35
414 MKII MIXER
Input Section 32
Stereo Input Section 33
Monitor Section 33
Master Section 33
Output Section 33
414 MKII RECORDER
Cassette Loading and dbx System 34
Transport Controls 34
Track Controls 35
Displays 35
Care and Maintenance 35-36
How the dbx Works 36
Specifications 37-38
Block Diagram 39-40
Level Diagram 41
© Copyright 1999, TEAC Corporation
All rights reserved under international and Pan American copyright conventions.
This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by mimeograph or any other means, without
permission.
The following marking is located on the bottom of the unit.
This appliance has a serial number located
on the rear panel. Please record the model
number and serial number and retain them
for your records.
Model number
Serial numberWARNING: TO PREVENT FIRE OR SHOCK
HAZARD, DO NOT EXPOSE THIS 
APPLIANCE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.
CAUTION: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT 
REMOVE  COVER (OR BACK).  NO  USER-SERVICEABLE  PARTS
INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SERVICE PERSONNEL.
  The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within equilateral triangle, is intended to alert
the  user  to  the  presence  of  uninsulated dangerous  voltage within  the  products  enclosure
that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to person.
The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the
presence  of  important  operating  and  maintenance  (servicing) instructions  in  the
literature accompanying the appliance.
CAUTIONRISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK
DO NOT OPEN 
						

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Safety Instructions
CAUTION:
•Read all of these Instructions.
•Save these Instructions for later use.
•Follow all Warnings and Instructions marked on the
audio equipment.
1) Read Instructions— All the safety and operating instructions should
be read before the product is operated.
2) Retain Instructions — The safety and operating instructions should
be retained for future reference.
3) Heed Warnings— All warnings on the product and in the operating
instructions should be adhered to.
4) Follow Instructions — All operating and use instructions should be
followed.
5) Cleaning— Unplug this product from the wall outlet before cleaning.
Do not use liquid cleaners or aerosol cleaners. Use a damp cloth for
cleaning.
6) Attachments— Do not use attachments not recommended by the
product manufacturer as they may cause hazards.
7) Water and Moisture— Do not use this product near water _
for
example, near a bath tub, wash bowl, kitchen sink, or laundry tub; in a wet
basement; or near a swimming pool; and the like.
8) Accessories— Do not place this product on an unstable cart, stand,
tripod, bracket, or table. The product may fall, causing serious injury to a
child or adult, and serious damage to the product. Use only with a cart,
stand, tripod, bracket, or table recommended by the manufacturer, or sold
with the product. Any mounting of the product should follow the
manufacturer’s instructions, and should use a mounting accessory
recommended by the manufacturer.
9)A product and cart combination should be moved with care. Quick
stops, excessive force, and uneven surfaces may cause the product and cart
combination to overturn.
10) Ventilation— Slots and openings in the cabinet are provided for
ventilation and to ensure reliable operation of the product  and to protect it
from overheating, and these openings must not be blocked or covered. The
openings should never be blocked by placing the product on a bed, sofa, rug,
or other similar surface. This product should not be placed in a built-in
installation such as a bookcase or rack unless proper ventilation is provided
or the manufacturer’s instructions have been adhered to.
11) Power Sources— This product should be operated only from the
type of power source indicated on the marking label. If you are not sure of
the type of power supply to your home, consult your product dealer or local
power company. For products intended to operate from battery power, or
other sources, refer to the operating instructions.
12) Grounding or Polarization — This product may be equipped with a
polarized alternating-current line plug (a plug having one blade wider than
the other). This plug will fit into the power outlet only one way. This is a
safety feature. If you are unable to insert the plug fully into the outlet, try
reversing the plug. If the plug should still fail to fit, contact your electrician
to replace your obsolete outlet. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the
polarized plug.
13) Power-Cord Protection— Power-supply cords should be routed so
that they are not likely to be walked on or pinched by items placed upon or
against them, paying particular attention to cords at plugs, convenience
receptacles, and the point where they exit from the product.
14) Outdoor Antenna Grounding — If an outside antenna or cable
system is connected to the product, be  sure the antenna or cable system is
grounded so as to provide some protection against voltage surges and built-
up static charges. Article 810 of the National Electrical Code, ANSI/NFPA
70, provides information with regard to proper grounding of the mast and
supporting structure, grounding of the lead-in wire to an antenna discharge
unit, size of grounding conductors, location of antenna-discharge unit,
connection to grounding electrodes, and requirements for the grounding
electrode.
Note to CATV system installer:This reminder is provided to call the CATV system installer’s attention to
Section 820-40 of the NEC which provides guidelines for proper grounding
and, in particular, specifies that the cable ground shall be connected to the
grounding system of the building, as close to the point of cable entry as
practical.
15) Lightning — For added protection for this product during a lightning
storm, or when it is left unattended and unused for long periods of time,
unplug it from the wall outlet and disconnect the antenna or cable system.
This will prevent damage to the product due to lightning and power-line
surges.
16) Power Lines — An outside antenna system should not be located in
the vicinity of overhead power lines or other electric light or power circuits,
or where it can fall into such power lines or circuits. When installing an
outside antenna system, extreme care should be taken to keep from touching
such power lines or circuits as contact with them might be fatal.
17) Overloading — Do not overload wall outlets, extension cords, or
integral convenience receptacles as this can result in risk of fire or electric
shock.
18) Object and Liquid Entry — Never push objects of any kind into
this product through openings as they may touch dangerous voltage points
or short-out parts that could result in a fire or electric shock. Never spill
liquid of any kind on the product.
19) Servicing— Do not attempt to service this product yourself as
opening or removing covers may expose you to dangerous voltage or other
hazards. Refer all servicing to qualified service personnel.
20) Damage Requiring Service— Unplug this product from the wall
outlet and refer servicing to qualified service personnel under the following
conditions:
a)when the power-supply cord or plug is damaged.b)if liquid has been spilled, or objects have fallen into the product.c)if the product has been exposed to rain or water.d)if the product does not operate normally by following the operating
instructions. Adjust only those controls that are covered by the operating
instructions as an improper adjustment of other controls may result in
damage and will often require extensive work by a qualified technician to
restore the product to its normal operation.
e)if the product has been dropped or damaged in any way.f )when the product exhibits a distinct change in performance _ 
this
indicates a need for service.
21) Replacement Parts — When replacement  parts are required, be
sure the service technician has used replacement parts specified by the
manufacturer or have the same characteristics as the original part.
Unauthorized substitutions may result in fire, electric shock, or other
hazards.
22) Safety Check— Upon completion of any service or repairs to this
product, ask the service technician to perform safety checks to determine
that the product is in proper operating condition.
23) Wall or Ceiling Mounting — The product should be mounted to a
wall or ceiling only  as recommended by the manufacturer.
24) Heat— The product should be situated away from heat sources such
as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other products (including amplifiers)
that produce heat.
ANTENNA
LEAD IN
WIRE
ANTENNA
DISCHARGE UNIT
(NEC SECTION 810-20)
GROUNDING CONDUCTOR
(NEC SECTION 810-21)
GROUND CLAMPS
POWER SERVICE GROUNDING
ELECTRODE SYSTEM
(NEC ART 250. PART H)
NEC - NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODEELECTRIC
SERVICE
EQUIPMENT
Example of Antenna Grounding as per
National Electrical Code, ANSI/NFPA 70
GROUND
CLAMP 
						

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The PORTASTUDIO 414 MKII is...
The PORTASTUDIO 414 MKII is a 4-track Multi-
track Master cassette tape recorder and a full-
function mixer with 8 inputs/stereo outputs including
a balanced microphone input and a dedicated guitar
input combined into a single workstation.
Its high audio quality and creative flexibility reflect
the experience and innovation that have allowed
TASCAM to earn its reputation in professional audio
production fields, and its user-friendly design makes
the 414 MKII suitable for anyone, from expert to
novice.
Using this manual :To get the most out of your
414 MKII, please take the time to read through this
manual. Some time spent now will keep you from
overlooking some of the features that make the 414
MKII a more creative tool. You may discover some
new tricks you havent tried before.
Use of capital letters
: In general, we use all upper
case type to designate a particular switch, control,
jack name or label (like PAN). Transport modes and
some features are described with an upper case first
letter (like Record mode).
CAUTION
To power the PORTASTUDIO 414 MKII, use
only the provided PS-P414 AC adaptor.
Using any other adaptor will cause damage
to the 414 MKII, and such damage would not
be covered by the limited warranty on the
product.
About the weld line
There is a patterned stripe-like effect on the
bottom surface of the 414 MKII unit. This
effect is called a weld line and is a natural
result of the resin molding process
employed in the manufacture of the
414 MKII unit. It is not a crack or scratch,
and will cause no problems with the
operation of the 414 MKII unit.
NOTE FOR U.K. CUSTOMERS
DO NOT cut off the mains plug from this
equipment.If the plug fitted is not suitable for the
power points in your home or the cable is too short
to reach a power point, then obtain an appropriate
safety approved extension lead or consult your
dealer.
If nonetheless the mains plug is cut of
f, remove the
fuse anddispose of the plugimmediately, to avoid a
possible shock hazard by inadvertent connection to
the mains supply.
If this product is not provided with a mains plug, or
one has to be fitted, then follow the instructions
given below:
IMPORTANT. DO NOT make any connection to the
larger terminal which is marked with the letter E or
by the safety earth symbol çor coloured GREEN
or GREEN-and-YELLOW.
The wires in the mains lead on this product are
coloured in accordance with the following code:
BLUE: NEUTRAL
BROWN: LIVE
As these colours may not correspond with the
coloured markings identifying the terminals in your
plug proceed as follows:
The wire which is coloured BLUE must be
connected to the terminal which is marked with the
letter N or coloured BLACK.
The wire which is coloured BROWN must be
connected to the terminal which is marked with the
letter L or coloured RED.
When replacing the fuse only a correctly rated
approved type should be used and be sure to re-fit
the fuse cover.
IF IN DOUBT— CONSULT A COMPETENT
ELECTRICIAN. 
						

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The Recording System
The PORTASTUDIO 414 MKII is a complete audio
production facility in a single box. It is divided into
two major sections: a full-function mixer and a 4-
channel, multitrack cassette recorder.To complete the recording system, youll additionally
need these: input devices (microphones,
instruments), output devices (headphones), 2 track
recorder, effects processors, etc.
The Three Steps to Multitrack
In TRACKING and OVERDUBBING, the mixer
inputs are usually microphones or instruments, going
to different tracks of the recorder.
In OVERDUBBING, the MONITOR section and
TAPE CUE of the mixer must be used to listen toprevious tracks while you record new ones, so there
is a two-way flow through the console.
In MIXDOWN, signal comes from the multitrack
and is sent to an external 2-track recorder. 
						

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Understanding the Mixer
Signal Flow in the 414 MKII Mixer
The illustration below shows how input signals  pass
through the 414 MKII Mixer section. After the
MASTER fader they go to the L/R LINE OUT jacks.This is the most important signal route in the mixer
and is called Main Mix. 
						

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Understanding the Mixer
Tape Cue Monitor System
The TAPE CUE mix and MONITOR switches are
also crucial for successful multitrack recording,
because they control what you hear in the
headphones. This CUE mix is totally independent
from the Main Mix going to tape. If you dont use
the CUE mix, you run the risk of  accidentally
bouncing tracks every time you record new
material.The 4 TAPE CUE controls act like a separate 4x1
mixer, dedicated solely so you can hear playback
from the multitrack recorder in your headphones.
Settings of these controls dont affect the mix going
to tape. When the master EFFECT 2/TAPE CUE
select switch located to the right of the track 4 meter
is set to the right/TAPE CUE position, the channels
TAPE CUE controls are turned to the right, the
MONITOR EFFECT 2/TAPE CUE switch is
pressed on, and the MONITOR level control is
turned up, you can hear tape playback in the
headphones. You can adjust the monitor level of each
track by adjusting its TAPE CUE control. The
channels of the Main Mix remain free to handle
external inputs for recording.
If you can hear tape playback in your headphones
when TAPE CUE is off, it means youre hearing tape
through the Main Mix. This is correct for mixdown
and bouncing tracks, but during overdubbing it can
cause previous tracks to be mixed together with new
tracks, instead of each part remaining separate. Use
the TAPE CUE to avoid this.
The three MONITOR switches choose which
mix(es) you can hear in the headphones/monitor
speakers — the L-R mix, the TAPE CUE mix, and
the EFFECT 1 and 2 send mixes.  Press the L-R
switch on to hear what you are recording. 
						

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Multitrack Cassette Recorder
The 414 MKII records on readily available standard
(Philips) Compact Cassette tape, high bias Type II.
The recorder has 4 tracks while the mixer has a
stereo output; however, using the Direct Recording
feature you can record on any or all of the 4 tracks at
one time. For more details, see Recording on More
Than Two Tracks Simultaneously, page 22.
The 414 MKIIs dbx Noise Reduction virtually
eliminates unwanted tape noise. A special SYNC
feature turns off the dbx on track 4 separately,
making it possible to record and play back the MIDI
sync tones or SMPTE/EBU time code without being
affected by the dbx encode/decode. This ensures that
the sync tones/code are recorded and played back
without unnecessary processing. With proper
operating techniques, it is not necessary to leave a
guard band between music and sync tone tracks
because of the low crosstalk of the  TASCAM heads.ZERO RETURN promptly brings you back to the
beginning of a section of tape, selected by
resetting the tape counter.
The tape speed can be increased or decreased
with the PITCH CONTROL dial in both
playback and record, to match pitch or for special
effects.
Track Format and Tape Recommendations
Tape Speed and Track Format
The Portastudio 414 MKII records/plays at 9.5
cm/sec (3-3/4 ips) which is twice (2 X) the normal
speed of a standard audio cassette.It also employs a discrete 4-channel format head
developed especially by TEAC for TASCAM
multitrack cassette recorders. Here is a comparison
of various cassette formats: 
						

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Track Format and Tape Recommendations
Tape Type
The Portastudio 414 MKII is internally adjusted for
HIGH BIAS Type II tape. This means that for best
results, you should only use tapes of this type. TDK
SA, Maxell XL-II or equivalent formulations are
recommended. We strongly suggest that you select
one good quality brand and use it exclusively. The
time you spend creating your multitrack master is
much more valuable than the money you save by
buying inferior tape. The cassette shell essentially
becomes a part of the 414 MKIIs transport. Poor
quality shells can cause wrinkles, snarls and
shredding of the edges of the tape with use. Even
small scratches on the tape oxide can cause
dropouts (temporary loss of signal) on one or more
tracks. High quality tapes are less likely to cause
problems in the long run.
Accidental Erase/Record Protection
To protect a finished master tape, it is necessary to
punch out both record protect tabs. Even though you
are recording in only one direction, the 414 MKII
uses the entire width of the tape. If, for example, you
remove only one of the tabs, you could accidentally
insert the cassette into the 414 MKII backwards and
erase all four tracks of the master.Tape Length
Use the shortest possible tape for a given work. It is
not unusual to play a tape 100 times before you are
finished, so select a cassette length that is as close as
possible to the length of the program you plan to
record. Cassettes C-60 length and shorter are often
made from thicker stock than longer cassettes.
The tape used in C-120 cassettes is extremely thin
and can cause winding problems, crimping,
wrinkling, and other damage to the oxide coating of
the tape which will destroy your work. Dont use
C-120s in the 414 MKII.
Remember that with twice the normal speed and  the
one-side-only 4-track single direction format, you
have only one quarter of the normal play time:
Cassette Play Time
C-46 11.5 min.
C-60 15 min.
C-90 22.5 min.
(approx.) 
						

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Optional Accessories
RC-30P Remote Footswitch
Head Demagnetizer
TZ-261 Cleaning Kit (Except U.S.)MIDI-Tape Synchronizer
PW-2Y/PW-4Y Insertion Cable
HC-1 Head Cleaner & RC-1 Rubber Cleaner
(U.S.only)